Top Tips to Building your Lab with eBay - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2016, 04:23:11 am
content: Over the past year I've been seriously building my home lab. I've always been interested in--and worked in--electronics, but after spending time hanging out on the EEVBlog (yes, my buying spree is all your fault, Dave!) and reading so many great threads here I have to admit it is pretty easy to want to dig deeper, learn more, and just get working on projects.I have been acquiring equipment for my lab using eBay as well as Craigslist and other local for-sale resources. I've had a great time buying, repairing and reselling equipment. My lab has been built for a fraction of the retail price--and if I count reselling gear it has really cost me very little other than time. For the record, I really enjoy fixing stuff but also the hunt to get equipment for a great price.I thought I'd share my tips for buying test gear on eBay. This list applies to any gear but I tend to focus on equipment listed for "parts and repair" as it is (for the most part) the best way to get a deal if you can fix things. And if you're new to repair, others on the EEVBlog can assist you.#1 - Buy it now and Best Offer are where you should focus:I find eBay items that are listed for "buy it now" and "best offer" are the best options for a great deal as bidders often overpay for actual auction items.#2 - Do your research ahead of time:If you're targeting a specific type of test equipment know the market and what specifications you require as well as the value of the items. If there is a great deal on an item listed with "buy it now" it won't last long.#3 - Check completed auctions to see what items have sold for:eBay tends to "fib" a little and will show the listed price of "best offer" items instead of the price they really sold for. You can see the price an item actually sold for athttp://watchcount.comby putting in the eBay auction number.#4 - Look at the pictures carefully:They often give clues as to what might be wrong with AS-IS equipment. Are the calibration labels cut/missing, are there pieces missing, is the chassis cracked, is there rust etc. All are good indicators as to how challenging a repair might be. I've bought a few Agilent power supplies for cheap because they were set to 220 VAC and sellers were obviously testing them on 120 VAC. The pictures showed they were setup for 220 VAC.#5 - Check for service manuals online:Google is your friend when buying broken equipment on eBay (or elsewhere)! I am a big fan of HP/Agilent gear as it is not only quite plentiful (in North America anyway) but there are also service manuals available to download for much of the equipment.#6 - Check the serial number:If there is a serial number visible in the pictures then check for recalls and even for product warranty on the manufacturer's website where possible. One Agilent bench meter I bought as parts was still under warranty. Keysight was kind enough to replace it with a brand new Keysight branded unit, my only cost was shipping the meter to them.#7 - Review the seller's feedback:It never hurts to take a quick peak to see who you're dealing with. Some sellers should just be avoided no matter how good the deal may seem.#8 - Always check the shipping charges:Before clicking that "buy it now" button see how much shipping will be. Many sellers are reasonable but every now and then you find a seller charging insane rates - you don't want to get bit by that.#9 - Check your shipping address:This one is huge for people who are not located in the US but have a US based shipping address. Many auctions won't be displayed when you search for items unless your ship-to address is set to a US address. You will miss out on a ton of deals if you overlook this.#10 - Check to see what else a seller has for sale:If you get a great deal from an eBay seller be sure to watch to see what else they have for sale. Many sellers are just reselling the gear and have no emotional attachment to it, they just want to turn over inventory.#11 - Communication can go a long way:When making a "Best Offer" you can add a comment or sales terms. If you're buying something listed for parts make sure to put that in the comments so the seller knows you fully understand the item is "AS-IS". If I am trying to get something for what I think is a really good price I often state the price I am offering simply reflects the budget I have for an item; I always want to be respectful. I have also countered best offer items with my original lower offer. Often the deal will be rejected but I have also found that the seller will accept.#12 - Pay Promptly:I have no idea why someone would buy something and then not pay right away. It is not only the proper thing to do but you never know when you'll be dealing with the seller again. I have met some great people on eBay who are now friends so I can now get even better pricing dealing direct.#13 - When there is a problem with a purchase, don't panic:When something arrives damaged, or wasn't what was advertised, this can be an opportunity to negotiate a better deal (if it wasn't completely destroyed/not total junk). Assess whether it still has value to you, contact the seller, and see what they are willing to do. I've often found sellers to be quite generous because they just want a successful transaction.#14 - Check eBay often:The good deals come and go quickly, you have to check eBay often or you'll likely miss out on the best deals.#15 - Be patient:You can't build a lab in a day - You need to have an idea of what you're looking for and be willing to wait for the right deal to come along if you want to build a great lab on a budget.#16 - Be picky:Don't just buy any old junk, look at the pictures carefully. Accessories and missing parts can be very expensive to replace.#17 - Always have funds ready:The best deals don't last long, sometimes only a few minutes. If you don't have the funds available you might miss out on a great piece of gear that won't come along again for a year or even longer.#18 - Check other places:You should also be looking for gear that isn't listed on eBay on places such as Craigslist and the EEVBlog. When looking at broken items don't forget to do a search for the part number here to see if others have repaired the item or even posted the service manual. There is an immense talent base on the EEVBlog with many users very generous with their time in helping to repair gear.#19 - You can't buy it all:Don't be disappointed if your best offer gets rejected. You can't win every item if you're shopping on a budget. You will get some great deals though with patience and persistence.#20 - Share your successes:If you get a great deal on some gear and then repair it please post about your item and the steps you took to repair it. This already happens daily here but even more can't hurt.Have fun! I love the thrill of the hunt when searching on eBay for great deals. I love getting a deal on something--it is even better when it was super cheap and then I repaired it.I am sure there are more tips others can share but this is my main list. I also realize it is generally much tougher to get such great deals on eBay when you're not in the US. In my case, I am in Canada but very close to the border. I have a US shipping address through a package receiving company, and I receive an email/text when a package arrives for pickup. I also started with cheaper/easier to repair equipment such as small bench power supplies and have worked my way up to more exciting items like network analyzers.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 21, 2016, 04:39:26 am
content: A big thumbs up on every pointThese same guidelines apply no matter where you are in the world - but your location will greatly affect the number of opportunities that come your way.Australia is not a backwater, but the range of gear and prices asked for them in the USA makes me feel like it is. I cannot imagine how those who are worse off cope with it all.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2016, 12:54:30 pm
content: Great tips...

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2016, 04:06:41 pm
content: When checking a seller's rating, don't just look at the percentage of positive ratings. You want to know what happens when a deal goes bad. Does the seller stonewall? Does he blame the buyer, the shippers, the weather, anything but accept the blame and make it right? I've given positive ratings to sellers that quickly and professionally deal with a problem.Ed

author: killawhat
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 21, 2017, 01:22:02 am
content: Great write up and ideas. I'm in total agreement with ebay sellers making things right. Shit happens and a vast majority of sellers will fix a problem. If I'm dealing with a seller I've never bought from before, I generally order one small thing and see how long it takes. If there's issues, then how well they deal with it - I'll give positive feedback if they do the right thing and come to the party. Generally, I keep good sellers in mind and I'll choose those sellers over another even if they are a little more expensive. I've acquired gear for next to nothing because it was DOA and I've fixed it - but they don't need to know that.For those that don't, firstly I do as Chris Jerrico does - YOU'VE JUST MADE THE LIST! I have a list of bad sellers on some post-its on the board. You'll also notice if you check your paypal statements that sometimes multiple ebay users are under the same email address (company) which can be a red flag if you've had issues before. If I notice those, I write it on the board in case there's problems. You'll also need to be aware that some users change their user names regularly to avoid these issues - but the payments still goes to the same email account - they generally can't hide that! I give most sellers the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance to make it right. If they don't or are hard to deal with, just report them to ebay - they'll generally look after it. Bad sellers hate this - that's when you have to watch that they don't change their user name.One last tip: If the item doesn't arrive in a reasonable time (before 2 months), contact the seller and get a refund. Because by the time they sent another, you wouldn't be able to leave any negative feedback against them. The good sellers even check in with you if you haven't given feedback in a reasonable amount of time as well to make sure you're happy and the item arrived.