Information to include in test equipment listings - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Esal
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 14, 2024, 03:15:45 am
content: Hello, my University was disposing of some test equipment from an old electronics lab and I decided to take it home to see if I could use any of it. I have been able to complete the basic calibration and self testing and so far they appear to have no problems but most of the equipment is benchtop I don't have space or use for such high end equipment as a hobbyist / student and am looking to sell if possible. I have an HP 3458A, 81101A, and 3245A which all seem to be listed for a lot on ebay but are mostly from actual stores with reputation and certification. If i were to make a listing, would ebay be the best bet or is there a better option for small sellers? Also would it be worth it to try and send these in to a calibration lab to get them certified or is the self test (and the rest of the recommended tests in the manual if required) enough to be trusted online? Lastly, there are quite a few threads about people complaining about even big sellers lacking critical information or answers to specific questions about the product, especially with the 3458a, is there some basic information that I should include or have the answers to or should i just be combing through these threads and learning about common issues to see if my model has them? Any help would be appreciated, I am very new to the test equipment game and not sure what is typical for something like this.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2024, 02:54:41 pm
content: FIRST, Don't look a the listing prices on E-Greed. They're just pure nonsense! Go look at the closed auctions and see what the stuff is actually selling for. Second, I seriously doubt that paying someone to repair or to calibrate the equipment is worthwhile. It will almost certainly cost more than it will add to the actual selling price of the item(s). But you should do some quick checks to be sure that the item is working and that all of it's functions are working and are reasonably accurate using non-STANDARDS and then sell the items as is (either 'Used' or 'Non-Working or For Parts').I used to get a lot of TE that I had no use for and I sold it on Ebay; including some of it that I had no way to test or that had some issues with either some functions that didn't work or that were obviously well out of spec. I always clearly stated what worked and what didn't and also if there was any parts missing or if the using was complete. For the non-working equipment I generally got about 60% of what a working item (with unknown calibration) would bring. I sold probably over 1000 pieces of TE over the years but after a while the shipping costs, Ebay fees and PayPal fees were just TOO MUCH. But with that and the amount of work involved I finally decided that it just wasn't worth the headaches to sell on Ebay any longer.But if you decided to see on Ebay take plenty of pictures to show the physical condition of the item and that it is complete or some buyer will take parts out or off and then try to return it saying that it was incomplete! That was becoming a BIG problem on Ebay when I finally gave up selling on there about 10 years ago. I was seriously considering buying some of the stick on warranty type seals and sealing the cases so that I could tell if anyone had broken the seal and opened the case.You can TRY selling the items locally but most of the time I couldn't find anyone locally that had any interest in serious TE and I had to use EBay to get that world wide exposure to people that knew what it was and were willing to pay a fair price for TE.There was a thread on here I think earlier this year where someone in Virginia was trying to sell good TE locally and without using Ebay and you can read about how poor his results were.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2024, 05:43:05 pm
content: You want enough information for a variety of search terms to be able to find it and then images and a description of the testing done and anything you've noticed. Lots of those legitimate looking sellers are just selling surplus with virtually no testing or understanding, so a mention that someone who knows how to use it is listing it does help give some confidence. That said, unless you are comfortable accepting a return if something doesn't work, it shouldn't really be sold as "used" since ebay will side with buyers who try to return if it doesn't meet the description or doesn't work.A lot of universities already have sort of surplus selling operation, either first party in the school or through a third party, so it could be looking into selling through them as it would be simpler.