HP 34401A and some gas analysers (UK)  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 07:59:51 am
content: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/mikeselectricstuff/m.html

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 08:01:46 am
content: That's ridiculously cheap for a 34401A!

author: mickpah
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 08:04:13 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 19, 2013, 08:01:46 amthe starting bid is, lets see in 6 days

author: tinhead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 08:57:35 am
content: Mike,are you aware that you can use Postal Service? Even if this DMM is only 3.6kg, you still don't need to transportit by yourselveDescription like "UK only due to weight" is not necessary anymore in 21th centurySeriously, why UK only?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 09:08:31 am
content: Quote from: tinhead on June 19, 2013, 08:57:35 amHere in Australia it would cost $85 to send that item to the US by basic postage. $112 to Europe.

author: tinhead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 09:22:54 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 19, 2013, 09:08:31 amwell Dave, and here in Germany as well when shipments are from/to over 2 zones, but still, it does not have anythign todo with "due weigth" and for some heavy items this can be still good option to pay less for item and bit more for shippment.I bought TEK for 400USD, paid shippment 100USD and tax ~100USD but sold it now for 1200USD. And even if i wouldnot sell it (and i did it only due financial shortage) that was a good business to pay the shippment costs.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 12:22:46 pm
content: Quote from: tinhead on June 19, 2013, 08:57:35 amThis drives be mad. I am in Ireland (AKA eire to those on the 'Mainland'), most UK sellers will not ship here or add a silly 'international' mark-up when the real difference is not much. I get around this by getting parcels shipped to a courier in NI (AKA Northern Ireland which is 'in' the UK), for €3.50 the courier then delivers to a local collection point, and I pick them up on the way to work. But now the UK 'Mainland' sellers are starting to charge more to ship to NI. For example, yesterday I won a projector (3.5kg), the 'Mainland' seller was charging £8.60 for delivery, but said his courier wanted an extra £10 for delivery to NI. I hopped on to Parcel2Go and arranged a pickup and delivery for £8.39 to NI (direct to Dublin was £16), the seller was happy and refunded me his P&P and I saved a few pence!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 12:36:39 pm
content: Is there any hassle with sending overseas from the UK?In Oz you have to fill out the stupid customs form, show your ID, and get quizzed on the contents.A lot of the time I simply couldn't be bothered with the hassle, and refuse to send a lot of stuff overseas. I prefer to use fixed rate satchels for stuff, then I don't have to line up at the post office, I just drop in the box.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 12:55:04 pm
content: Paperwork isn't an issue, it's just that above 2kg it gets very expensive to get a Post Office service with tracking and a signature, and I just can't be bothered getting into potential hassles due to unpredictable foreign postal services for stuff that I'll have no trouble shifting in the UK.I don't use services like Parcel2Go as I don't want to have to wait in all day for a courier collection.My ebay sales are primarily to clear stuff out with the minimum of effort, not to get the highest possible price.I do generally do international on smaller stuff.

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 12:57:15 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on June 19, 2013, 12:22:46 pmI think the fact that we now have Parcel Motel and the fact its so successful highlights the stupidity of the situation between here and there (UK)

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 01:07:55 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 19, 2013, 12:36:39 pmThat's just your government controlling you. In Ireland, unless you want to register, insure or don't know the postage there is no need to go up the counter. You can walk in, grab a pile of the customs stickers, write 'electronic parts' and a cost on them, stick them on, add a priority air post sticker for luck, your stamps and drop your parcels in a box/mail bag or hand them over the counter if they are large.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 01:16:04 pm
content: Quote from: Chet T16 on June 19, 2013, 12:57:15 pmWhen I was a lad... In the days then Maplins was an electronics company who did mail order, the P&P between Ireland the UK was the same. What was even better was when you pointed out that you were in 'Ireland' they would take off the VAT. I think only once did An Post bothered to charge me Irish VAT when the parcel came into the country...

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 02:12:46 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on June 19, 2013, 01:07:55 pmNo, it's the US government controlling us though our own arse licking play fetch government

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 03:02:51 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 19, 2013, 12:55:04 pmIf you want to drop something off rather than wait in then you can use interparcel to book a UPS drop off service. They now have a decent collection of shops to send things from.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 03:36:26 pm
content: Looks like a really nice bit of gear - I wished I'd gone for one of these instead of my clunky Solatron 7150. I had a quick flick through the HP 34401a user manual, and I had a quick question, does it come with the pin code to unlock it, to enable the calibration? I'm guessing most people / cal. lab software operators never change it from the default pin maybe?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 03:40:25 pm
content: Quote from: KJDS on June 19, 2013, 03:02:51 pmLast time I used UPS dropoff for an urgent shipment to the US, the first shop on their list I went to had closed down, and at the second, the parcel sat there for 2 days because the idiot in the shop didn't know he needed to book the collection, and when it did get collected he'd lost the customs forms as he didn't have the pouches to stick them on.

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 07:08:14 pm
content: hmm wonder how high that will go up. would be good to score a 6.5digit meter for cheap

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 07:36:52 pm
content: Pity about postage, would look good by me, but no funds at the moment to spend, all have been earmarked for other uses.

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 07:45:00 pm
content: yeah postage sucks for non uk residents, unless mike offer a private deal for a member if he wins the auction

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 07:55:14 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 19, 2013, 03:40:25 pmThat's unfortunate. My local place is run by a decent couple who know what they're doing, though I did try them with a few low value things that I have plenty in stock before sending anything valuable through, and usually I'll get UPS to collect as I'm in the office most days.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2013, 10:13:46 pm
content: Quote from: M. András on June 19, 2013, 07:08:14 pmGoing rate seems to be around £250-300 (which I think is about what I paid for it a few years ago).Doubt the 34461 will impact the used market for a while, except maybe a few more 34401's appearing.

author: senso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 01:19:04 am
content: You cant really offer shipping inside the EU?It would be very low, I bought one of the 6632B from the UK and shipping was like 10£ for that boat anchor, I would gladly pay 50£ to pay the shipping expenses and for the half an hour of your time you would waste, to send it to Portugal.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 02:00:25 am
content: Quote from: senso on June 20, 2013, 01:19:04 amHe said he has to wait around all day for the courier to pick it up. I know how much that sucks working for myself.

author: senso
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 02:07:11 am
content: Even worse postal service than here?Impossible...I can sort of understand, and not, how can you need to wait an entire day to send something?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 01:30:35 pm
content: In the UK its pretty bad. Royal Snail is also slow. It takes about two weeks to receive a parcel from the UK.

author: krivx
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 01:41:45 pm
content: Quote from: jucole on June 19, 2013, 03:36:26 pmBig difference in price and in features between the two though.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 04:49:15 pm
content: Quote from: senso on June 20, 2013, 02:07:11 amHe is thinking of a pickup service. Instead of you going to the post office someone comes to your home to pick up the package. This is supposed to be an extra service so you don't have to go to the post office.However, in practice it has its problems. If you aren't a regular premium customer or if you live somewhere remotely they won't promise or reliably keep a fixed appointment. Instead they will just tell you the day they intend to come around and pick it up. On that day you hang around the house, carefully listening to the door bell to make sure you don't miss them.

author: don.r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2013, 08:30:25 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on June 20, 2013, 04:49:15 pmand then... having waited all day you can no longer hold it back and you dash into the toilet to make the Bowel Movement of the Century and... the doorbell rings.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2013, 04:05:46 pm
content: I see you have met my couriers don.r..........Though normally they pitch up just as I am closing up for the day, especially if I have to be somewhere else urgently.

author: JoannaK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2013, 04:32:09 pm
content: Mike: Those delivery problems and prices feels kinda bad, when chinese can send about whatever *** with minimal cost from there. It's often way much easier/cheaper to get the stuff from china than any european Ebay seller.Quote from: EEVblog on June 19, 2013, 02:12:46 pmWhat hurts me even more is that the local authorities (police etc) somehow seem to think that they should try to emulate those Us-spy-morons to every **** level of stupidity. We are supposed to have some basic human rights protection at Eu area, but it's eroding fast..