Warning - Almost got had with 352 purchase...

[bogmonster]

Went to pick up a 352 from eBay today. The description was not great and due to distance I was not able to view beforehand. I paid a little over 550 quid for the machine and checked condition first. The reply I got was: "I forgot to mention - no major defects, it works fine."

Well I beg to differ. The main defect was motor bearings. The motor screeched and howled - I slipped the belt off and clearly the motor bearings were shot. This should have been obvious to anybody turning the machine on. Also there was an issue with the top wheel, play and grinding - probably bearings again but easy to replace unlike the motor. The brake did not work but not too surprised. The top thrust rod had been replaced with a coach bolt and the bottom thrust rod was trashed.

The seller was selling on behalf of somebody else and I met that somebody who was clearly aware that the machine was not in good order.

I am grumpy because I wasted 150 mile round trip. I told the seller I was not going to complete and they got very unpleasant. I expect an eBay farce will ensue now.

Not really sure I am allowed to name and shame on here but please do take extra care if buying a 352 (and some other kit to be listed) on the south coast.....

Grumpy, BM.

 

[marcros]

The old "I dont know anything about this defense". Selling on behalf of a friend etc etc. Better a wasted trip though than the machine being shipped to you and too late to decline it.

 

[bogmonster]

Agreed - it could have been much worse. On the whole I have been OK with eBay. It is hard to tell if the actual eBay lister was aware of the issues but he tried to use the defense "I don't know anything about bandsaws" but sadly that was after "I forgot to mention - no major defects, it works fine." He then stated to ask me what I was going to do about his lost eBay fees? Bloody cheek.

The owner of the machine was definitely aware. He told me he had replaced the thrust rod with the coach bolt and that the machine was "a bit noisy" and he knew the guide blocks were all badly worn. The real clincher was the motor - it was hurting my ears being in the same room when the motor was spinning.

Anyway, time to look for another candidate.

On a more positive note the postie just delivered a couple of blades from Fuff Saws. Quick, cheap and certainly look the business. Will have to buy a 352 now.

BM

 

[Rhossydd]

I expect an eBay farce will ensue now.

It shouldn't be a problem.

They'll probably try to create a dispute against you as a non-payer to avoid paying their seller's fees, just tell eBay the item wasn't as described and that ought to be the end of it.

For high value kit like this where you need to collect in person, possibly travelling a long way and incurring costs, it's always worth asking for extra photos of the item to ensure it's what's been described. If the seller won't comply, don't bid.

Best of luck finding another 352, they're good kit.

 

[fluffflinger]

I drove Northampton to Scarborough to pick up my 352 (from ebay seller who was selling on behalf of friend) and found it as described. Guess the higher the value the bit of kit the more you should be willing to check it out thoroughly.

Don't despair keep looking and get one they are a great bit of kit and a good one will last almost forever.

 

[bogmonster]

Well, after a few exchanges I think the seller now realizes that I asked the right questions and got false answers. I think selling on eBay on behalf of somebody else is not a great idea, especially for an expensive item you may not really know much about. If you are not sure about the condition of something, say so, don't just say what you think the buyer wants to hear. I do sympathize with them but they were a little unpleasant. They have asked me to retract my feedback in exchange for them not filling for non-paying bidder. I might give them benefit of the doubt. I expect they were a little stitched up by the person they were selling on behalf of.

They had claimed I had not contacted them until after the auction ended but they had answered questions many days before as was recorded in eBay so they made themselves look a little foolish.

Anyway, that was clearly not the right machine and something better will come along soon. I have a MASSIVE pile of holly (6 trunks each starting at about 18" across) I need to process so I hope I find a machine soon. By the way ALT were extremely helpful when I called them about parts and if it was possible to replace the motor bearings.

I have a much better idea what to look for and may go for a cheaper 3 phase and convert if that comes along.

BM

 

[marcros]

i wouldnt retract the feedback. The non paying bidder is a toothless dog anyway. They will have to do it to get their fees back.

The holly sounds interesting.

 

[bogmonster]

I know we are going off topic but the holly is amazing I'm going to try to spalt some. I found a big branch that had been chopped off years before that is rotten. I will cut into it to see if there is any spalting and spores I can use. The tree surgeons who took it down said it was the biggest holly they had ever seen and that it produced more wood than a reasonably large ash tree. Better still, I showed them some bowls and got talking and I think we have come to a really great understanding on them putting interesting wood my way. I have free picking over their log pile for now and if I start to consume large quantities I think they are agreeable to a very fair rate. The boss said he would rather see nice timber turned then burnt and I think he genuinely meant that.

May also buy a big chainsaw (Stihl 361) off them. I know it will have had a hard life but the price reflects that - and I do trust these guys when they tell me it is in good working order. It will only get light duty from me and these are heavy duty machines. Will go and have a look next week.

BM

 

[Rhossydd]

They have asked me to retract my feedback in exchange for them not filling for non-paying bidder.

Only do that if they reimburse you for your losses. A 150 mile round trip must actually cost over £50 overall, plus probably half a day of your time lost too.

You shouldn't be the looser here and there's a moral duty to warn others of the potential pitfalls.

 

[bogmonster]

Yeah, I'm torn. My gut feeling is not to retract because I think honesty was thin. When I sell I try to be really fair as most folks on eBay do. I recently sold an item and said it needed "a good clean up". Somebody came to view and commented that it looked fine to them and why did I say it needed "a good cleanup?" The answer is simple, honesty pays - I knew I would give it a good cleanup before I used it again (cider press and mill) and didn't want come back. Said person won and paid a fee that we were both very happy with.

RE the bandsaw, the person actually has really good feedback but I think eBay is geared up to avoid negative feedback as it impacts eBay profits. I am not sure the feedback system works very well on eBay.

To be fair I have done really well on eBay. I have got some great bargains - especially blacksmith equipment.

 

[CHJ]

...... I have a MASSIVE pile of holly (6 trunks each starting at about 18" across) I need to process so I hope I find a machine soon. ...

Hate to put a dampener on your enthusiasm but Holly is notoriously difficult to dry and convert without the aid of a kiln to speed up the process and control colour loss.

It, like a good many white woods can rapidly take on a grey hue (looks dirty) when naturally occurring chemicals in wood react with air and form new chemicals that are invariably dark in colour.
I always thought that the slower the drying the more chance of discolouration but I have since read somewhere that once the reaction has started then staining is inevitable..

I have come across samples of hedgerow Holly that have very interesting colour-ways that have developed and are very attractive but I have seen much more that is a dirty uninspiring grey.

 

[Graham Orm]

If I were you I would be the first to complain to Ebay. They don't stand for people messing about. I sold a pair of boots, when it came time to pay he said 'sorry I had been looking at some others and thought yours were a different size' and declined to pay. I complained to Ebay, I don't know what they said to him but his payment came through straight away. In your case it's the other way round. Get on to them.

 

[bogmonster]

CHJ - good info. I do have a simple kiln (freezer with fans, baffles, heater, exit valve etc) and plan to get some roughed bowls in ASAP. A bandsaw would have helped but I will do my bets without it

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I have heard that holly should be seasoned upright to help stop staining.

 

[bogmonster]

Phil, I have heard that as well. Same for sycamore as well apparently although I have had no issue with sycamore.

 

[Mike.C]

I wouldn't retract the feedback because buyers depend on people like you to give a genuine description of the transaction. Imho you will be as bad as them if you hide their dishonesty and attitude towards you. If people are going to chop and change their feedback it's not worth having it in the first place.

Good luck with your search for another 352.

Cheers

Mike

 

[bogmonster]

Mike,

I do agree with you that it would be wrong for me to retract my feedback and I will not be doing this. Instead I will deal with the non-paying bidder process. I have a very stong case I beleive so other than the hasstle there is no big issue for me.

BM

 

[bogmonster]

Non-paying bidder notice came today so contacted eBay. They told me not to worry, if the seller does not cancel the sale they will remove the strike as the case is clear to them after reviewing the message exchange. eBay were very helpful. They also told me to report the seller if they try to bribe me to remove my negative feedback again.

So well done eBay

BM