Buying Audio Equipement from ebay?
Jul 16, 2008 at 3:20 AM Post #3 of 15
I got burned on a K-1000 a couple years ago. Won the auction, paid and got nothing. PayPal eventually refunded everything, but it took about six months.

And the K-340 came with one channel out (wire damaged), but fixed it myself.

Five or six other pairs were just fine, though.

If the price difference isn't too great, I'd look into buying from one of the Head-Fi sponsors, B&H, the For Sale Forum, or Audiogon. I've had only good experiences with those.
 
Jul 16, 2008 at 6:04 AM Post #4 of 15
Buying headphones is no different then buying anything else on eBay. I've bought most of my headphones on eBay and had no problems. I've had minor problems on other purchases.
 
Jul 16, 2008 at 6:58 AM Post #5 of 15
I have filed a dispute at the moment, because of goods not showing up, but it kind of was my own fault, as I did not look at the sellers feedback for the last months before I bought. Other than that, I have had good experiences with most transactions. I always pay with CC PayPal. Anyways, there will always be a risk...
 
Jul 17, 2008 at 5:43 AM Post #8 of 15
If you're looking for headphones, I'd wait around until they show up here.
I've bought a BUNCH of audio gear over the past few years and my luck has been something like this:

eBay --> 70% positive / 30% negative
Audiogon --> 90% positive / 10% negative
Head-Fi --> 100% positive

I'm sure there are some bad apples here at Head-Fi, but I have yet to find them myself. It's a rarity to run into them on Audiogon, but I do have a tendency to find them far more frequently on eBay (although the majority of my transactions on eBay have been positive).
 
Jul 17, 2008 at 5:57 AM Post #10 of 15
I've been lucky enough to not be screwed over except for a couple times (got my money back), but buyer beware. Be happy that PayPal is around right now, because even though they're not the nicest people around, it's a damn sight better than back when all you had were checks and money orders. You shouldn't have a problem unless you're buying something that has a high chance of being counterfeit (such as the Sennheiser CX300-500 series), but every auction should be checked carefully.
 
Jul 19, 2008 at 1:20 AM Post #12 of 15
I have about 3 transactions I got pimpled on but have gotten some great deals on ebay. The best was a nice vintage Yamaha reciever for $30 shipped that had a blown fuse and a loose piece of metal in it. Replaced the fuse and am still using it 2 yrs. later in my daudhters room.
 
Jul 19, 2008 at 2:29 AM Post #13 of 15
To OP: make sure you are dealing with a reputable seller for most of these things. Internet fraud is common, so place your trust carefully. Look at feedback history and get in touch during the auction timeframe if need-be.

But if you're dealing with price tags in 4 to 6 digits dollars, you'd better make sure you get in contact with the seller BEFORE you shell out your money.
 
Jul 19, 2008 at 7:17 AM Post #14 of 15
I have bought numerous headphones through eBay, without a single problem.
So pick you sellers carefully (feedback wise) and you should be quite safe.
 
Jul 23, 2008 at 11:41 PM Post #15 of 15
I buy a lot of stuff on Ebay from very cheap to fairly expensive and have yet to be burned. I always just go by feedback and the comments left by buyers and then stick to fairly mainstream items. I wouldn't attempt to buy a set of AKG K1000s on Ebay, but I did buy my K701s without a hitch and they have been a dream.

Something such as the 701s, a pair of HD280s or some DT770s are probably a fairly safe bet because they're such widespread items. For specialty products I definitely enjoy the corresponding forums more... whether it is watchuseek, audiogon or headfi I feel that you stand a better chance of not getting ripped off. There are always scammers but usually they're pretty obvious on forums (i.e. 0 Posts and trying to sell a $8,000 watch with no photos while only accepting wire transfers). More than likely if someone has more than a few constructive posts they're reasonably legit... note I said 'reasonably'.
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