ebay

[cavalieri85]

Anybody buy tools off eBay? Did u get your tool in good working order?

[steveoo]

All the time,Never had a problem.

[Tech Rob]

Same here. Power tools, hand tools, precision measurement tools. Never a problem.

[cavalieri85]

Cool, I just found some great deals I think I'm gonna go for it.

[ryan1088]

All of the time!!! Just won an auction for a Cooper SRH77A for 125 bucks. The thing looks brand new.

[steveoo]

I won a sarrett dail indcator for 65.New cost 250

[MichaelPaladin]

Last thing I bought off of E-Bay was a set of heads for the engine in my pick-up.

There are good deals to be found there, but just be careful, and always check the sellers rating.

[wptski]

Not an item that would be used for HVAC work but I bought a Fluke Scopemeter that had several lines in the display that changed every time I turned it ON. Seller claimed that USPS damaged it, filed a claim, USPS claimed no damage to the shipping box or they didn't do it, guy strted to get nasty when I asked for a refund, started a dispute on eBay, had to get it evaluated at a repair shop, I finally won and got my refund.

I then got a real nasty email from the seller with all kinds of name calling to me and the shop that tested it.

[hvac wiz 79]

I've yet to have a bad ebay experience & have gotten quite a few hvac related items brand new for much cheaper than the supply house or "more popular" online stores

[ar_hvac_man]

Ive bought many tools off of ebay. From nutdrivers to vacuum pumps. I always buy new in box and have had no problems. Just watch the shipping costs sometimes youll end up paying more than if you just went to supply house. Also check their feedback before committing.

[cavalieri85]

What makes me wonder is when it seems very cheap. For example fluke 87 for $100.00 . It's almost with the gamble to save 400 bucks. I have seen several items like this though. It is used but. I guess you just don't know unless you try. Sellers have 99% positive feedback so. Has anybody had a problem and then not been able to get there money back.

[clifpaul]

The only problem I've had with buying tools of off eBay is waiting for what I got

[hvaclover]

I can get face to face with my supplier ...I can;t on EBAY.

And what's all this noise about great deals on EBAY????

All my suppliers will match or better a price from on line....just give 'em the printed ad off the net.

No risk and full warranty.

[cavalieri85]

I think the advantage to eBay would be that used equipment is available. This drastically reduces the price. I don't think you will get a high end multimeter for 100 bucks from supply house. I definitely see where you are coming from hvaclover. Buying something off eBay is.def a little bit of a gamble. I don't know bout you guys though.but I.dont do this job cause I get rich doing it. It's a struggle sometimes to be able to afford some of the tools and if I can find a way to save a buck or two.so I can buy my kids something nice than great.

[hvaclover]

I think the advantage to eBay would be that used equipment is available. This drastically reduces the price. I don't think you will get a high end multimeter for 100 bucks from supply house. I definitely see where you are coming from hvaclover. Buying something off eBay is.def a little bit of a gamble. I don't know bout you guys though.but I.dont do this job cause I get rich doing it. It's a struggle sometimes to be able to afford some of the tools and if I can find a way to save a buck or two.so I can buy my kids something nice than great.

I would raise my prices That's what the knowledgeable do in this business.

And when you buy right at the suppler the diff in price does not seem so great , especially if you get a instrument malfunction

[trippintl0]

Seems like our local supply houses have very limited tool selection, and often very expensive. Never seen an H10 leak detector in any of the 3 supply houses we use, and when I ask about it, I get a deer in the headlights stare. Only recently started seeing Testo 550 gauges, literally until a month or two ago the only digital gauges our main supplier had was the Refco gauges that everybody hates.

I spent three weeks at every supply house asking about 3/8" vacuum rated hoses, and couldn't get them. Some just gave blank stare, others said, "Yeah we've got it!" but then couldn't find it, or only had it in a 3 foot length, and it was like $80, and they only had one, it was freakin ridiculous. Nobody had or had even heard of a vacuum tree, except one, who said he could order it but it would take like 3 weeks to get, and cost like $400, and he only could get one brand, one style, and that's it. Couldn't even show me a picture or anything.

I found it its much easier just to quickly find the tools I want on TruTechTools or I've also used hvacr-tools, and within a few minutes I find exactly what I want, click, and order. And its cheaper. Heck I've ordered tools off Amazon.com too. I like being able to see all the different models a manufacturer has and compare and read reviews of each one.

With that being said, a lot of tools i DO buy locally, Fieldpiece multimeter, Cooper SH66a, even my Inficon Dtek Select I got from Johnstone. Analog gauges, hoses, etc I buy locally too. Hand tools I buy local. So I guess it really depends on what type of tool it is.

As far as service with tool failure when you bought it locally, I haven't had very many failures, and the one I did, got tired of calling supply house and them calling around to check on it, finally called manufacturer myself and luckily they had a great customer support team and got me taken care of promptly (Inficon in this case).

[Glenn Harrison]

I have bought almost 200 items on ebay, mostly tools. I have only had two bad experiences, one where the item got lost in delivery with no tracking number (USPS) and the other I don't know what happened, but I filed a claim with Paypal and did get a refund.

Otherwise, I have gotten fantastic deals both slightly used and brand new. I continue to watch for many items to see if a bargain I can't pass up comes along.

[hvaclover]

I guess 'm lucky, than. I am able to get the same price as online tools at my supplier.

Course when you sped over a grand a month on new tools and instruments they tend to be more accommodating when it comes to matching prices.

[ICanHas]

I would raise my prices That's what the knowledgeable do in this business.

And when you buy right at the suppler the diff in price does not seem so great , especially if you get a instrument malfunction

And lose your competitive advantage. Ability to provide the same at lower operating costs is a competitive advantage.