Buying a dive computer off eBay

[pupdiver]

I have bought three computers from eBay. One arrived inoperable even though the ad it was in like new condition. I contacted the seller and he said too bad. I entered an eBay dispute and they found in my favor and made him refund me. The other two were both good deals and have been working with no problem.

I think buying a dive comp on eBay is like buying anything else expensive on eBay. You are not getting a warranty so the price had better reflect that. But, with the price difference comes some risk on your part.

 

[almitywife]

well after over 7yrs one bay... ive finally been screwed by a seller and im not happy. he had 100% feedback and one day he was there and the next he was deregistered... i have to wait 5more days till i can make a claim to get $$ back less $25 fee

in the meantime.. join me in wishing the seller a severe case of crotch rot

but - in saying this.. I have sold alot of stuff on ebay (mostly scuba) and there are good sellers out there... just picked up supersteel tank #6 last night (from ebay sale) and one of hubbys best dive buddies is also someone we met when we bought a supersteel #4 from him

 

[dk2943]

I have used ebay for a while. Most of my deals, both buying and selling, have been worthwhile. Once in a while I do have a problem, but, using paypal's $1,000.00 and my credit card, I have never been burned.

As far as this thread goes, Craigslist is often better than ebay. In fact, on the Miami board, there is an Ocean Prodigy with compass for $100.00

 

[pupdiver]

You can often get some better deals on Craiglist (which is similar to newspaper classified ads) but it depends on its popularity in your local area and they don't have a feedback system, so you never know about the seller.

 

[rdmelton]

I've bought several things from Leisure Pro. They offer a quality product at a reasonable price. Some items are "grey market" meaning they are not an authorized distributor, but they will match the warranty. I had a problem with an octo and they replaced it without any problem.

 

[In10se]

Bought a YZ80 (it's a motorcycle made for motocross racing) for my son back in the day off of eBay for about 35% less than the best local price. That bad boy ran like a raped ape 'til my son outgrew it and moved on.

eBay rocks ... if you are very very careful.

I will be buying gear there for my new hobby too. Diving is an expensive habit and I do want as good and as much as my money will buy me.

 

[5513]

Try an Aeris from Scuba toys. They are on sale now at a great price. Can't beat it. Wish I'd seen this deal before my wife bought mine for me (I'm not supposed to know, father's day is coming).

 

[Backscatter]

I've been on ebay for close to a decade, bought and sold numerous items, including several pieces of scuba gear (among them a Mares MC1 console that my wife used for a year and then we resold on ebay), and have not had any really bad experiences. The only times I have been even slightly disappointed have resulted from failing to ask the proper questions.

I second the advice to research the seller's previous transactions and also find out what the best price available through other sources is. Don't just consider the percentage satisfaction rating ,98.5 % for example, that could mean three people out of two hundred were unhappy (which I might consider significant) or it might mean that fifteen out of a thousand (which I might not be put off by). If it's a casual seller, I start to get concerned if more than one person has not been satisfied. Sellers dealing in thousands of transactions might be more likely to generate complaints without having intended to defraud or misrepresent anything.

On a used item, I fail to see the point in taking any risk if you're going to be paying more than 50% of what you could buy it new or used from a merchant who will stand behind the product (and who you can get ahold of to hold accountable).

The only negative online buying experience I've ever had actually came from a Scubaboard transaction, but even then I didn't end up out any money, just disappointed.