Buying tools on ebay

[Pam Niedermayer]

I recently bought a Japanese version of a spokeshave (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=370517206357&si=r8zPHIWd1d%252BykL773hCvWc0n0dc%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT) on ebay because it was cheap (a 2" bladed one could easily cost $150+ new) and for some reason I didn't have one. So I needed one to use a guide in making others.

Even though I didn't think the dai (wooden body) would necessarily be useable, it appeared that it might be, and it would certainly serve as a template.

I received the spokeshave today, and was surprised that the dai was slightly concave. I'm not unhappy about that, but thought the beginners here could benefit from a specific example of how things can go when buying on ebay, even from a reliable vendor.

And the condition of the blade makes up for any dai issues, it's high quality, 2.25" wide.

Pam

PS Here's what the photo showed:

[Archie England]

Yep! A lot of things get left fuzzy in the Ebay shadows. And, I'm not accusing anyone of anything!!!! Just want that made known, right here. For parts, the bay is great; for primo goods, it's a crap shoot. Eventually, a hand drill chuck will have no guts, the handle that looks good will twist or spin, and the hand plane will arrive as a franken-plane--but just as the pics almost as clearly showed. Incredibly, I've enjoyed good fortune. I accept my failure to "spot" the photo anomalies; and, when merited I contact people for satisfaction if the description is truly unacceptable. I can't remember a single "bad" deal remaining a "bad" deal once we've talked things through. NEVERTHELESS, do be ever so careful!!!

[Pam Niedermayer]

...I can't remember a single "bad" deal remaining a "bad" deal once we've talked things through. ...

Yes, and I'd advise to be wary of sellers who haven't a clue how to use what they're selling. It's not that they're necessarily dishonest, they just don't know squat.

Pam

[george wilson]

Sellers not knowing squat is the biggest problem,I think. I have had only 2 problems,both caused by this,but both were resolved. I bought a turntable which was listed as new. It lacked the special cord that it would not function without,and could not be gotten from the maker. It lacked the disc that you had to have to transcribe records to discs. Biggest pill was having to repack the thing and send it back to California. The woman didn't know the thing was incomplete when she bought it new. Another item was a "Winchester" hammer that the dealer failed to describe as a Chinese repro.. Failure to properly describe item,ignorance of item.

Other than that,I have been quite happy with my purchases,but I'm just lucky so far.

Pam,can't you correct the concavity with a few plane swipes? I'd also inlay a brass wear plate. It takes no time at all for a wooden spokeshave of any type to wear hollow.

[Gary Curtis]

Try explaining via email to a lady in Spokane how to distinguish a rip blade from a crosscut. That's one limitation with eBay. Few people are savvy about WWing tools.

[Pam Niedermayer]

...Pam,can't you correct the concavity with a few plane swipes? I'd also inlay a brass wear plate. It takes no time at all for a wooden spokeshave of any type to wear hollow.

Sure, but I may want to leave it concave, will give it a try before doing anything drastic. I used this example only for illustration of the possible things that can go wrong that don't show up in photos.

Pam

[Pam Niedermayer]

Try explaining via email to a lady in Spokane how to distinguish a rip blade from a crosscut. That's one limitation with eBay. Few people are savvy about WWing tools.

Heh, heh, good luck with that. Were you successful?

Pam

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I've been kind of lucky so far - but unless the seller is someone who is known to know their stuff (and that usually bumps the prices a notch) I don't bid more than I think I can afford to lose. Keep an eye on the return policy, and an eye on shipping. I know a couple of people who've snagged deals they thought too good to be true, only to get bitten on shipping.

My oops moment was bidding on a Millers Fall jointer plane (Stanley 7 size) for a really good price. The seller ate it on shipping too. (it came in a HUGE box, well over packed; which is a nice change from some of the stuff I get.) I felt kind of bad about that. I knew I had a little restoration work ahead of me, and the seller was explanatory to a fault about everything that he found wrong with the tool, and seemed to know his stuff.

Well, as I began cleaning it up, it became evident that one side the plane between the mouth and the side had cracked and been brazed. Couldn't tell under the grime, and given the way he lists the auctions, I'm sure this guy would have mentioned it had he known. Fortunately, whoever did this way back when, did a really good job and the thing is still true. Actually turned out to be a great plane. I don't buy wooden planes on the ebay because of all the things that are hard to see, but you forget what can go unseen on a metal plane too.

My favorite are the folks that list thing totally wrong, even when the item in question is marked. Picked up a 6-inch brace for a song that way once.

[David Weaver]

$20 for a good iron that big and you're still in good shape, even if you have to make a dai.

[Pam Niedermayer]

$20 for a good iron that big and you're still in good shape, even if you have to make a dai.

You bet, figure I'm way ahead on this one.

Pam

[Gary Curtis]

No, my email lesson on the distinction between a backsaw with a rip and one with a crosscut pattern was a failure.

Here's where I got my best eBay Neander tool finds. I went on eBay UK and bought tools from English people. There are a lot of them, and the population seems to have a better understanding of the items. This was only possible for me because I am a retiree from FedEx and get a whopping discount on International shipping. It is limited because FedEx doesn't have the extensive span of service in many countries.

For instance, I got a Stanley No. 4 1/2 plane for $17. But weighing more than 5 lbs., if you were to try that you'd pay close to $175 in shipping.

[Pam Niedermayer]

No, my email lesson on the distinction between a backsaw with a rip and one with a crosscut pattern was a failure.

Here's where I got my best eBay Neander tool finds. I went on eBay UK and bought tools from English people. There are a lot of them, and the population seems to have a better understanding of the items. This was only possible for me because I am a retiree from FedEx and get a whopping discount on International shipping. It is limited because FedEx doesn't have the extensive span of service in many countries. ...

Sorry about that. I haven't tried the UK ebay route, but I bet I will any minute now. :) However, I normally buy old western tools from UK vendors, Inchmartine and Murland, wonderful selection, and, like you say, they really know their stuff.

Pam

[Steve Branam]

For a while I bought a bunch of tools on ebay, but I always knew I was taking my chances. This is where it's good to not only be familiar with the particular tools and brand you're interested in, but also other similar tools and brands, so you can see when a seller has gotten confused.

For instance, I wanted a Stanley transitional jointer. Found a nice one, won the auction, it arrived, the lever cap was a Sargent, didn't even fit. I went back and looked at the auction photos, and the pattern cast into the cap was clearly the Sargent design, not the Stanley, but I just hadn't paid close enough attention. Fortunately I was able to buy just a cap from another specialty dealer who did know what he was doing, and the Sargent cap went into the loose parts box.

I generally preferred sellers who posted multiple photos from different angles, and who had different tools that seemed to be described accurately. That at least gave me approximately the views I would see if I could turn it over in my hands, and showed that the dealer had a clue and made an effort to know what he had. Of course, even then, they may miss something, or not know enough about the particular tool to evaluate it.

It's no different from any other flea market: the sellers with a booth full of dishes and furniture and one lone tool with a tag saying "Old Planer" have no clue, don't know if the item is complete or shows signs of excessive wear or abuse. Buyer beware!

Sometimes you don't have much choice if you're looking for something specific and hard to find. Whoever has one, that's the one you're going to have to try.

[Pam Niedermayer]

Showing only a single photo is almost a definition of a seller who doesn't know anything; but sometimes they glom onto good stuff. A few weeks ago I picked up a harpoon chisel (mori nomi) originally sold by Hiraide, I recognized the label. This was priced at about half retail or a bit more. She was also selling 2 or 3 other shoji bottom cleaning chisels of Japan Woodworker quality for greater than retail. She's still trying to sell those, though I noticed the other day she's now listing them for a 1/4 discount off retail, still not enough.

Pam

[john brenton]

My policy is to only buy on ebay if it's a steal even if it doesn't live up to my expectations. I have always been pleasantly surprised. I've only had one bad experience in all of my ebaying, and it was a straight razor described as mint with a minty picture...but arrived with bad handles, overhoned, and rusty. When I made a cordial complaint to the seller she went nuts and I had to contact ebay to do a settlement. As soon as I made the complaint the seller refunded the money. Other than that, ebay has made my life better.

[David Weaver]

I have done very well on ebay, but I have done so because I generally don't ever buy anything now that I think is expensive unless it's absolutely not available elsewhere.

When I wanted to get long wooden planes, I bought two of each size on ebay figuring one of each would be junk. I was mostly right, in getting two jointers, two jacks, and two try planes, two of the six were junk, but I think I was out a total (with shipping) of less than $200. One of the planes was a nearly unused JT brown single-iron jointer, that one itself pretty much pays for the whole bunch.

Junk socket chisels with no handles, same. Just don't go after anything that looks like a matched set of swans, and I always start all of my searches by optioning out Bode and the other Bode-imitator sellers. It is beyond me how someone can list currently available retail tools for significantly more than they cost from the retailers who are selling them right now.

I've also done well on saws there, same theory - expect that you'll buy two for every good one and don't pay like you expect one to be a good one. That means you won't be getting disston 12s there, but you can find old english saws from time to time that are just as good.

I have had decent luck with some of the reputable dealers, like Clint Jones (who seems to have slowed down), Walt and Sandy Moss. With the guys who list a lot of tools, you still have to look a little, though, through their stuff. Moss had a matched set of 6 rust free, pit free buck incannel gouges (I like to use incannel gouges on tools, maybe they're the wrong thing to use, but I know how to use them) for $165. I couldn't begin to find a set like that anywhere else.

You have to pull from all sources, but ebay is a good one. My favorite thing to do there is set up the searches so that they're bringing you what you're looking for, as looking in general on your own can be a colossal waste of time. When something you like comes up and ends on a tuesday early morning or something, then it's a good target. If the picture is sort of bad, you can ask a few questions, and if you're lucky, the answer will be favorable, and the seller won't post your question on the sale.

[Tom Vanzant]

I saw a "custom" Stanley #5 1/2 on the Bay that was actually a #7 bob-tailed to #5 1/2 length. Upon questioning, the dealer admitted that was what it was. IIRC, it sold for $385 to a guy who had a history of buying weird tools... he knew what he was buying, so nobody got hurt.

I bought a Stanley #3 "user" and a #3 "for parts" and eventually blended the two into a very nice smoothing plane, and I still have parts for my #5 1/4 should I need them.

Pam... Tony and Nina are very nice to work with aren't they?

[Pam Niedermayer]

...Pam... Tony and Nina are very nice to work with aren't they?

They sure are, and often they have great stuff for cheap. For example, draw bore pins, they recently had a large pair with boxwood handles for $40-50 when the going rate on ebay is more like $75-150. I have to admit though that I seldom buy from them anymore, maybe once a year or so, it's that most of my tool buying is Japanese.

Pam