Anyone ever buy "B Stock" equip and later regret it?
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I've found some good prices on ebay for stereo receivers
I'm considering, but they're "b stock."
The seller promises a 1 year warranty (not as long as
manufacturer's), promises they're in great condition, and
the price, if they turned out to be lemons, wouldn't
exactly destroy me. Still, I'm nervous. Anyone have
strong opinions on whether such purchase would be safe?
You're the wrong question. Everybody who buys enough stuff, no matter how
careful they are, ends up getting stung sooner or later. True if even you
buy nothing but new warranted merchandise? Have I ever bought gear that
didn't last very long, but still outlasted the company that warranteed it?
Yup!
Have I ever been disappointed by some B stock? Yes, I think that 20 years
ago I bought my son a B-stock Sony CD player that only lasted about 6
months.
Have I bought dozens of pieces of B-stock by various means and been very
happy? Yes. I even bought more Sony B-stock right after the bad experience.
However, buying B stock on eBay compounds the risk. You never know how long
a small eBay seller will be around. Do you think that anybody ever ruined
their reputation on eBay with a lot of bad deals, and got a new email
address and set up a *new* business overnight? :-(
If the eBay seller has like 99.9+ positive feedback and sold 1,000 or 10,000
items, then IME its a pretty safe deal.
I buy a lot of B stock from eCost.com . I'm more confident of them, because
they have a huge business, sell a ton of B stock, and have been around for
years. They also sell a ton of A stock.
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