We all had to start somewhere on Ebay and no matter how high your feedback is right now, it had to start soemwhere. If you are not sure, then this is what I would do:
1. Email with any questions.
2. Ask for more pics as they seem blurry. I always ask for a certain angled pic to make sure that they have the item and that they didn't use stolen pics.
3. Get a feel for the guy and always go with your gut.
4. He didn't buy his feedback. Meaning that he did not buy alot of cheap items to build his feedback and then turn around and try to sell a high priced item and rip off the buyer.
I could say more, but it would take more space and you will probably do as you initially feel, but if it was me, I would pass if I have any reservations as they show up quite often on Ebay and it isn't a hard to find item.
$250 is MSRP. They can be had from many Internet Sources for $210 to $220. It is mislabeled as a DC 550. It is actually a DCS 50. I know it's just a TYPO, but it would seem to indicate to me that the seller is not familiar with the unit.
Since the auction doesn't really get serious until about 5 minutes before it ends, I wouldn't put too much stock in the current bid. Decide what is the absolute highest you would pay for it, and put that in about 30 seconds before the bidding ends.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
Throttle makes sense to me.. if I was getting a Zephyr I would definitely get some kind of walk around throttle for it to address the systems primary weakness (imho..). It seems like a perfect set up for a small to medium layout.
Keep in mind he is starting low.. by the time this is done it could be a lot closer to the $200+ mark.
Likely its an item that got bought and then sat on his shelf for a good long time. I had a DCC system I bought, tested once or twice, then moved and had packed away for six years. I am just starting to get good use out of it now. If I had decided to ebay it, at the time my feedback would have been less then five with no sales.
Just saying that the auction seems reasonable to me.. more so since he takes paypal. The fact he does not have much seller feedback and the description is short and to the point can means it is more likely a private sale and more likely to be a good deal. Not guaranteed to be, just more likely.
Judging by the bidding history, others think this is a good deal too.
You can always send him email and ask about a return policy or if it is "AS IS" since neither is specified.
Chris
Seems legit, but there is the question of what happens if it doesn't work? The seller may be a completely honest guy, but has no way to check everything out. For a couple of dollars more than the auction is currently at (142.00) you can get a brand new zephyr from a place like Tony's that will honor a warranty and give advice.
I'm guessing that the final winning price won't be all that far off from the price of a brand new zephyr and utility throttle.
TA462 wrote:Here is my take. The seller has been on Ebay since May27, 06. Over the last month he has bought 4 fishing reels and sold one item, also a fishing reel. He is a good buyer with 4 transactions in 1 month but because he has sold only one item I wouldn't trust him, at least not yet. I wonder why he joined Ebay in 06 but only started using it over the past month. The guy probably wouldn't rip you off but do you want to take the chance? Five transactions isn't much of a history to go on. It is a great deal though.
I'd ask questions of the seller, hopefully he's legit. I know myself I joined ebay almost two years before I won an auction and got any sort of feedback score started up. I too like having more than one type of payment option,I prefer using my paypal account though as it does simplify things. Just my take but everyone's got to start somewhere. I've bought a couple things from guys with less than 10 scores and haven't had any problems but I did make sure that I got an email feel for him or her by asking questions. Just my
Rob
Hi,
As a long term successful buyer/seller (650 plus 100% positive feedbacks) on Ebay, I tend to agree with the previous posters. Four positive feedbacks is nothing special, but if you are serious about bidding I would email ANY questions you may have to the seller, and if successful in winning I would pay ONLY via PayPal.
Oh, one other thing......... ASSUME NOTHING about the auction - ask questions!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
MilwaukeeRoad wrote: http://cgi.ebay.com/DIGITRAX-ZEPHYR-DCC-SET-PLUS_W0QQitemZ280207062303QQihZ018QQcategoryZ11644QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemExtermely good sale, but seems awkward that it comes with a 80$ throttle also. Never used and a 250$ value. What is your input? I do not know if this seller is trustworthy, however he does have 100% feedback.
http://cgi.ebay.com/DIGITRAX-ZEPHYR-DCC-SET-PLUS_W0QQitemZ280207062303QQihZ018QQcategoryZ11644QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Extermely good sale, but seems awkward that it comes with a 80$ throttle also. Never used and a 250$ value.
What is your input? I do not know if this seller is trustworthy, however he does have 100% feedback.
Only three transactions, but I myself would give it a try. 100% is always a good thing, and unlike others, when I see a seller list PayPal only, it raises my trust, as vs, say a money order, PayPal and eBay are more able to help with problems when payment is via PayPal.
Also, fwiw, the extra throttle isn't that strange. Loys Toys used to sell similar bundles.
loathar wrote:PayPal only. I try to deal with people that accept more than one form of payment.
I second that one...it makes it very difficult to purchase something if you don't have or want a paypal account.
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
If the seller is just starting out then the amount of transactions is not a good indicator,
However, as the seller takes PayPal you are at least covered from that aspect.
If you are really interested in the item and the price is right then go for it.
If the seller only took cash or money orders then I would avoid the transaction.
Sometimes you just have to take a chance, but if your inner voice tells you not to you might want to listen... Case and point. A couple of years ago there was a guy that was auctioning off a bunch of N scale steam locos that I was interested in, but at the last minute I decided maybe it wasn't such a good idea seeing as how he only had a feedback of about 10 or 12. Several days after the auction I went back and checked his feedback to find that he had a number of negatives because the locos he had sold were junk... Somebody up there was looking out for me that time.
Tracklayer
For high dollar items, I look for a seller who has lots of feedback, and I will tolerate one or two negatives in a couple of years. Then I read the last few pages of the sellers feedback to try and get a feel for the seller. I will buy from a new seller with 100% feedback if the item is cheap enough, and I really want the item. If any of the feedback from buyers sounds hinkey, I won't risk it.
Hope this helps,
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
- Luke
Modeling the Southern Pacific in the 1960's-1980's