Sold as-is and No returns due to parts swappers

[Big Kahuna]

I'm seeing this posted on almost every CB listing on eBay and online these days and just wondering if this is as big of an issue as the listings make it out to be.

I've bought and sold 100's of radios over the years and never had someone try to return something they took parts out of. In fact I've only ever had one person on eBay ever ask to return something AND this week was the first time I've ever returned something from a private sale in my hundreds of purchases and it was only because something was wrong that the seller wasn't aware of.

I don't buy items online from anyone that says "sold as-is no returns due to parts swappers" because I'm more worried that the person selling is trying to unload a piece o crap on me and that's why they don't take returns.

I know that this is a real problem but as a buyer it makes me wary of those sellers. I've read this problem occurs outside of radio equipment - small engines, etc. but it seems like radio listing in particular have this listed.

Your thoughts or experiences? Are people really opening up radios and stealing parts from inside of them?

 

[OldTech03]

I'm seeing this posted on almost every CB listing on eBay and online these days and just wondering if this is as big of an issue as the listings make it out to be.

I've bought and sold 100's of radios over the years and never had someone try to return something they took parts out of. In fact I've only ever had one person on eBay ever ask to return something AND this week was the first time I've ever returned something from a private sale in my hundreds of purchases and it was only because something was wrong that the seller wasn't aware of.

I don't buy items online from anyone that says "sold as-is no returns due to parts swappers" because I'm more worried that the person selling is trying to unload a piece o crap on me and that's why they don't take returns.

I know that this is a real problem but as a buyer it makes me wary of those sellers. I've read this problem occurs outside of radio equipment - small engines, etc. but it seems like radio listing in particular have this listed.

Your thoughts or experiences? Are people really opening up radios and stealing parts from inside of them?

Been selling on eBay since about 1997 and although I have had some negative experiences with a few customers I never have had anyone try to rob parts and then want their money back but I have had my items ended by eBay because someone reported my post and to this day I have no understanding of why but I just repost it with a different description and heading and it went fine??? I don't know if part robbing is rampant but selling items under that banner certainly is I don't do it myself for the very reasons I hesitate to buy for those that do.

 

[Christopher17]

Any where there is a free meal warthogs, coyotes, and buzzards are circling

 

[groundwire]

Its just another saying that they all copy. You will notice ALOT of ebay sellers copy each other with their bogus sayings, like.
No returns do to parts swappers
It was my fathers who has passed away
Estate find (pshhh, you mean garage sale)
Vintage, rare, hard to find
These are the very common ones and im sure im forgetting a few more. Ridiculous

 

[Handy Andy]

This problem is not unique to eBay, Craigslist, Flea Markets - nothing is spared...

I'm surprised this hasn't come up sooner - for the issue of parts from one to keep another going has been rampant for , well, ever - since Eve let Adam borrow the Apple...

Social Media as well as eBay - hasn't been the same since...
​

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I think parts swappers/robbers are much more prevalent with amateur radio products. Most of them have filters or speech boards that simply plug in and are very easy to steal then claim the seller lied. Also swap out a new or nearly new high priced tube for a dead one etc. I also am leery of buying from those that make such claims since I trust almost nobody and see it as a way of selling junk.

 

[Cabover Bob]

I've been using the app OfferUp for 5+ years for tools & motorcycle parts, never any issue. When I became interested in radio last year I of course went there, as I tend to gravitate towards old junk. I have had no less than 5 deals fall thru because seller is a flake and actually got burned for $100 by a guy in NC that wanted to be paid F&F thru PayPal, lesson learned........

 

[guitar_199]

I absolutely LOVE this!!!!!!!!!

Any where there is a free meal warthogs, coyotes, and buzzards are circling

 

[TheRealPorkchop]

As Santa said about the M&M’s - they do exist.

And eBay doesn’t offer seller protection, sure they say they do but let me be the one to tell you, the lie detector determined that was a lie.

I have a lengthy story to back this up. It’s true that there’s a lot of copy pasta on eBay but scammers run rampant there if the item is in “demand”.

 

[Dmans]

I have a lengthy story to back this up

We are all ears!

73
David

 

[Low_Boy]

Dishonest sellers. Although ebay never stand by the seller.

Funny thing. If not for the seller there would be no ebay.

 

[S&W357]

I have a lengthy story to back this up.

curious people want to know.......me

 

[tramd]

I once sold the same radio 3 times on Ebay before someone would keep their hands out of it. I got it for partial payment for some work I did. It was a RCI 2980 and was in beautiful condition but didn't work. I replaced a regulator, aligned it and ran it for a bout a month. It worked great and didn't even drift on SSB like most RCIs do. The only thing not stock about it was the echo board. Someone had put in an after market one. After about a month I sold it on Ebay. Seven days later the buyer was complaining that it only did 4 watts on AM and SSB and wanted his money back. So Ebay of course gives me the "pay him back or else threat". So I got it back, reset the low and high carrier and the meter. I guess when he turned the carrier VRs the wrong way and the power didn't go up he must have thought the meter somehow was set wrong so he messed with that too. The next guy that bought it said it didn't even work at all. I told him about the problem I had with the first guy. This guy swore he had not done anything to it and that he would never open up any electronic device BUT his "tech" told him the processor was bad and that's why it didn't work. So Ebay sends the threat again and I get it back. I filed a complaint with Ebay about this being the second time I got taken and I would no longer sell anything through them again if they didn't make it right. They told me they would look into it. They still continued to send me threats to pay back the buyer within 30 days or else they would take the money from my credit card account. I finally payed him back at the end of the 30 days and low and behold two days later Ebay sides with me and says I don't need to pay him back. What a scam. They definitely don't protect the seller. This time same deal with the carrier VR's both turned all the way the wrong way but at least he didn't mess with the meter adjustment. The speaker had been removed from it's spot but was still there and working and the echo board didn't work anymore. It's IC didn't have any output and of course the ID is wiped off them so I didn't know what it was and couldn't replace it. I'm not sure how he damaged that echo board. Maybe he had another like it that didn't work and swapped it. I finally sold it to a fellow that was happy with it even though the echo didn't work. He said he didn't like echo anyways. And that is why everyone lists their items as parts only, not working. Can't get complaints if they are sold as not working in the first place. It amazes me that people know how to turn their stove, water faucet, thermostat, volume controls up and down but when they get into a radio and they turn something and don't get the result they are supposed to get, all common sense goes out the window. They just don't seem to be able to comprehend that they need to turn it back the other way. The way it was before. Why is it that people who wouldn't dare mess with their tv, stereo or computer suddenly think they are electronic experts when they get their hands on a cb?

 

[144inBama]

A friend of mine sold an amp on eBay 7-8 years ago, worked beautifully, a nice 2X4, all matching Toshibas. Sold it, 2 weeks later gets negative feedback and a case opened.... Refunds the money, gets the amp back and it had fake, blown Toshibas in it....The pics he posted of the inside proved the transistors were swapped as they weren't the same batch? code as the pics. They ruled in his favor but he was screwed out of 6 transistors, money and had his first and only neg strike.

 

[9C1Driver]

There are many horror stories just like the two above. I blame e-bay for this whole issue. They now treat sellers so bad that it's no wonder so many listings say "for parts or repair".