Is ebay a good place to buy a welder?

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Is ebay a good place to buy welding stuff? I am thinking about buying some stuff on ebay. Also some sellers require you to have at least one feedback. So I'll probably get one here http://search.ebay.ca/_W0QQsassZbluemaninblueQQhtZ-1thanks for your help guys
Reply:Speaking only from my own experience...I bought a new-in-the-box Lincoln Pro-Mig 175 for $460 delivered and a new Mitech Cut40 Plasma Cutter, both off Ebay and am very pleased with both purchases.    Both items arrived exactly as described and work flawlessly.   The MIG came from a private seller and the plasma cutter came from a distributor.There are no small projects
Reply:Not sure about your local places but my local Norco matched the e-bay price I brought to him on my Millermatic 175.You're better off buying localy if you can, they're usually more apt to serve you better and warranty your unit down the road with less hassle.  Plus your helping your local guy out to ensure he stays in business there.
Reply:thats where i got my hobart...used but it was a great deal!!...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Ebay is a great place to buy a welder or any other kind of welding supplies, provided that you have a good understanding of what you want and what things are worth and how to go about bidding (use a sniping program).  Most of my rig came off of ebay and I doubt that anyone could get something comparable anywhere else at twice the cost.-Heath
Reply:Ebay is excellent for most brands of new welders and some used as well. I bought my SP 175 plus Lincoln MIG from a company on eBay. I got free shipping and the price was about $100 less than locally and no tax. The only thing negative was that it was smashed when UPS delivered it. The whole front of it was broken. Fortunately, I got another one from the Lincoln company on short notice but I couldn't guarantee that they would do that in every case. If you order a welder on eBay, I would make sure that it's double packed. The ordinary retail box is not sufficient for shipping. Good luck.
Reply:Ebay is a good place to buy anything that isn't considered collectable. I'ts a great place to sell collectables though.
Reply:There have been some scammers trying to sell welders.  Watch out for new sellers that only show pics from catalogs or sniped from other vendors.  stay away from what looks to be a new machine with a low starting bid and no reserve.  Usually if you look at the feedback ( what there is ) it will be small items generally back and forth from 3 or 4 other ebayers.DennisThermal Arc 185-TSWMillermatic Challenger 172VictorO/AAtlas Craftsman 12 by 24 LatheEsab PCM-875Wholesalem Tool Mill-Drill
Reply:Indeed.  Though I've definitely seen people get into a bidding war on non-collectible welding supplies.  Folks regularly bid more for an item then what they would pay through any of the common Internet welding supply places.  I saw a damaged HTP InverTIG 201 go for more than a new one would cost.-Heath
Reply:Generally I consider E-Bay to be a bad place to buy new hardware, but there are a lot fo qualifications to that statement.     First you need to shop a bit locally to get an idea of costs, which by the way can vary dramatically with region.    It does come down to the idea of the buyer being aware of what he is buying and local costs.As far as used equipment goes there can be some very good deals to be had on E-Bay.    This is especially the case for older hard to find equipment.    The only problem is that you may be competing globally for rare or hard to replace machinery.     Look at the prices to be had on American made machine tools for example.ThanksDave
Reply:In my experience, ebay is somewhat of a crap-shoot.  I've gotten great deals and I've been cheated, misled, and defrauded.My advice is only deal with someone who either states in his listing that the item is returnable if defective or not as represented, or responds to your inquiry that they will accept a return.  However, you will always pay freight to return an item, which could be costly for a welder.  Check feedback, although that's not foolproof.Stay away from anyone who says, "I are tu dumb to test this thang, so it is as is, no returns."  That usually means the item is unreparable junk that he wants to dump on some sucker.  I've seen guys list things like flashlights while saying they can't test it because they don't have batteries!I concur with coronet440's observation about supporting local dealers if you expect them to be in business when you need them.  However, I have to admit that I purchased a cosmetically damaged, but perfectly functional plasma cutter and a very cosmetically challenged, very old Thermal Arc 400 stick/TIG inverter on ebay (after getting guarantees from the sellers).  Both have been fine.  My rationale was that, for my hobby-level welding, I would never have bought either item new at my local dealer, anyway.  I do, however, make it a point to buy my consumables and supplies locally, rather than on ebay or the internet.  Remember that these guys cannot stay in business selling you a tank or two of gas every few months.awright
Reply:Ebay is a good place to buy IF you know what you are buying. Research your item and the sellers feedback. I've had good luck with ebay, but it comes down to "You pay your money and you take your chances".
Reply:First of all, it is not my responsibility to keep anyone in business.  LWS will have to adjust their business model to suit the times or they will go under.  It's called a "free" market for a reason.  I am free to choose where I spend my money, but then again, price isn't the only defining characteristic in a good vendor.As far as Ebay is concerned, one must be knowledgable and exercise good judgement to get a good deal.  I will frequently take calculated risks on things.  Usually it works out well, sometimes it doesn't, but on the overall, I end up with a lot of decent tools for very little money.-Heath
Reply:Originally Posted by halbrittFirst of all, it is not my responsibility to keep anyone in business.
Reply:That's a sort of protectionism that never works.  Either the small business man offers goods and services that lets him survive against the competition or his business will eventually fail.  There are any number of reasons why I would patronize a small local business over an online shop or a big-box retailer.  The trick for the businessman is figuring out what those reasons are.-Heath
Reply:Wow, Heath.  That's pretty tough love for our local suppliers.Kind of like demanding that the Mexican farmers growing maize on a couple of hectares on a rocky hillside damn well better cut their prices in order to compete with Archer, Daniels, Midland if they want to sell anything to their village mujeres making tortillas.  Then we demand that the National Guard use lethal force to protect us from the wetbacks trying to find work in the land that we stole from them originally.  I think I'm beginning to understand how the system works.awright
Reply:I do my best to help support the little guy. I stay out of wally world at all costs, they kill more small businesses than anyone. I shop at small-town grocery store. I try very hard not to buy gas (or anything else) at franchise convienience stores. I try to apply that to everything. All my consumables I buy from the local welding supply place, and believe it or not their prices are WAY better than any I can find elsewhere. As far as tools and other equipment, well I'm not rich. If I can save $50 I have to go that way. I wish I was rich enough to not have to price-shop. It would surely be nice to be able to drive 5 miles to the store to buy a piece of equipment and help out a small business.
Reply:oops... double post.
Reply:I can only speak for my own ebay experience's between my wife and I we have brought over 1400 items on ebay these are every thing from stickers ,tools, computers and computer parts beads and jewelry and only had about 10problems and we have brought from all over the world as in buying a welder from all the research I did when looking at importing a welder to Australia the dealers on ebay I would use are the ones below do your research and read there feedback it will tell you alot about them http://stores.ebay.com.au/Welding-Su...Q3amesstQQtZkmhttp://stores.ebay.com.au/Quimby-Wel...Q3amesstQQtZkmCreative metal Creative metal Facebook