Would you buy a used Bullet Mold from EBay

[wendyj]

I was browsing this evening and saw a few Lyman and RCBS bullet molds with handles in 60-70 $ range. I've had luck with eBay and been burnt. Opinions.

[ranger391xt]

I've purchased a few lyman molds off eBay. I usually go for the less expensive ones knowing that I'll probably have to put a little work into them to get them to produce good boolits.

There is a post on here someplace where somebody detailed all the steps they go through to "tune up" a used lyman mold.



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[BrassMagnet]

What one are you looking at?

[Bazoo]

I've had mostly good luck. If the pictures are clear you can easily see if they are in good condition. I had bad luck once, but I dont believe the seller knew.

[Catshooter]

Bought many there. Look closely at the pics. Bad pics, I move on. Never been screwed, just buyer beware.

Any listing that says "From Canada" in the product description in the search results I won't even click on. That guy is giving Canadians a bad name.


Cat

[Gtrubicon]

I’m with Bazoo, I have purchased quite a few on eBay, some sellers are selling from an estate, they are to optimistic most of the time of what they are selling. I usually request pictures, and a lot of them. We should know what we are looking at and buy or pass based on the situation.

[Valley-Shooter]

I've bought many moulds off eBay. I have about a dozen Lyman 4 cavities, all from eBay.
Skip the ones with bad photos. Low light, blurry, low quality pics.
Be skeptical of glowing descriptions. Most sellers don't have clue. If it looks like rust, it is. I do buy some rusty ones, I know how to fix them.

Last month I didn't get a 4 cavity I bought. The seller failed to put any tape on the USPS flat rate box. He claimed he taped it up. I filed a claim and he refunded my money.

[tazman]

I've bought many moulds off eBay. I have about a dozen Lyman 4 cavities, all from eBay.
Skip the ones with bad photos. Low light, blurry, low quality pics.
Be skeptical of glowing descriptions. Most sellers don't have clue. If it looks like rust, it is. I do buy some rusty ones, I know how to fix them.

Last month I didn't get a 4 cavity I bought. The seller failed to put any tape on the USPS flat rate box. He claimed he taped it up. I filed a claim and he refunded my money.

That's the best way to do it. If it isn't as described, you can get a refund. It is a slow process but it usually works. I have probably purchased 15-20 molds off eBay. If there is a problem, it has always been because the seller didn't secure the molds and they bounced around and dinged each other. I never got one that wasn't usable after a little clean up.
Poor pictures and I won't touch it. If the seller won't provide clear pictures of the cavities and pins it's no deal.

[toallmy]

Members here swap and sell molds also , but to answer the question yes I have and will ( carefully ) purchase molds from eBay . What stile bullet are you interested in ?

[Shepherd2]

I've bought many bullet moulds on eBay and never got a bad one. Like several have mentioned, I wouldn't waste time looking at auction with bad pictures. I always looked at the sellers feedback too.

[georgerkahn]

I have purchased a few from SELLERS who employed eBay as their medium for said sales. eBay is, imho, great; however -- all those selling are necessarily not ! MY rules of thumb concur with other repliers to your query -- 'specially re the photos -- BUT, I do add checking the seller's feed-back sale descriptions VERY closely. From so doing, you may get a "gut" feeling whether this is someone selling trash, to squeeze any pennies (s)he may obtain from whatever item -- in this case, a bullet mould -- OR, is it a fair, honest person simply seeking a larger audience than found just on this site, to offer a reasonable mould at a fair price. I personally have dealt with three individuals who sell moulds both on this site and eBay (not at same time, per S&S rules) -- so, what's the dif? In both cases -- what's the term... caveat emptor? Good luck...
geo

[wendyj]

I trust people on this site. Care to give some user names. Not trying to take away from anyone else. I got good deal on some lead here.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Bought many there. Look closely at the pics. Bad pics, I move on. Never been screwed, just buyer beware.

Any listing that says "From Canada" in the product description in the search results I won't even click on. That guy is giving Canadians a bad name.


Cat

Which other Canadians get, and no doubt some, selling moulds, are as good as anybody.

There is a definition in the Item Specifics of every listing, of how eBay understand the stated condition in that category. For correctly categorised moulds, "used" says:

"An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections."

You are entitled to a fully functional mould, and if he doesn't declare cosmetic faults, you are entitled not to have them. eBay will back you up in a misdescription return for either and that takes care of a seller with limited expertise not knowing what is functional. There may be differences in coverage from what I know from the British eBay site, but I think the seller is still liable for return postage if he wants a misdescribed item back. In the UK they can't generate paid labels for return to another country, but nothing in the policy lets the seller out of funding it in some other way. Nobody enjoys sending his money on a brief vacation, but it shouldn't be any worse than that.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/e...policy?id=4210

A lot of people have bought moulds on eBay, and it has worked out well far more often than badly. Of course I've never bought on a title that says "Wow!" Just compare what's available with the prices and likelihood of finding what you want, when sellers do it alone and publishes lists of what they have.

[sukivel]

I have bought a few and several sets of dies as well...

I look at my ‘saved searches’ daily for good deals...


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[ShooterAZ]

Hi Wendy, I personally have never bought a used mold on ebay. All of my molds were purchased new. If there is a particular mold you are looking for, you could post a "Want to Buy" (WTB) thread in the Swappin & Sellin' section here.

[HangFireW8]

Mixed results for this eBay buyer, but nothing so bad that I felt a need to return it. Just had to put more effort and parts into some than I like.

I've mostly given up on eBay because everything usually goes for top dollar. If it doesn't go for top dollar, then there is more risk involved, such as blurry pictures ( which can be incompetence, or hiding bad product).

I say mostly because some discontinued molds are unobtainium, except on eBay. I just bought such a mold. It came as described nearly new, but looked like it had been used once by someone who really had no clue. Zero lube, lead flakes soldered on everywhere, including mold faces. It took a while to clean up. I'm thinking cold mold, too hot melt, and also no lube and too tight sprue screw.

Whoever used that mold really had no clue.

[JWT]

I have bought molds from ebay when there are clear pictures of the cavities, the seller has all positive reviews, and the price is good.

[pertnear]

I've had very few problems buying things on Ebay. Examine the pictures closely & read the ad completely. For sure look at the customer feedback on the items the seller has sold. Only pay with PayPal so you can more easily get your money back if item is not as you expected.

[wendyj]

There are a lot of new Lee molds and I was looking for a .452 255 grain mold but they were only in 2 cavity. Now going to try to find a 6 cavity in 45 and 44 as soon as I slug barrel of new handgun I bought my husband today. I sure am liking cast bullets. I'm going to wait until my equipment gets here to see if I am any good at this before buying more molds. I will use the 2 cavity I have Lee until I get good enough or feel confident enough to buy more.

[NoZombies]

Wendy,

Where are you located? There might be a member within reasonable driving distance who would be willing to let you come and use some equipment while under their watchful eye. It does a couple of things; It allows you to use some equipment without making the investment so you can decide if it's worth it for you, and the experienced caster can give you tips that might be very helpful with shortening your learning curve.

I've helped several folks out in this way, and I know there are many others here who have done the same, or would be willing to.