E-Bay again. Do these people pay attention? [Archive]

BruceB

01-08-2006, 03:41 AM

Yo, y'all....

Just in the last week or so, I've been watching several different lots of NON-Federal 7.62x39 brass on Ebay, some new, some once-fired. The Federal stuff I have on hand, about 500 rounds also from Ebay, SUCKS! Nothing else that I'm loading needs small-rifle primers, so I'm avoiding Remington 7.62x39 brass.

After a few days of watching, I simply gave up and went down to my friendly local Ace Hardware, where I special-ordered 200 rounds of shiny new Winchester brass for my M77. I'll keep the Federal brass for the SKS and a (possible future) AK or RPK. Even cheaper than Midway, and NO shipping, AND keeping my money in the local economy.

Hate to admit it, but I even ordered almost a thousand JACKETED rifle bullets from Ace, and y'all have no idea how wrenching that is! It's almost immoral. However, I find that it's nice to have some Matchkings on hand for the M1A, and I now have TWO new-condition #4 Mk2 Enfields whose barrels need to have some initial condom-bullet shooting to break-in the barrels before the REAL boolits get going.

My highly-personal, deep-dark-secret excuse for the second NEW #4 is ol' Buckshot's opining as to how I really couldn't shoot Miz Liz with her Parker-Hale match sights in an "as-issued" military match at the Nevada Cast Boolit Shoot.....thanks Rick, I needed SOMETHING to justify it, besides a great price! Man, I do love the #4 Rifles. I'm kicking myself for not buying a near-new 1943 Long Branch (Canadian) #4 Mk1* a week or so back, which had NO BIDS on auction at Gunbroker, and languished at $285....new-condition two-groove barrel, too....sigh. Maybe the guy'll re-list it....whatEVAH do y'all mean, Scarlett, that ah don't need THREE #4 Rifles....??

Anyhoo, I have 500 Hornady 150 .312" Interlocks coming for these blushing British war-brides. I intend to keep a few hundred Matchkings loaded and ready for the M1A and Garand for whatever uses I may find for immediate-service full-power loads. Sight settings for jacketed ammo are recorded and can be set on the rifles in very short order. Not to be paranoid, y' understand....just READY. Now, I only need a DSA FN-FAL, and my small group of military-rifle "needs" will be complete (yeah, SUUUURRRE it will...heh, heh!).

After a lot of experience, I have concluded: "THERE IS NO END!" Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. Isn't it great????

imashooter2

01-08-2006, 09:07 AM

It constantly amazes me that people who can figure out how to get an eBay account haven't mastered the Google search.

I sold a bunch of used M1 Carbine mags on eBay a few years ago for $15+ each. At the time, the very first hit on a Google search for "M1 Carbine Magazine" was Fulton Armory selling them NIW for $6 each. Heck, that is how I figured out the starting price.

Maven

01-08-2006, 11:20 AM

Jumptrap

01-08-2006, 11:37 AM

wills

01-08-2006, 01:18 PM

Have you noticed how they tend to sling around the word “vintage”? That seems to add to the price, and they don’t even say what vintage.

I saw one of those chicken feeders attached to a mason jar in an “antique” store. Somebody had put some of that potpourri stuff in the mason jar and was selling it for about $15. I figured somebody could go into business, buy the feeder for three bucks at the feed store, soak it in some mild acid for a while, so it would look “vintage” stick some weeds in a Mason jar, put the rig together & sell ‘em. Stock them in the antique malls where you can leave things on consignment. Leave a case of them, have the things put out one at a time, so they would look unique, and “vintage”.

wills

01-08-2006, 01:23 PM

Bruce, do you have a particular boolit you like for the #4 Mk1

Bullshop

01-08-2006, 01:34 PM

Buckshot
I think there is a differance. The new Lyman handles, the ones that look like Saeco handles are for double cavity blocks which are large. The discontinued small blocks take a discontinued small handle. Most of the older single cavity blocks use the small handles. The angle of the large handles prevents the small blocks from closing completely. I realy like the small handles. They are small and light and very easy to operate. They are prefered by all BS trainees with smallish hands. I think I have about ten sets and will now consider trimming inventory.
BIC/BS

powderburnerr

01-08-2006, 03:14 PM

Bullshop :
I just got two new sets of lyman handles and the box says "for one and two cavity moulds and they do fit a couple old ideal single cavitys I have ,......But I'm with you the smaller handles are a lot nicer to use with most moulds ... If yours are not VINTAGE and you need to clean up the bench I'd be interested in your excess.......... thanks,Dean ... zb70045@ctnis.com

Bullshop

01-08-2006, 06:47 PM

Powderburnerr
I have a set of the newer style Lyman handles, now over 5 years old. They will not fit on any of my old small block Lyman or Ideal molds. The handles I got had to be shaved on the inside faces a good bit to allow any block to close at all. The wood on my handles is shaved flat on the inside of each side to half way through the wood. I got mine when they first made the change to the new style so they may have corrected these problems by now. The best handles I have ever used are the Saeco and it looked like Lyman coppied them.
BIC/BS

nelson133

01-08-2006, 07:11 PM

I don't buy from eBay, as every time I have been interested in something, it has sold for more that what I could find it for new. This is not just in guns and equipment, but computer stuff too. What such auction sites do is remove regional price differences and the price is set by the person who is willing to pay the most. Usually from a place that the local prices are higher than anywherer else in the country.
This doesn't rule out human stupidity or laziness, however.

9.3X62AL

01-08-2006, 09:21 PM

E-bay is a real trip through human folly a times.

I use RCBS handles with my two Lyman SC molds.

tomf52

01-08-2006, 09:48 PM

Last year I got $157.00 for a lyman dual cavity mold on E-Bay. Guess it must have been rare or something. I don't even know, what the mold was for. Got it in a garage sale for $2.00!

Buckshot

01-09-2006, 05:41 AM

....................E-Bay is a wonderfull place. Honestly and truly it is. However you MUST pay attention to what is going on. I had a couple rough lessons handed to me early on, and they were my fault so I automaticly check out a couple things first of all.

The VERY FIRST thing I check on is shipping! Somma these jaybirds are going to make their money by sticking it to you on shipping. Secondly, you MUST check for "Handling Charges" special or otherwise. Like me early on, you may find yourself talking to yourself after being ripped by one of these people. They are NOT being dishonest as they do have it there in the information.

Further, some have in big bold lettering that if you don't like and item, merely send it back for a full refund. If you check further you may find the refund just ain't so full. Lots of places will refund all but your shipping charges. This is true from one place I used to use, as even if they ship you the WRONG THING they still will not refund your shipping charges!

There is a large fancy E-Bayer with multiple thousands of Harbor Freight, Odd Lots and similar type places merchandise. He'll list a 40 piece tap and die set for a "Buy it Now" price of $19.99 but shipping is $29.99 flat rate. On top of that is a $5 handling charge.

Another thing to do is to know what it costs someplace else. For us that's probably all the gun stuff retailers like Midway, Graf etc & etc.

Something else you can do, and I just did it last night, is to check their store (if they have one) for similar items with a cheaper "Buy it Now" price, or the same or similar item coming up shortly. I had placed a bid on some NOS Sile checkered walnut grips for a square butt S&W K frame. I placed my max bid and let it ride, as I was going to be asleep then the auction ended.

When I got to work Sunday night I checked in and I'd lost the item. Starting bid was $9.99 and I'd bid $15.89. I got a 2nd chance offer from the seller to buy a set at my $15.89 bid. I checked his items for auction and another set was coming up in a couple hours, plus the same set for a $12.99 Buy it Now price. This time I got them for the initial $9.99 price.

Nope, E-Bay can be a treasure house for some stuff. Just be prepared to lose to someone willing to spend more money, or who might have a faster computer connection! For me lots of times I can buy machine tools, and consumables like drills, reamers, carbide inserts, and bits for cents on the dollar.

................Buckshot

LIMPINGJ

01-09-2006, 09:23 PM

Krag Carbine Stock $1000.00 buy it now price. What a country.

yammerschooner

01-09-2006, 10:49 PM

Originally posted by wills:
Have you noticed how they tend to sling around the word “vintage”? That seems to add to the price, and they don’t even say what vintage.

For molds, it works better than the term "tactical" which is to be used for the more modern seeming stuff.

Beau Cassidy

01-10-2006, 12:21 PM

I equate a description of "vintage" as synonomous with "I know it is old as hell and I don't know what it is but I want a lot of money for it."

Beau

redneckdan

01-10-2006, 09:24 PM

ebay is good and bad. you gotta know yer prices. if you find a seller who is honest and fair dealing, make sure to do buisness with him/her if possible.

The Nyack Kid

01-10-2006, 09:32 PM

Quote
E-Bay again. Do these people pay attention?

Yes they do pay attention , everytime i bid on something, people trip over themselves in the rush to beat me out of it .

pdgraham

01-11-2006, 08:14 PM

Quote
E-Bay again. Do these people pay attention?

Yes they do pay attention , everytime i bid on something, people trip over themselves in the rush to beat me out of it .

Same here.. everytime a Lyman 452374 comes up I bid what I think is a decent max bid.. only to lose out..

Some molds are hot items on Ebay.. and that's probabaly one of them..

robertbank

01-11-2006, 09:26 PM

Hey there was a 311041 mold on ebay two weeks ago. Well I was in the market so I checked out Lyman's new price. $65.US. Mold, used, on ebay went for $67.50 go figure

Maven

01-12-2006, 10:57 AM

All, [As a first-time seller,] I sold #323471 with its box (used, but like new and certainly not "vintage") on EBay for $89.00! In fact, all of my items (4 were bullet molds) sold, some at reasonable prices. For "sellers," i.e. those with unneeded reloading equipment, etc., EBay is a nice way to raise $$. For buyers, which I generally am, there are "bargains," but that and "value" and "worth" are subjective terms.

One word of caution, however: I have a few now obsolete, but excellent 35mm [film] SLR cameras, one of which is a Topcon RE Super. I searched EBone for a 135mm-200mm lens for it and found two. One was in such poor condition, but not according to the seller, that I threw it in the trash (money refunded). The other was in great condition---sort of (some lens fungus internally), but its mount didn't fit my circa 1965 camera. The seller was good enough to take it back. Ergo, for things like used lenses, camera bodies, scopes, etc., it's better to go to a reputable dealer than to rely on someone's word or even pics on EBay. JMHO!

slug

01-12-2006, 08:44 PM

Have you also noticed that every couple of months someone tries to sell a "rare So. African" or "rare Civil War" bullet mold (or mould) that is actually a medical suppository mold (or mould)? My parents were pharmacists and part of their training involved making such things: My father's mold is on my workbench as I write.

A while back, someone tried to list a plastic suppository mould, just like the one I used in Pharmacy school in the seventies. It may have been vintage, but it wouldn't make very many lead bullets. The fellow didn't bother replying to my message pointing it out.

StarMetal

01-12-2006, 08:51 PM

slug,

Thanks for the laugh. I laughed out loud as I read that suppository mould and my son in the next room says "now what?" Too funny.

Hey you never know tho, paper patched it might shoot great in something...be good for a running away shot...right up the old animal's butthole.

Joe

Idaho Sharpshooter

01-15-2006, 01:51 AM

I did score one, ONE jewel on Ebay at a reasonable price. Needed a fairly light CB for my 1886 clone in 50-110. Found a Lyman 509132 for $68.50 ups 2nd day. Casts within .003" of round according to a machinist friend. Turned out to be a bit too long in the nose to feed out of the '86, but is a joy in the 1.3" octagon HiWall 50-110. Bought a reamer, needed to get my moneys worth out of it, so I have a one ounce shy of 15 lb HiWall for the Billy Dixon shoot.

regards,

Rich

boogerred

01-22-2006, 03:05 AM

i buy a lot off e-bay mostly because its so easy.the closest GS is 60 mi away and they dont have any moulds or casting equip("but we can order one,have it in a week"). all 14 of my moulds came from e-bay with only 1 paperweight so far.its best to have a little knowledge about what your looking for or you can easily pay too much.i saw a set of lee shellholders for $36 recently with 5-6 hrs left.with bullet moulds i tend to shy away from fuzzy pics and bad descriptions.catalogs from the makers of whatever your looking for are handy to have close by when shopping e-bay.

cooncatbob

01-22-2006, 05:45 PM

The trick is to put a "watch this item" on stuff your interested in, the google it and see what it cost new. Then if you still want it you'll get a e-mail from e-bay that it's in it's last day, wait till the last 5 minutes and if it's still in your price range bid. It makes no sense to bid when there's 5 days to go, all that does is drive up the price. Also look to see who else is bidding, some guys have ringer accounts to bid and drive up the price. Just my $.02. Bob.

FromTheWoods

01-23-2006, 04:46 AM

Ccbob,

I'll be looking for casting equipment soon.

How do you spot a "ringer account"?

cooncatbob

01-23-2006, 08:09 PM

Ccbob,

I'll be looking for casting equipment soon.

How do you spot a "ringer account"?
First look to see who's bidding, if any of the bids seem odd (bidding more then they should at that time) write down the bidders name then check items that the seller has sold in the past and check the bidders on those items, see if there and reaccuring bidder who seem to run up the price but never win the item.
Main thing is Google is your best friend, use it to do your research and don't get caught up in the bidding to over pay for an item.
I once bid on 2 items that were the same from 2 different seller and ended up winning both. Now the unused item is sitting in my closet, I'm planning on starting to sell stuff soon as I've aquired lots of stuff over the years, but when I have a yard sale everyone want to haggle you down. Good luck, Bob.

Char-Gar

01-23-2006, 08:22 PM

Ebay is just another place where folks buy and sell..not much different from a pawn shop, flea market, or regular auction. You can get bargins, or get bit at any of those places. If you don't know your item, the market, and read the fine print, then you can get bent over real quick.

Caveat Emptor (left the buyer beware) - Latin Maximum
A fool and his money are soon parted.. Country Wisdom

FromTheWoods

01-24-2006, 04:43 PM

So simple! Thanks for giving me a clue.

Newtire

01-24-2006, 09:47 PM

Have seen a lot of Priceless Lee single cavity's go for more than new price, mostly they are the ones on the Lee Surplus Item page.

rocklock

01-24-2006, 10:25 PM

A while back, a friend received three boxes of Hornady .300 diameter bullets for the 7.35 Italian in a trade. Since none of us (at the time) could use them, I put one box up on eBay.

With 30 minutes to go, they had been bid up to $15 which was about what we expected. Two bidders then got into a p*ssing contest and bid them up to 55 stinking dollars. We were amazed, but happy.

On a similar note, I had been looking for a cleaning rod and oiler to complete my Krag carbine. I'd bid what I thought was a little on the high-side as my max bid and get completely blown out of the water. At a gun show I was talking to an advanced Krag collector and thought what the hay, it can't hurt to ask so I inquired how much he wanted for the rod and oiler. I ended up paying less than HALF of what the rods alone were going for on eBay for both.

McLintock

01-25-2006, 01:09 PM

I use E-bay mostly to find no longer made stuff, like Ruger Old Model Single Action parts and similar items (found a set of Winchester 94 38-55 cartridge guides once for a modified 30-30 action). Finished my complete set of Gun Digests with several from the late 40's, early 50's through E-Bay. I've also bought some reloading stuff off it. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose a bid, and if the price goes higher than I want by the last 2 mins, I don't bid. I time the last 5-7 mins with a stop watch and with 10 seconds to go, put in my bid max I am willing to pay. Win, lose or draw I'm usually happy, although when I'm beat by a dollar on an Old Model Ruger brass grip frame or Super Blackhawk hammer or grip frame, it's a little frustrating. But, I just wait till the next one comes up and try again. Just this past week I won a 1959 Ruger Single Six Manual by $1 and lost a 1957 one by the same amount, so it evened out.
Generally works for me,
McLintock

Bodine

01-26-2006, 11:03 AM

Kinda makes you want to pick up scrap brass from the range and sell it huh?

I have a buddy that does exactly that.

Says he can get more on Ebay for used and you can buy it new from Midway..

I could see it if it were an obsolete caliber or something..

Beware of stupid people in large groups!

cooncatbob

01-26-2006, 11:26 PM

If you hold a yard everyone want to haggle you down so your almost giving stuff away. But put it on E-bay and sometimes they'll fight over stuff and over pay and you don't have to deal with the jerks. You get your money then ship them their stuff.
My local community center has a class "Basics of selling on e-bay" it's 3 nights over 2 weeks and I'm going to take it next month. Got a big bag of old 38 brass I'd like to unload. Is this a great country or what. LOL. Bob.

Bret4207

01-27-2006, 08:38 AM

I've been trying to pick up some operators amnuals for my JD 1010 crawler loader and some of the cartoon style guides for the Cat D2/D4. I bid on a 50/51 backhoe op's manual from freakin Australia. I'd asked at the JD dealers and i could have gotten a NOS guide for around $45.00. So, I bid $30.00 (+ $15.00 shipping) and sent to bed. The thing sold for $155.00 ! Same type of thing with the Cat manual.

Ebay is the place to find a specific item thats out of production though. Theres a 358009 on now that should max out well over $100.00. Lyman- are you listening?

Ricochet

01-27-2006, 01:44 PM

Anybody tried shooting those suppository mould boolits? What diameters do they come in? Look like they'd have great ballistic coefficients. They certainly have a shape well proven for penetration.

Buckshot

01-28-2006, 04:46 AM

"They certainly have a shape well proven for penetration."

Awk, gag, snork (wiping coffee off computer screen) you're killing me!

................Buckshot

Maven

01-28-2006, 10:55 AM

Good one Ricochet! Over the years I must have contacted 8-10 sellers of such "bullet molds" explaining what they are used for and how they differ from genuine bullet molds. Most were grateful, a few didn't bother to reply and one was overtly hostile ("Don't bid on it....! I'm going to report you to E-Bay.") Why would someone with so obvious a need for a suppository mold wish to sell it? Btw, my parents were pharmacists whose training involved compounding, making suppositories, etc. My father's mold sits on my reloading bench along with some of my "real" molds.

alamogunr

02-06-2006, 11:00 PM

I use E-bay mostly to find no longer made stuff, like Ruger Old Model Single Action parts and similar items (found a set of Winchester 94 38-55 cartridge guides once for a modified 30-30 action). Finished my complete set of Gun Digests with several from the late 40's, early 50's through E-Bay. I've also bought some reloading stuff off it.
McLintock

I just finished reading this entire thread. Got a good laugh from the suppository molds. Good thing I hadn't seen any or I might have to confess to being suckered. I haven't bought a mold on Ebay in 15-18 months. They have been bid up so much, I'm tempted to sell some that I have. I do use Ebay for out-of-print books or those that are less common and cheap. I have a slipcased set of Otteson's "The Bolt Action" that an antique dealer must have picked up from an estate. Paid $40. Almost unread. I also completed my full set of Handloader magazine off Ebay. Had to spend more than I wanted on duplicate copies in order to get what I wanted. I'll be back as seller one of these days to dispose of the duplicates. I won't expect a windfall, just reduce my overall investment. If you are into books, use the various book search sites such as ABE books, etc. to get a feel for a fair price.

John

floodgate

02-07-2006, 12:05 AM

alamogunr:

Those Otteson books are great, aren't they? I have the plain Wolfe editions, but found the information and analysis on the various action designs to be fascinating. As he says, Mauser really "wrote the book" on bolt actions with the '98. I put together a set of "Handloader's Digests" for a study of reloading tool development from eBay. And AbeBooks is the best of the regular booksellers - no flack or yuppie stuff like Amazon. Powells is good, to, for technical books, and Dan Antrim and IDSA for gun stuff. I'm cleaning out about half my arms library, and sending it to the ASSRA Archives, where it is available for copying or loan. Just turned 75, and beginning to worry that my stuff will all go to the dumpster or a recycling bin if I don't place it now.

floodgate

alamogunr

02-07-2006, 07:56 PM

alamogunr:

Just turned 75, and beginning to worry that my stuff will all go to the dumpster or a recycling bin if I don't place it now.

floodgate

I'll be 64 in a few months and will be retiring a couple of months before that. I have two sons that appreciate books but have other things to occupy their time right now. I never thought of the ASSRA. I have seen the listings of articles can be ordered from them in the Fouling Shot. You are to be commended for your generosity in sharing. Your post reminded me that I also have all 5 of the Grant books. Maybe when I get a few years of retirement under my belt I'll think about what to do about the books.

montana_charlie

02-09-2006, 01:57 PM

....................E-Bay is a wonderfull place. Honestly and truly it is. However you MUST pay attention to what is going on.

The VERY FIRST thing I check on is shipping! Somma these jaybirds are going to make their money by sticking it to you on shipping.
When you see something worth 20 bucks that you can get for 99 cents...look at the shipping charge. It is probably about 25 bucks.

You get the merchandise at your door for about what it's worth, and the seller gets a fair price for his goods. But, since the actual purchase price is hidden in the shipping charge...eBay doesn't get their cut.

In today's world, this form of cheating will be seen by many as 'smart'.
CM

robertbank

02-09-2006, 04:33 PM

Well I don't like to tell stories on myself but just bought a cartridge belt off of ebay. Seller said he had a 41 in waist and he and Hunter could fit into it. I read that to mean it fit him and Hunter. What I found out when it arrived is that the seller may have had a 41 in waist and he and his friend could wrap the darn thing around both of them at the same time!!! Had a good laugh, and cut the belt so it would fit.

Stay safe

nighthunter

02-09-2006, 06:27 PM

I've gotten a few really good buys on E-Bay. I once got 6000 once fired .40 S&W for $30.00. I got 250 once fired brass in 45-70 for $25.00. You have to know what you are looking for and what you are looking at. Set the limit at what it is worth to you. If you don't get it another will be listed shortly. Not a bad place to hang around. Kinda like going to the flea market.
Nighthunter

James Wisner

02-12-2006, 01:58 AM

Currently there is a used and butchered 4 cav Lyman 452423 mold on eBay.
As of tonight it was up to 117.00.
Look at it close and you can see were the top of the mould was surfaced off at least an 1/8".
Don't these people care at all.

Jim Wisner

Four Fingers of Death

02-12-2006, 03:00 AM

Have you also noticed that every couple of months someone tries to sell a "rare So. African" or "rare Civil War" bullet mold (or mould) that is actually a medical suppository mold (or mould)? My parents were pharmacists and part of their training involved making such things: My father's mold is on my workbench as I write.

I walked into a store the other day in a toem in the southern part of the state. As I entered the shop, a pair of multiple gang moulds on a glass shelf in the next shop caught my eye. I went back and looked at them and thought that they were a bit lightly made. A second or so later, I noticed the shape and my tail puckered up thinking about it. I then realsied that I was looking at a Pharmicist's window nd he had a lot of old medical gear on display. I had tunnel vision and could only see the moulds.
:)

azrednek

02-12-2006, 06:17 AM

I can't complain about Ebay, I've found it to be a virtual gold mine at times.

Frank46

02-14-2006, 03:18 AM

Today they were listing a smith and wesson screwdriver (no kidding) and the bidding was up to $122 bucks. Guess they were trying to see who's pockets were the deepest. Frank

BruceB

02-14-2006, 03:45 AM

On the subject of the $122 S&W screwdriver, it's no surprise to me at all.

Not long ago, another S&W screwdriver (admittedly a very rare one) went for over $1000, that is, over ONE THOUSAND dollars. It was needed to complete the "factory issue" package for a pre-war Registered Magnum S&W revolver in NEW condition, and the feller who bought it figured it was worth it....to HIM. He knows his situation better than I do, but still I think I'd rather buy another couple of guns! Must be nice to have that sort of money to indulge one's pet jones....

If S&Ws are of interest to you, let me recommend

www.smith-wessonforum.com

where a lot of discussion goes on, and many VERY attractive revolvers sell at reasonable prices on their "Classified" Board. Lordy, but I love blue-steel Smith revolvers!

I've consciously bid and paid somewhat more than reasonable market value for certain moulds on Ebay, because MY reasons were MY reasons, and I wanted or 'needed' the particular mould for a certain reason.

It sho' makes one wonder though, when dirt-common current-production Lee moulds sell for twice the price of a brand new one!

In just the last couple of days, I saw a like-new #450 lube-sizer sell for about $52, and a like-new 31141 two-cavity mould sold for $37. There are still some bargains to be had on Ebay.