What are sellers thinking when they describe the radio they're selling as working great, but not guaranteed to work when you get it? Under the Ebay rules, if you say it works, it better work when the buyer gets it or the buyer can send it back for a full refund. I'm sure some buyers out there aren't aware of this and get stuck with a radio that never worked in the first place, which I'm sure some unscrupulous sellers count on.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-OLD-19 ... SwMkJdKT4f

I guess when he packs it with his two sheets tissue paper and it gets broke in route you are out of luck. If I brought something like that it had better work when I get it. I have received them that had the tubes falling out due to bad packing and as long as I can get it going with a small amount of work I do not mind. It is when they do not take care of business on their end that perturbs me. Everything well packed that I have received has always been in the same condition as seen 99.99 % of the time. I have received tube radios packed in shopping bags. Thank goodness most are well produced and sturdy. Tom

The sales pitch sounds like one of the infamous shill kings that gets so much love on this forum.

I honestly wouldn't know exactly what to say in describing one of my radios in a sale these days. At this point in time these radios are 80+ years old. The on/off switches and all other controls are very often "iffy", and you truly don't know what your going to get when you turn one on after a month or more. I know collectors that are starting to have old original power transformers toast much more frequently then ever before (as well as original resistors and other components that used to hold-up well). Any buyer who's 100% confident that, when he receives restored and working vintage electronic item is going to work flawlessly is foolish. I've bought restored sets that, after a short time, had them on the bench re-restored. I have a fortune in them that I'll never get back. Is it always the buyer being a swindler? Sometimes, yes, but not always. I know long-time sellers that had beautifully working sets that crapped-out as soon as the new buyer got them home.

If only people could learn to reduce the number of words---too many words often increases ambiguity.

In this one, the seller makes 2 statements:
"restored and working"
"sold as-is"

He might think that he is protecting himself with the second one, but it in fact reinforces the first: i.e. "as-is" now means it is working!!

The ad is bad in other ways: How about:
"restored and working"
and
"I don't restore radios"

Well, if #2 is true, then how do you know it is restored? Or maybe you're just throwing words around and you really have no clue......

Remember that 100 on EBay is not IQ

that's the relief from a buyer who gets it, finds the tinniest thing wrong and gets a refund.
He has marked as used and no returns, so likely he will get scammed.
You have to list as "for parts" and accept returns to avoid these scamming pigs.

In any venue, I tend to simply give facts.....eg "I replaced the caps and it has been working ever since"
OR:
"It appears to be original and I have not done anything to it."


Does EBay allow you to limit your exposure? e.g. How about: The set is working and is guaranteed for 30days)
OR:
The set operates, but should not be used until it is serviced. It is being sold only for parts or restoration.

I test the radios I sell just before shipping, no matter how many times I've played them or tested them before. I pack them planning on the shippers dropping them more than once so that they are protected and I guarantee they will show up in working order. I have never had one returned. Be honest when selling and do things the right way (spend money on packaging) and you should rarely ever have a problem.

The seller referenced in the OP has successfully copied our old friend, radios10467, in his sales blurb. If you notice in his 4 other offerings right now, he uses the same disclaimer in the final paragraph.

That said, I believe that it's fair for a seller to post that a set works while he has it, but may not once it's been delivered. This happened to me more than once;

I had restored and painted a Motorola table set, and sold it to a female buyer in the Midwest. Once she received it, she contacted me to say that it didn't receive stations. In our discussions, I determined that a lead had become separated from the air loop, to the tuner. I made a short test lead, with alligator clips on each end, and sent it to her with instructions on how to connect it, while the radio was unplugged from the AC line. I received glowing F/B shortly after.

I bought a Philco TRF console from a member here awhile back, and when I received it via Greyhound, allegedly electronically restored, it kept cutting out. The seller instructed me on how to correct it (there's a small screw hidden behind a transformer, that needs to be tweaked), and all was then good.

So caca does happen, and a disclaimer, even after saying that a set has been restored and is working, is definitely not out of line, especially with tube radios.

He can add the disclaimer, but it will be worthless. If the seller says it working, it has to show up at the buyers door working or the buyer can return it for a full refund.