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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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10th Jul 2014, 11:20 am | #1 |
Retired Dormant Member
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Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
Hello...
A friend of mine's dad passed away a few months ago and I've been left a lot of his electronics equipment. He used to work for Hawker Siddley in the 60s (mostly radar stuff from what I'm told). Anyway, I have a couple of boxes of valves that I know virtually nothing about and have little use for, so I need to move them on to people who do. I want to list them on a popular auction site, but not sure if I should sell as "used" or "spares or repair". I don't have a valve tester and am also a little concerned about the safety aspect - I don't want to sell something that's a potential safety hazard. If anyone can offer a bit of advice, I'm all ears. Thanks. |
10th Jul 2014, 11:44 am | #2 |
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
Just give an honest description. You aren't able to test them, so say as much. If you have a simple test meter which can measure resistance, check between the heater pins and say that the heater reads good if that is the case. If the valves are obviously used and ex equipment, describe them as used. If they appear to be new, describe them as 'believed to be new old stock'.
You can look up the heater connections here: http://tdsl.duncanamps.com/tubesearch.php There are no safety implications for your buyers. Please note that forum rules do not allow you to promote your eBay auctions here. Good luck |
10th Jul 2014, 12:06 pm | #3 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: London
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
OK, great - I'll do that.
It's mostly low value stuff I'm sure, but there are a few nice looking pieces. I also inherited an old oscilloscope (which I'm keeping) that turned out to have a cathode-heater short that had blown the transformer. Fixing that made me think of the safety aspect of selling the tubes untested. Last edited by northwind; 10th Jul 2014 at 12:26 pm. |
10th Jul 2014, 12:22 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: East Sussex, UK.
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
Be aware that the term "used" is described by the auction site as "The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended." That seems to mean that it MUST work correctly or should not have that term used in the description. Not sure what you can describe a 'possibly' used valve as.
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10th Jul 2014, 1:05 pm | #5 |
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
The important thing is that the description should be honest and clear.
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11th Jul 2014, 4:45 pm | #6 |
Heptode
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
It could be described as "Used, working condition unknown as unable to test"
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11th Jul 2014, 7:04 pm | #7 | |
Rest in Peace
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
Quote:
As an added bonus, should the item, once sold, actually appear to be 'not working', then you do have the safe fall-back position of being able to say "I listed it as "Not working / for spares or repair". Al. |
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11th Jul 2014, 7:16 pm | #8 |
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
List as untested and no returns.
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11th Jul 2014, 9:07 pm | #9 |
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
If you've got quite a lot of valves you might like to list them as job lots of say five or ten, which people often do as it's a lot of hassle photographing, listing, packing and posting individual valves (assuming that they sell). If you state the valve I.D. numbers it increases the chances of someone bidding as there might be one or two in the batch that they'd like. As has been said, at least if you test the heaters you can discard any that are open circuit which reduces the risk of disputes, and it also means that for anyone who might be interested in that valve, at least they know that there's a fighting chance that the valve may still have some life left in it.
As others have said, just make sure that what you state is unambiguous. EG: "The valve heater tests good, but the valve is otherwise untested as I have no means of testing, and it is offered for sale on that understanding". If there are any other shortcomings such as a loose base or top cap, or flaking paint, you can make that clear too. I've bought about fifty untested valves over recent years, often at keen prices, and they've all tested good on my Taylor 45D valve tester. Had they been duds, that's a gamble I was prepared to take and it wouldn't have kept me awake at night. The only one-off problem I've had was when a valve failed to arrive. I contacted the seller (who had proof of posting) and he immediately refunded the amount in full - just one of those things. I wouldn't personally bother listing any unmarked valves as they're unlikely to sell. Hope that helps. Good luck with the disposal.
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11th Jul 2014, 10:50 pm | #10 | |
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Re: Listing Valves on Popular Auction Site
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Cheers, GJ
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