why oh why are folk still buying from ebay anyway?
MOST of the stuff on there is rubbish and fake. I had an account when sold off some of my gear a few years ago and had nothing but trouble with buyers, and some folk I know who have bought stuff have been done big time! the site is best left alone, trust me!
mark
Really? I think the old adage of buyer beware is certainly applicable, but it is still possible to pick up some decent stuff at good prices. Examples I have had include:
Hardy Wanless 7' for 6lb line listed as repaired due to different colour whipping on butt ring. Knowing this to be the original copper binding, I bid and won it for a shade under £50 including carriage. It was mint, with bag and stopper. I sold it some time later for £80.
Cane carp rod. Photo (only one) was lousy and blurred, but it showed enough to suggest it was worth a punt. £27 later I had a perfectly good MkIV built on J.B.Walker kit. I refurbed it with original jasper elephant brand silk and sold it for a ton.
Named MkIV. I won't give details, but it cost me £40 and proved to be a very well finished rod made on a Southwell blank by a locally significant angler. I had it professionally restored (for a very good price) by Paul Cook, and it remains with me.
Drennan 13' IM6 Waggler with original bag and tube. £70-odd all-in. Rod was apparently unused, in showroom condition.
Hardy Phantom hollow-built fly rod, circa 1965. Cost just over a ton but was happy to chance it as seller was local and I could collect and inspect it. Rod was (is) near mint. Similar rods occasionally come up for sale, usually for upwards of £200.
By way of balance, I have had three crocks; a broken glass B&W Avon Perfection which the seller refused to accept responsiility for; I only paid £20 for it so I fixed it as best I could and sold it for £15. Net loss a fiver plus half an hour with a hacksaw, whipping thread and glue. Second was a Hardy Matchmaker which proved to be made up of parts from at least two different rods, and had a very slack joint as a result. I contacted the seller, who agreed to take it back, and the money was refunded. Net loss to me about a tenner for postage. Third was an Alex Martin fly rod which turned out to be completely rotten and delaminated. I paid £9 plus a fiver postage, so couldn't be bothered to send it back.
All in, I guess I'm pretty well up on the whole business. You just have to know what you're looking at, ask the right questions, and ultimately take a chance. If you don't fancy that, stay away, but then you'll never come across any real gems either.
