Ebay: "Just Serviced" = impending implosion?

[Adamam]

Do you share my general suspicions regarding private sellers who claim to have 'just' had their saw (and in fact anything else mechanical) serviced?

 

I can't see why anybody would sell a 'just serviced' saw (or more to the point service a to-be-sold saw) unless the service engineer had announced impending failure...

[Rich2484]

I look out for the ones that say "just needs a service" they are the ones to watch.

[Dean Lofthouse]

There are some genuine dealers out there that do service things before being sold. It makes sure there are going to be no come backs through silly things like choked air filter or bad spark plug etc.

That said I have just bought a just serviced Stihl 450 strimmer and the first thing I will do tomorrow when it comes is whip the exhaust off and look for cylinder scoring. Any sign of it and it's going back as I paid good money for it

Edited April 11, 2012 by Dean Lofthouse

[SAM66S]

I always give my saws & other tools the once over before selling them (not very often selling them though) saves all the hassle of them saying somethings wrong with it when it arrives

[pleasant]

Maybe, just maybe they are honest sellers who want the peace of mind that what they are selling is fit to do so- thereby reducing the likelyhood of the buyer returning it. If it's a good saw with a good re-sale value then the negligible cost of a service with a receipt to prove it pales into insignificance.

 

Always annoying when you buy a second hand saw for example, and you can't use it until the chains been sharpened or replaced surely?

[pleasant]

I look out for the ones that say "just needs a service" they are the ones to watch.

 

Very true. The ones that say " starts and runs, but may need a service"

 

If it starts and runs, then why may it need a service? That statment is a get out of jail free card for sellers who don't want to list the item as spares or REPAIR so they get more for it.

[JAMIE1]

That statment is a get out of jail free card for sellers who don't want to list the item as spares or REPAIR so they get more for it.

 

Spares or repairs stuff goes for more than running saws sometimes, it amazes me that peolpe will pay £150 for a saw that wont start (usually means it needs a top end rebuild) and not pay £180-£220 for a good runner. I sell a lot of parts on ebay all parts are checked and cleaned prior to going on sale, damaged of worn parts go in the bin. There is nothing worse as a buyer waiting for a part to arrive to get you back up and running and then it turns out to be damaged or not working.

[RobRainford]

I put just had a full clean and general service and take photos of a clean saw with sprocket cover off showing that it's clean!

 

There's such a mixed bag on eBay, it's more of a gambling site than an auction one.

[GardenKit]

i have several customers each year who have full services done on machines in order to sell them.

 

I have sometimes had to to talk them out of spending £80 or so to service a 15 yr old mower worth £40 just to sell it, even then some still insist as they think its bad to waste a good machine.

 

So some of the claims of " just serviced" are quite true, but I suspect most are not.

 

And it would be interesting to define 'service'. Is it a full service by a tech, or a spark plug and oily rag from an owner?