Purchasing Used Ham Equipment

With all of my hobbies, rarely have I had to purchase items new.  Don't know what it is.  Maybe I'm frugal, or I appreciate things that are slightly worn...naw...that's romanticism...I'm just cheap, so buying ham radio equipment used is no different than my other hobbies.  But buying stuff used in the ham radio community is slightly different....
Typically with hobbies, the first place I go to for purchasing my toys is eBay.  Yes, eBay, FleaBay, etc.  Love it or hate it, as a consumer, it's the best place to find stuff--particularly obscure stuff.  I'm not saying that my hobbies were really strange or off the wall, but how many mall stores do you know that carry an MFJ-941e antenna tuner; Leicavit rapid winder; or a Z-Frame grip for an AGD Automag?

So my first inclination as I was searching for ham radio goods was eBay.  However, the more I start understanding this hobby, the more I realize that there's a community of hams that sell to each other--swap meets, forums, ham fests.  It can be a bit more risky (i.e. no PayPal buyer protection; poor seller descriptions; some of the worst photos or none at all, etc), but the deals are much better.

Here's a recent example.  I recently purchased an FT-857d as my first rig and just sold it (explain in another post).  Originally, I had posted it on QRZ for $625 shipped and it included the LDG FT-Meter.  I had no bites on the forum for a week, so I posted it on eBay. I ended up selling the LDG for $660 shipped and the FT-Meter for $45 shipped.  From the buyer's perspective, it cost them $705 on eBay, but they could have purchased it from me for $625 (saving $75) through the forums.

Was the eBay buyer protection worth the $75 premium?  I don't know....You can purchase a new 857d online for $775, FT-Meter $50, and get free shipping for a total of $825.  I don't mind paying a $120 premium to know that I get a 1 year manufacturers warranty and have complete peace of mind that if there was an issue, Yaesu fixes it.  Granted, I'm a fairly upstanding guy, so I completely tested the unit and was very forward that it was unmodified and the only warts this radio had were some small aesthetic scratches on the side.  Nonetheless, I can't say that it's that great of a deal.

How did I fair?  About the same.  Had I sold it via QRZ, my shipped cost was around $25, so my net would have been $600.  Typically with eBay, expect to get back 84% of the final value plus shipping (it's not the eBay sellers once knew).  Basically, you are factoring that 16% of your final value will be eBay fees, PayPal fees and shipping fees (unless you charge exorbitant shipping fees).  In the end, my take home from all of this was $601.  I bought this radio used for $625, so I lost $24.  I consider that loss a rental fee for trying out the radio.  I've spent a lot more on more stupid things (darn those stupid As Seen on TV gadgets).

The deals on forums and Craigslist are pretty amazing.  Just saw an IC-765 with SM-8 mic for $500 on my local Craigslist.  You don't need a power supply or antenna tuner, since it's built in.  And I've read that the IC-765 has one of the best receivers and comes stock with a lot of good filters.  These rigs have been sold for around $700 and the mic alone goes for about $50 to $70 used.  $500 sounds like a steal for a first rig...and a very nice first rig at that.

Ham Radio can be a pretty expensive hobby.  I've got a laundry list of things I want for my ideal shack, and I could easily see myself spending several grand on a few rigs, coax (sheesh friggin' wires co$t so much), tuners, power supplies and antenna$.  I feel as along as you do your homework on these non-eBay sites or Hamfests, you can do well.  Just use some prudence and remember that if it's too good to be true, it probably is.  And if the seller has very poor (or good English); has a domain listed from Nigeria; and also wants to setup an offshore account for their late dead uncle's inheritance with you as the benefactor AND the radio, just don't reply.

Next on my list of Ham Radio experiences is a Ham Fest.  I hear it's like an electronic flea market.  Should be fun.

-73 de KB3LLE