Ebay bargin v demo

Assuming genuine, and assuming a reasonable price if you buy unheard and don’t like something, selling it on is not a great loss if it doesn’t satisfy. And eBay policy in the event of a fault or fake is very much on the side of the buyer.

For high-value items, I feel it is worthwhile to pay a little extra for peace of mind — so I rather buy used or ex-demo from dealers. Acoustica uses eBay for their used gear, and I think they are brilliant. Also, the fishy place is pretty safe too.

There are good options to get Naim for a good used price, and patience helps — no need to pursue riskier avenues, unless the budget is super-tight. And then it might be good to skip a few pints in the pub, rather than risking an eBay disaster…

Just my two pence…

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It looks perfectly fine to me, with price compatible with age. I’ve sold plenty of Naim on eBay, including a 252, and once bought a 552. A few questions should sort it out and you should be able to exchange numbers and have a chat. If in doubt, go and collect it and pay cash when you’ve seen it.

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Only done it once … NAP100 for £350, it looked brand new when I got it :grinning:

I tend to look at what else the seller has sold, which can help build a picture. I like the idea from HH of collection and cash. I have brought an NAP250 from eBay and NAC 82 from PF, and in both cases I sent them straight off for a service so that I could have peace of mind that all was well.

Also, with eBay, AIUI, if it doesn’t arrive, or is not what has been advertised, you can get your money back.

For future reference, if you know the serial number & are willing to share it here, I can check any HQ service history of SH gear if anybody desires. Just tag me.
Glad to take some of the heat off our overstretched tech support guys.
If you’d rather keep it private - just go via Richard D - he can contact me.

Regards
Neil.

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Bought nap 300 DR off Ebay a while ago seller stated was upgraded by naim 2016. Email to naim support with serial numbers confirmed upgraded to DR specification and serviced by them on stated dates so happy days :nerd_face:

Seller knows the value of the item on sale
net of 10% off the sale as per eBay fees
Then it must an old example and unserviced I fear
No problem, anyway
How much would you pay for a very good car
unserviced and made 15 years ago?
Then take advantage of Naim’s superb servicing and repairs
as not lots of brands can offer you this ,sometimes you end with an
out of specs and unusable expensive piece of junk

Good point too. I think you can still use PayPal as a buyer, but will they protect you from a purchase on EBay as before ? Maybe some will know here.

You are right, EBay provides himself now the protection service. But we don’t know if it’s as strong as before, with PayPal.

Paypal hasn’t changed for buyers. The same protection applies.

If Ebay now have buyer protection I would use credit card instead. At these amounts Paypal will get very expensive to use as a service. Something I learned the hard way…

No problem with PayPal protection.

I bought an iPhone that was an unwanted upgrade and arrived in a sealed box - all good (I have done this before and not had a problem). After 2 months the phone was locked to any network as it had been reported stolen. The iPhone had become an very expensive iPod! Contacted seller and he offered a 50% refund. (Scam?).

Contacted PayPal and had a full refund in under 2 weeks. Never had to do this before but was impressed at how quickly the issue was revolved.

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Admirable if you don’t. Dealers everywhere will thank you.

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I have bought nearly all of my (8) Naim boxes, ‘pre-loved’. Two of these were from eBay, 4 were from well-known dealers - and only 2 were ‘new’ - many years ago. All worked - and still do. Some needed servicing - so @Darran at Class A was employed.

I am also at the point where I don’t really need to compare Naim boxes - I can work out myself whats a good move - so don’t generally need to hassle Dealers over Dems. If I can though, I like to see & hear the box in question working.

The perceived risks of buying on eBay are not different, with Naim hifi, than they are with any other relatively high value item. I will admit that my more expensive Naim boxes did come from dealers, though - and the cheaper ones were from eBay.

Caveat Emptor. Do you research - check Ser Nos and get the Service History. Then place your Bid…

(Just my View. You may disagree - which is fine by me.)

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I never audition if I know I don’t intend to buy from the dealer. I’ve bought blind various bits on e-bay and am happy with where I am now. Could it be better for the money? Almost certainly. Am I enjoying it anyway? Oh, yes!

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It’s worth giving a shout to Pink Fish here. A lot of people from the Forum post there and for buying and selling it’s a good place. I’ve sold quite a few things and people are happy to send payment first and then get the items, and I’ve done exactly the same. Because it’s a small community there is a high level of trust, and anyone who does anything dodgy will be quickly called out publicly. I feel far more confident using it than I do eBay. You do have to be careful on eBay as different people have different standards. Some people’s ‘immaculate’ is my ‘knackered’.

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To me an ebay bargain is also a demo. Ive bought kit at decent prices that I know I’ll get my money back for if I don’t like it. Then I dem it for as long as I like before deciding. The beauty is that if you love it you keep the actual item you have been listening to, but if you don’t then at least you had a proper home dem for many weeks rather than a rushed few days.

Just had a look at Pink Fish. It looks as if you need to be a member of PF with at least 50 posts to be able to use the classifieds section. Have I understood this correctly?