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	Subject - Buying on eBay kbsparky I have spent some time browsing the electrical categories on eBay, and have found some interesting items listed there. I have found some good bargains, and have bought many of them, and used them in the course of my business. I usually restrict my purchases to "new" items, although there have been a couple of exceptions. I might browse through a thousand or more listings, and out of that number might place a bid on 2-3 items. Some weeks are better than others, however <shrug>. Have you looked at the electrical listings on eBay, and been able to use anything bought on-line? Do you buy most of your materials from your local wholesale suppliers, or home center stores? Sometimes the home center beats the wholesaler hands down on certain items. What about that unique item that is readily available online, but NOT available through local sources -Ken Mike Delaney kbsparky, What kind of items have purchased? My friend bought alot of CAT5 jacks, CAT5 & CAT6 wire, splitters, and stuff for real cheap. A roll of plenum rated CAT6 (1000') for $10.00 (originaly $250). I've looked occasionaly but didn't see anything I couldn't live without. I probably should check it out more often. You won't find deals like that at the supply house! luckyshadow I have bought some tools on ebay but not material. I got a great deal on a milwaukee grinder and a greenlee ko set. Saved about $60.00 on the grinder and $ 150 on the ko set. kbsparky Anything and everything: Panel boxes, meter sockets, circuit breakers, GFCI receptacles, wall plates, dimmers, wire nuts, tools, digital camera, even our car! I usually pay about $40-50 for a 2-pole GFCI 50 Amp breaker. Try getting that price from a supply house! How about a Square D type QO main breaker panel? 200 Amp 30 circuit, including cover for less than $100? That price included shipping, too. Lots of bargains out there. zol_man kb, have you ever had a problem with the gfi breakers? what would you do if they were bad? have had 2 this year from the supply house and they took them back no problem. carl kbsparky I received one bad 2-pole GFI breaker from a sale on eBay. I contacted the seller, informing him of the problem. He took my word for it, and sent me a refund immediately. Occasionally, someone will list something on eBay that they know nothing about -- they really are not electricians, but selling electrical items. An example of this is the following listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3871734170 Now the listing says "10 Amp Breakers" I figure that they are reading the AIC on the breaker, rather than the actual trip rating. So, I sent them a question asking specifically what the numbers were stamped on the handle. IF you look at the listing, you will see my question posted there, along with the answer. Other times, I'll encounter overpriced listings, or those with missing parts. A good example of that is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5953772936 This listing is asking for more money than one has to spend at their local Lowe's or Home Depot for the same item. That is not even considering the shipping. Also, if you look closely at the photos in the listing, you'll notice that the main breaker is missing. Not a good item to bid on. I sent that seller a question asking him if the main breaker was included or not, explaining that the photos clearly showed it was missing. I never received a response. Also, the seller has a very poor and low feedback rating. The same panel can be had for less than ½ that from other sellers. -Ken Scott Vickrey Yes, you have to take the sellers rating when buying something. This how the swindlers are weeded out of the system. If the seller has sold 1000+ items and has a satisfaction rating of 99% I would feel very safe purchasing something from them because they are obviously pleasing their customers. On the other hand, If someone has few transactions and a low rating I would probably not trust that person to satisfy my expectations and therfore would not buy from them. You can see every single comment made about a seller by clickicking on the sellers name. There are alot of over-priced items on ebay, but the trick to ebay is to keep an eye on it and wait untill a good price comes up for bid from a high ranking seller. Some of you are still using the old auctions page I guess you have it in your favorites. You should now be using the newer auction pages. ibatramp i purchased a super hawg right angle drill for about 175.00 {retails for more than 350.00} eleccon I just picked up a PVC plug set for 125.00 ( retail 355.00) and a greenlee hook sheave 6"- for 127.00 and used both today and was very happy but have not bought any materials there.