ebay definitions

Re: ebay definitions

Ben Franklin

>"Good condition"

I called to complain that the blade was so badly pitted that it was unusable. The "tool dealer" said that "good condition" means that all the parts are there and that it was restorable. I pointed out that a part was missing, and the blade wasn't restorable...

Ben Franklin

Re: ebay definitions

Tony Z.

>How about tool box condition? I picked up a 605, which the dealer fortunately refunded my money for, that looked as if the tool box it was carried in, also had several anvils in it, along with salt water for lubricant!

Long Rant

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>The more I think about it, the more I'm not really sure what "mint"

means. "Excellent", "almost mint" and "minty" have me scratching my

head as well. And of course there's "crispy" and "bonerific". "Rare"

seems self explanitory, but how can a Stanley #4 "older type" be

rare? Sometimes I see "very nice" and I wonder if that's better than

just plain "nice". "Vintage" with an exclamation point (Vintage!!)

seems to be better than vintage without. "Early type" makes me think

low knobs or pre-lateral and not SW which could be called "later

type". "Pre-war" and "Antique" seem to mean something special also,

especially if your selling "wood planers". I recognize "fine" but

what is "VV fine" (very very)? "Primitive", yeah....that one conjurs

up all kinds of images of neanderthal wooddorking.

This is all so creative. Are these terms interchangable? Like, could

I say that I have an almost mint rare vintage antique wood

planer...nice!!

It seems VERY obvious to me, that some sellers take planes in Good

to Good+ condition and clean them up and list them as excellent or

mint condition. I think re-japanning, re-painting, sanding untill

pitting is gone, and mixing parts should be listed in the item

description instead of "DUH, I thought it was all original" and they should be accompanied by GOOD photos. In

some cases you you might have a plane that should be categorized as Usable - Totally, Collectable - Fuhgetaboutit instead of Minty!!!!...NICE!!! Why not use - Proffitable -Yes, Usable - Maybe as a selling point in the item description???.

FTJ's tool rating index for your reference:

Category-New, Wear-None, Finish-100%, Usable-Totally, Repairs-None,

Rust-None, Misc. +Orig. Pkg.

Category-Fine, Wear-Minimal, Finish-90%-100%, Usable-Totally,

Repairs-None, Rust-Trace

Category-Good+, Wear-Normal, Finish-75%-90%, Usable-Yes, Repairs-

None/Minor, Rust-Minor, Misc. Some dings and scratches

Category - Good, Wear - Normal, Finish 50%-75%, Usable - Yes,

Repairs - Minor, Rust - Minor, Misc. Small chips

Category - Good - (minus), Wear - Normal, Finish - 30%-50%, Usable -

Probably, Repairs - Minor, Rust - Minor to Moderate

Category - Fair, Wear - Heavy, Finish - 30%, Usable - No, Repairs -

Moderate to Major, Rust - Moderate to Major.

Category - Poor, Wear - Heavy, Finish - N/A, Usable - No, Repairs -

Major, Rust - Major.

Regards

Jonathan

And another thing......

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>WTF is barn fresh??!! I may be from NYC, but I've been in my share of barns, and there ain't nuthin' fresh about it. Although, I have heard tales that you can wire wheel the cr*p out of a defenseless plane and pack it in maneur to restore a nice patina. Perhaps you can call this "as found". Yep...just found it there...'magine my surprise..sure wuz some deep sh*t though...yup...another sh*t plane...

Just kidding of course. I hope I haven't offended anyone

Re: ebay definitions

Todd Hughes

>Now From the other side as a seller I thought I would list some things you have to expect from Bidders and the translations

How wide is the chisel? : What they mean is how wide is the chisel that you say is 2 in. wide in the auction

How long is the chisel? : What they really mean is how long is the chisel that you say is 12 in. long in the auction

How much will it cost to ship this plane to me? : What they are saying is "I want you to use your psycic abilitys to find out where I live so you can determine out what the postage will be.

Will you stop the auction and sell me this No. 2 plane for $50 as my Brother is sick and i won't be able to bid at the end? : Gee I sure hope you are stupid enough to stop the auction now and sell me this plane for 1/4 what it is worth

Why haven't I heard from you after I won the auction? : I changed my email address and the one Ebay has ain't no good

I sent payment out last week : I'll try to send payment out next week

I sent you payment twice and both got lost in the mail! : I'm not going to be sending you payment

I'm not happy with what I bought : I found the same thing cheaper somewhere else

.............Todd who has heard all these and more many times

Re: And another thing......

Bob Nelson

>Jonathan seems to be objecting to someone having said that WTF is barn fresh, but I'm unable to track this thread back to where anybody said that. I've been in a lot of barns and I'm not sure whether I agree or disagree with Jonathan, but I need a more specific reading on what he's objecting to to figure that out. Some barns are for sure pretty rank smelling, but some others do have what could be called a "fresh" smell. Just curious. Bob

You sound alot...

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Like Mr. Leach's ebay auctions. I love how he had to explain soooo many times that you are not bidding on everything in the pictures;). BTW Todd I still want the 46 fence that didn't make reserve. Email me please...

Barn Fresh

Todd Hughes

>In the antique field Barn Fresh and the closely related term "Attic Fresh" are used to describe something that is new to the market and is right from the source. Doesn't mean much on a common tool like a Stanley no. 4 for sure but on something rarer i think it can add to the price and desirabilty of the piece.People like to have somthing that is original and not been messed with and while "Barn Fresh" certainly doesn't guarantee this it does make it more likely.....Todd

Hi Bob

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>Around here in NYC, WTF is slang for "what is" as in "what is barn fresh", at least that's the way I was meaning to use it. In this case I would like to understand what barn fresh means when it is used in an eb*y auction to describe an item up for bid.

I have also seen it used in a different way alltogether, for example:

WTF is going on here? I'm sittin' here, minding my own business, when in the span of a couple seconds, I get e-mail from five galoots, demanding saw sets! What're you guys smokin' anyway?!

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it

Re: ebay definitions

Alan Hamilton

>For all the above reasons, and maybe for a few more, I have bought my last tool on Ebay.

Todd, perhaps people ask you to deliberately specify the size and condition of your tools because, like me, they have had too many bad experiences. Because Ebay hasn't adopted a standard for describing tools (as FTJ has) it's too easy for sellers to mislead buyers. I'm sure you haven't done this, but you cannot blame buyers for being cautious.

Alan

Re: ebay definitions

Todd Hughes

>I could understand if i didn't put the size in the auction but when i say in the description " Chisel is 2 in.wide" and STILL get emails from people asking how wide the chisel is. This is because the people are slow heads and do not read the description. I normaly email them back saying...."As I stated in my description chisel is 2 in. wide. Has not grown or shrunk since i listed it and it is still 2 in." With the unusual exception i no longer sell anything with damage because i have found out no matter how plain and correctly you described it people will complain. Once sold a no. 2 plane wich i described as being "very rusty and pitted" the winner who paid to much was upset because of....yup , plane was "rusty and pitted"

It would be impossiable for ebay to adopt a "Standard" of describing tools because to many sellers,...[and buyers] do not have a clue as to how to judge a tool.Don't know how many times i have read right here a post something like " Found a very good stanley no. 5 except the handle is broke and it is missing a blade and has a chipped lever cap" If a "Tool Guy" thinks a plane like that is Very Good how do you expect a old lady that normaly sells glass ware to do any better? To avoid confusion i describe everything very detailed and leave nothing to the imagination instead of just using a word like Very Good etc. to confay the condition of the tool , probably the reason i do not get many legit questions.

If I was buying tools off ebay I would try to buy them from people that know tools or if I take a chance with non tool people ask them questions that are not covered in the auctions descriptions...Todd

Re: ebay definitions

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>I wish that everybody who sells old tools on ebay was Todd!!

Seriously, there are alot of reputable tool dealers out on the bay. I imagine that you will have to pay a little more for a tool that is acurately described and honestly photographed by an honest and knowlegeable professional tool dealer - it's easier to bid intelligently when you know exactly what you're bidding on, ain't it. You might get a better deal from the lady who mostly sells glassware, but more likely than not, your gonna get burned. That's the risk you take when dealing with non tool people when buying tools. Just my humble opinion...probably worth what ya paid for it

Re: ebay definitions

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Sometimes it's real nice to get confirmation on the sizes. After all, even you could make a typo here and there.

Second, in the case of an item I'm serious about from a seller with whom I haven't dealt, I always like to ask the seller a question, any question, just to see how s/he responds.

Pam

Re: ebay definitions

Mike G.

>>>For all the above reasons, and maybe for a few >>more, I have bought my last tool on Ebay.

I have bought several of my tools on Ebay. It is Caveat Emptor out there. I have only had good experiences as far as being a buyer. It doesn't hurt to ask for extra pictures of an item you're interested in. Also, when you find a seller, as I have, who does right by you, then bookmark his seller's page and check back regularly. I have bought several items from the same seller recently and been completely satisfied.

I could list a few names, but then, that would be like telling someone about your secret fishin' hole.

Right now, Ebay's a buyer's market.

Mike G. in the rainy foothills of S. Carolina

Just a friendly warning

Ryan Stagg -- Cincinnati

>Jonathan (and Bob)-

In case you weren't aware, 'WTF' isn't just slang for 'what is', it's an acronym for 'what the freak', where 'freak' is actually a very naughty word not to be uttered in these hallowed halls.

'Just wanted to put it in context; there are places and people on the internet that would not find that expression acceptable.