Buy a Sewing Machine on Ebay?
This past time, however, I ran into trouble and in this video I share what went wrong and what to look out for when you’re buying sewing machines on Ebay:
So ultimately it all worked out great because the customer service at Ebay is terrific! They were able to see the seller had not shipped the machine or been in contact and they ruled in my favor.
With the cash back in my bank account, I checked out the auctions listed again and found an even better Bernina 1230 with even more feet and features from a seller with 100% feedback that I’d already ordered from before. Score!
The moral of the story is to always check out the seller first. Their deal might be great, but if it’s too good to be true please be careful.
Also once you complete payment on a machine, keep an eye on the seller and make sure they post the tracking info. If I hadn’t been paying attention and realized quickly that this seller wasn’t acting professionally, I might have lost the money I spent.
Have you ever bought a machine from Ebay? Have you ever sold a machine on Ebay? What is your experience and will you do it again? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
Very instructional- thank you. So glad it worked out and you have a machine you like!
i bought 2 machines on ebay, both times excellent result…machines were exactly as described and packed superior for their trek to me in maine…one came from NH and the other from canada (my featherweight)…super experiences both times and i considered myself fortunate…
I bought a Featherweight on Ebay (actually through my husband's account) and it works great and is my little power machine I take when going to my quilting group. I'm following a sit down quilter right now, actually following a few as I dream of owning one some day. I should sell a few machines, but have not taken the time to photo or list yet.
Me again 🙂 I also SOLD a machine on Ebay. It was a Bernina cover stitch machine that I had threaded with a test strip and then cushioned to death and double boxed before shipping. I got a good price and great review when the shipping was received. Happy me!
Yep, I bought a Bernina 1090 on Ebay a few years back. The seller had taken it to a mailing box store who did the worst packaging ever! Shipped sideways in a box basically unprotected. There was oil allover but fortunately no other damage. I contacted the seller and asked for the $70 service check/repair needed but she was unwilling. I had paid a top price for it since the money was supposedly going to a charity but oh well. I could have handed it back and got a refund I suppose but chose to just keep it and have it a lesson learned. If it doesn't come as advertised, just use the Ebay guarantee.
I bought a Janome DC2012 on EBay. I was a bit worried because the seller didn't have a lot of sales. It worked out perfectly. The machine was everything advertised as and shipped quickly and well. I'm sorry you had a bad experience but it sounds like it all worked out in the end.
I've bought a Bernina 1090 and an old Singer on Ebay. Both machines were as described, were packed well and worked perfectly when they arrived. And they still do! I'm thinking about selling my Babylock Symphony on eBay unless someone in my guild wants to buy it, but worried that because I've only bought and never sold on eBay that people might not buy from me. But I won't know until I try!
Several years ago, I bought a brand new Janome on Ebay and all went well. I have since bought another Janome (nothing wrong with the first one but when one's husband says "Would you like to buy a new sewing machine that does more?"…well?) but I decided to buy it from a local shop because I had been hearing through online quilting groups, how some shops only take care of things covered under warranty if the machine was purchased from them. Don't know how right that is, but nevertheless, that's why I decided to buy locally. I've never had any problems with either machine in the 12 years I've owned them.
You do have some feedback from purchasing so you'll probably do fine selling on Ebay. If you wanted to just get some experience with it you could put some fabric up for auction and get the experience and feedback from a few smaller auctions before trying to sell a big machine.
Congrats on the 1230 – the best machine in my opinion one can buy. I have had mine since 1992 and it is a dream compared to my newer machines. I will be buried with it. Hope you love yours as much as I love mine!
Nice