Thursday, May 14, 2015

eBay Shills and Infomercials

Doncha just hate those assholes who post the eBay videos shilling their products? I mean, it's nice to get a "live" view of the item you're hoping to snipe at auction, but so many of these tools just plunk the unit down, turn on their cameras and take a movie of the inert item -- not powered up or anything. And usually the movie's too jiggly to do any good anyhow.

Yessir! Ranks up there with the butt wipes who post the blurry photos of their P.O.S. unit and state that they "have no means to test it". Looking at the pictures, however, you can make out a robust test bench in the background with enough equipment to give their auction piece a thorough physical. I translate it as "DOA" and move on.

(Another grind are the guys who market price something at their auction and then try to make up the fees with astronomical shipping charges. Saw a guy selling an off-brand used DMM for $20 -- going rate for the unit -- with a $45 shipping fee.)

Pass-a-Dena.

Well, now that I have groused, I wanted to point out the exception that disproves the rule. Check out the video on a Simpson 260 multimeter below from a seller named BAP8GUY:


Yeah, I know the lighting is not great and the video jiggles, but, I gotta tell you, I'd plunk down the gitas this guy wanted for the unit because (1) I know the unit works and is dead on accurate and (2) the guy told me a whole pile of stuff abut Simpson meters that were cool to know.

If you look at his other videos, you will find out that these aren't the 90 second "spin arounds", some of them being excrutiatingly pedantic; they are almost 30 minutes in length as he steps though the DUT with the machinery on his bench. Apparently, he also refurbs the units and checks them out as well. Here's an HP 1220A:


The only thing about BAP8GUY is that I cannot seem to find him as a seller on eBay. Sure would like to see what he has to offer there; you know the stuff works!

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