Awesome Grab on Ebay!!


K

kz9

Member
So last weekend I was trollin the ads on Ebay and came across one about a MTH SD70ace. I looked at it and it was described as used and for repair or parts because it did not work.

I looked at the pictures and couldn't figure out how it was used because the fan covers, plow and scale couplings were still sealed. The engine looked brand new. :confused:

So the seller described how he tested it on a MRC Tech4 DC controller and only the lights worked. So he also had in the title MTH SD70ace DC even tho the box was clearly marked with PS3 on-board.

So I decided to bid a max of $110 on it taking my chances that it wasn't striped and that I could easily put a decoder in it if indeed it was broken and won it.

Yesterday it arrived in the mail via UPS (canada post strike:rolleyes:). I unpackaged it and checked it over. MINT :D Put it on my test track, did a reset, selected loco 3 and then pressed fn3 to turn it on.

IT WORKS!!!!! WITH SOUND!!!:p:eek:

Of course I new this was too good to be true. I then programmed to 4digit address and played around with it back and forth testing everything. So far so good until I turned off the power to go have a shower. I came back down the workbench after supper and wanted to show the wife my great find only to find out that the decoder reset itself back to default. :confused:

Long story short, I talked to MTH today and its a common warrenty issue I guess. The super capacitors end up failing and intern can't keep memory.

$8 fix :D after I order them.


And to top this story off, lastnight I won the other unit he was selling that was listed as having the same problems, not moving....:p

(knocks on wood)


2 for 1 ($230 for both)
 
I love when those deals happen. I love finding items by accident because the seller didn't properly describe the item, hence it doesn't show up when everyone searches. I got a new $50 book for $14 because seller left a key word of the title out of the description. Picked up a custom painted brass U33C for cheap when then seller neglected to mention a roadname in the description. I like to find $5 cars with $15-$20 Central Valley wheelsets mounted to them.
 
ossroy said:
...I like to find $5 cars with $15-$20 Central Valley wheelsets mounted to them.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much how I pick up the CV trucks I do have now. Very rarely do I find vendors with NOS selling CV trucks at a reasonable price anymore. Most vendors, even the E-bay vendors, will put a set up for sale with a starting price of $25-30 a pair. I know one vendor that only goes to train shows around the midwest, will sell them at $50 a pair. The sad part is that he easily sells them at that price!:eek:

I did get my first 10 sets of the 6 wheels passenger trucks in 1988, when a LHS in Mobile went out of business. Got those jewels for $4 a pair. I also got 6 pair of bettendorfs for only $1 a pair.

Only way to get them now is as you said.
 
Nice Grab Kellan!!

My favorites are the extremely vague or generic listing titles. Ex. "Freight Car", "Engine", and my favorite, "Power Car". :D I like these because when you open the listing, the car turns out to be a Walthers Goldline or an Atlas. It makes me happy to bid when i see those :D
 
Besides the generic listings there's always the mis spelled listing or wrong catergory, scored some goodies that way too!

Side note: what's with all these sellers on there who absolutely positively refuse to ship outside the US? C'mon, I mean you go down to the post office and mail something to MN from CA and it costs the buyer $7.00. Mail the same box to Canada, costs the same buyer $14.00. The seller isn't out anything. Go figure!
 
Well, if it's any consolation, the USPS won't even take packages to Canada right now, due to the whole strike thing.
 
^ USPS is shipping again as Canada Post is back to work.


I also got the Caps from Digikey today. I only needed to change one of the caps and now it works like new and back in the box and on the shelf for safe keeping. Still waiting on the other unit to arrive and that looks like its going to be tomorrow.

Keeping my fingers crossed that it is as easy as the last one.
 
Rico, im sure your well aware that theres a bit of added paperwork that is involved when shipping to Canada, i think its called a customs form. It can be a tad confusing but its nothing that isnt filled out in less then a couple minutes. Ive never had any problems with it, but theres always someone out there who think that they will. I prefer shipping within the US, but i dont mind shipping to Canada. I think Canada is about the only foriegn nation id want to deal with shipping to though.

Kellan- Good luck with that other SD70ACe.

Hey while were on the subject of good MRRing deals, how about some of the postings on HOYardSale recently, steals everywheres!!
 
kz9 said:
^ USPS is shipping again as Canada Post is back to work.
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Thank god!! I bought a NIB P2K SW9 off of HOyardsale at the end of May and of course CP went on strike the day after the seller shipped. Maybe now I'll see it before August
 
Rico said:
Besides the generic listings there's always the mis spelled listing or wrong catergory, scored some goodies that way too!

Side note: what's with all these sellers on there who absolutely positively refuse to ship outside the US? C'mon, I mean you go down to the post office and mail something to MN from CA and it costs the buyer $7.00. Mail the same box to Canada, costs the same buyer $14.00. The seller isn't out anything. Go figure!
Click to expand...
I KNOW, right!?
kevin303 said:
Thank god!! I bought a NIB P2K SW9 off of HOyardsale at the end of May and of course CP went on strike the day after the seller shipped. Maybe now I'll see it before August
Click to expand...
I had something shipped from someone on Nscale yard sale at the same time, and it arrived today - sit tight!
 
I heard that from someone else too josh.
Don't see the big deal, you send it up and it sits in the pile at the warehouse untill theydeal with it
 
The lady at the post office says the packages were not even passing customs, so our postal service was stuck with them, thus they didn't want more to deal with.
 
Well... the strike must be over!
I got two letters yesterday, both from Revenue Canada. (IRS equivelant):eek:
This is gonna cost me... stand by for future possible ebay sales!
 
^ I got one from them too!! . I need to send them a copy of my marriage certificate cause I claimed my wife this year and she is a stay at home wife with no income.....


Good news today too!!!! The other SD70Ace came today and it is MINT!! Nothing to fix....lol

Great find!!!
 
Been there, done that! :D

I bought a BLI Blueline SD40-2 on ebay for $50 bucks. It was advertised as for parts/repair because some of the wires came loose. I bought it, and soldered the wires back on. It worked fine. The front LED was blown out though so I ripped the Blueline board out (not a fan of the sound) and put a Tsunami in it. :D

And for those who live in Canada and want to buy anything that I sell (I sell stuff from time to time) I will gladly ship to Canada :D (I've done it before, as Kellan and Rico have bought stuff from me before)
 
I think the biggest reason people don't is when you ship USPS International there is no way to track the package. The best you can do is Delivery Confirmation if you use Priority Mail which runs about $20 and up even for small boxes (unless it fits in a small flat rate box)

Rico said:
Besides the generic listings there's always the mis spelled listing or wrong catergory, scored some goodies that way too!

Side note: what's with all these sellers on there who absolutely positively refuse to ship outside the US? C'mon, I mean you go down to the post office and mail something to MN from CA and it costs the buyer $7.00. Mail the same box to Canada, costs the same buyer $14.00. The seller isn't out anything. Go figure!
Click to expand...
 
The solution? Ask for Postal Money Orders only. The CanadaPost International Money Order can be bought (by the buyer) in US Dollars, and is honored (can be cashed) at US Post Offices. There's a network of countries with Post Offices that will accept each others Postal Money Orders provided that they are denominated in the receiver's country's currency. For example, a US International Postal Money Order bought in Canadian Dollars (they do the exchange rate when you buy it) can be cashed at CanadaPost locations.

Or, if it's a small order, and you don't mind taking a risk with Paypal, then you can take Paypal as well.
 
NIevo said:
I think the biggest reason people don't is when you ship USPS International there is no way to track the package. The best you can do is Delivery Confirmation if you use Priority Mail which runs about $20 and up even for small boxes (unless it fits in a small flat rate box)
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Solution? Type in the label number for the Customs Form. It provides quasi-tracking. The USPS has pretty much eliminated "tracking" from everything but express, they only offer Confirmation service now. Basically they want to be able to update your package's location when, & if they feel like until, until it's delivered. The Customs form will update entering customs, and leaving, and sometimes Canada Post is nice enough to mark that customs form as delivered (well, I've used it over a dozen times and it's worked every time).:eek:
 
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