# Just purchased grinder on ebay - suspicious?



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Hi,

I won the auction below yesterday for a Fiorenzato F5 grinder:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiorenzato-F5-Automatic-Commercial-Coffee-Grinder-mazzer-super-jolly-cedao-/181599413158?pt=UK_BOI_Restaurant_RL&hash=item2a482b23a6

I then noticed earlier today that the apparently same grinder (seller the same and photos mostly identical) has been sold by the same seller on ebay twice before in recent weeks:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiorenzato-F5-Automatic-Commercial-Coffee-Grinder-mazzer-super-jolly-cedao-/181562513403?pt=UK_BOI_Restaurant_RL&hash=item2a45f817fb

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiorenzato-F5-Automatic-Commercial-Coffee-Grinder-mazzer-super-jolly-cedao-/181555657067?pt=UK_BOI_Restaurant_RL&hash=item2a458f796b

Am I being paranoid or does this look a bit suspicious to anyone else too?

Simon


----------



## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

4 sales since September, one still to go. Good seller rating in relatively few sales..... I guess the seller just found a source of these.


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

She gets loads of them technical kg lies as she always states never let me down, she has never owned any of them, but they are decent enough


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

OK perhaps just my natural ebay paranoia (been bitten a few times...) I don't see the point of putting detailed photos if it is not of the thing you are actually selling though:rolleyes:

Perhaps I'm just too honest!


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Not very keen on answering questions it seems. I asked for payment confirmation and estimated delivery date. 24 hours later no reply, not quite the great communication in their feedback...


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

Just pay via PayPal, your covered simple


----------



## El Cabron (Nov 23, 2013)

Even if you're covered by paypal, manners cost nothing and it doesn't look very good if a seller won't answer questions and ignores you. I let a super jolly pass me by on ebay a few weeks ago cos he ignored the questions i asked about the item.

Sellers should be grateful that someone chooses to part with their hard earned cash and give their business to them at financially difficult times like these and not the other way round. If you walked into a shop and asked a shopkeeper information about some goods they had on display, with a view to buying from their shop, and the shopkeeper just ignored you, what would you do? I personally wouldn't think oh well i'm covered by paypal it doesn't matter, i'd just walk out of the shop never to return.

Sellers who are ignorant, lazy, and ungrateful should get what they deserve, and that's nothing and it makes no difference whether you're face to face in a shop or behind a computer screen.

My gut feeling with sellers who don't answer questions about goods is that there's probably something they're not telling you or don't want you to know, so my advice would be walk past the item and buy from someone with a bit more integrity.


----------



## Firochromis (Oct 26, 2014)

simonp said:


> Not very keen on answering questions it seems. I asked for payment confirmation and estimated delivery date. 24 hours later no reply, not quite the great communication in their feedback...


Check the sellers feedbacks to see if any of the previous F5 buyers received their items or not.


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

El Cabron said:


> Even if you're covered by paypal, manners cost nothing and it doesn't look very good if a seller won't answer questions and ignores you. I let a super jolly pass me by on ebay a few weeks ago cos he ignored the questions i asked about the item.
> 
> Sellers should be grateful that someone chooses to part with their hard earned cash and give their business to them at financially difficult times like these and not the other way round. If you walked into a shop and asked a shopkeeper information about some goods they had on display, with a view to buying from their shop, and the shopkeeper just ignored you, what would you do? I personally wouldn't think oh well i'm covered by paypal it doesn't matter, i'd just walk out of the shop never to return.
> 
> ...


I agree but supply and demand means they'll sell their shit regardless


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

I am covered as I paid by Paypal, it's just a pain though as all the other potential grinders go by whilst you're waiting to see if it goes belly-up.. I will admit to being a terribly impatient person though.

I did pass on several possible grinders due to lack of seller response to questions, you know complicated ones like "which model of Eureka is it?" Why would I expect a seller to know that? LOL


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

simonp said:


> I did pass on several possible grinders due to lack of seller response to questions, you know complicated ones like "which model of Eureka is it?" Why would I expect a seller to know that? LOL


There's a select band of idiot sellers who don't know themselves. That's the thing you need to take a punt on if you want a proper bargain (or arrange to pick the item up and have a butchers first)


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

simonp said:


> I did pass on several possible grinders due to lack of seller response to questions, you know complicated ones like "which model of Eureka is it?" Why would I expect a seller to know that? LOL


It's awfully difficult to read the label.

Agree with Jeebsy however, they best bargains are from totally clueless sellers.


----------



## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Agree with Jeebsy - picked up a brand new Mazzer Major for £200 Few weeks back - seller hadn't a clue what it was worth. Usually, though, 'bargains' on EBay aren't - checking seller's feedback, seeing how they respond to questions and paying close attention to listing description should keep you safe. Ebay always favours the buyer in the event of a dispute and always pay via PayPal. There are genuine bargains on Ebay - you just have to be patient and careful.


----------



## majnu (Jan 31, 2014)

jeebsy said:


> There's a select band of idiot sellers who don't know themselves. That's the thing you need to take a punt on if you want a proper bargain (or arrange to pick the item up and have a butchers first)


Bit harsh calling them idiots but there are sellers who manage to get hold of coffee equipment and have no idea on the price. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't get the dolla corte super mini for £350 but then I had nowhere to put or plumb it in, so left it for someone else to get a bargain, I did get the K30 for £200 of him though


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

majnu said:


> Bit harsh calling them idiots but there are sellers who manage to get hold of coffee equipment and have no idea on the price.


It's so easy now to type things into Google and get more information on what something is or the rough value. Don't have much sympathy.


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

majnu said:


> Bit harsh calling them idiots but there are sellers who manage to get hold of coffee equipment and have no idea on the price. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't get the dolla corte super mini for £350 but then I had nowhere to put or plumb it in, so left it for someone else to get a bargain, I did get the K30 for £200 of him though


I'm not sure its so harsh, If I had an item that I had no idea of the value of and did zero research and lost out on several hundred pounds I would classify myself as a bit of an idiot.


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

If I happened across a piece of agricultural equipment which I had no idea about, I wouldn't just put it on eBay described as 'agricultural machine' with a 1p starting bid and no reserve


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

The Systemic Kid said:


> There are genuine bargains on Ebay - you just have to be patient and careful.


I can manage the careful bit


----------



## El Cabron (Nov 23, 2013)

Yes they will but i won't deal with them. Maybe if people demanded a bit more, these ignorant sellers would cease to exist











jeebsy said:


> I agree but supply and demand means they'll sell their shit regardless


----------



## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

There truly are folks selling who have no idea or, I suspect, being deliberately vague. Deciding which it is is the skill you need to develop on ebay.

I like to look out for the unusual. A £200 sale today was listed as a "BRAND: CAFE D'OR (one of the finest coffee brands recognised internationally)"

Google that brand and you get a smaller company on the east coast I think.

What he was actually selling was a Santos No.4 Shop Retail Coffee Grinder or similar.

Name of the seller?? uniqueblendltd !!

with a name like that you have to think that the seller was knowledgeable but economical with the truth..... or do you??


----------



## 7493 (May 29, 2014)

I'm sure a lot of it is deliberate obfuscation, the rest, sheer asininity!


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Well I finally got a response from the seller. They were sorry for the delay but their coffee shop has been busy... Fair enough but come on, if you are selling something the least you can do is check things and how long does it take to say "payment received"?!

They also sent me a screenshot of the UPS tracking page, whilst I could see that the item seems to have been sent the picture/resolution is too small to read the tracking number. Why not just write the number in the response, or fill in the tracking info on ebay:rolleyes:

I also got a response back (different seller) on another grinder which I asked for the model of. The reply (after 4 days) was sorry I've been away and the model is on the label in the photo.

1) Why list something on ebay when you know you won't be around to answer questions?

2) If I could read the label from the photo why would I be asking?! The photo resolution is way too low to read the numbers....

Perhaps my expectations are too high...


----------



## Drewster (Dec 1, 2013)

On the other side of the coin (as a seller) you do also get muppets asking dumb a*se questions that are already clearly answered in the description!

I always try to be polite when responding obviously









As a slight aside a particularly annoying one is when something is listed as an auction (well described etc) that has a decent "going rate" and people send the:

1) Will you accept "going rate" less 30%-50% if I buy-it-now? - Errrrr NO!

Even more annoying when:

a) the offer is below the starting price as well!!

b) The offer is within a few minutes of the listing start!!

Another peeve is people "watching" buy-it-now items..... If you want it buy it FFS!!!


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Drewster said:


> On the other side of the coin (as a seller) you do also get muppets asking dumb a*se questions that are already clearly answered in the description!
> 
> I always try to be polite when responding obviously
> 
> ...


Agreed, there are as many annoying buyers as sellers. The watchers for "buy it now" items I'm guessing are people looking to see what price you could get away with as they have something similar to sell. I do that from time to time I must admit.


----------



## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

As sellers people want a fair price ...

When your a buyer , you want the best price for a bargain ...

Different behaviour for different situations


----------



## jeebsy (May 5, 2013)

When I'm in the market for eBay stuff I can pick up I sometimes sling in a low offer by message. Buyer saves eBay and PayPal fees so it's for them to weigh up if it's worth it. Don't ask don't get.


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

simonp said:


> Well I finally got a response from the seller. They were sorry for the delay but their coffee shop has been busy... Fair enough but come on, if you are selling something the least you can do is check things and how long does it take to say "payment received"?!
> 
> They also sent me a screenshot of the UPS tracking page, whilst I could see that the item seems to have been sent the picture/resolution is too small to read the tracking number. Why not just write the number in the response, or fill in the tracking info on ebay:rolleyes:
> 
> ...


I think they are too high, eBay is a lottery, you get bargains you get dogs, you should do your research first, a lot of info can be sourced via a little leg work, like a picture search! Buyers get a plethora of stupid questions that often they just ignore them and if that happens you take the risk.


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

coffeechap said:


> I think they are too high, eBay is a lottery, you get bargains you get dogs, you should do your research first, a lot of info can be sourced via a little leg work, like a picture search! Buyers get a plethora of stupid questions that often they just ignore them and if that happens you take the risk.


In my defence though I don't think I have asked any stupid questions. I'm not grumbling about prices or dogs products, just poor manners.


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

coffeechap said:


> you should do your research first, a lot of info can be sourced via a little leg work, like a picture search!


Which I did and I still couldn't fully identify the item so I didn't think asking the seller what it was they were selling was an unreasonable question. Some people post pictures so small and out of focus that it is a struggle to identify things, OK I could just pass on by but surely you ask first?


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

simonp said:


> OK I could just pass on by but surely you ask first?


Actually I don't usually ask questions, as invariably they get posted on the item and then makes the item more attractive to other people viewing, so it can sometimes drive up the end price, vague is good when grabbing bargains


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

coffeechap said:


> Actually I don't usually ask questions, as invariably they get posted on the item and then makes the item more attractive to other people viewing, so it can sometimes drive up the end price, vague is good when grabbing bargains


I was just after a sensibly priced used good grinder as a step up from the Mazzer Mini though not looking for a bargain as such, but you have a different aspect on it so need a different approach.


----------



## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

simonp said:


> I was just after a sensibly priced used good grinder as a step up from the Mazzer Mini though not looking for a bargain as such, but you have a different aspect on it so need a different approach.


And I think you have managed it...


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

coffeechap said:


> And I think you have managed it...


From past experience I'm not counting on it until it is in my hands, but those are the breaks with ebay so we take it or leave it ultimately, our choice. I can't help being a natural worrier, it comes naturally to engineers!


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Well, I have a big heavy box here which looks like it probably has a grinder in it. Will open it at lunchtime and see!


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Well, it was a grinder:act-up:

Bad news is the main on-off switch is broken. Unlikely to be in transit as it was well packed but it just broke as I pressed it so I guess it is just bad timing and I'll give the seller the benefit of the doubt. The good news is that it is a standard size so have a replacement one on order already.I managed to pop a different switch on the connections just to check the motor worked etc. All seems OK with that, the bearings are OK and no spindle play etc. The burrs actually look in pretty good condition too, which is lucky as the burrs I ordered have failed to show

Despite my reservations this was the actual grinder in the photos, so I guess they must just have had several sales fall through. Did seem odd at the time though. The grinder came in a Cedao box so maybe the coffee shop the seller runs has just put in new grinders and sold the old ones.

Hopefully will have it up and running in a couple of days when the switch arrives.


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

I had seen these going on eBay and I would have taken the chance myself had I been after one. They are good looking grinders too, how is the general condition of the body and doser?


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

Dylan said:


> I had seen these going on eBay and I would have taken the chance myself had I been after one. They are good looking grinders too, how is the general condition of the body and doser?


The body condition is pretty tidy, a few dings and scratches but nothing really. The finish is quite nice on these, quite a nice metallic silver. The doser seems to be in good nick and looks like it will sweep the grounds better than the Mazzer one, though I will do the insulation tape sweeper mod anyway.


----------



## aodstratford (Sep 18, 2012)

simonp said:


> Well, it was a grinder:act-up:
> 
> Bad news is the main on-off switch is broken. Unlikely to be in transit as it was well packed but it just broke as I pressed it so I guess it is just bad timing and I'll give the seller the benefit of the doubt. The good news is that it is a standard size so have a replacement one on order already.I managed to pop a different switch on the connections just to check the motor worked etc. All seems OK with that, the bearings are OK and no spindle play etc. The burrs actually look in pretty good condition too, which is lucky as the burrs I ordered have failed to show
> 
> ...


Where did you get the replacement on off switch and how much ? My f5 has an old wobbly tap wheel in its place ! Think I could do with replacing it !



simonp said:


> Well, it was a grinder:act-up:
> 
> Bad news is the main on-off switch is broken. Unlikely to be in transit as it was well packed but it just broke as I pressed it so I guess it is just bad timing and I'll give the seller the benefit of the doubt. The good news is that it is a standard size so have a replacement one on order already.I managed to pop a different switch on the connections just to check the motor worked etc. All seems OK with that, the bearings are OK and no spindle play etc. The burrs actually look in pretty good condition too, which is lucky as the burrs I ordered have failed to show
> 
> ...


----------



## Dylan (Dec 5, 2011)

That tap wheel in no way needs replacing


----------



## funinacup (Aug 30, 2010)

Can probably get you a switch if needed...


----------



## aodstratford (Sep 18, 2012)

funinacup said:


> Can probably get you a switch if needed...


How much are they - the wobbly wheel works well but... wobbles !


----------



## simonp (Nov 18, 2014)

aodstratford said:


> Where did you get the replacement on off switch and how much ? My f5 has an old wobbly tap wheel in its place ! Think I could do with replacing it !


Ah,no it was the main switch on the other side that broke on mine. Just needed a standard £2 rocker mains switch.


----------



## funinacup (Aug 30, 2010)

aodstratford said:


> How much are they - the wobbly wheel works well but... wobbles !


Will check and let you know!


----------

