'Brand New' on ebay

[k2j]

Not sure why, but this is a huge pet peeve of mine..Seeing way too many of these lately...'Brand New' on eBay, BUT the item has been unboxed, plugged in and tested...whatever.

If the original box or packaging has been opened it isn't brand new anymore. Period. Especially if its been plugged in and tested OR in other words 'USED'!!

Its bad enough calling something 30+ years old brand new. I suppose I'd let it fly if it still had the intact factory sealed tape around the original factory sold packaging.

ok, I feel better now...thanks.

 

[Superduper]

What if inside is a bunch of books or bricks? How will you know? I suspect that a buyer will want to know if they really are getting what they are purportedly buying before plunking down the big bucks. But that's just me. Unless the guy personally bought it 30 years ago and stashed it, there's no way to know for sure that what's inside is really what it's supposed to be.

 

[hemiguy2006]

^ I agree 100% ^

 

[Reli]

I think sellers should open the box to photograph it, but leave the wrapping sealed. If they unseal it, I will assume that it's actually a used box and that they're lying about it being new. And I will lower my bid accordingly.

Think about it, tons of people keep all of the original packaging in their closet. So that gives them the opportunity to lie and cheat and claim it's NIB.

 

[Superduper]

I have a couple of new in box vs used with orig box, and there is an obvious difference in.... "newness", if you will. The controls feel different, there is no dust and if packed properly with orig desiccant packs, typically no corossion and little or no oxidated controls. And in my opinion, if you really can't tell it from new, then there's no problem. Anyhow, I don't usually buy new ones for investment. Rather it's that I like that model so much that I feel worth it to know that in 10 or 20 years, when my used ones are broken beyond repair, that I can open up that box and blast away for another 20 or 30 or 40 years.

 

[k2j]

I hear ya. I'd want to use any box I bought, it would just be sweet to get one sealed up new

 

[JustCruisin]

If it is BRAND NEW NEVER USED, then how does it get corrosion on one of the battery spring contacts..?

 

[baddboybill]

When I bought a few NIB boomers it actually still had the new smell to radio. That's how I knew it was never opened or used


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[Beosystem10]

If it is BRAND NEW NEVER USED, then how does it get corrosion on one of the battery spring contacts..?

Bad storage conditions? The box wouldn't be waterproof and in a home with no dehumidifier and/or rising damp, moisture could condense inside the cabinet.

When I bought a few NIB boomers it actually still had the new smell to radio. That's how I knew it was never opened or used


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There's no smell like it! New electronic gear. Sort of a cross between flux from assembly, freshly moulded plastics and releasing agent from when the cabinet was taken from the buck during manufacture.
I had a N/I/B Hacker SP80 a few years ago (wish I'd kept it as its sound, like most of Hacker's range, would kick the backside of anything with a plastic cabinet) and that one had the flux smell but it also had that smell you get from wood. Almost like the smell of a split new luxury car but without the leather aroma.

 

[Superduper]

If it is BRAND NEW NEVER USED, then how does it get corrosion on one of the battery spring contacts..?

It wouldn't, in my view. Why do you mention this and are we talking about a particular box?

 

[JustCruisin]

It wouldn't, in my view. Why do you mention this and are we talking about a particular box?

I think it is the same unit that k2j was griping about..? Listed as brand new but the contact is rusty and has a scratch on the top trim..

 

[Superduper]

I don't recall him mentioning a box in particular but no, with those blemishes, it wouldn't be bnib but rather used w/box. Still since it sounded like a generic gripe, my point was that there are bnib units out there and I've purchased a couple myself. No matter what, I'd prefer an inspected item rather than risk opening it in 10 years to find a carton full of books or worse, resell it sealed to have the buyer claim I sold them a carton of books.

 

[hemiguy2006]

If that box was used it was used very little.
I can see why there is corrosion as the packaging is shot.
Chances are that box was re-packed and they didn't put the silagel pack
Back in the bag with the radio.
Bottom line is,
it is not" brand new" if there are even the littlest signs of use or handling.
One of the nicest examples I've seen though. It will sell very high in my humble opinion.

 

[k2j]

I think it is the same unit that k2j was griping about..? Listed as brand new but the contact is rusty and has a scratch on the top trim..

That was the box that pushed me over the edge, but I've seen one other very recently and of course lots more including non-boomboxes over the years..

 

[retrohead]

yeah you can tell when somethings brand new-i had a sealed sanyo tape recorder from a charity shop once-i did open it,and it smelt like it was new-you can just tell

 

[DKVII]

I'd be all for getting a "brand new" boombox per se, but to be honest, I like my boxes to be just a little "seasoned". It adds that vintage feel to it.