Unpopular opinion: that $600 test set I bought off eBay was a total scam

I picked up a used DMM with cable cert functions for $600 from a seller in Phoenix last month. Turns out the calibration was 4 years expired and it wouldn't hold a zero on any resistance test. Anyone else get burned buying gear from random online listings?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielowens16d ago

$600 for a meter with calibration four years out is rough. The seller probably knew it was a paperweight and unloaded it. I've seen a lot of guys push gear online that they'd never put in their own van. Zero not holding means the reference chip might be toast too, not just a simple recal. A local shop would've at least tested it in front of you, but eBay is a total gamble on test equipment. The only way to buy used gear is to find someone who posts the actual calibration cert date and a video of it working.

sanchez.ivan16d ago

Man that's brutal, I feel for you. @emma_jones nailed it though, those sealed reference chips are a real problem on older meters once they drift too far. I've heard some of the older Fluke models are basically done if the zero won't hold, it's not just a simple recalibration fix like people assume. It sucks that the seller probably knew exactly what they were doing, some folks on eBay have no shame unloading junk they'd never use themselves.

emma_jones16d agoTop Commenter

Yeah I heard somewhere that some of those meters have a sealed reference chip and once it drifts there's no bringing it back without replacing the whole board. That's what makes me nervous about buying anything that old off eBay. People think a recal will fix everything but it's not always that simple. Especially with the zero not holding, that's a bad sign even for a meter that sat unused. I've seen guys say they got lucky with a $200 find but stories like this make me think it's more of a lottery than a bargain.