# Buying from eBay



## Alcap (Mar 3, 2022)

I made a new cross slide screw and wanted to try making some cross slide nuts , one for the Clausing 5900 the other my Chinese bench lathe which I would use the extra stock . Right now it has some goofy pitch , not quite metric nor imperial . I could buy new nuts for the Clausing most likely cheaper then the tap and material for one but trying to justify getting a tap off eBay . I never ordered anything that wasn’t from a warehouse n the USA. , is they reason for concern?     https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...TitleDesc=0&_odkw=5+8+-+10+acme+tap&_osacat=0.    Looking at these


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## Larry42 (Mar 3, 2022)

Use PayPal and you are covered if they fail to deliver. Quality is an unknown but brass or bronze should be relatively easy cutting. Since you can make the screw, you can adjust clearances to fit what the tap makes.
There is one other thing to consider: The European version that looks a lot like an ACME is just different enough to not fit with a US ACME.


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## woodchucker (Mar 3, 2022)

Alcap said:


> I made a new cross slide screw and wanted to try making some cross slide nuts , one for the Clausing 5900 the other my Chinese bench lathe which I would use the extra stock . Right now it has some goofy pitch , not quite metric nor imperial . I could buy new nuts for the Clausing most likely cheaper then the tap and material for one but trying to justify getting a tap off eBay . I never ordered anything that wasn’t from a warehouse n the USA. , is they reason for concern?     https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...TitleDesc=0&_odkw=5+8+-+10+acme+tap&_osacat=0.    Looking at these


i have had mostly good luck.


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## Alcap (Mar 3, 2022)

I don’t have PayPal, would Discover be ok ? Maybe it’s time to look into getting PayPal


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## Alcap (Mar 3, 2022)

Oh , I bought 3’ of the 5/8” 10LH stock


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## woodchucker (Mar 3, 2022)

I think ebay is now accepting other forms of payment. Ebay also offers buyer protection.   Many credit cards do too.


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## MrWhoopee (Mar 3, 2022)

eBay will make it right if the seller fails to deliver. Just be sure to make your claim before the window closes. I waited too long on an order from China that never showed and was out of luck.


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## Winegrower (Mar 3, 2022)

eBay just refunded my money and took care of return shipping for a motor that arrived poorly packaged, damaged and misrepresented as new.   It only took a couple of hours between clicking on "return this item" and getting a prepaid shipping label.   I sent it back to the seller, then when it arrived further damaged, he complained to eBay and in less than an hour they reviewed the situation and confirmed my refund,

I never had to call anyone, no waiting on hold, etc.   I did take pictures of the poor packaging and damage, that was pretty convincing.


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## Alcap (Mar 3, 2022)

Winegrower did you use a credit card or PayPal ?


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## Winegrower (Mar 3, 2022)

Alcap said:


> Winegrower did you use a credit card or PayPal ?



I use Paypal.   Nobody sees your card number.


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## mickri (Mar 3, 2022)

I have had good luck buying stuff on Ebay.  I have never lost any money on an Ebay purchase.  I always use Paypal.  I only buy stuff that is located in the US.  I limit my searches to US located items.  I also read the feedback on the seller.  What I am particularly looking at is how the seller responds to negative feedback.  Everybody is going to get some negative feedback.  If the seller comes across as a jerk then I pass on the item and look elsewhere.  If I have a concern I will sometimes ask the seller a question just to see how they respond.  It's like anything.  You need to do your homework and be careful.


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## Bi11Hudson (Mar 3, 2022)

I use PayPal for just about everything on line. The PayPal is covered by a Visa 'Debit' card issued through a bank account specifically opened for the debit card. The account is moderately insulated, I only keep enough there to cover what I spend. I don't like, don't believe in, credit cards. If I reach into my hip pocket and don't have enough to pay for something, I do without it until I _can_ pay for it. A pain in the wazoo, but I don't have any bills hanging over my head.

A few times I have bought items from eBay that were never delivered. EBay has always stood good for the purchase. Should I go beyond the time limit, PayPal will supposedly follow up. Beyond that, there is Visa. I don't know if the bank would, never got that far. They have 'stopped payment' on a few charges that weren't really mine. Beyond that, I don't hold them accountable. Wife has used the Visa fallback on a couple of occasions where UPS mishandled glassware. It arrived broken. . . I don't know where it came from, but Visa removed the charge to her card, a debit card like mine.

My philosophy is the bank card is like my wallet. Somebody sticks their hand in my back pocket, it gets cut off. By using PayPal, I don't release my debit card number.  And a single 'vendor', PayPal, to keep track of. If it ever gets serious, the account can be closed. My SS goes to a different bank and is distributed from there. As the old folks say, going around the barn to get somewhere. But it works. . . 

.


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## projectnut (Mar 4, 2022)

MrWhoopee said:


> eBay will make it right if the seller fails to deliver. Just be sure to make your claim before the window closes. I waited too long on an order from China that never showed and was out of luck.


I've only had a couple experiences with offshore businesses, but to MrWhoopee's point if there is a problem act quickly. A few years ago, I purchased a universal protractor from a Chinese company for a project.  When it arrived, it looked like it had been dragged behind the boat.  It was full of scratches and dings.

I messaged the company and got dozens of excuses.  The first was "you can't expect it to be in perfect condition after traveling that many miles".  Later excuses ranged from "you have the wrong company" to "we don't accept returns of damaged goods".  It was obvious they were trying to string me along until the time to make a claim was over.  After about half a dozen exchanges, I finally said that's enough I'm filing a claim.  A new protractor in perfect condition arrived within a week.

The initial reason for ordering it was to disassemble it and use the scale as part of a project.  As time went on the design changed and it was never used.  Both protractors still sit in their boxes on the shelf.  I've used one a couple times, but found it was clumsy.  I'm saving both for potential future projects.

While things turned out well in the end I no longer even consider buying from offshore companies.  Companies based in this country may carry the same goods, but they're answerable to our laws.  Over the years I've made nearly 300 purchases from eBay.  The only problems I've had were from offshore companies.


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## chips&more (Mar 4, 2022)

A tad off topic. But I would make my own nut…single tool on the lathe…easy enough. Try it, you might surprise yourself. You will have NO GUARENTEE on the finished clearance between nut and feed screw when you tap it. Which translates into backlash. You can peen the nut to remove some of that backlash but it’s not the best idea. Or maybe split the nut? The best IMHO…make the nut.


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## markba633csi (Mar 4, 2022)

Agreed, you know what you are getting when you make the nut


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## Alcap (Mar 4, 2022)

You members think I can single point an internal acme 5/8” -8  LH thread ? Never gave that as an option !


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## ericc (Mar 4, 2022)

Yes, you can, especially if you get some practice on some easy non-critical stock.  I nailed mine on my second try, after making the standard beginner mistake of not enough clearance on the leading edge of the tool to account for the helix angle.  If you use the expensive recommended bronze, messing up hurts a bit.


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## Alcap (Mar 4, 2022)

That’s it ! I’ll give it a try , never cut internal threads so off to YouTube for info !


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## MrWhoopee (Mar 4, 2022)

Alcap said:


> That’s it ! I’ll give it a try , never cut internal threads so off to YouTube for info !


If you've never cut internal threads, I recommend something less challenging than a 5/8-8 Acme.


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## WobblyHand (Mar 4, 2022)

Make some big vee thread nuts first, there's a learning curve to this...


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## Larry42 (Mar 4, 2022)

As an expert at screwing things up, the advice to do some cheap practice runs, is good advice. A piece of aluminum, some WD40 and maybe some trials at grinding. Very educational. Because of the steep angle on ACME the relief needs to be a lot more than on a V thread.


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## Bi11Hudson (Mar 5, 2022)

Some time back, I had to make a half dozen or so nuts known as "followers" for a ceramics machine. A friend was supplying the commercial ceramics industry and the "batter" was chewing up followers fairly fast. Cutting small, 5/8", internal threads is good practice at threading. But, for a finished product in a hurry, especially at the shown prices on eBay, a "single pass tap" would be hard to pass up. The US made one I purchased for the ceramics followers was big $$$. The Chinese prices look a lot better. I have some 1/2" USS taps that cost that much. Following up on the link showed 5/8-10 as well. I don't need one but may order one just to have on hand. Actually two, left and right thread.

.


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## Alcap (Mar 5, 2022)

I‘m going to give internal treading a try ! I used the back end of a cheap Banggood boring bar . It needed to be turned down and maybe more when I get ever figured out . I drilled and taped the end then drilled and reamed for .250 a dull center drill will be the profile. I roughed it for now because I had to order a Acme thread gauge . I think I’m going to need a magnifying glass , it’s small !  Here’s the old cross slide screw next to it .


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## Alcap (Mar 6, 2022)

Well sitting here my wife asks why I’m typing on these forums , so I showed her my threads , this was the top so I said I asked about buying from eBay and usin* PayPal , she says “ I have PayPay and Venmo “.      !!!


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## woodchucker (Mar 6, 2022)

Alcap said:


> Well sitting here my wife asks why I’m typing on these forums , so I showed her my threads , this was the top so I said I asked about buying from eBay and usin* PayPal , she says “ I have PayPay and Venmo “.      !!!


And you didn't know?


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## Alcap (Mar 12, 2022)

And I’ll confess here : I NEVER bid on EBay only “ Buy it now”


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## woodchucker (Mar 12, 2022)

Alcap said:


> And I’ll confess here : I NEVER bid on EBay only “ Buy it now”


you can score some real deals on auctions compared to inflated buy it now.


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