Considering buying a second hand saw from ebay - what to avoid?

[Mesuno]

Hi folks,

I'm considering getting a second hand "professional" saw from ebay. It will be mostly used for bucking some of our larger firewood and milling slabs.

We have lots of english oak - more than we can ever use ourselves on projects but no way of getting it out of the woods at the moment other than as firewood.

Our current saw is a Stihl MS250C - far too wimpy for milling and the short bar can't quite buck some of our logs so an upgrade is pretty much essential. I'd like to go with stihl again, partly because I know it works with the mill system we are thinking about getting (logosol).

As I see it I can:
pay full price for a new saw - gets the benefit of a warranty and guaranteed to run out of the box

buy a used/second hand saw from ebay and hope that it hasn't been hammered into the ground

buy a "spares or repair" saw from ebay and make a project of getting it up and running. I'd like to learn how to service my own saws anyway and stripping down a £50 chainsaw would be a few hours of fun and cheap education if nothing else. If i went this route I'd feel free to mod the muffler etc... which i wouldn't do on a saw still under warranty.

Which of the above would you go for? Do you know a good place to get costs for spare parts for different models? Are there other pitfalls to buying second hand that I haven't thought of?

I'm looking for something like an MS660 or an MS880.

All the best,

Mike

 

[RandyMac]

avoid feepay

 

[D&B Mack]

Its a crap shoot, especially if the guy has a no return policy. If he has that, Ebay will be on his side if a dispute, and who wants to get into a dispute anyway. Try to find one on here in the classifieds first. If that doesn't work out, try craigslist, just watch for hot items. My rule of thumb on ebay, buy at a price as if it had to be rebuilt, so if it does, no loss. Otherwise, I pass. I would try to buy in person if possible.

 

[Mesuno]

Its a crap shoot, especially if the guy has a no return policy. If he has that, Ebay will be on his side if a dispute, and who wants to get into a dispute anyway. Try to find one on here in the classifieds first. If that doesn't work out, try craigslist, just watch for hot items. My rule of thumb on ebay, buy at a price as if it had to be rebuilt, so if it does, no loss. Otherwise, I pass. I would try to buy in person if possible.

Thanks,

That was pretty much what I was figuring. I'm in the UK, unlike most of you folks, so I don't think the classifieds on here will do me much good. As for craigslist - it hasn't really taken off over here like it seems to have in the US so I'm pretty much stuck with ebay.

I've got my eye on a couple and looking at prices which include some wiggle room for repairs and parts.

Incidentally - should I also be looking for any special tools for taking a saw apart? We've got a pretty well stocked tool cupboard.

Mike

 

[simonUK]

Hi There
As you can probably tell from my name I am from the UK aswell. I have my eye on ebay and hoover any decent spares repairs saws that come up on a regular basis. Getting a 660 or 880 for £50 is very unrealistic but I have paid up to £250 for a non working saw. Unless you know how to fix a saw I would avoid spares repairs.
On the plus side I have sold many saws on ebay with very minor problems most used ones need a service but apart from that you can get some good deals.

Simon

 

[wyk]

How big is the wood, how often will you mill VS buck/fell. Unless you have a solid milling operation, I wouldn't jump to an 880 from a 250. Get a 660. It is light enough to use for falling all day(after you get used to it), and will work for occasional milling of oak if you do not go crazy and use a good ripping chain.

As an aside, I was under the impression most 80-120cc saws will work with most mills. I wouldn't limit your search to STIHL for that reason, or the reason you already have a Stihl unless it is a dealer issue - especially since nothing will swap between a large mount Stihl saw and that 250 except maybe a name plate. Use what is affordable, has support, and works. Make sure to get the correct sized bar.

YouTube - MS660 in oak

 

[J.Walker]

I'd avoid E-Bay and buy off Cragslist. I've found better deals on CL.

 

[RacerX]

If you have to buy from E-bay ask lots of questions. Are all of the parts original, what's the compression, has the saw had any major work done to it, is it damaged in any way, etc. Even if you find a seller with a no return policy, fraudulent or deceitful ads or dishonest answers to question about the item may help you if you need to ask for a refund.

 

[dave k]

Give Gumtree ago I've seen some nice saw's on there, also try any local dealer for the chance of any trade in's.
I would go for a 660 sized saw and as your operation grows start looking for a bigger saw just for the milling. I do a fair bit of milling and you want as much power as possible !

 

[jmethodrose]

I'm in the uk as well - I brought a 660 secondhand on ebay about a month ago and it's been good so far! Guy I brought it from is based in Haverfordwest, and sells a lot of reconditioned ex council machinery, so makes his living from selling on ebay. The key point is to check the sellers feedback, and does he sound like he knows what he's talking about in the ad?

Example ad to avoid:

"stehl chain saw MS046 dunno wots wrong wiv it put it in shed three years ago and now it wont start 20 inch blade chain needs sharpening"

cheers,
Joe

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Its a crap shoot, especially if the guy has a no return policy. If he has that, Ebay will be on his side if a dispute, and who wants to get into a dispute anyway. Try to find one on here in the classifieds first. If that doesn't work out, try craigslist, just watch for hot items. My rule of thumb on ebay, buy at a price as if it had to be rebuilt, so if it does, no loss. Otherwise, I pass. I would try to buy in person if possible.

Ebay has a return policy even if the seller doesn't state it in his ad. Anymore, anything is returnable if you have a reason.
Please don't read into this that you can buy a saw, use it, then return it. You can possibly do this but you may be screwing a fellow AS member by doing so.

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Something you can also do if you buy on ebay and that is to check the seller's feedback and see what others think of the seller. If he has bad feedback or several negatives I would move on to someone else. Look for an honest seller who will tell you of any problems with the saw. Ask questions, if they don't answer, don't bid.

 

[Boskaerm]

Well, I´ve bought a 2008 346XP from an E-bay UK seller, the saw had, of course, some signs of wear and use, but was in general in good condition! Only problem I´ve had was the carb needed cleaning, and the fuel filter seperated from the fuel line!

Then the top cover was cracked, and put togheter with glue! But the seller and I found a solution to this problem!

I wouldn´t be so scared of doing it!

But of course, you always take somekind of chance, buying second hand, over new!

 

[Anthony_Va.]

You just have tocatch the right deal on the right saw. I won't buy one off Ebay unless it's barely used. I got my 660 on Ebay for 700 and it neverhad a whole tank of fuel through it. Pure luck.

I would check Craigslist also. I see good deals on my local CL all the time. The Classified Ads here are a good place to find good saws from honest people.

In any case, just wait for the right deal. Either a barely used saw or a repairable saw. Only way to go on Ebay. CL gives you the advantage of being able to check the saw out personally. I won't buy one if I can't pull the muffler or plug and see the cylinder.

 

[SawTroll]

Hi folks,

I'm considering getting a second hand "professional" saw from ebay. It will be mostly used for bucking some of our larger firewood and milling slabs.

We have lots of english oak - more than we can ever use ourselves on projects but no way of getting it out of the woods at the moment other than as firewood.

Our current saw is a Stihl MS250C - far too wimpy for milling and the short bar can't quite buck some of our logs so an upgrade is pretty much essential. I'd like to go with stihl again, partly because I know it works with the mill system we are thinking about getting (logosol).

As I see it I can:
pay full price for a new saw - gets the benefit of a warranty and guaranteed to run out of the box

buy a used/second hand saw from ebay and hope that it hasn't been hammered into the ground

buy a "spares or repair" saw from ebay and make a project of getting it up and running. I'd like to learn how to service my own saws anyway and stripping down a £50 chainsaw would be a few hours of fun and cheap education if nothing else. If i went this route I'd feel free to mod the muffler etc... which i wouldn't do on a saw still under warranty.

Which of the above would you go for? Do you know a good place to get costs for spare parts for different models? Are there other pitfalls to buying second hand that I haven't thought of?

I'm looking for something like an MS660 or an MS880.

All the best,

Mike

Basically, avoid that site, and specially if you want a Stihl!

You also need to thread on some steps, before going to a saw that size! :msp_ohmy:

 

[SawTroll]

I'd avoid E-Bay and buy off Cragslist. I've found better deals on CL.

Yes, much better chance of a good deal there! :msp_thumbup:

 

[Mesuno]

You also need to thread on some steps, before going to a saw that size! :msp_ohmy:

Thanks for all the helpful comments in this thread. The reason I was considering mainly stihl is that I've been using stihl for a while (hedge trimmer, saw, grass strimmer) and am pretty happy with them all.

I'm curious about this quote though - basically our needs have jumped hugely from cutting up the occasional bit of wood from their garden to managing 5HA of woodland. we are planning to process all our own firewood, as well as milling some of the better oak for projects. We have a tame tree surgeon helping us while we learn our way round the bigger stuff, and he'll be felling the first of our oaks for us.

I'm reluctant to buy a saw that is smaller as I don't want to end up buying a third saw in 6 months time. We'll probably still be using the 250 for the vast majority of the work and cracking out the larger saw for the big rounds and milling work.

 

[Billy Jack]

I wouldn't rule out eBay as a possibility. I always look at the seller's ENTIRE listing and their feedback. I bought a Husqvarna 394 XP off of eBay and was quite satisfied. Look for sellers who take the time to photograph the saw at different angles (especially the ones who show a pressure gauge reading ON the saw) and others who include a short video of the saw in use. Compare that with their feedback and longevity on eBay and you will likely find an honest seller.

Good luck.

 

[Mesuno]

Stihl Model numbers - I've been looking at different models and been thrown a bit by the numbers.

It looks like the Stihl 066 and 660 are pretty much equivalent saws, but I can't find any info about the 066. Did Stihl change their model numbering system or something?

Mike

 

[a. palmer jr.]

Stihls seem to be overpriced on ebay from what I've seen. I would try to buy one locally or buy a different brand on ebay. I seems that there are lots of ebay people who are looking for Stihls and ready to run up the price. Husqvarnas are about as bad.