Dear All,
After a few too many encounters of the third kind I would like to share / be educated about buying aero-stuff worldwide : airplanes, projects, motors, avionics.
Internet being a great place full of nice people has sometimes pitfalls.
Please post your experiences , methods of vetting and how to get the rotten eggs out out.
A few of mine:
- a reasonable , too reasonable or just too good price for the item, which comes fully packed with documentation which in turn is either unverifiable either found immeditaley on the web
ex. O 200a, last flight 1 year ago, but log books indicate airplane / motor out of commission since 15 years.
- an adress in the middle of nowhere and with near to impossible verifcation.
ex the item is at some island: Teneriffe , Guam, etc
- after showing interest for an item , the seller states that he has just what you need as his project -identical to yours , yet quite rare- needs a new home
ex. An engine is needed for an airplane of which worldwide 2 are made, yet the seller is just abondonning his (identical) build and will help you.
- a seller only contactable by a generic e-mail adress , no phone , no adress or an adress which leads you to a apartment building in some busy city such as New-York
- a seller which offers all kind of info and superlatives (just an oil change needed to fly) yet forget to tell that the item is outside for years. Moss covers the inside the airplace and all corrodable surfaces carry a nice brown tan. He accepts all inspection untill you send an A&P to check , as then suddenly the item is sold.
- a seller has a super website, has all parts spanking new, but is unfortunately at the other side of the globe. His warehouse stuffed with new engines on pallets. New Rotaxes or other Continentals ready to ship after reception of your paiement. Oh yes: he somehow the new stuff is at a third of the regular price.
- Items having -by the manufacturer- unknown serial numbers. References of overhaul and A&P/IA numbers of persons long passed away.
- Services provided at a good price but in small print -if parts were to be replaced- : expensive parts at 2-4 times the normal rate
- Very detailed descriptions of services and parts which after verification turn out too be non-aero or "recuperated". Delays in months "as the manufacturer is very busy" and you must pay immediately as the seller has a way to short-cut the waiting cue.
What are your experiences, how do you vet, which methods when physical inspection is not possible, how about trace-ability of payment, how to know when to walk away and when to run away? What website / selling sites to visit , what about responsibility? What is the stuff that arrives to not correspond with what was promised?
Finally : what if the seller knows his item contains a genuine death trap but "forgets" to state that? You find it out -before the sale- which stops the transaction. But what when a month later the same identical item advertised again?
All ideas, opinions, methods concerning the above : greatly appreciated.
Tom
(*) to Moderators : if not in the right section, please move the thread.
After a few too many encounters of the third kind I would like to share / be educated about buying aero-stuff worldwide : airplanes, projects, motors, avionics.
Internet being a great place full of nice people has sometimes pitfalls.
Please post your experiences , methods of vetting and how to get the rotten eggs out out.
A few of mine:
- a reasonable , too reasonable or just too good price for the item, which comes fully packed with documentation which in turn is either unverifiable either found immeditaley on the web
ex. O 200a, last flight 1 year ago, but log books indicate airplane / motor out of commission since 15 years.
- an adress in the middle of nowhere and with near to impossible verifcation.
ex the item is at some island: Teneriffe , Guam, etc
- after showing interest for an item , the seller states that he has just what you need as his project -identical to yours , yet quite rare- needs a new home
ex. An engine is needed for an airplane of which worldwide 2 are made, yet the seller is just abondonning his (identical) build and will help you.
- a seller only contactable by a generic e-mail adress , no phone , no adress or an adress which leads you to a apartment building in some busy city such as New-York
- a seller which offers all kind of info and superlatives (just an oil change needed to fly) yet forget to tell that the item is outside for years. Moss covers the inside the airplace and all corrodable surfaces carry a nice brown tan. He accepts all inspection untill you send an A&P to check , as then suddenly the item is sold.
- a seller has a super website, has all parts spanking new, but is unfortunately at the other side of the globe. His warehouse stuffed with new engines on pallets. New Rotaxes or other Continentals ready to ship after reception of your paiement. Oh yes: he somehow the new stuff is at a third of the regular price.
- Items having -by the manufacturer- unknown serial numbers. References of overhaul and A&P/IA numbers of persons long passed away.
- Services provided at a good price but in small print -if parts were to be replaced- : expensive parts at 2-4 times the normal rate
- Very detailed descriptions of services and parts which after verification turn out too be non-aero or "recuperated". Delays in months "as the manufacturer is very busy" and you must pay immediately as the seller has a way to short-cut the waiting cue.
What are your experiences, how do you vet, which methods when physical inspection is not possible, how about trace-ability of payment, how to know when to walk away and when to run away? What website / selling sites to visit , what about responsibility? What is the stuff that arrives to not correspond with what was promised?
Finally : what if the seller knows his item contains a genuine death trap but "forgets" to state that? You find it out -before the sale- which stops the transaction. But what when a month later the same identical item advertised again?
All ideas, opinions, methods concerning the above : greatly appreciated.
Tom
(*) to Moderators : if not in the right section, please move the thread.
