This is a HF 1 ton arbor press that normally is available on sale for
49.99, like it is now,
But many have bought it from this ebay guy for 83.98 (29 idiots).
It even has the Central Machinery tag on it. And at the bottom of the listing it proudly displays the central machinery name.
They even offer free shipping. I bet he orders it and has it delivered from HF for the 6.99 shipping they charge... Now he is still ahead $27 for doing nothing other than placing the order for the idiot who ordered it.
Caveat Emptor was never more true today with Ebay and Craigslist than in was in years (centuries?) past.
You can traverse both Ebay and Craigslist if you have a bit of sense and knowledge about that which you are buying. If not, you're no better off than the rube who walks into a parts shop without a clue and walks away with a $7.69 shear pin or pair of cotter pins.
Simply amazing... I can't believe that there are that many ill-informed (or maybe desperate for Harbor Freight crap) people out there that would pay those prices.
Even more amazing is the seller's rating. I've bought a lot of stuff on Ebay over the years and always leave appropriate feedback. He can't rig that and his approval rating is sky high. Fools and their money are happily parted it seems.
And if you look at the miniscule number of "complaints" the greater majority are of the "...he'd complain if they hanged him with new rope" variety. I'm betting his approval rating for the Harbor Freight stuff he's selling is higher than Harbor Freight's!
Not pointing fingers here but almost all retail stores charge different prices. Add to that, stores like HD and Lowes have different pricing on the same items depending on which of their stores you go into.
So if you have found that you can beat a price offered by someone by simply buying from HF, does that mean that the you may be a sucker if you bought something from HD?
In fact, Rockler has a retail catalog and a business catalog. Neither guarantees a better price than the other. Sometimes the retail catalog offers better prices than the business catalog and visa versa.
Prices vary wildly between brands and retailers for the same item. I bought a pair of Dockers slacks at Casual Male for $55. I bought the same exact slack under the WalMart brand for $18. I went over them stitch by stitch and they were identical.
Some of the HF tools are identical to the high priced outlets too. You just have to figure which ones as the do sell cheap crap too.
Yes and no. Many times they are. Sometimes the specs on one branding use higher quality parts (bearings, windings, metal) so it's not so easy to see. They maybe the same casting, but not the same material. Sometimes different plastic.. looks the same, but one might have glass, or be a high temp variety.
I'm with you on most though. I watched sears sell the same stuff as HF under their evolve line. But for more money.
A similar example, I bought probably 20 plus shirts over a 4~8 month period from a Columbia outlet store. I paid on average of $10 each. These are daily wear shirts and are probably 7 years old now and are still holding up well. In that same time period the exact same shirts were selling at Bass Pro Shop for $45~$65. Same brand and labels.
I don't wear them daily, but I've got 3 I bought for under $5 each at least 15 years ago and maybe even 20. Got them from one of those surplus catalogs we all you to get in the mail.
They still look like new, but the label is getting hard to read - it says "North Carolina Dept of Correction"! I call them my prison shirts :-).
Lemme tell you, NC got a heck of a bargain on those - I keep thinking of writing to see if I can get more, but they probably don't even have the same supplier they had then.
Not sure what you are saying. You wrote you bought a pair of "Dockers" pan ts for $55 at a retailer. And you wrote you bought a pair of "Walmart" bra nd pants for $18, assume at Walmart. You did not buy the same pants at bot h stores. You bought "Dockers" brand and "Walmart" brand pants at differen t stores. This thread is about someone selling Harbor Freight tools on eBa y for more money. The exact same Central Machinery Harbor Freight tool. Y ou are talking about buying "Dockers" brand and "Walmart" brand pants for d ifferent prices. Being different brands, one would expect them to have dif ferent prices. Dockers are a Levis brand. And Walmart contracts with some one to make clothing with their brand on the label.
Whether "Dockers" brand and "Walmart" brand pants are the same quality and construction is a different question. Kind of like asking whether "Jet" or "Delta" or "Harbor Freight" table saws are better. It could be the same f actory in China makes all of the table saws.
Just pointing out that it is smart to check around. The difference between Dockers and the WalMart brand is zero. Identical in every way except the price. Harbor Freight items are also identicl to other brands selling for 2 or 3 times the price. Only difference is the label. Same material, same factory.
Delta and Jet is another situation. They are both about equal in quality and price, but made in different factories, or at least to different specifications. Many Sears/Kenmore/Craftsman products are identical to name brand products with cosmetic changes.
Toss into the mix the same item sold by Big Box stores and local stores. Say a DeWalt miter saw. The small stores try to tell you they are different, but not one has ever proven anything.
In 2010 I bought this lathe drill chuck on Amazon for $14.95
formatting link
At the time it was sold by CoKiD Supply Co, via Amazon.
When it arrived, it said Harbor Freight right on the box, with the HF #. I looked it up, and at the time, it was like $9 at HF, so I paid $5 more, plus $5 shipping, for the exact same item, in the exact same HF box.
Now, you will note Amazon states it is sold by HF, but the price is $50, free shipping. HF sells it now for $14.95, so you can get it $35 cheaper at HF.
I remember grinning at the time, I got had for a few bucks, good for that dude. If I would have paid $50 for the thing, I'd probably not been grinning. They also got me on the shipping, because I thought I was getting free shipping on the order, and didn't notice this item wasn't included, I guess because at the time it was not shipped from Amazon, but from CoKid Supply. Live and learn. I still buy from Amazon, but I do a bit more research on stuff.
The chuck is not high quality, but it works perfect for my needs, so I'm happy.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.