There's always an element of risk when buying anything without actually seeing it "in the flesh" (actually being able to examine it in person) and therefore buying items on-line can often result in disappointments or a severe case of buyers' remorse.

Buying precision tools and gages on-line in an Ebay type of environment, where the sellers are a mix of professionals, amateurs, specialists, liquidators, price gougers, bric-a-brac merchants, garage sale punters, live auction hounds, retirees and people who are having a "clear-out" or moving, make the buying environment a tricky place to navigate and exercising a measure of caution is well advised. While most individuals are reasonably honest and friendly one can encounter scammers and sometimes objectionable individuals who think they're doing you a favor by offering their wares to you.

How do we know all of the aforementioned? Before QC Tools began selling tools we were avid Ebay buyers and learnt the hard way but having said that we've also established great relationships with some wonderful sellers who offer excellent products.

QC Tools specializes in selling high quality precision measuring tools from only the top-tier manufacturers. We don't sell anything else, just tools, and we're operated by an engineering team with years of experience in the metrology field. So, without wanting to sound conceited, we know tools and we only sell tools we'd be proud to own and use ourselves.

When we decided to sell precision tools on-line we set forth to establish ourselves as a top-tier seller with great products, full disclosure presentations with detailed specifications and plenty of clear, high quality photos etc. After the sale we ship promptly with excellent packaging and follow-up communication to let the buyer know the specific item has been shipped plus how it was shipped with tracking information. This is how we've built the business and the high level of repeat customers firmly endorses our excellent reputation of selling superb products with very professional service whether we sell on Ebay or directly.

So, if you're looking to purchase precision measuring tools then consider all aspects of the seller carefully and diligently. 

Obviously a very good feedback rating along with glowing comments from past buyers is a real positive but also scrutinize the listing for any lack of details, lame excuses for selling the item, questionable photos etc.

Multiple photos always help in establishing the condition of the item but only if the photos are well taken, offering good detail and taken from appropriate angles with no masking by over/under exposure, cropping etc. Even if an item looks really good in the photos there's no guarantee it functions correctly unless it has been checked by a qualified individual who will stand behind its claimed condition.

Item condition: This is always a gray area. Brand new is clear and obvious, we all know what brand new is. As new/mint condition encroaches the gray area as one person's idea of mint can be very different from your interpretation. The same applies to perfect/excellent condition and so on...... We describe our items carefully and use condition terms pretty much as they are defined in a dictionary. When we say an item is in mint condition we mean it looks/functions like new and only incredibly close examination could detect the item has had very limited use. 

Ask questions! Don't hesitate to email the seller with your questions/requests for additional photos and there are a few simple rules to keep in mind when doing this. It's a bad omen if you don't receive a response and our advice is to not buy anything from the seller. If the response is tardy then that's a red flag, we try to respond to questions very promptly and if we don't immediately have an appropriate answer we'll send an email straight away advising we'll do the required research and respond forthwith. A terse response is another red flag and again we'd advise avoiding the seller as any post sale problem will probably be difficult to resolve.

Be a discerning buyer and only buy from a reputable seller who is knowledgeable in what they sell - this will reward you with the satisfaction of buying great products at very good prices. Should you encounter a post sale problem (this doesn't include buyer's remorse) then a professional seller will do their utmost to make things right. If you can't reach a satisfactory resolution then file an Ebay/PayPal dispute against the seller. Be objective and unemotional, just state the facts clearly and concisely. The dispute system, while rather tedious, does work and over the years we've had to file numerous disputes and we've always prevailed. 

So, do your homework before making any financial commitments, be a wise buyer ;)

If you have questions about buying on-line then send us an email: http://contact.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ReturnUserEmail&requested=qc_tools&frm=3692&iid=-1&de=off&redirect=0