1. See if the seller is  fake , there are so many  of them around ebay, we  lost $$$$  when sent payment to a seller who has 20 ebay feedbacks.Please  check the  feedbacks, if seller has zero or few, avoid it or be very carefully.

2.Check the key  word used, as-is, or refurbished, There is no  new dcr-vx1000 as the factory stopped making  it a few years ago.As-is  items may have some problems, will cost you $$$  when you have to  repair, do not buy it unless you want to risk $$$. Used items may also has some problems, ask the seller if the item was tested,  what function were tested, the test result. If not sure after the reply, ask for a few clips  to demo. Refurbished  unit is tested or repaired ,upgraded,  it should have some kind of warranty such as  90 days  to up to optional 3 years.

3. DCR-VX1000 is not new , many thing may happen to it even sellers say  the unit was never used,barely used, or low hours, one original owner etc. See if the seller offer any kind of warranty, refund, money back in case  something happen in the first month.Ask if the unit has  new version of viewfinder cable.Old version cables  go bad very often , you will need new version one soon if the original owner has never upgrade it.The viewfinder is blank or abnormal when the cable is bad.Buy  the unit with new version one (redesign, last much longer ).

4. Pay attention to the payment methods.If  cash, money order only , you have no way to get any money back.Ask  the seller to use ebay's  escrow.com service. Once we paid top $$$ for  a so-called working vx1000, we used escrow service and avoid the big lost. Paypal offer free buyer protection up to  USD$2000 , this free  protection is good only when you purchase  from a good ebay seller. Qualified  sellers will automatic get the Paypal protection ,"Free PayPal Buyer Protection" message is displayed in the seller listing information.

5.Ask many questions about  the item, detail  photos,  fake sellers do not have enough photos, or detail about the items.First time  buyer  may not have enough info about the dcr-vx1000, ask  questions until you know you are ready to buy .High resolution photos help you as a picture worth a thousand words.

6. Buy from the expert ,  the expert seller can provide  many help before and after your purchase, some pawnshop , ebay drop shop sellers may not be able to  test the unit for all functions, the vx1000 may have intermittent problems such as audio dropout.Audio dropout is not easy, cheap to fix. 

7. For those lost $$$$ before, use escrow.com ,there is no need to worry at all!

8. Search Google,Yahoo , MSN etc  for the  seller to see if the seller has any good reputation  or what the clients said about the seller, long time  seller has many buyers,  buyers  mention  about it,  they told you about the seller  in  ebay feedbacks and also out of ebay. 

9. Buy dcr-vx1000 that has 16:9 menu (PAL, or NTSC Japan model),  you get better video quality , better low light performance, film like and match  the  new style 16:9 widescreen TV. If you do not like to use widescreen, simply choose standard  TV in the ON SCREEN MENU, you have nothing to lose. Download  and see  video  quality   difference   for the 16:9 or  standard TV   by  asking   RefurbishedElectronics.

10.Visit the seller store if you are  nearby  the seller, ask for a local pickup.Online business may have been in business in a street for years before the internet or ebay came to this world,  you may get more  items to choose from  when you visit the store.You can  select, compare, test the vx1000 in person  and  no need to wait for ebay list end , no need to pay shipping and handling, Some sellers may give you some bonus item or discount because the store save online  selling fees.Ask for a cash discount if you have cash to pay.Fake sellers can not offer local pickup at all. 

11.If you are  new to dcr vx1000,Read user manual  a few times, search internet, so you understand how the dcr-vx1000 work, or if  it is suitable for you. Do not spend $$$--$$$$  and  say "this is not a unit for me!" .You can download  the user manual from Sony website .The link is in the page here dcrvx1000info

12.Some country use PAL , others use NTSC  system , try to get the system match your country's TV system, PAL  system  model is DCR-VX1000E, NTSC system is DCR-VX1000.If you use computer for  playback display,edit  video,your computer's IEEE1394 port  will work with PAL and NTSC.If you are not sure  your country's system, search internet  first.

13.If video quality is the  most important thing to you (not price), try get PAL system DCR-VX1000E, it has the best resolution.Next  is Japan model DCR-VX1000, it has 16:9 widescreen. The final choice is  North America  model DCR-VX1000.   The market  prices  are not the same, be a  smart shopper .

14.How to decide buy dcr-vx1000, or vx2000(dcr-vx2100), or dcr-trv900? VX1000 is  first on the market in 1995, it has long proven history as a reliable working horse, vx1000 was built very solid .Even though the viewfinder go blank, but the audio and video can still be recorded on the tape , your important shot still be there  at time of the problem. The original factory retail  price was  over USD4000, used items are  now  priced at range  of  USD$1000.There are some other Sony 3CCD  prosumer camcorders .DCR-VX2000 (or DCR-vx2100) is newer, higher price, provide better video quality, has zoom ring, has memory stick function for the still photo,has flip out LCD screen, it has shorter history ,in some cases, dcr-vx2000  may have a problem of video discolor, audio drop,bad focus .DCR-TRV900 is similar to dcr-vx2000( no zoom ring),but with smaller CCD.DCR-TRV900 price is  lowest as its  CCD is smallest, TRV900 has Progressive scan.Both vx2000, trv900 has widescreen in the ON Screen Menu.For professional DVCAM (not MiniDV), go for DSR100A,dsr-pd150,dsr-pd170.

15.Search seller's local yellow pages, local government business registration department ,consumer affairs department, BBB  for the business name, telephone number, address etc.Long history business seller should be found easy.

16.For Canadian buyer , Canadian dollar has high exchange rate at time of writing, use Canadian dollar to pay for your vx1000, or ask the seller list item  in Canadian currency.This will save you a bit on your exchange rate,the seller may save a bit also if the seller is in Canada.This way,canadian buyer will know exactly the payment  and not worry about exchange rate is up or down at time of ebay list end or payment due. Many seller list the vx1000 in US dollar price, simply because the US market is  the biggest.if you are from AUS , UK or any other country, ask the same questions to the seller, your money may worth more !

17.Buy a package.You may get a  deal if you know what you need, some people need fisheye lens such as  MK1, some people need video light, some people need wireless microphone, or camcorder bag.Whatever you need, ask the seller if you can order , when you do one combine   shopping, you can begin  your project right away .Life is too short to wait,why wait?You  save time, save on shipping and handling cost.

18.Read online course (17 pages) in BBCtraining.com/pdfs/dvguides/vx1000guide.pdf vx1000 shooting guide will help you if you use vx1000 to get  broadcast shoot.

19.VX1000 use more power than regular camcorder, order some extra battery of NP-F730H, NP-F730, NP-720, NP-710, you can also ask the seller to modify the battery box so you can use extra type battery such as np-f330,np-f550.The np-f330,np-f550 are small but cheap, popular. 

20.Safe keep vx1000 in a bag , or   hardcase .Get 3 YEARS WARRANTY when purchase from RefurbishedElectronics .

21.You will be very proud when you do  a successfully purchase, congratulations to you! Please do not forget to rate this guide at the end of reading.