Reply by Brett

I’ve had decent luck on eBay, but I tend to avoid buying a tool unless there are a lot of pictures. I bough an old 60 1/2 low-angle block plane for $20, but when I opened the package, I discovered there was a chip missing from the sole just behind the throat. I went back to the eBay listing and saw that the seller had conveniently forgotten to show a picture of the sole. I learned my lesson, but the plane still works fine, despite the chip, so it turned out okay.

I realize that buying on eBay is a bit of a gamble, but the prices there are typically a whole lot cheaper than those at specialty tool vendors. It’s kind of like buying a warranty on an electronics purchase at a large department store. Sure, you might occasionally be glad you bough the warranty, but over a lifetime, I suspect the cost of the warranties far outweighs the occasional savings one gains when a product fails while still under warranty.

-- More tools, fewer machines.