Originally Posted by KenmoreRulesAll

I would buy a machine from an eBay seller (and pay the associated shipping costs as well as endure the worry it hadn't been packed carefully) if it was a model I really wanted and couldn't find elsewhere. And I just may do so once again as I'm no longer collecting the readily available, very mass produced Singer/Kenmore/White/Japanese/etc. models and am becoming more interested in the older, rarer, more expensive machines.

If someone can make a living flipping these very common machines for 500 - 1000% profit, more power to them. The Kenmore 15 clone featured above is a nice-looking machine in very good condition. But it's not worth the price she's charging -- not even close. The underside hasn't even been cleaned. It looks like she oiled it, then listed it. There's nothing wrong with that (as long as she's honest about condition and her photos are good) but I don't know why anyone would fall for the "freshly serviced and ready-to-sew" line except that they know absolutely nothing about sewing machines. This is an eBay seller who is relying on ignorance to sell at the price she's charging. If she can get away with it, well, caveat emptor. But I don't necessarily respect the seller and would never buy from her unless she was selling something I just couldn't find elsewhere.

(This isn't directed at or about anyone in particular, just some of my thoughts about eBay using the above seller as an example.)