GrannyEm,
The problem with your machine may be as simple as the needle not being in the machine correctly. The needle goes in with the flat to the left and threads from right to left. Also make sure that the finger of the bobbin case base is seated between the slot in the bottom of the throat plate. I own and use 4 Featherweights.
Sharon W.

I bought a FW and it was great. I always, always check out the rating and read the reviews of the seller first before I even bid. If there are negative reviews, I want to know. Also I try and not bid on anything if the rating is under 97%.

Stick with craigslist where you can see it first for expensive stuff.

my dh has purchased two and he checked the reviews on shipping and his customer service in general.. had great experiences both times.

When my Brother died more than 3 years ago I purchased a Janome from eBay. I had no problems with the shipping (from FL to CA), the company, or the machine.

Just remember - I think the warranty does not follow the machine, only the original buyer. I would make sure there is a dealer in your area who can service it if need be.

I have bought and sold machines on ebay. NO Problems so far. This has been since 2005. Most important is the PACKING. Make sure seller knows you are "Nervous" about the packing. GOOD LUCK. You should be fine...and be sure to check their feedback.

I agree with MissM. I have bought a lot of items on EBay, including two vintage machines - one from FL and one from Canada. No problems at all.

I bought a pfaff off of ebay. The case was broken when it arrived. The box was plainly marked this side up. I found it on my front porch upside down. I finally got the insurance claim paid. I found someone to make partial repairs to the case, but it is not really safe to carry the machine in it. It was packed ok but obviously fedex has limited reading ability. I bought a spartan that was packed by UPS store and it came thru perfectly. (I had enough peanuts to go into business from the packing.)

Ask every question you can think of. I bought a Bernina pd $2,400. Pd to have it professionally packaged. 2 boxes came - both absolutely wreeked of cig smoke. Machine right side behind fly wheel was yellowed, repair slip that came to show it had been cleaned and in good condition had a whole different seriel no. than was the machine, the packing material included JoAnns bags and cardboard (literally with that name on it - imagine UPS going to JoAnns for their packaging!). This machine stunk so bad even my kids complained when siitting on the kitchen table. I filed complaint w/Paypal. Seller personally phoned me ranting - her position "buyers remorse". And I thought I had done my homework - good seller with positive selling record. Evetually I got my $ back, less $110 shipping fee, but it took 40 days and tons of time, work and emotions.
My recommendation: Only pay out as much money as you are willing to throw away. I understand I was one of the lucky ones.