Two out of three ain't good, either...
 

So, I'm really discouraged. I have bought four machines at auction in the past few months, and of the three I have received (one is in transit, keeping fingers tightly crossed) two have been damaged. One was from an ebay seller and it was just the case damaged, so disappointing but not tragic. The other was so stupidly packed I can't imagine how it arrived in the three pieces it did. A corner of the bed was broken off, and one of the feet under the machine itself. Haven't tried it for functionality yet. If I were inclined to part it out, I'd make my money back, I think, but it is a Kenmore 117-552 that was in very good cosmetic shape before this trip. Very sad.

Think I'm done with auctions. :hunf:

Sorry for your experiences.. SMs are awkward machines and heavy and yet delicate. Some packers don't have a clue.
Cast iron is tough, but it can snap if forced. Good luck on #4.

I can bring machines from Topeka to the Wichita area if you aren't in a big hurry.

Hope things work out.

Thanks to you both. I have to say, Goodwill of Tucson was really, really good after this incident. I heard right back from them, sent pics of the broken machine, and got a refund all within hours. I'm sad it didn't work out for both of us, but at least they were very responsive and fair.

Leonf, that is really, REALLY kind of you. I'm actually in Tulsa but troll the Wichita CL every once in a while. Have yet to buy a machine there, but they seem to have a lot of good deals. :)

My husband has bought me 3 machines on eBay. The only thing that was damaged was the case for the featherweight.

I purchased one machine on Ebay. I checked the feedback before bidding. The seller sold plenty of machines with 100% feedback, so I knew the machine would be well packed....so looking at the feedback is helpful. If you see fragile/expensive items sold with good feedback, they will probably know how to pack.

I always check the feedback before bidding. If it isnt' 100% or very close to it, I don't bid.

Good news! Number 4 arrived in great shape, so well packed it took me about 30 minutes to get it OUT of all the packaging! LOL! It's a White, came with the manual, and it has a cute little porthole on top to watch your cams spin. LOL! Turns like a dream, smooth as silk. The motor, however, is kind of scary. Kind of makes a sizzling sound. Yikes! I'm going to break down that motor and see what I can do to fix it - don't know if it needs new brushes or what, but my husband is an electrical engineer in the making. Hopefully he can identify the problem if I can't.

I'm glad the machine wasn't damaged. Hopefully, you can get it fixed.

Buying machines that will then be shipped by a non-professional is a gamble, plain and simple. Your chances may be improved by shamelessly begging the seller to double box, over-pack, or whatever terms you think may be effective, but ultimately you're depending on a stranger's common sense and good judgement.

James