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Factory checkup just before selling...

I've been curious about the number of ads for used equipment that indicate the piece has been checked and certified by the factory. It seems like a great deal of expense, inconvenience (some of our stuff is heavy!!!) and time for the seller to round trip ship it. I recognize the value perceived by the buyer (if it's true), but it kind of a red alert to me whenever I see it, like a "only driven to church on Sundays" ploy.

Would appreciate thoughts and feedback from someone that's either done this, or bought a piece of equipment listed as such. Did they provide paperwork?

Oh, and I've got a rare Hummel listed on eBay. It was made in 1883 and is of Spiderman. Best offer.

Suspicious by nature,
Chris
cvalle
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I bought a preamp at a good price the owner clearly stated it had been sent for repair after being damaged in transit to him when he bought it secondhand... , and he added an upgrade, which took so long from the original manufacturer... he bought a different preamp in the meantime. SO I got a good deal in my opinion.                  
I really think no one is going to send in a fully functional device (Unless they wonder why does it not sound very good? and discover well that is all it ever will be) I could see sending it in for a checkup to be sure it is not damaged, since it just does not sound 'right'. But personally I think that scenario would be pretty rare, and the sent for repair is the real typical thing.           

pack66184
4 posts
 
If it is a reputable manufacturer then I would be more influenced by the recent service to make the purchase. I would be confident the unit had been reviewed and tested by the manufacturer. No different than purchasaing a used house or vehicle. 
boxer12
1,703 posts
 
I sent my Jeff Rowland consonance preamp to him after a boneheaded move on my part. (after increasing the gain, I put the module back in one pin off, powered it up and got to smell some expensive smoke). Called them & was able to talk to Jeff himself. He replaced the module with an upgraded one, upgraded the power supply & brought the entire unit up to factory specs. That is incredible service for a 26 year old preamp.  The preamp now sounds better than it ever has :-)
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firstnot's avatar
firstnot
115 posts
 
I recently called an authorized service rep
who knew more about the brand than the people
selling it. There are only two places in the US to repair this
brand. When I called on an ad that claimed "all panels replaced"
I decided to check with this same repair guy. He knew the seller well
and offered that he had replaced all the panels in one speaker
but not in the other. At $500/panel it adds up fast at 6/per speaker.
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