getEdited - SELECT
by crazystitcher ( edited 10 Apr 2016 ) 30 Mar 2016

Should I have to give a warranty when selling one of my "old" embroidery machines or is inviting people to see it in action at my home before they place a bid enough?





I have listed one of my embroidery machines for sale with a very low starting bid on a well-known site.




I am just a senior citizen, not a machine dealer and need the funds to make my home more senior citizen-friendly. The machine is a well-known brand and model; it works well and I had been keeping it because it can use a small free-arm hoop - great for getting designs into small things without having to undo seams, etc, but I really can't justify keeping it just for that as I also have another machine which I use more often for bigger things.




A potential bidder has contacted me wanting a warranty - my concern is that I have no control over how this person treats or mistreats my machine after they take possession of it. Surely if they can see it works ok for themselves before they buy it that should be enough.




What do you think?





Update:


After reading some of your replies but Before I had read all your helpful and caring replies, I refused giving a warranty, explaining why; gave that person the name of a dealer that does good services, recommended some embroidery web sites ( including Cute...) for them to learn more about doing machine embroidery and I had invited that person to visit tomorrow morning for me to show them that it is working ok; they then said they would not come as they were going away this weekend & I wished them well with finding what they want; now that I think about it a bit more, I am relieved that they are not coming and will be much more cautious about inviting strangers to my home.
Update April 10:
My machine listing seems to have attracted more than its share of difficult people.
Someone else ended up placing an uncontested bid for my machine not long before the sale closed and so became the "winning bidder", but made no payment. The next day they sent a message saying they wanted to come that night to pick-up.
I politely advised them that short-notice night-time pick-up was not convenient, but any day between 9am & 5pm at a mutually agreed time to be agreed on in advance and that payment would need to be made before they took the machine etc away, and even offered to bring the machine etc to meet them in the local shopping centre during daylight hours if that suited them.
They then sent another message along with their phone number to say they wanted to test drive before they paid.
I told them, since it was the rules of the listing site that people not bid unless they intended to purchase, I was somewhat puzzled they had placed their bid for something that they had not really decided they wanted to buy and wondered why, if they had any hesitations about buying, they had not asked to see the machine PRIOR to bidding. She still said she wanted to come that night. I explained that I had already packed everything up ready for collection, and as my home was being renovated it was a "no-go" zone for unauthorised folk and I would need to contact the builders to set the machine up outside of the building works during daylight hours in order to comply with Safe Work Australia regulations and public liability risks; I also explained that I would be willing to demonstrate that it stitched ok but was not willing to let a stranger test-drive it for fear of damage to the machine or misadventure to herself; she said ok & she asked if 10 am Tuesday would be ok and I agreed; she then chatted on for some time about how she didn't really expect her bid to be the only one about all the other machines she had previously owned; that she had been off work for over 8 months with a very painful back injury; that she embroidered towels , tea towels & face cloths, which she supplied to two shops and also sold her wares at markets; and claimed she now had a Janome MBX4 which she kept & used on a small bench right beside her washing machine in a small tin shed & that you could put any sort of thread in it, even string and it would sew ok and that she never used hoops - she just sewed; then she said that IF she was happy with what she saw, she could pay by PAY-Pal on her mobile phone and I could check that her payment had gone through on my computer while she was loading the machine; I said I would ask the builders to load it AFTER I confirmed receiving her payment; she then said "OK I'll see you at 11 am tomorrow". (not 10 am that she had asked for at the start of the conversation). I told the painters who were still there what had happened and that I was a little uneasy about all the inconsistencies and odd things this person had said and they told me they would contact the builders and to lock up well that night. The builders must have been a bit concerned, too, because the next morning both the builders team and the painters team and the electricians all turned up on deck even though only the builders were scheduled for that day and a police van went cruising down my street (which I have never seen in the years I have been here).
That person never turned up and later I checked my messages to find one from them saying they had decided not to proceed with their purchase.
I then contacted the selling site to tell them the buyer had changed their mind and that although it was wrong of the buyer to have acted that way, I did not see any point in trying to push someone to buy something they did not want; the staff told me that if I cancelled the sale myself so I could re-list it quickly it would go down as a black mark against me for withdrawing from the sale and that the only way to end it was I had to wait 4 days to lodge a no payment case, then wait another 4 days for the no payment case to close and then I will be able to re-list it for sale.
So, for now, my Janome 350E is still with me.
You might say that it has been an interesting experience; it seems that trying to sell something can sometimes be a little complicated and a case of seller-be-ware.
Would any-one really keep their embroidery machine, especially a Janome MB4 in a tin shed in a damp area right alongside their washing machine?

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by cfidl 01 Apr 2016

Please let us know what you end up doing and how it goes. Thanks

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 12 Apr 2016

thanks

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by katydid 31 Mar 2016

You have gotten so many good answers as I do not need to echo." As is" is the proper term. Kay

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks very much.

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by carlson 31 Mar 2016

Sell as is. should be all that is needed.
If you ship it make sure to get insurance on shipping it is definitely worth it as I have gotten a machine that the embroidery arm was dropped while shipping and broken and it was covered because of it

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks; shipping insurance sounds like a good idea.

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by gerryb 31 Mar 2016

You got your answer..no warranty. Lots of good suggestions here. But in my skimming, I only saw one person mention not to let anyone come to your home. PLEASE do NOT let anyone come to see or test the machine! Don't know the site you are using, but there is one well known one that has had some problems. Very dangerous. Even be sure someone is with you when you met them to deliver the machine. Our world isn't what it used to be...I'm a senior citizen too.

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thank-you very much for your advice

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by noah 31 Mar 2016

tell them to take it or leave it it can be sold and worded sold as is!!!hugs

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by rachap 31 Mar 2016

I agree with all the others. If you have a dealer that you have been faithful to and explain your circumstances to them, perhaps they might help you sell it or for a small fee provide you with a statement that as a certain date they inspected the machine and found it to be in good working order, etc. Under no circumstance would I let anyone come into my house Even when you sell it I'd suggest you meet at a neutral site or at least have someone home with you. Better safe than sorry!. .

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by Patricia103 31 Mar 2016

Agree with comments below. Sold As Is.
I would provide the date of the last service too.

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by babash 31 Mar 2016

I would only sell a second hand machine with the wording as is. As we all know embroidery machines can be a bit fragile and you don't know how gentle the person will be using it or even transporting it home for that matter. If it was to tip over in the car something could be damaged (computer wise).
If you do show them how to operate the machine in your home have someone else with you and if possible in an area of the home closed off from the rest of the house. Maybe a closed in verandah or even a garage keeping the house locked.
Remember you are inviting a stranger into your house better to be safe.

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thank-you - sometimes in my enthusiasm to help people I forget to be careful not to put myself in a very vulnerable situation.

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by zoefzoef 31 Mar 2016

Like all the others said: no warranty, and like you even wrote: you don't know how they will tread the machine. You can say that they can test it in your house as long as they want. Make a sort of contract to; in which you put " sold in the condition known by buyer" or something like that. We always do that when we sell things. Good luck with the selling.

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by sdrise 31 Mar 2016

Sell it as is... No warranty... You are not a dealer.. If she wants a warranty let her go to the dealer and buy a new machine for a lot more money. I think sewmum had a good idea to do a video of how it works. If she does not buy it someone else will come along and buy it. Good luck hope you sell it for a good price. !

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by Smokey12 31 Mar 2016

I agree with the others, no warranty. If they want that, then go to a dealer and buy one.

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by airyfairy 31 Mar 2016

Should be sold 'as is'. Hope you get a good price.

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks

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by Sewmum1 30 Mar 2016

I agree with the others. Item is sold as is, no refunds or warranty. If htey want to see it in action before bidding are you able to make a video clip of it working and upload it online. Share a link on the item description so they can view.
I would be hesitant letting someone in my house to demo a machine especially if they have never used one before. It would be unfortunate if they damaged the machine and you would be up for the cost of repair. If they come to your house it would be best for you to just show them how it works.
Good luck with the sale, hope you get a good price

2 comments
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thanks for this advice - (I'm not sure where I would upload a video to or how).

Sewmum1 by Sewmum1 01 Apr 2016

There are a number of place you could do this, I use tinypic. It is free and gives you a link to share so others can view it. just upload the video or picture from your pc and it does the rest for you.

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by dragonflyer 30 Mar 2016

Absolutely do not provide a warranty...you have no control over what happens to the machine after it leave your home...if your seller wants a warranty, have them get one from a dealer...If I were selling, I would demo the machine and if they bought it...I would have a clause in the contract that indicated the buyer demoed the machine and it is sold "as is"...If the seller wants it checked out by a dealer...it should be at the buyers expense...not yours...

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 01 Apr 2016

thank-you

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by bevintex 30 Mar 2016

It sounds as if this potential buyer would use the machine , find some reason they don't like it and expect a full refund, Tell them no warranty is included but they are welcome to test it before buying. Be very careful as who you let into your home if they do want to try it out and make sure you are not alone when they arrive.

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by graceandham 30 Mar 2016

Absolutely not. If they want a warranty, they want new and pricey. What you are offering is good care, good maintenance, and a low price. Also, you want to be through with it financially and not have to keep some of the money to pay for her future repairs and maintenance. .

1 comment
crazystitcher by crazystitcher 30 Mar 2016

Thanks.

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