520STFM off ebay arrives bashed in transit

[svenski]

My £1.00 Atari 520STFM (ebay) arrived today. The seller had listed it untested. It arrived today in a more or less Atari ST sized box with the ST, cables and disks loose inside, no bubble wrap or internal packing/padding.

 

I got it out, and the ST and mouse look in good cosmetic condition, like they've seen little use. Then I notice the drive eject button looks out of alignment a bit and then I notice there is a crack just above the keyboard, right hand side.

 

Looking at it a bit more seriously now, not in trying to do 20 things at once mode, it is obvious the thing has been dropped on its side. This could have happened before it was listed or quite possibly during shipping given the fact there was no packing in the box.

 

What do I do next?, the seller lost money due to postage and ebay fees, I've lost about £12 total, is it worth the hassle contacting the seller and asking for money back - they'll probably want me to return it etc, etc.

 

Do I try and contact them?, or just leave neutral or negative feedback?

 

I expected the ST to go pop when I turned it on, but it boots up fine, although I'm getting the "drive not responding" error every time.

 

Moving on, does anyone know where I can get a replacement internal drive from?, cheap, in the UK. I can fix the crack above the keyboard with some superglue and it will be hardly noticeable.

 

I've tried 16/32 but Nick's store isn't coming up again.

 

Sorry for so many questions. On one side I'm thinking it isn't worth the hassle but on the other I'm a bit miffed that a potentially very good condition ST has been wrecked by someone not being bothered to pack properly.

[The_Laird]

I would just keep it and leave bad feedback with regards to the packing.

 

I am having no problems at all with Nicks store and never do. I suggest you email him - its just [email protected]

[svenski]

I would just keep it and leave bad feedback with regards to the packing.

 

I am having no problems at all with Nicks store and never do. I suggest you email him - its just [email protected]

 

Cheers mate, will send him an email.

[Albert]

Since you got it for 12 pounds shipped and it does boot up, I would keep it and try to replace the internal drive (or possibly repair it). I would leave negative feedback for the seller, though, due to the poor packaging. It's possible the machine was perfectly fine (working drive, no crack) before it was shipped. I'm sure the seller was disappointed it sold only for a pound, but that's no excuse for using no packing materials inside the box.

 

..Al

[+orpheuswaking]

When my STe drive went out I ordered a replacement here

 

http://www.st-freakz.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=43&Itemid=64

It's not an original, and it does take a small case mod, however it works great.

[svenski]

When my STe drive went out I ordered a replacement here

 

http://www.st-freakz.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=43&Itemid=64

It's not an original, and it does take a small case mod, however it works great.

 

Thanks for the link, if I can't get an original replacement (which is looking doubtful) then I'll definitely give this a shot.

[The_Laird]

The ST Freakz guy was at Jagfest this year so I can recommend him too

[+orpheuswaking]

When my STe drive went out I ordered a replacement here

 

http://www.st-freakz...id=43&Itemid=64

It's not an original, and it does take a small case mod, however it works great.

 

Thanks for the link, if I can't get an original replacement (which is looking doubtful) then I'll definitely give this a shot.

 

 

You can find original drives on Ebay, but the cost is prohibitive and who's to say how long they will last? The ST-Freakz drive is Dirt cheap

[svenski]

Yeah, I've noticed that.

 

I'm hoping Nick at 16/32 might have a spare , if not then it is a case of case cutting.

 

I've got at the drive and since looking at it menacingly it has started to read a disk every so often but usually fails with a disk may be damaged message or doesn't get that far and tells me "drive not responding".

[+wood_jl]

When my STe drive went out I ordered a replacement here

 

http://www.st-freakz...id=43&Itemid=64

It's not an original, and it does take a small case mod, however it works great.

 

Thanks for the link, if I can't get an original replacement (which is looking doubtful) then I'll definitely give this a shot.

 

 

You can find original drives on Ebay, but the cost is prohibitive and who's to say how long they will last? The ST-Freakz drive is Dirt cheap

 

I ordered 3 of these puppies from stfreakz - or I think it's "atarifreakz" on Ebay. Nice fellow, whoever he is. Very pleasant to deal with, and the price is certainly agreeable as well.

 

Replacement Atari-branded/sourced mechs are $75 (!!!!!!!!) at Best Electronics. I thought about it for a moment, and then decided it was so expensive I'd be afraid to ever use it. So I took the same money and ordered 3 from atarifreaks. I won't mind letting 'er grind on a few disks now.

[nathanallan]

At that price I would only leave a neg because of the shipping. That was a great price for a machine that boots up, definitely. I have paid close to that for machines that don't boot up just for parts, but there is no excuse for poor packing.

[svenski]

It looks like the drive was serviced in 1990 so the drive could have been flaky anyway.

 

Apart from the manual I've got two addendum inside one relating to Rainbow TOS and one relating to the STE . Was this normal?

[Christos]

Just get any pc floppy that allows you to change the D0/D1 setting either through a jumper or a switch. Sony mpf920's work fine (that's what I use). I guess cosmetic condition isn't so much of a consideration now.

[OldAtarian]

This will make you feel better

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB686oOET4k

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcIOy6XcM3s

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUtbuCpjt00

[neo_rg]

Was this the auction where it's also mentioned 'spares or repair' ?

a link to the auction might help, also the buyer can claim from the

post office for items damaged in transit. Seeing as the value of

the item was only £1 I doubt you'll get much joy.

[svenski]

Was this the auction where it's also mentioned 'spares or repair' ?

a link to the auction might help, also the buyer can claim from the

post office for items damaged in transit. Seeing as the value of

the item was only £1 I doubt you'll get much joy.

 

Hi,

 

The ST was simply listed as untested - powered up ok , but that was as far as he went.

 

There is no point claiming for the value, like you mentioned, and no point in paying to return it either.

 

Just a shame as it is a nice looking ST, very clean, no yellowing etc, but with a new drive and a bit of superglue it should be as good as new.

[+wood_jl]

Just a shame as it is a nice looking ST, very clean, no yellowing etc, but with a new drive and a bit of superglue it should be as good as new.

 

Consider the application of epoxy, on the inside of the case where it won't be seen.

 

There is no end to the things that I have repaired with J-B Weld, which is simply a kind of thick epoxy. You can build it up with multiple layers. Make sure you've cleaned all surfaces to be bonded with something like 91% isopropyl and a paper towel. The stuff will also run some before it hardens.

[mimo]

Think I may have a spare Sony drive that I set to D0, send me a pm if u are interested

[svenski]

Thanks Preppie, I'm holding out for a replacement original drive if Nick can find one, otherwise I'll send you a PM.

 

On another note, another 520STFM arrived today. Wish I could say packing was much better, box just filled with crap to fill it up. Looks in one piece but also looks like it has been down a coal mine, so cleaning it up at the minute . This one was sold as working so fingers crossed.

[mimo]

Thanks Preppie, I'm holding out for a replacement original drive if Nick can find one, otherwise I'll send you a PM.

 

On another note, another 520STFM arrived today. Wish I could say packing was much better, box just filled with crap to fill it up. Looks in one piece but also looks like it has been down a coal mine, so cleaning it up at the minute . This one was sold as working so fingers crossed.

 

well the cases and keyboards can look a whole lot better after a trip through the dishwasher (avoiding the drying cycle!) and Retr0bright will finish the process and get it looking like new http://retrocomputermuseum.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2241.msg26414#msg26414

[oky2000]

If it was dropped hard enough to cause such damage then the box would be severely crushed and would be obvious.

 

Personally if it sold for a quid then I wouldn't really spend more than 10 seconds boxing it up if it is untested too. Mind you I am not stupid enough to either list heavy items up for a quid OR send stuff without sufficient insurance to cover any damage too

 

Not so sure about leaving negative unless you specifically asked him to pack it with bubble wrap and basically cover yourself either. If people start leaving negative then all that happens is people don't list up STs for £1/$1 and WE as a community lose not the seller who probably paid more in paypal fees on postage than the £1 for the sale of the ST on ebay remember. Let's face it only a hobo skinflint would be unhappy with an ST that looks clean and tidy and is complete for £1 regardless of if it worked. Think of it as for spares or repairs really

[svenski]

If it was dropped hard enough to cause such damage then the box would be severely crushed and would be obvious.

 

Not necessarily, which is why many companies try and get away with a clause in their terms of sale saying you must inspect a package before signing for it.

 

Personally if it sold for a quid then I wouldn't really spend more than 10 seconds boxing it up if it is untested too. Mind you I am not stupid enough to either list heavy items up for a quid OR send stuff without sufficient insurance to cover any damage too

 

OK, no gold star for you . As for bubble wrap etc I'm sure most people when they buy something expect it to be packed adequately.

 

Let's face it only a hobo skinflint would be unhappy with an ST that looks clean and tidy and is complete for £1 regardless of if it worked. Think of it as for spares or repairs really

 

Not quite a hobo skinflint

[OldAtarian]

Was this the auction where it's also mentioned 'spares or repair' ?

a link to the auction might help, also the buyer can claim from the

post office for items damaged in transit. Seeing as the value of

the item was only £1 I doubt you'll get much joy.

 

True. There's no point in even paying for insurance if the purchase price is below the actual replacement value as they won't reimburse you for more than the price paid plus the shipping. You'd never get back enough to cover the repairs so you'd still be out of pocket even after an insurance claim.

[jens]

About your floppy issues:

You can use any PC floppy as a replacement if you also use a PC floppy cable which is crossed.

[Atari_Only]

Ive seen STs make it using UPS, USPS, and Fedex with no packing material what so ever when they were shipped to me. I have bought units that looked great only to remove the case for cleaning to find out the case is brittle. So I started removinf the tops and flexing them to see if they are any good. I have 6 STs with no tops because the tops were crap. Flex your broken top to see if its brittle.

 

AO