The day started with a call from AAA Trucking. They called from the warehouse on the west side of town to say there was a package to be picked up. So George and I hopped into the camper with the hitch carrier on the back and off we went to AAA Trucking. When we got there - the guy used a fork lift to load this big factory sealed box onto the carrier.
After we got home - George and I were busily unloading the booty. We opened the box to find the 10HP Troybilt Chipper/Shredder that I bought "off ebay." After careful unpacking to make sure there was no damage - we added oil to the crankcase and gasoline to the fuel tank. After reading the instructions - I flipped on the choke and gave the rope a half-hearted pull. To George's and my surprise - it started right up like it had been running all day. We were so delighted with ourselves. George saw a branch laying on the ground and said, "Let me get a picture of the first one."
You may recall about two weeks ago I saw the chipper on ebay. It was being sold by Greg Germansky of Los Angeles. The retail price with shipping was $1099 plus tax. I made Greg an offer of $600 to take it off ebay and send it to me - shipping included. He said if we can do the deal in the next hour - he would accept. I "paypaled" the money to him - he said he would ship the chipper after he came home from a trip. The chipper was stored in a federal warehouse in Miami. I think Greg buys bulk lots of equipment and then sells them off piecemeal.
I have been very lucky buying things on ebay. But this sale was different. "Off Ebay" is when you make a side offer without the protection of ebay. You send the payment sight unseen and trust the seller to send you the product. Greg was a good seller - he emailed and called me often to make sure I was aware what was going on.
Now I have no excuses left for cleaning up the back yard and lake front. I hope you enjoyed my "off ebay" sale.
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