Will Harry Get Burned on Ebay for $600?

I purchased a chipper/shredder on ebay. I broke several of my standard ebay rules and may or may not get burned. Here is the story.

I wanted a chipper/shredder to help clean up the woods out back. Buddy George suggested I get a chipper/shredder and it made sense so I started a search. Buddy GB in NC kept telling me about his chipper that he uses on his estate. Chippers in the the 10HP range sell for $1000 to $2000. I did not want to pay that.

I searched ebay - and there were several Troy Bilt 10 HP chippers. Troy Bilt was bought out by another company and some liquidators were selling the units for $899 plus $200 shipping - about $1100.

I went to the local Honda mower dealer and asked for a chipper. They said they did not sell them anymore - but they used to sell a Troy Bilt 10 HP unit that was very good - but then Troy Bilt went out of business. The Honda dealer said if I could get my hands on one - I should buy it.

I started bidding on Troy Bilt chippers on ebay - but kept getting outbid. Finally - I e-mailed a guy with a new Troy Bilt Chipper still in the box - unused. I offered him $600 for it including shipping and tax. We gave each other our addresses and phone numbers and made a few contacts. He wanted more money - and Nancy er I would not budge. We went back and forth for 4 hours while watching the Duke game last night on the computer. Our e-mails would pop up right on the screen during the game.

The seller has an excellent ebay rating. He lives in Los Angeles - he buys surplus shipments - the unit is in Miami. At 10 PM - he finally accepted my offer. So I got an $1100 new chipper - for $600. We both had paypal accounts so I already paid him and he got my money. I am on the hook.

I did break several of my self-imposed rules when dealing through ebay -
1. I bought the item - off ebay - that is he cancelled the sale and sold it to me. This means if the sale goes bad - I have no help from ebay getting my money.
2. I paid up front.
3. I trust this guy.

I checked out the guy's references. His paypal account is a premier account just like mine. He sounded very good on the phone. He checked out my web log and saw a picture of the FSU girls softball team - and told me he was a Division I Umpire and he worked several games last spring when FSU played USC out there in LA. He was able to identify girls in the picture without having their names listed. I know it is not a lot to hang a $600 sale on - but I did.

He said he will ship the chipper from Miami on Tuesday and I should get it Thursday. I will be waiting patiently until then six days from today. Countdown clock coming

I know a lot of you are interested in ebay. I have made 180 deals on ebay and not one has gone bad. This is the first time I am exposing myself to such a big risk. I do not suggest you try this at home. I just wanted to tell the facts up front. If the deal goes bad - a lot of people will be telling me I told you so.