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Anyone have a favorite EBAY Garrett seller?

G

GimmieThe Loot

Member
Howdy everyone. I'm about to buy my first MD and am going to get the ACE 250 since it seems to be a pretty solid beginner MD. I checked with local dealers by me but after taxes and whatnot, eBay is going to save me about $100. I see quite a few sellers with very high feedback but was wondering if there is a favorite among the group here? Someone who might be able to help in case the thing breaks or something... any thoughts?

Thanks!
Jason
 
Definitely Kellyco.com! Just about everyone on here that buys on-line, buys from Kellyco. You can't beat there sales and their customer service. I have bought personally from them for a couple of years and I have never had a problem. You can even call them day or night with questions and you talk to an experienced metal detectorist! My vote is Kellyco.:garrett:
 
A & S Company at www.detection.com is where I buy my stuff. He throws in free shipping on orders over 50 to 100.00 bucks.
 
You're likely to get as many opinions as there are detectors on the market but, to be armed with the right information, you need to know 'all' the information. I, like so many others, have purchased the Garrett Ace 250 and, for what it is, it was a good investment. However, with the knowledge I have today, I would not recommend anyone begin the hobby with the cheapest of the detectors, regardless of manufacture. What I would recommend is that you purchase a middle of the line detector, if funds permit you to do so. The reason for this is that at some point in time you'll want to 'Upgrade' and it's expensive to do so. Allow me to give you an example: rather than purchasing the Ace 250, you may be much better off buying the GTA 550. Yes...it's more expensive but you will likely hunt with it many years before upgrading to say the GTI 2500. If you purchase the Ace 250, which is nose heavy, and then upgrade, you will have spend an additional $212 - to - $250 dollars more than had you begun with the next detector in the line-up and stuck with that particular detector for a number of years before purchasing the top-of-the-line unit. I hope this helps.
 
I don't find that to be true. The 250 isn't cheap ( in price only ) when you consider all the features it offers. I have been in this hobby for 45 years and own just about every Garrett plus other brands and I leave the house most often with the 250. I find it performs as well or better than many detectors costing hundreds of dollars more.

Bill
 
I have purchased from Kellyco in the past with no problems. I have also purchased from other US multiline dealers, with again no problem. Any service work I had to do I dealt with myself. Best recommendation? Call and get quotes. Sometimes buying close to home will work in your favor for support.
 
BUY AN E TRAC , I BOUGHT HE ACE 150 5 MONTHS AGO THEN 2 WEEKS LATER I GOT THE ACE 250 CAUSE OF THE PINPOINTER AND THE EXTRAS, 2 MONTHS LATER I GOT THE GTI 1500 , MY POINT IS THIS IS A VERY VERY ADDICTED HOBBY SO CHOOSE CORRECTLY OR IS GOINT TO COST U.
 
If you are just getting into metal detecting I would buy from a known dealer. Someone maybe on this forum or has been around for a while. Buying a Ace 250 from a known dealer, you could always check back with them for advice. If you try the hobby for a while and do not like it the Ace 250 is an easy sell.
Buying from someone on E bay, they might not even know how to put the batteries in right, much less help you after a sale.
 
This is a little off subject, but it is something folks should consider when buying anything.

I purchased a Mine Labs Explorer S from an estate sale. I was told it did not work, and it didn't. The batteries had been left in for who knows how long. Once I disassembled the unit, I made a list of what I needed. I had (and still have) a report with KellyCo, but without part numbers, they couldn't help me. I sent an e-mail to Mine Labs USA. After 10 days, I sent another. Still no answer. I called them, and during normal business hours, the phone was not answered. I was beginning to wonder. So, I sent an e-mail to their home office. That e-mail elicited a response from the ML USA, advising me to send it in for repair. Having all the equipment to work on things of this nature, including surface mounted technology tools, I returned the e-mail again asking for part numbers. No response.

I then decided to call Australia. I was put on hold for nearly 15 minutes, and then hung up on. A second call finally got me to the head of customer service. Lots of apologies, and I did get the part numbers I ask for. I also got two e-mails from the General Manager of the USA operation, and eventually a telephone call from both the US branch, and the folks from Australia. The former once again asking me to send it in for repair, and the latter making sure the USA branch called me back (they didn't, they just e-mailded me).

I finally located the parts (KellyCo didn't have them in stock), and I managed to repair one part. It took me about 3 hours of bench time. It now works as it should, but it took me nearly a month to get the answers I needed.

I also purchased a used Ace 250 from the same estate. The coil was damaged beyond repair. Although out of warranty, I did get a lower cost than I would have had to pay from a dealer directly from Garrett. Funny thing, however. I didn't receive the coil, and I added that comment to an e-mail about a whole new issue. Unexpectedly, I got a phone call from Garrett apologizing for the delay. I could wait, or I could receive a demo 9x12, which I opted for. I have ask several other questions of Garrett, and received replies almost immediately.

I am sure there are other manufacturers with very good service as well. And I'm also sure there are some as bad as Mine Labs was with me. The whole point being, if you're going to spend big bucks (to some, $200 is very big bucks), it pays to buy products which can be serviced, not only at the dealer, but at the manufacturer as well. Since almost everyone has a web site, telephone, and an e-mail address, contact is easy. If you don't get answers in a reasonable length of time, I'd think long and hard about that brand and/or dealer.

Alan Applegate
 
I bought all my detectors at Ebay. Fact is, You only purchase from a seller on Ebay, If you have problems with your detector, its sent to the manufacture . It will be the same no matter where you buy it. If you buy a new one from the dealer on the corner, and it has a problem, once you've registered the warrenty, it goes to Garrett or whomever. Dealers send them in also. Every dealer has their particular deal. You might get a hat and a coil cover from one dealer, maybe a pouch and digging tools from another. On Ebay, the 212.00 ace 250 offer is a little different from each dealer, same for the Ace 150 for 152.00. Its the same at Kellyco, plus Kellyco offers a pinpointer for 20 bucks with their deals. Only difference is Kellyco is a large dealership, and most of the dealers on Ebay are folks just like you and I, just trying to turn over a buck! In fact, Kellyco also sells on Ebay, along with almost every other MD dealer in the US if not the world.Going with Ebay, only saves you about 8 - 10 bucks, mostly you save on shipping.
I say buy it were you can get it the quickest. Ordered online, its about a week to the house, no matter who is sending it to you.
As far as the quality of the detector, its a GARRETT, no matter where it comes from it got the 2 year coverage providing you register it.
 
I have always bought my detectors from local (within a 100 miles) dealers. If you are new to the hobby then you might appreciate the one on one attention. In addition to the detector, the dealer will have a full line of accessories like sand scoops and diggers. I have always paid around what I would have paid via ebay. Here in New England, there are quite a few good full line distributors. You can take the detector with you and you can compare different models and brands too. I think it's worth paying a few bucks more to by at an actual store. Just my .02 cents

Faticaticus
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I ended up getting a 250 from Kellyco. So far the service has been good and I should have it in a few more days! Only complaint is that I also wanted to buy the bigger coil and even though the shipping on the MD was free, I still had to pay 10 bucks to ship the coil. Why couldn't it have been put in the same box? Anyways, I decided against the coil for now but will probably end up buying it in the future once I figure out if I'm addicted to detecting!
 
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