On Sat, 8 Jun 2013 11:26:39 -0400, "Robert Green"
wrote:

"Danny D" wrote in message
stuff snipped
I don't (yet) know how to choose bearings, but, having taken quite
a few economics & marketing classes, I find it hard to believe that
the pool store $18 bearing is really the best bearing.

It's probably the highest price the market will 'bear.' (Sorry, too hard to
resist!)

As you have indicated, you find all the information you can about what you
need, search and then evaluate the options.

Ebay's cheap but there's a lot of junk being sold on Ebay that's mislabeled,
misrepresented or worse. Some 2500mAH AA NiMHs I bought from Ebay measured
out to be 500mAH batteries. A Formula One bracelet charm I got for my wife
had an "authenticity certificate" but it was hilariously fraudulent and the
item was not licensed by F1. CCTV cameras that say "Sony" in the listing
heading actually (if you're lucky) merely contain a Sony DSP chip but are
made by some fly-by-night company.

The problem I would have buying bearings from Ebay is that you really don't
know if they are counterfeit and made from metal that will not stand up to
prolonged use. The AA batteries were a real eye-opener for me. They were
deliberately marked fraudulenty with a clear intent to deceive. But they
were cheap. Too cheap. That should have been the tip-off.

The latest example of Ebay fraud at work was a Kree flashlight they
advertised on their Daily Deals page that wasn't a Kree but a cheap
knock-off that didn't even work. There was no way, without destroying the
unit, to even verify that there was at least a Kree LED in the flashlight.
So in such cases you have to depend on the honor of the seller. That mostly
rules out Ebay. (-:

It was likely a "Kree" instead of a "cree"

So I am not surprised that they list your bearing for $2. I would be
surprised if it's any good.

I'd NEVER buy simple parts like bearings online when there is a choice
of 5 or six bearing supply houses in any decent sized city that can
SHOW you the bearing before you buy it, and tell you exactly what
brand, number, and class of bearing it is. They can even explain the
difference between classes and tell you which bearing is the better
bearing for your use without going overboard. If there is no bearing
or industrial supply conveniently close, call one from reasonably
close and have them drop the bearing in the mail or deliver it on the
next truck they have coming your way - even if it means having them
drop it off at the local farm equipment dealer, machine shop, or
who-ever buys regularly from them. You pay by credit card over the
phone, and pick it up at the drop-off point.

I have to agree with Trader about Amazon. If I get something counterfeit or
misrepresented by the seller, Amazon makes good on it right away and sends a
postage-paid return label. Amazon really laced into the vendor selling 18
gauge speaker wire as 14 gauge and gave me full credit for the item. Their
customer service is astounding, especially compared to Ebay. Prices are
generally higher, as vendors obviously factor in the cost of providing the
level of support Amazon demands, but as they say, you get what you pay for.
For anything serious, I tend to shy away from Ebay.

Recently I needed a locator "beeper" for my keys and my two Roombas that
tend to die under beds and in other hard-to-find places. The major
difference between Amazon and Ebay became clear to me. Amazon lists product
reviews alongside the item. I could quickly tell that the cheap locators
had no range and that buyers were generally unhappy with them so I went for
a more expensive item that had much more positive reviews. Works great!
You can sort of do the same thing combing through Ebay's feedback, but it's
not nearly as simple or useful.

Oh, I forgot the wheelchair lift I bought from Ebay that was infested with
bugs. Apparently it was sitting in someone's damp, moldy garage for years
and remained unopened before being shipped to me. The infestation was SO
bad the item was ruined. And yet Ebay wanted me to pay for return shipping
of a very heavy item.

I countered saying if it was a brick and mortar sale, I would have inspected
the package, found the damage to the box and insisted on opening it before
paying for it. Eventually, they gave me a gift certificate equal to the
return shipping, but not until I wasted a lot of time photographing the
damage, writing up the issue and saying I was going to post it to a consumer
website. The seller *had* to have seen the insect damage to the box and
shipped it anyway. So if it's a bearing whose failure could cause serious
collateral damage, I'd go somewhere other than Ebay and choose a vendor with
a reputation for quality and good customer service.