ebay scam? How can a parcel with an Agilent 34401A weigh just 3kgs?

[not1xor1]

Hi,

I ordered an Agilent 34401A from South Korea.
The seller has 100% feedback and during several years has sold other expensive equipment so I thought I could trust him even if the item was sold at just 175 US$.

The first UPS tracking number he provided was referred to an 8kgs parcel, but then it was cancelled.

A few days ago he provided a new tracking number and it looks like UPS collected the parcel, but now the parcel weight, as reported by UPS, is just 3kgs which looks quite suspicious since the Agilent manual reports a weight of 3.6kgs.

I know I can get a full refund from ebay, but I should anyway spend money and time for customs handling and do not want to do that for some piece of trash. 

I tried to get in touch with the seller but didn't get any reply so far.

Did anybody run into this before? Any advice?

thanks

[Jon.C]

I bought the same  ( had 4 units for sale )

we have to wait

[not1xor1]

I bought the same  ( had 4 units for sale )

we have to wait

a trouble shared is a trouble halved ... let's hope for the best... 

[alm]

Maybe the 3kg figure is one that the seller put on the shipping label, not an actual measured weight? It seems like an awfully round number for something that was measured. Either that, or the seller put in a precise number of bricks .

[anotherlin]

Already happened to me, the seller probably just want to save on shipping so he declared a lower weight.
It's just amazing that shipping companies don't automatically double check the weights of the packages.
Wait until the package arrives, if you paid using PayPal, you should be well protected.

[testpoint]

from the feedback you will know there is few scam in ebay, you try to sell something in ebay you will know, hard to list, many limitation

[Jon.C]

I promise to upload photos of my brick   

[pmcouto]

It's just amazing that shipping companies don't automatically double check the weights of the packages.

Of course they do!

UPS not only checks the weight but also the volumetric weight of every parcel they process.
This is done automatically by their parcel processing machines. You would be amazed to see how fast this is done!
Keep in mind that the vast majority of parcels come from customers with an account (contract).
Regardless of what customer declared as size and weight, they will charge customer’s account according to the information they have from their machines (real weight or volumetric weight, whichever is greater).

Tracking information probably shows what the customer declared, not what they measured/weighted.

[edavid]

It's just amazing that shipping companies don't automatically double check the weights of the packages.

Of course they do!

UPS not only checks the weight but also the volumetric weight of every parcel they process.
This is done automatically by their parcel processing machines. You would be amazed to see how fast this is done!
Keep in mind that the vast majority of parcels come from customers with an account (contract).
Regardless of what customer declared as size and weight, they will charge customer’s account according to the information they have from their machines (real weight or volumetric weight, whichever is greater).

In my experience, UPS will also hit the shipper with a rerating charge.
FedEx just charges the corrected amount, which is handy if you want to ship something and don't have a scale available.  Just put a 1 pound label on it.
Also, FedEx will reduce the charges if the label weight is too high, but I think UPS keeps the extra money.

Tracking information probably shows what the customer declared, not what they measured/weighted.

Yes, it can take quite a while for the rerating to get through the system.

[Gyro]

Lighter, non-original packaging? Shipped without manuals and leads maybe?

The original 8kg sounds a bit on the heavy side.

Was the Agilent figure equipment weight or shipped weight?

[Jon.C]

Gyro

is only the unit

[Gyro]

Ah, that's going to be a neat trick then! 

[not1xor1]

Hi, an update

I got a reply from the seller:
Hi sir,
don't worry
AGILENT 34401A you ordered wrapped correctly.
However, it shows the weight lowered to reduce a little postage

at the moment the 34401A I ordered, according to UPS, is in Alaska:
Anchorage,  AK,  United States, local time 17/07/2017 15:59

BTW, Jon.C., how much did you pay for it?

[Jon.C]

for UPS  Andorra is a "remote country"   



 

[Jon.C]

 

[Jon.C]

updates 

[not1xor1]

updates 

it looks like a new edition of Jules Verne's Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours 

[Jon.C]

updates 

it looks like a new edition of Jules Verne's Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours 

   or more

[Nusa]

Gotta love it taking the long way around the world. It is moving quickly, for all that.

[Asmyldof]

Seems to me like all courier companies are still all upside down after this hacking thing.
You'd think a company this reliant on the computer systems working properly for maximum profit would have hired the best available people/teams to fix their systems by now.

[not1xor1]

According to the last update my 34401A is already in my country (Italy) and should be delivered tomorrow in the afternoon, but I won't be surprised if they deliver it on Monday or even Tuesday

we'll see who get his first... although being first is not the most important thing in this case   

[Jon.C]

Hi

It is possible that they will deliver it to me tomorrow

[Jon.C]

not1xor1


future photo of content       






.
.
.
it's a joke ....

[not1xor1]

not1xor1


future photo of content       

no, please, not another brick in the wall... 
now it is out for delivery
if they find my home (sometimes they have problems because of another street with the same name), later I'll be able to post a picture of the actual brick 

[Jon.C]

The Agilent 34401A most adventurous in the history of mankind   

[Jon.C]

When Dave starts shipping 121GW from Australia we will see where it comes from...   

[Bill158]

The Agilent 34401A most adventurous in the history of mankind   

My younger brother flies cargo 757s, as a plane captain, for United Parcel Service "UPS".  It is obvious UPS is the package carrier for this item.  He lives in Anchorage AK and routinely flies from Anchorage to Korea, Taiwan and places in the Far East.  He will also fly from Louisville KY to as far as Istanbul Turkey.  He got stuck in Istanbul for 4 days after "9/11".  From what I understand when talking to him, UPS does NOT want to fly the Far East to Europe route for a LOT of reasons, including what happened to MH17 that got shot down over the Ukraine.  Plus UPS has most of it's maintenance and sorting facilities in the USA because that is where UPS got started many many years ago.  Louisville is the MAIN hub.  So I hope this explains why your 34401A seems to have taken the "long" route to get to you.  This is UPS's strategy and it works.  I hope you DON'T get a "brick".
Bill

[not1xor1]

The brick has landed 

The parcel is something more than 4.2kgs:




The brick looks like a real Agilent made in Malaysia:





There is also a sort of 4wire adapter, but the Kelvin clips are missing



Now I'll open it to check if everything looks fine inside, then will see if it works.
I'll let you know later.

P.S. they did not even charge me any customs duties, handling fees or VAT (multimeters from South Korea to Europe should pay just VAT).

[Jon.C]

Bill158  , Thank you very much for this explanation, certainly very interesting


not1xor1  Congratulations !!!!       Mine think I'll have it on monday   

The display looks bright?

[not1xor1]

not1xor1  Congratulations !!!!       Mine think I'll have it on monday   

The display looks bright?

Warning!!!
It was set for 100VAC supply.

BTW Agilent manual states that one has to use the 220VAC setting for 230VAC (Europe standard supply voltage).

I held down the Shift key while switching the multimeter on to perform a full self test with PASS as result. 

The display is a bit dim, but still quite readable. Probably it is 10-15 years old.
There is a 2003 in the middle of a long code number on a sticker inside, but I've no idea if this has any relation to the manufacture date.

I tested a few voltages and 0.1% resistors. I got the feeling it is a few tenths of ppm off.
But I do not have any new calibrated instrument to compare it with, apart an older Fluke 8842A which agrees by one digit with one of those cheap voltage references sold on ebay (the one with handwritten sticker).

Besides that the multimeter was quite hot, probably 30-35°C when I unboxed it.

I'll make more tests tomorrow, but that might better fit in a different section of the forum. 

Update
the local courier (delivery was not handled directly by UPS) called me and told I had to pay 57.63€ for customs expenses...
a bit more than I expected but the total cost is still around 100€ less than the average ebay price for items in such good condition

[Jon.C]

Ladies and Gentlemen ....

the brick !!!!






not bad








I'm waiting for this week a more serious voltage reference

[Brumby]

Ladies and Gentlemen ....

the brick !!!!






not bad

Very nice.

[not1xor1]

Ladies and Gentlemen ....

the brick !!!!

yours looks better than mine

The one I got has a faint display with some segment more bright than others (it doesn't look so in the photo below).
It is still perfectly usable though.



The most annoying problem is that it is off by an average of 200µVs (the 2 LSDs) when switched on, and of about 300µVs after warm up.

The cal menu displays 35 calibrations and 25 jan 2004 as calibration message.
Since I found 2003 on the stickers on the PCBs, when I opened the case, I suppose it was produced at the end of 2003 and calibrated multiple times during burning in before being sold and then never calibrated again.

If I short the inputs with a thick copper wire the 2 LSDs still flicker, but so does the last LSD of the old Fluke 8842A (5-1/2 digits) I got a few months ago.

Now, after having switched the display off (menu -> sys -> display -> off -> enter), I'm keeping the multimeter on for a couple of days just to check voltage/resistance measure drift.

[edpalmer42]

You can get the approximate production date for any piece of HP equipment from the serial number.  The four digit prefix gives you the number of years from 1960 and the week.  So if the serial number started with 2645, it would be 1986, week 45.

Ed

[alm]

That is the date of the last design change. Actual production date could be a decade later. It does set a lower bound. In my opinion semiconductor date codes are a better guide.

[Specmaster]

The one I got has a faint display with some segment more bright than others (it doesn't look so in the photo below).
It is still perfectly usable though.

Apparently that type of display has known problems after a few years of use, particularly if they have been treated in the normal lab fashion of being left switched on all day long while not actually being used. Is it really required to be that precise with measurements that makes it worth sacrificing longevity of the display for as opposed to switching it on when required and switching off to conserve power and equipment?

[Nusa]

The one I got has a faint display with some segment more bright than others (it doesn't look so in the photo below).
It is still perfectly usable though.

Apparently that type of display has known problems after a few years of use, particularly if they have been treated in the normal lab fashion of being left switched on all day long while not actually being used. Is it really required to be that precise with measurements that makes it worth sacrificing longevity of the display for as opposed to switching it on when required and switching off to conserve power and equipment?

If the users didn't have a perceived need (justified or not) for that kind of accuracy, they wouldn't bother buying such an expensive and precise meter in the first place.