Just bought one, but was it a good idea? i got it for $30…
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Edwards-Fire-Shield-E-FS302G-FireShield-Fire-Alarm-Panel-3-Zone-Bad-Board/322607418879?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2748.l2649
VERY RISKY purchase
If i had to guess, those panels were simply a “board swap” from the field, and any tech on this board would agree.
They could have taken the working board out of the box and replaced it, then put the broken board in the panel, went into storage, somehow the seller got ahold of them, they know nothing about fire alarm equipment and sell it as “new”.
The things that caught my attention in this action, that would make me stay away were the following.
- “BAD BOARD” was written on the box.
- Picture #3, look closely, the panel is dirty, yes it could be from storage, but in my opinion, it was previously installed.
- No full pictures of the inside, nothing shows the circuitry / the actual board.
I would stay away from these types of auctions in the future. Now, if the seller offered returns, and you are willing to go through the hassle of returning it, by all means, get it. In this case, the seller does not offer returns, and the item was sold “AS-IS/UNTESTED”. So if it does not work, well, you are SOL.
Good luck!
To add, should the panel fail to operate as suggested in the listing, as an eBay seller myself, I would ask that you not take it out on the seller. You knew what you were buying, and what you were getting into. eBay could very well hold him liable, and that is simply not ethical.
If you have any doubt as to whether these panels will function, ask to cancel the transaction immediately.
If you got it for only $30, and it’s a working panel, you got a deal. But then, like Samson said, the listing isn’t very clear on the actual condition of the panel. It says “new, unused, unopened, undamaged” but then looking at the pictures, they have clearly been opened and doesn’t help someone wrote “bad board” on the box. And like Samson also said, lack of pictures doesn’t help. So I would say you either got an incredible deal on a working panel or paid just about right for a show piece. You won’t know until you get the thing and power it up. One thing I always did with bad boards is smash them. It’s kind of fun but then again they won’t end up on ebay or being mistaken for a working part.
I would suggest for future purchases, ask questions and request additional pictures. If the buyer doesn’t respond or continues to be vague, walk away. I’ve sold a few things on Ebay and always respond to such requests. I also clearly state “as-is, no returns” - although I did have some knucklehead argue with me over a $6 pair of used speakers I sold to him. I had right in the listing they were used, untested, sold as-is, but he claimed they were blown when he got them. Untrue because I actually did test them before I listed them and they were fine. I think he either damaged them himself when he got them or was looking for a freebie. As far as I know he never filed a claim. So yeah, there is always those buyers, or sellers, to watch out for.
I need a cabinet anyways, so if it doesn’t work yay i got myself a cabinet, if it does work, i got a hella good deal.
If you are buying it for the cabinet then you really should pay a lot less since that price is the cost of both the cabinet AND the panel.