Tried to buy a "mint condition" vintage turntable off Craigslist and it arrived with the platter held on by duct tape

I saw this ad for a 1970s Technics turntable, seller said it was in "perfect working order" and barely used. Drove 45 minutes to their house in Elgin and when I got there he handed me a cardboard box with the thing rattling around inside. No packing at all. The platter was literally taped to the base with grey duct tape and the lid was cracked in two spots. I asked him about it and he said "well it still spins doesn't it?" I just walked away. Learned to ask for photos of the actual item before driving anywhere.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_henry6d ago

So @richard_roberts80, did the seller at least offer to knock a few bucks off for the "custom duct tape job"? Some people just have no shame, man.

richard_roberts806d ago

The "well it still spins doesn't it?" part got me, because that's exactly the kind of logic that drives me nuts. I read a story online once about a guy who bought a "mint" camera lens and it turned out to be held together with superglue and hope. It's like these people think if the main function works, everything else is just decoration. But duct tape on a turntable platter is next level. That's not "perfect working order" by any stretch, that's "I found this in a garage and didn't want to throw it away." I've learned to always ask for a video of the item running before I go anywhere, and if they get weird about it, I just move on. Saves a lot of gas money and disappointment.