Sergers on ebay?

Pretty much junk. If you do buy one tie a rope on the dealer so you might be able to get parts when you need them, and you will.

I got a Viking Huskylock off eBay a year ago, for just a little over $100. It was a 234D model, quite a bit older but it runs nice and strong. 4 spool, differential. The seller kept it in very good shape.

Now, the only disappointment was that the model I received looked absolutely nothing like the one they listed on eBay. It was dark blue instead of light blue. So, if a seller lists a scan of a serger ad (as mine was), ask them if that is the exact model, color, accessory that is being sold. Also, ask if there are any chips, cracks as well if it's not mentioned. (I dunno if this is normal, but the door to my serger swings open too easily, so it makes me think a piece of the door was cracked off)

For the price I got it for, I wasn't going to complain but I was a bit bummed initially. I had wanted the serger to match my sewing machine in the same colorway, the perfectionist that I am... :)

That's kinda what I figured, since the prices on em were so low. It's just getting frustrating... I've been looking in SM shops lately (and they aren't all that local, either) and it's like no one hears me when I say I'm interested in their trade-ins, that I want a decent machine but can't spend a lot of money. ("But ma'am, wouldn't you prefer this $3kajillion machine that does everything including making your morning coffee?") And I don't know how everybody seems to find great deals on ebay, because everything I've been seen is either junk, like those sergers, or the price gets driven up higher than I'd pay. Even the thrift shops I haunt have been completely lacking lately.

Thanks for your answer, though! :)

Cina (who really only wants a basic serger and a machine with a few good zigzag-type stitches)

See, now that's the kind of deal I'd like to find!

I hadn't thought of that... I've seen a lot of auctions where the pics and descriptions are straight from the brochure. I understand why you'd be annoyed (the color thing would bug me too!), and I'll keep it in mind if I decide to bid on any. I've already learned from past auctions to ask questions about everything I bid on... if nothing else, you learn that if the seller doesn't respond to your question before the auction ends, he probably won't respond if you have a problem afterward, either.

Thanks for the tips!

Cina

Re: Sergers on ebay? It's just getting frustrating... I've been looking in SM shops lately (and they aren't all that local, either)

Even the thrift shops I haunt have been completely lacking lately. Cina

It could have been the timing altho I remember there was a bidding war during the last minutes (I hate that, I'm already anxious to begin with!!) -- certain auctions happen during holidays when most people are on vacation -- nobody is looking at the auctions. That's a good time to jump in.

Exactly! No response is definitely a bad sign. I've had some really pleasant experiences with some of the fabric sellers on eBay. I'm usually a repeat bidder on their items. Whether they know it or not depends on whether or not I win their auction! :P

LOL! The dealer I went to tried that on me. I went in there looking for the cheapest model and he wanted to demonstrate the most expensive... an 8 thread baby lock .

I didn't find any good deals on sergers on eBay either. I found the best deal on Amazon.com of all places. They actually had a better price than anyone else ( including eBay) for the model I finally chose. I went with the simplicity frontier sl 390. It was under $250, brand new, with warranty, and had free shipping. It's been fine for my needs. I don't need a serger to make me coffee, I don't even like coffee! ;o)

I haven't run across too many other people who have this same model but the handful that I have met online don't have any complaints about it. It is a good machine for the price. The only thing I don't like is the instruction manual. It isn't in color. I need color. No big deal though... I just bought a bunch of second hand books on serging and figured it out myself. Beginners really need color photos to learn how to adjust the tensions. A black and white manual just isn't sufficient. It did come with a video, but it really isn't practical for me to set the serger up on my coffee table and use it while sitting on the sofa in front of the living room TV. I tried and it was just too awkward! Reference books are much easier for me to use on a day to day basis.

Rebecca

What Cea said! Not to be tacky, but you might also read the obits, and if an honoree is therein described as "an avid sewer" you might get lucky on an estate sale. (Hey, calm down! In my community band, when a senior citizen tuba player died of cancer just a few weeks post-diagnosis, his horns got scooped up by three people in the band and his grandson. I doubt that the relatives would be offended by someone wanting to keep their loved one's equipment in service.) HTH

--Karen M.

two years ago, i bought a viking huskylock 567(?) right number...i know it was the five hundred series wiht differential feed. it came packed in the original box, original reciept, and bluebinder full of good information! for $200- it was a steal! betsey "we do not inherit the earth, we caretake it for our children"

Hi, I've been looking at sergers on eBay, too, and was looking at this Kenmore:

It's used and sold 'as is.' I don't know much about sergers, I'm looking to buy my first, and was wondering if there was anything outright wrong with this one from just looking at the pictures, or the description? From the price ranges I've read about, this seems pretty good, though it still has 2 days left and will likely go higher. Any help would be appreciated, and sorry if this is inappropriate. I promise I won't fill up the newsgroup with any other "look at this auction for me and tell me what you think" posts.

I would be wary of that one. They say they don't know if it works or not, and they don't take Paypal. They do note that according to the photo on the manual, there is something missing from the machine. They might not take the machine back if you find it doesn't work and can't be repaired. They don't say where they are, either.

Something else that makes me uneasy is that they've been running the machine without any cloth in it. That is not a good thing to do with a serger.