I've been looking into buying some used equipment off of e-Bay, but I'm SOOOO scared about buying a lemon or having items damaged during shipping. Has anyone bought something large (like a cooler, mixer, or bakery display case) off e-Bay? Just thought I'd get some opinions.

I have bought MANY smaller items and didn't have a problem..... The largest was a cake fountain..... If you insure your item, you shouldn't have any problem..... BE SURE you check the sellers ratings from other customers ! If they aren't near perfect, just don't do it..... Also the items you are talking about would be better found near your home.... The SHIPPING costs will wipe out any savings you may have gained........

There should be places near you where you can buy used equipment...check your yellow pages.

Businesses fail all of the time..particularly food businesses..their equipment is sold either to someone taking over the premises or is recovered and resold as used.

You can get some great buys.

Yea, I've already looked locally (I would definitely prefer that! I'd like to examine the condition of stuff, even if I don't understand the mechanics).

Restaurant equipment is in such high demand here in Houston that even USED equipment is expensive. I've even gone to several local auctions where used equipment sold for almost the price of NEW stuff! Plus, for some strange reason, it is difficult to find bakery-specific equipment (like a dough sheeter) in my city. Even the equipment store owners act baffled when I ask them for help (they say, "oh that's bakery stuff--I wouldn't know about that.")...Like bakers are from a different planet!

Keep the comments coming...

what you can do when searching on ebay is do a local search, say within 200 miles or what ever you are willing to travel. that way you could go and see it, if you are really interested before bidding, plus you can also pick it up too. thats how i got my 3 comp. sink.

My hubby loves EBAY more than his family and he orders the darndest things off there.. Never have had a problem with any of it.. He also buys items costing over $10,000 for his company ranging any many catagories.. Never a problem except once when he order a diamond ring off it and I accidently got it cleaned at a jeweler just to see why I dont know but did and well...... it was not what he thought... So he won't be buying me any more jewelry on it unless the box says Zales.. HAHAHA Hope this helps

as long as you pay attention to the seller's ratings and reviews and do a little research on the different listings to compare, you'll be fine. Never agree to a "private sale" where the seller wants to sell without using ebay, avoid people who don't take credit cards or use pay pal (you have additional protection).
I bought a kitchen aid mixer new in a sealed box for a lot less than it would have cost in the store and it has been wonderful.