My son buys everything on ebay, tires, trombones, power tools etc. he hasn't gotten stung yet....or if he has he didn't tell his mother!
But I wouldn't for 20% off retail....it would have to be a better deal than that.
Keep looking.
Linda c

It is described as "new--only out of the box for pictures."

No reputable seller is going to take a chance with trying to sell a used vacuum as new; it will be obvious to the buyer when it is delivered.

What is the seller's feedback record and how many sales has he/she had?

I would buy it on ebay to save $100. Check the shipping charges, however.

You have to be careful with Ebay. I have purchased many things on ebay but never electronics. Unless you have the receipt and the warranty, most companies will not exchange defective products. IRobot notes this on their website.

I find that if I just do a google search I can find a good deal.

You might also want to check a great website called
resellerratings.com. I almost bought my Canon G9 from a website "store" that was $100 cheaper than anywhere else. I found out from searching resellerratings.com that it was disreputable.

You do need to be careful when using ebay. There are some very good deals and some not so very good deals.

What you first need to do is decide which vacuum cleaner brands and models you want to purchase. Next, know what the going price is. Also, look at what discounts can be applied to the vacuum(s) at retail. After doing all of this, go to ebay and watch the auctions. See what is available. I looked today and noticed a Miele vacuum cleaner that was quite a few years old, being sold for almost the same price as a new one with a warranty. I have made some bids, but did not win. I could not believe what the end bid was. It would be high as or higher than what I could find in regular retail.

I also noticed that quite a few are selling generic vacuum cleaner bags for the price of the brand name version. I happen to know how much the wholesale price of those generics are. Add on the S/H, then it is very expensive. Sometimes you can find better deals off the internet, if you just look and wait.

If you do not win the bid this time, there are others. The vacuum you want will show up again.

Remember that just because the vacuum says "new", does not mean that you will get a warranty. Many vacuum cleaner companies will not honor an ebay purchase. There may be a vac shop selling vacuum cleaners on ebay. That person may offer a warranty, but it will be through their shop. This means that you must pack it up and pay to ship it to their shop.

Getting $100 off of $500 is not that great of a deal for an ebay auction. Going to a vac shop and getting it is better.

Winning a brand new $900 vacuum, without warranty, for $300(s/h incl.) is a good deal. You see, if the new vacuum broke down and you had it repaired, it still would not cost you as much as a new vacuum cleaner with warranty. Look at it this way, if you purchased a vacuum that was $100 off, then needed repair for over $100, you did not save anything .

Be smart and know what you are doing.

I bought a refurbished phone off ebay, was "unlocked". Nope it did not work at all sent it back got a "different" one. It was the same one, of course it did not work. Finally after about 5 months got my money back.

If you bought a vacuum on ebay and it were not even worth the shipping could you say that you had been "sucked in" ? vbg, etc.

Thanks everyone! You guys are smart!

I've bought lots of non-mechanical under-100-bucks stuff from ebay, but a vacuum made me nervous. And I wasn't sure how the waranty would work.

My local vac shop (2 miles away) has a grumpy owner who made my little boy cry. So I don't want to shop there (even though he's got a-discontinued?- Miele Naturell for 249). But I found another place about 20 minutes away that has Miele, and they sound very nice. They said they were kid friendly, so we'll go in tomorrow. I'll probably get the Miele Carina, depending on how it feels on a low pile rug sample...

When I read vac reviews, I keep hearing about trade-ins. Some shops take trade-ins??? I won't get my hopes up. I have a cracked Kenmore.

Thanks again!
Francy

If you want to find out about the vacuum from the seller on ebay send an email
requesting the serial number from the product that you might win.

He is gonna love your inquiry but you need to know before you bid. Call the manufacturer with the info they will tell you exactly when the item was made and the status (preowned, refurbished, etc.) Don't forget to ask about the warranty.

Kohls department store has a website. If you register to receive sale notices you will autoatically get a 10% discount. If you get a kohls charge card you get a higher discount.
Many times they offer free shipping over 75 dollars and sometimes you can buy any 1 item for 99 cents shipping.
There vacuum prices are good. I bought a eureka and it is still working well.

refurbished items come with a warranty.

I purchased a hoover off Ebay and saved close to 100.00 and that is including after shipping. It was advertised as new in box and it was indeed new just like advertised. I signed up for the warranty on hoover and have had no problem with it other than I will never buy a bagless again. The seller had almost 100% feedback and over 1000 sales so I didn't think I had much to worry about. Do your research and you will be fine.

I bought my Dyson on E-Bay - no problem. I also bought relatively expensive bathroom fixtures on E-Bay, again no problem.

I would never buy a vacuum off Ebay. I want to go to a store, talk with a salesman, get a receipt and a warranty/guarantee and have somewhere to return it. The appliance stores near me will often offer you discounts on price. I like dealing with local stores for this sort of thing.

We just bought a brand new still in box vacuum off ebay for our shop - could not be happier at $30 off list price

We can only hope the customers that come to buy at your shop wise up(?) and stop buying from you and buy from the internet as well!

lucky: I'm confused. Who is your post replying to? Did a vacuum shop owner post about shady dealings or something like that? Or were you referencing the grumpy owner of my local vacuum shop?

(I ended up getting my Miele Carina at a different shop.)

It was in reference to Mazer and the savings of $30 off Ebay vs a local store. Just venting in that by buying off the internet for a small savings actually takes money away from their community...so hopefully someone could return the favor to their shop by buying off the internet as well.