Beware of bait and switch.

[NMNeil]

As you may know one of my 200ah no name cells decided it was time for a change of lifestyle and it wanted to be a balloon instead, and started swelling; a lot.
Ordered a pack of 4 cells from a seller on E-Bay at a cost of $560 including shipping. A fair price and I needed the replacement cell ASAP, plus the seller was in New Jersey.
Paid the money and got a message a few days later that the cells had been shipped and I could expect them before the 24th of this month. I get an e-mail this morning and not only are the cells not in the US, but still on their way from China, but the same cells are still being advertised on E-Bay with the price now $799, and still claiming the cells are ready to be shipped from the US.
Avoid this seller.

4pcs Varicore 3.2v 200ah Lifepo4 Battery 3.2v 3c Iron Phosphate Yacht Solar Rv | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 4pcs Varicore 3.2v 200ah Lifepo4 Battery 3.2v 3c Iron Phosphate Yacht Solar Rv at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[HOU_Castle]

with $799 cost (12.4V - 200Ah), you can get CHINS (12V-200Ah) or AmpereTime @amazon.com with same price, ready to use (no DIY hassle).

 

[iamrich]

That sucks! You can probably push the issue with eBay or your payment method, but I am guessing it might take as long to settle as to actually get the product. You might be able to shut down their listing though. You can at least leave them some very negative feedback so others will see it.

 

[NMNeil]

That sucks! You can probably push the issue with eBay or your payment method, but I am guessing it might take as long to settle as to actually get the product. You might be able to shut down their listing though. You can at least leave them some very negative feedback so others will see it.

Already posted negative feedback and they said they would issue a refund.
Getting fed up with the whole battery buying fiasco.

 

[NMNeil]

with $799 cost (12.4V - 200Ah), you can get CHINS (12V-200Ah) or AmpereTime @amazon.com with same price, ready to use (no DIY hassle).

I won't use Amazon

 

[NMNeil]

The other thing I'm coming across is that sellers don't use the word 'used' instead they say 'refurbished'
How can you refurbish a LiFePo4 cell?

Battery Evo 12V Lithium LiFePO4 150Ah RV Solar Trailer | eBay

Battery Evo 12V Lithium LiFePO4 150Ah 2 Kwh. Nominal Capacity: 2 kWh (150Ah). Chemistry: LiFePO4 (LFP). Wild usage application example:RV, Boat, ATV, Solar Energy, etc. Cell Type: Lithium Iron Phosphate Cells.

www.ebay.com

It's even more ridiculous to advertise a CPU as refurbished.

Intel SR2L9 i5-6600T 2.70GHZ 8GT/s 6MB 4 Core FCLGA1151 Processor | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel SR2L9 i5-6600T 2.70GHZ 8GT/s 6MB 4 Core FCLGA1151 Processor at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Sorry to rant; bad start to the day.

 

[iamrich]

The other thing I'm coming across is that sellers don't use the word 'used' instead they say 'refurbished'
How can you refurbish a LiFePo4 cell?

Battery Evo 12V Lithium LiFePO4 150Ah RV Solar Trailer | eBay

Battery Evo 12V Lithium LiFePO4 150Ah 2 Kwh. Nominal Capacity: 2 kWh (150Ah). Chemistry: LiFePO4 (LFP). Wild usage application example:RV, Boat, ATV, Solar Energy, etc. Cell Type: Lithium Iron Phosphate Cells.

www.ebay.com

It's even more ridiculous to advertise a CPU as refurbished.

Intel SR2L9 i5-6600T 2.70GHZ 8GT/s 6MB 4 Core FCLGA1151 Processor | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel SR2L9 i5-6600T 2.70GHZ 8GT/s 6MB 4 Core FCLGA1151 Processor at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Sorry to rant; bad start to the day.

Refurbished is perfectly acceptable and it can mean a lot of different things. The idea is that the unit performs similar to new, might not be as pretty as new, but most importantly the parts have been tested.

For the CPUs, basically they pull working units from boards, clean them up. There is definitely a level of risk involved buying refurb, but the price is also at lot easier to swallow. I imagine batteries are similar. Especially if you get a an 8 pack of cells with one turd. Take the pack apart and you have 7 good cells that might only test out at 80-90%, but are still perfectly usable.

My only ask is that the sellers are up front and honest about what they are selling and sadly we are a long way from that...

 

[NMNeil]

Refurbished is perfectly acceptable and it can mean a lot of different things. The idea is that the unit performs similar to new, might not be as pretty as new, but most importantly the parts have been tested.

To me refurbishes is the same as reconditioned.
You recondition an engine by reboring, new rings, bearings etc.
You don't just pressure wash an old engine, make sure the crank turns the advertise it as refurbished; it's used.

 

[iamrich]

To me refurbishes is the same as reconditioned.
You recondition an engine by reboring, new rings, bearings etc.
You don't just pressure wash an old engine, make sure the crank turns the advertise it as refurbished; it's used.

Yeah, which is why I said it means a lot of different things. You are not going to recondition a CPU (other than maybe the leads). Same with batteries. You might charge them to full, and test capacity, but there is not much to replace like an engine. It's not a deal breaker as long as the seller is forthcoming with an accurate description of what is being sold.

 

[Just John]

As you may know one of my 200ah no name cells decided it was time for a change of lifestyle and it wanted to be a balloon instead, and started swelling; a lot.
Ordered a pack of 4 cells from a seller on E-Bay at a cost of $560 including shipping. A fair price and I needed the replacement cell ASAP, plus the seller was in New Jersey.
Paid the money and got a message a few days later that the cells had been shipped and I could expect them before the 24th of this month. I get an e-mail this morning and not only are the cells not in the US, but still on their way from China, but the same cells are still being advertised on E-Bay with the price now $799, and still claiming the cells are ready to be shipped from the US.
Avoid this seller.

4pcs Varicore 3.2v 200ah Lifepo4 Battery 3.2v 3c Iron Phosphate Yacht Solar Rv | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 4pcs Varicore 3.2v 200ah Lifepo4 Battery 3.2v 3c Iron Phosphate Yacht Solar Rv at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

You should probably take the time to search for Litikola and Varicore, their reputation is not exactly good.

 

[Just John]

I imagine batteries are similar. Especially if you get a an 8 pack of cells with one turd. Take the pack apart and you have 7 good cells that might only test out at 80-90%, but are still perfectly usable.

Batteries are much more prone to dendrites when they have reached end of life (80% of capacity).

Unless you like fires, end of life batteries are end of life. Personally, used batteries are a gamble I wouldn't take, there is a reason they were pulled.

 

[iamrich]

Batteries are much more prone to dendrites when they have reached end of life (80% of capacity).

Unless you like fires, end of life batteries are end of life. Personally, used batteries are a gamble I wouldn't take, there is a reason they were pulled.

To each their own I guess. I am using used BYD packs and very happy with them. My only regret is that I didn't buy more when they were available...