Buying a second hand detector - what to watch out for?

Keen to get into detecting after lots of panning, l finally bid for a
GMT on eBay. The unit l found was a genuine Whites but not originally purchased through the Aussie dealer GoldSearch Australia.
After months of detecting and only finding lead and other scraps l thought l was missing something. The gain kept going off erratically even when away from the ground. After a trip to Gold Search Australia in Dunolly, it was found the original owner had fiddled with the settings on the internal computer board.
Now the unit is stable and reading small pickers l was having trouble practicing on.
I suppose the moral of the story, buyer beware, maybe there is a reason why some deals seem bargains.

Hi Robin,

What do you do? How do you know?

Its a risk I suppose. I have purchased a few 2nd hand detectors and have not had any
issues. The good thing is that your detector is working now.

There has previously been a case of a "grey import" GMT bought by somebody that had a couple of issues. It too wasn't oz stock but was found to be genuine by Goldsearch.. Makes me wonder if people are leaking defective machines on to the market from the US, stock that was swapped over on warranty or something similar.

Simple answer is don't skimp.
By from a reputable dealer, within driving distance, and you have a WARRANTY.

I must pay compliments to the team at Gold Search Australia. They originally quoted a new board as a minimum, however they found the new board was no different so they ran checks on the old board to find the problem and reset the old board. Their honesty on cost and speedy turnaround will have me recommending them.

Hi guys,

I'm interested in buying a second hand Minelab detector and I've been pursuing gumtree, ebay and whatnot.

However can you guys give me any pointers as to watch out for, common wear or issues to look for, things I should be aware of, etc.

Also how to check if it is a genuine machine. Do I need to call the manufacturer to check the model number, or if it has a genuine looking sticker that should be enough?

Any other advice to help me analyze a spare unit would be muchly appreciated

Thanks everybody!

-Mardy

If you could tell us which model "Minelab detector" mate, we'd have a much better chance of offering you useful advice.

Don't buy one off me cause damn they have a hard life

Hi Mardy, my advice would be to buy a used unit from a dealer/detector shop.

May be $200 more (sometimes cheaper) but the dealer will look after you if there is something wrong with it.

As Madtuna points out, buying something off gumtree might result in getting a lemon or something that's just had a hard life, so being genuine isn't going to help the cause.

I am interested in Minelab GPX 4000s or 4500s

OK, I haven't had a chance to go to a dealer yet.

Aside from minersden which have shops in the major cities, what other reputable dealers are there?

I'm located in Newcastle/Brisbane (depending on time of year)

Cheers

Mardy

Central west Prospecting Supplies in Mudgee had by far the best deal on GPZ 7000's and their service is very friendly and professional. I have been into a couple of other prospecting shops that I won't return to.

Hi All,

Not sure if this has been covered, or at least in a single post I couldn't find much?

I'm a new player to the game and looking to purchase a detector soon. The problem is there is so many options to choose from new, secondhand, older machines, brands etc.

How old is too old given the change in the technology in detectors? For example, is it worth picking up a sub 1k SD detector with heaps of extras or slightly newer GP or extreme range or stick to at minimum a digital machine?

I get quite overwhelmed with all the information and what to buy/look for.

If anyone has some pointers, that would be great. I don't mind too much about price, I'd rather buy once than twice...

Peter.

Don't buy any thing too old . Electronics have a lifespan . I was told by a Russian tech. that was fixing my CRT T.V. that capacitors only have a life span of 10 years . He did not have a circuit diagram but was pulling out capacitors and replacing them . T.V. work well after that treatment !!!

Often I find the great deals come up when I'm not looking to buy. Murphy's law I guess.

If price isn't a huge issue as you mentioned, just take the plunge and go new unless you see a great deal somewhere.

Personally I'd happily buy off a known member here, but dunno about buying off gumtree or ebay but that's just me.

Much depends on budget, then do your research on counterfeits particularly with Minelab, caution with Gumtree and stay away from eBay, good deals come up here. For something light and inexpensive the 1000 is worth serious consideration, great for small stuff but won't miss bigger nuggets either, then you're moving towards the 2300, 4500 or 5000 all have solid and well earned reputation, I have all three of the 4 so maybe a bit biased Missing the 2300

For a beginner I think the 1000 is hard to go past, chuck it in a back pack with a pan and have fun checking gravel bars and scan the banks for a fun day in the bush.

Great I have an SDC2300 on order today on Special. NEW

thats good u bought new some prospectors just throw in back of ute vibration ,moisture kill them

?? WHAT YOU SAY ??? :8