New carseats from Ebay stores?

[msumama]

Hi all,

Money is tighter than it's ever been and I've been selling things off to raise the funds for a Radian 80 for our dd. I decided to check ebay out because it would be easy to use the funds in my paypal account towards it and not pay fees for transfering the money into our account. I found several new radians for less than I have seen them anywhere else. Most were ebay stores. One, Baby Depot (screen name synergy-something I can't recall) had them for BIN for $233 with shipping and a free carry strap because they said SK is out of stock and they won't ship until mid-late April. That made me think they are legit. and I'd be sure to get a very recent DOM. Anyone purchased from an ebay store or have thoughts on doing so? I steered away from some of the liqidator type stores that sell things in dented boxes, a hard enough fall for a car seat can be as bad as a crash, right?
TIA
Amy

[Mommy2Marcus]

Hiya Hun! I wouldn't buy a car seat from an Ebay store as I do believe that voids your warranty. I also know that you could use your paypal funds to buy a seat online or in a store right from paypal if you have a paypal card. I have a paypal account and have also sold on Ebay. I ordered a card through Paypal & just used it like I would a regular debit card from the bank. So FWIW...I would order a card from Paypal & use it. It doesn't cost you anything more to use it..IE, No fees for using a debit card they send you. Also if money is extremely tight & you can not afford the Raidan that I would suggest a Evenflo Triumph Advance, but it MUST say Advance in the name. They RF to 35lbs & FF to 50lbs! They are GREAT seats! I LOVE mine!

[msumama]

Thanks, I hadn't even thought about the warranty! I have her in ds's handed down scenera, which makes the thin pad seem even thinner, though it still has 2 years on it from DOM. Thanks also for the advice on the EFTA, I would just get one of those but I have an accord and need to squeeze my 12 year old in the back seat with dd and ds who is in a Graco Natilius when I take all four kids out without my dh, which is more and more with spring coming (allegedly, lol). The only reason I am set on a radian is so I can fit it next to the GN, as the scenera doesn't fit and they are both outboard. Thankfully my 12 yo is a tiny lil athlete and only weighs 98 lb, still, she needs more room and the "babies" like to sit next to each other and "chat" and with ds ff at 3.5 yrs old due to his weight, I'd like him to be center seat. Thanks for the tip on a paypal card, I ignore all their prompts to get one because I assumed it would have high fees, like everything else on paypal.
Amy

P.S. I just looked at your signature, my 8.5 month old dd weighs the same as your son, LOL. I have big babies!!!!

[indigoblossom]

i have big babies, too which is i don't think the triumph would work even though it goes to 50lbs. aside from the size of the carseat, the max. height of the child needs to be considered and those evenflo's don't seen very high - though i haven't measured or even looked at measurements for the harness height because i never had an inclination to buy one).

i hadn't thought about the warranty....i know that for maclarens, you have to purchase from an authorized dealer, and certainly there are authorized dealers for baby gear of all sorts on ebay. albeebaby.com, for instance, sells on ebay but under a different name (of which i forgot, atm). i guess i'd just read the listings very carefully, avoid the sellers selling open-box returns like you mentioned, and maybe call sunshine kids and see what they have to say.

also, babyage or babyuniverse is having a radian sale right now so you might be able to get on there for about the same price as those ones on ebay.

[csma]

I would go with a Radian 65 if cost is an issue. They have the same top harness height, and I'm yet to see a child that will outgrow by weight rather than height. It can be had for ~$169 on sale at a number of retailers.

[msumama]

Thank you for reminding me of the height factor. I have been a train wreck this month and wasn't even thinking about that! My kids are all tall for their age, my oldest is 5'7" and I'm a whole 5'2", lol. DD could be set in a 65 for quite a while! Thanks!

[The Bjorns]

I did buy a Radian 65 from an eBay seller, babysafetyforless, who is supopsed to be an authorized reseller. I was concerned about the warranty being voided or what would be my recourse if there was a problem, but I felt confident that they were who they said they were. I would not trust some of the super cheap deals, but this seller had the same merchandise for an extended period so I didn't think he just bought random lots of baby items and then sold whatever was there.

I'll also suggest the 65 over the 80 unless your kiddos are quite heavy. My DD#1 just had her checkup and she's at the top of the charts for weight and I didn't go for the 80 just because I think she'll still outgrow it by height.