Fell for that 'pre-terminated fiber' deal on eBay and lost $140

Needed some quick fiber runs for a new build out in Aurora last month. Saw a listing for 100 feet of pre-terminated LC duplex for $60, felt like a steal. Turned up and the connectors were all scratched up and one had a cracked ferrule. Tried to clean them with my kit but no luck, ended up having to cut and terminate them myself anyway. Has anyone else had bad luck buying surplus fiber online?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor821mo ago

That "felt like a steal" part is exactly what gets me every time. I bought a lot of 10 meter MPO trunks off a surplus site, thought I was getting a deal at $45 each. When they showed up, three of them had bent pins and two had dust caps that looked like they'd been stored in a toolbox with gravel. My question is, did you check the seller's return policy before you bought? I've learned the hard way that some of these surplus guys will say "untested" in the fine print and then ignore you when you complain. Ended up wasting $80 on a batch that was basically scrap, and the seller just ghosted me.

nancy_davis1mo ago

Taylor's right about checking return policies but honestly buying surplus cables is always a gamble, you know?