No to eBay Circuit Breakers

It has happened again. A contractor 5 states away called with an urgent need for a Square D PEF361000 circuit breaker. They had a customer in trouble and needed a replacement breaker right away. They found one on eBay and were squabbling with our Switchgear Group because they wanted us to honor the eBay price, half of ours. We tried to explain eBay was a buyer beware market, whereas MIDWEST's PEF361000 price was for a fully tested circuit breaker. He understood, but like others before him, he emotionally just could not get over the low cost of the eBay breaker. He was persistent in demanding we sell him the breaker at the lower price. Then he said he didn't care about the testing, just send it. He didn't need the testing and did not want to pay for it. He was very unhappy when our Engineer explained we would not do that. When bad electrical things are happening, it is not unusual for some folks to cling to their emotional decisions, even in the face of clear reason to the contrary. Our job is to take care of the customer safely. In cases like this, we explain the circuit breaker must be tested to make sure that it not only operates properly, but also is safe. That it doesn't blow up in their face or allow their customer's equipment to be damaged because it will not interrupt a fault. MIDWEST would test the circuit breaker for insulation resistance, contact resistance, high current testing, high current voltage drop tests, reset tests, proper mechanical function, and internal inspection and maintenance. And we clean it up so it looks good too. GE General Electric, Westinghouse, Cutler Hammer, Square D, Siemens, all the manufacturers. 1000 amp, 1500 amp, or 2000 amp circuit breakers. It doesn't make any difference. They need to be properly tested and maintained before they are sold into the secondary market. Buyer beware is not an acceptable safety policy.