When I was buying my spinning wheel I was torn between the Ashford Kiwi 3 and the Ashford Joy 2. I ended up with the Kiwi because it was cheaper (and even cheaper since I bought it unfinished) and taller. I’ve really liked it and traveled with it twice to classes. I don’t have a case for it (it’s quite expensive and I can’t find any third party ones on Etsy or anywhere) and it’s a little cumbersome.

I’ve had alerts up for the Joy 2 on eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. The Joy 2 is really small and comes with a backpack style case. I thought it would be good for meet ups, spin in public day, even vacation because unlike the Kiwi, it wouldn’t need to be strapped into a seat in my car.

I was really excited to see one on eBay. I won the auction.

There was a minor mistake in the listing which they told me about after I won and paid. This issue (the number of treadles) had nothing to do with the model number or age of the item—both the Joy 1 and Joy 2 can have one treadle. I said it was fine. I had no reason to think it was anything else was wrong with the listing.

It took two weeks to get here and it’s not a Joy 2. It’s a Joy 1. It works but it’s at least a decade out of date so harder to get parts for. The drive band doesn’t last forever and I don’t see any in stock online and you know I don’t live near any spinning stores!

What I paid for it is more in line for the newest model than the one I got.

I contacted them and they admit they didn’t know anything about the item and just listed their best guess. They kept saying it cost $200 to mail the item which was strange since they charged me about $18 and they sent it loose in a poly bag. The bag was shredded when it got here! It’s a wonder it didn’t fall out.

They say since they sent me the item pictured they don’t need to do anything for me even though they admit it is not a Joy 2. Their policy is no returns.

However, you can’t tell the difference in the picture because it’s a difference of size in the bobbins and some other parts. It’s very obvious if you measure it or see it in person but the two models are nearly identical in a picture because you can’t tell the scale or size of the parts.

I’m really frustrated and don’t know what to do. It really is in great shape and is a Joy but it’s not the one I wanted. It is harder to get parts for it because the Joy 2 came out like a decade ago. There is an upgrade kit you can buy to make it more like the Joy 2 but it’s about $150 and I’ve read that it makes it so you can’t zip the pieces and the wheel in the bag together which is the whole point! I don’t want to carry a second bag of parts around with me.

It does appear to be what they photographed but it’s not what the description and listing said. Isn’t it right to assume to description was correct? The treadle issue was a pink/red flag but I thought since they had it, they could read the label or the manual or measure it or whatever and if you aren’t spinner, you’d probably not know what a treadle was at all much less how many there were. The online manual doesn’t go over the difference.

I could sell it but I’m not sure if I’d get back what I paid for it since it is so outdated. And I still wouldn’t have a travel wheel! I just can’t justify spending that much money on a new one when the Kiwi works just fine.