posted on July 2, 2001 11:18:55 PM
I had a similar problem with a buyer. I sent a limited edition ceramic piece and when it arrived they said it was broken in two places. Now this thing had survived shipping to me from the wholesaler and they used almost no packing. I had it in the original box and that was in another box with about 3" of packing pellets all around it. I tell him to send it back, now I thought that would be the end of it, I've had people try to pull this scam on me before, so what to I get? the same item back reduced to dust. the jerk had smashed it into a million pieces and there was even a shoe foot print that was on the plastic that was around the figurine. I'm sure he was trying to scam me and I put him on the spot so he smashed it real good.
My guess is he is trying to replace a broken piece at your expense. There was a woman that got caught a year or so ago that would go to swap meets, garage sales, flea markets and such and buy chipped and damaged items cheap. She would then replace the items with other items she bought from ebay and Yahoo that were good and would make claims on shipping insurance sometimes not even having to surrender the broken or chipped item and she would pull the scam again and again. she used several names and she would then resale items on ebay under other names, so this stuff would be free to her.
posted on July 3, 2001 02:12:25 AM
Sorry to see you have problems, the odds are the buyer is telling the truth, but that doesn't make it any sweeter to swallow.
If I look closely at the first picture, the one you got from your Buyer, the piece seems to be a little bit frayed on the left side. When I look at your picture that fraying is right where your have a button-like sticker on your photo.
posted on July 3, 2001 05:19:36 AM
I agree that the shipping time seems mighty short, but once in a while the postal service does something outstanding. I once a surface parcel from Florida to Hong Kong get there in 8 days.
The pictures don't look right to me, but we all know that pictures can look deceiving. Just go back and look at the thread you titled this after.
Who Need's a stink'n Sig. File?
[ edited by Microbes on Jul 3, 2001 05:20 AM ]
posted on July 3, 2001 07:39:49 AMOne thing that strikes me odd that has not been mentioned. If this persons attempt was to pull a switch why didn't he insist on insurance.
Because if you don't want to lie on a government form but get your money back anyway, you pull this and chance that the seller will refund.
I cannot understand how the picture the buyer sent is a piece of the seller's item. The seller's piece has a big curve and the buyer's piece is flat, not to mention the color.
I would require a photograph of the entire item, broken pieces and all in one picture.
Reddeer, I think you're being ripped off. That buyer bid on other pieces of that type but the pictures are no longer on the auction pages. If the buyer refused insurance on one of them and it arrived broken, they'd be out of luck with that seller.
So the buyer has sent you a photo of the broken piece and a photo of the scan but is a little slow in sending you a photo of your whole piece showing the broken parts?
That seems a little odd.
~Not barrelracer on ebay, don't pick on them!~
posted on July 3, 2001 08:04:40 AM
reddeer:
awesome pics, beautiful piece
shaani:
incredible work!
pocono:
LMAO!!
okay, that out of the way...
I take the world's worst pics, so I can say it is possibly maybe the same piece.
But...
why would a buyer who:
1)pays that much money for glass
(obviously fragile)
2)has item shipped internationally
(obviously a risky ordeal)
3)from a seller that hadn't puchased from before
(obviously has no knowledge of how well you pack)
and not pay to have it insured to minimize the risk?
posted on July 3, 2001 08:10:25 AM
I don't know how it works going from Canada to the US, but a few times I have tried to insure going to Canada from the US and the best I can come up with is there is no "insurance" just registered.
This costs $12.00 and is only "insured" up to $40.00 value. So this never seemed worth it to me.
posted on July 3, 2001 08:40:24 AM
I did check reddeer's pic of the glass and the buyer's pic with both the brightness and contrast settings in my picture program.
In reddeer's pic the glass is very clear and in the buyer's pic it is very "solid" almost like a cased glass, as smw suggested. The one shard that is separate in his pic does have more of a clear glass look and doesn't seem to match the other piece.
In his pic the broken piece does seem longer and narrower but maybe it is the angle or the lighting? Hope he sends a pic of the whole piece.
It just occurred to me, how simple it would be to completely fake that kind of damage in a picture...using your handy-dandy photo editor. I think the chance of anyone doing this is remote...but it's another good reason to insist the item be returned before refund, IMO.
The color of the damaged piece doesn't bother me too much...I know how drastically colors can vary in photos. It's the shape that seems totally wrong. Still, the bowl is large...maybe it's just the tip of the tall curved piece? That part looks relatively flat, and maybe isn't as tapered as it would appear.
posted on July 3, 2001 08:54:34 AM
Thanks for your eggspurt opinion Poc!
Latest update........
Buyer used scanner for the broken pieces pic, so it's possible he just has a lousy scanner.
He emailed this morning saying he will borrow a friends digital camera later in the week & send a pic of all pieces.
Kerryann
I noticed that he had bid on other "blue" pieces of Chalet, but he has also left pos feedback for them so I'm not sure it would be one of those pieces?
One thing I did notice last night, is that he has bid on at least one piece from a seller in Canada who has had some MAJOR problems in his feedback.
That seller has "supposedly" ripped off numerous people, so much so that they started a web site about him & his nefarious deeds.
posted on July 3, 2001 08:56:22 AM
Hi Toke, no, he didn't mention how long the piece is. I'm waiting for pics of the whole enchilada before I decide what to do.
posted on July 3, 2001 09:05:41 AM
FYI - Insurance for this item would have cost $1 [Canadian] .66 cents US
But, just like the USPS, Canada Post will not reimburse on items where the box has NOT been damaged. If the box itself shows signs of abuse, they would have refunded me on this item, no problem.
I generally never insure on items under $100, unless it's asked for by the high bidder.
I'm also not about to leave this buyer hanging, just because he didn't ask about insurance. If he can prove MY piece arrived broken, he'll get a full refund.
posted on July 3, 2001 09:21:58 AM
Thanks Toke, I learned a long time ago that the vast majority of buyers from the US never ask for insurance, but most likely assume it's part of my fixed shipping rate.
I've also had a number of buyers from the US assume that us Canucks Cannot insure *anything* travelling south of the border, which is untrue. Many Canadian sellers assume this as well, and make note of it in their auctions so this may be part of the problem?
I stand behind everything I sell, insurance or not, and so far that unwritten TOS has worked very well for me.
So far I'm still giving the buyer the benefit of the doubt, until proven otherwise.
If & when I get the pics of ALL the pieces, that should prove one way or the other what's what.
I didn't start this thread to get support for refusing the return/refund, I started it because I initially felt that the broken piece did not come from my bowl.
I know there's always great advice offered here, and there's also some folks that can perform magic with images.
posted on July 3, 2001 09:34:35 AM
BTW - to the person that emailed me anon this morning ...........
The auction you sent me is still running, so I kinda doubt it's that piece.
And as far as the rest of your email, thanks for your concern, I'm sure the person that you referred to is a big enough girl to handle this thread.
These boards are open to the public, and as such one has to be able to handle the outcome of certain posts/threads. If not, then it's best not to start them in the first place.
I stand behind everything I type here, and had I wanted to hide anon, I could have, and you nor anyone else would have found me on eBay.
I'm not worried about my buyer showing up here, and stand behind everything I've posted thus far.
posted on July 3, 2001 09:40:42 AM
Reddeer--sorry to hear about your problem. You might want to ask him for a scan of your shipping label and postage sticker, just to verify that it came from you.
and you might want to have a peek at U-Pic.com for insuring future items, when you have an account with them they are quite reasonable in price and from what I hear good with settling claims. They are in the USA but consider Canada to be 'domestic'
Chalet glass always reminds me of living rooms with all the furniture covered in plastic
posted on July 3, 2001 09:47:00 AM
Zazzie ...... I did, and he sent a scan of them both. I posted that info last night.
A new world record was set from AB to FL via Surface Post.
posted on July 3, 2001 10:24:35 AM
However, no one seems to have realized that sending a $76.00 piece that obviously weighs over 1 kg (2.2 pounds) without insurance (insurance would be included in the price of shipping) and to send it surface mail is REALLY STUPID!...
posted on July 3, 2001 10:35:05 AM
That doesn't even look like the same piece of glass. The pieces from his picture look like they were taken from different objects.
Saw your latest update. regardless, I wouldn't refund anything until you have it all in your hot little hands. 99% of the people are honest, but that 1% ruin it for everyone else. I've had a couple of people dliberately break items and say it was broken in transit (buyer's remorse) and a couple pull a switch. (only took me 2 times before I learned about the black light pen) Good luck
Insurance is NOT included in the shipping price, and due to the cost of shipping it via Air, the high bidder decided on Surface Post.
The shipping cost for Surface Post was $12.85 US, Air was $20.85 US
Not only that, but had this item arrived broken, with no apparent damage to the box itself, [which it supposedly did] Canada Post would have refused the insurance claim.
I'll check back later for your response, I can hardly wait.
