posted on October 22, 2000 08:38:38 AM new
A seller I introduced to eBay has asked my advice, and now I am asking your advice.
This seller has been on eBay for almost three years, has over 1400 positive feedbacks, and one retaliatory negative from a non-paying bidder. The buyer has been on eBay for over three years, and has 25 positive feedbacks and no negatives.
The seller recently sold a 20-year-old vinyl doll, new in the original box. The doll sold for about $50. The doll was listed as NRFB, mint condition.
The buyer has now emailed the seller saying
that when they received the doll they believed that the tape on the end of the box had been cut and re-sealed. The buyer then proceeded to remove the tape and take the doll from the box. After the buyer removed the tape and removed the doll from the box, they notice two spots on the doll's arm, possibly vinyl deterioration or mold. They are requesting a full refund, and have not mentioned returning the doll. The seller has left the buyer feedback, but the buyer has not yet left feedback for the seller. The doll was paid for using an electronic payment service, by credit card.
The seller purchased this doll as one of a group of dolls taken from a new boxed case. The seller has examined the remaining dolls in their possession and all appear to be mint, still sealed, never removed from box. The seller believes that this doll was also sealed, never removed from box, and does not feel that they mis-represented the doll in any way, and that there was no way the seller could have known that the doll might have a spot on it's arm inside the sealed box.
Should the seller refund the purchase price to this buyer? This is the first time the seller has received a request for a refund.
posted on October 22, 2000 08:46:10 AM new
If I was the seller, I would refund in full with shipping both ways upon return of the doll. (I would recommend requesting the buyer insure the doll when return shipping.) Does the seller have an identical doll? If so, perhaps an exchange could be done. The seller may not have known about the spots, but the doll was listed as mint. Not worth quibbling about...if the buyer is not happy, invite them to send it on back.
posted on October 22, 2000 08:46:58 AM new
I would probably offer a full refund BUT ONLY after they sent the doll back, He should probably refund the cost to have it sent back too. If they insist on keeping the doll, then he should negotiate only a partial refund or none at all. While the sellers intentions were honest and not intended to mislead anyone, they buyer has a responsibility to ask questions about the item before bidding and not to make any assumptions about the item. It is easy,as a seller to label something as mint, only to find out later you missed or overlooked something as i have done that myself. I gave the buyer the option of continuing at a reduced buying price or to back out of the auction.
It is obvious from his/her feedback rating that it was an oversight and a decent buyer would or should realize that.
posted on October 22, 2000 08:50:47 AM new
Without a return, no way, period, end of story.
Something 20 years old, that was still sealed, and the buyer broke the seal, that's a little tougher call. How much of the value is lost when the seal is broke? Wouldn't it have been more valuable to the buyer (or any other collector) with the seal intact? This is a tough call here.
posted on October 22, 2000 08:57:12 AM new
guuuyyy:
>If they insist on keeping the doll, then he should negotiate only a partial refund or none at all.
If they insist on keeping the doll, they would not get a dime from me. Either they are happy, or they aren't. Partial refunds are an open invitation to a scam.
posted on October 22, 2000 09:20:06 AM new
A Little further information:
This doll is hard-to-find in a sealed box (as most 20 year old toys are!) It has sold for as much as $125 on eBay, and is worth considerably less than $50 now that the buyer has removed the tape and removed the doll from the box. The other dolls that the seller has, from the same case of dolls, are all sealed, no broken or resealed tape. In fact, the seller feels that these dolls are in the finest condition that the seller has ever seen for these dolls - they look as if they just arrived from the factory. They were in a sealed case box, which was stored in a non-smoking home.
Basically, if the seller would receive the doll back, they would be unable to sell it due to the fact that the buyer has opened it, so the seller would be out the eBay fees, postage both ways, and the value of the doll.
posted on October 22, 2000 09:44:07 AM new
If this Doll Was in orginal package never opened this is why the collector is buying it this makes it worth more no matter the state of the doll in the box there would be no way to know all problem inside a box that was never opened.
I would not refund in this matter partly or fully I would have insured the item but since the damage they are caiming on this item couldnt be proved to be shipping damage they wouldnt have a good claim any how.
How ever if this item was shipped in it orginal package but was open and the doll had just been replaced in it package which you will find in many cases. this dont make the item any less saleable or less valuble but since the box was open and doll removed or displayed in open box like on a store self or collector display this should be stated as well as if the doll in orginal box was ployed with should state the doll as in package but in played with condition.
if all these budens were met then I would think No refund is required I sell on my auctions as is all items listed condition stated to the best of my abilty.
When a buyer writes me about damage I Dont do refund I ask for a picture of the damage and the package it was shipped in then I send insurance receipt or refund.
if they cant produce a picture of the damaged item and package for me they more then likely couldnt show the damage to the PO to make the claim either. and with shipping insurance if you cant give them the Item and the package it came in they wont pay the claim cause once they pay they want the goods
posted on October 22, 2000 10:01:13 AM new
Ketzel:
>This doll is hard-to-find in a sealed box (as most 20 year old toys are!) It has sold for as much as $125 on eBay, and is worth considerably less than $50 now that the buyer has removed the tape
That's about what I figured. One has to wonder WHY the buyer broke the seal in the first place. Buyers tend to get "good feedback" when they pay, and no one that has already left good feedback can warn others if a buyer is "switching" merchandise and making returns. Tough call here, I like to have happy customers, but don't like getting ripped.
posted on October 22, 2000 11:29:05 AM new
well here is how I see it no buyer gets feed back from me untill the sale is final.
I to like happy costumers but if they attempt to or do rip me off that is all the happy warm feeling they will get from the tranactions.
I want happy buyers buying my goods not successfull rip off artist and I could give two SH**s about the negitive feed back from them over there bad faith dealings.
If me and other sellers get enough of these rip off buyer and retalitory feed back there will be no online auction sellers to buy from after a while there is only so many registered users out there and only so many new people who will register to sell after reading these night mare threads and the feed back forms.
there is only 4 million items about listed on ebay not every item can be bad we need to all be giveing our selves more credit then the media does .
WWW.dman-n-company.com
posted on October 22, 2000 11:35:41 AM new
No refund unless item was returned in the manner and condition it was shipped. An opened package reduces the value of many a collectible.
Furthermore, you can't tell a defect of something like that and you aren't responsible.
posted on October 22, 2000 11:41:29 AM newThe seller has left the buyer feedback, but the buyer has not yet left feedback for the seller.
This is why it's foolish to leave feedback before the transaction is completed. Transactional feedback is just that: A representation of how the transaction went. Payment by the buyer is just a small part of the transaction.
No refund is due here IMO. The buyer probably already had a defective doll and decided to scam this seller into replacing it with a mint one. This scam happens all the time.
posted on October 22, 2000 11:52:23 AM new
Why would the buyer have opened the box and removed the doll, since this immediately devalued the merchandise? One would think they would have merely written and complained that the box appeared to have been opened, rather than admitting to removing the doll from the box. I suspect that the story of the tape appearing to have been cut is a set-up to account for the fact that they had to open the box to switch dolls. I'd offer a full refund to include shipping both ways, once the doll is received and inspected to be sure it was the same one shipped. The seller is in a tougher situation than usual here, since he can't claim to have "marked" an item that was sold in a sealed box. Otherwise, I'd imply that I marked the merchandise before shipping, and that no refund would be given if my mark was not present on the item that was returned.
