blconner
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posted on June 12, 2002 12:28:11 PM new
I sold to someone who was bidding for their Father, they said. They gave me permission to deal with the Father and mail the item to the Father and so I did. The Father is not a registered eBay user.
I then get a message from the Father that upon receiving the item, which was in mint condition when I mailed it, that I had misrepresented the item; parts are missing; etc. He wanted to work something out. He wanted to keep it, but to pay less for it.
I wrote back and basically said that eBay is an auction place; not a barter place. I told him to return the item and I would simply refund his money.
I received the item, but it is indeed missing parts now; it is in awful shape, including the box. It is not like what I mailed to him.
Has anyone had this situation before and how did you handle it?
We are talking about basically $80 to refund for something that I cannot possibly resale because he didn't send the entire thing back.
I truly feel I'm being 'had' and after selling for over 2 years this is the first time I've ever had this happen. I've had returns, but the items came back as I sent them.
Any suggestions? Chalk it up to selling on eBay these days or what?
Thanks.
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trai
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posted on June 12, 2002 12:38:34 PM new
In this case I would not refund! Have them pay you the shipping back.
Sounds more like someone needed parts and are now trying to pull a fast one.
Stand your ground on this!
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rarriffle
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posted on June 12, 2002 12:49:39 PM new
I agree with trai on this. The one you received is probably the one the father originally had. Your's was in better condition so they sent the other back in its place.
Do no refund.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on June 12, 2002 12:51:32 PM new
how did they pay?
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nharmon
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:15:05 PM new
I would say don't give him a refund. .
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blconner
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:17:11 PM new
He paid by personal check, but enough time has passed that it should have cleared the bank. I wouldn't have refunded anything until the check had cleared.
The red flags about all of this went up when:
**he wasn't a registered user
**he complained about my packing, which I have never gotten a complaint about my packing and I have many, many compliments about the great packing jobs I've done
**he wanted to re-negotiate the price so quickly in the first email I got from him along with the complaint that I had misrepresented the item and that there was a screw missing and some kind of foam parts in it.
It then came back minus a part.....plus a screw..... plus it appeared to have been taken apart and another screw was out, but I found it in the box. It is simply ruined. It is a vintage Tape recorder that was in mint condition. It looks awful plus the plate covering the area where batteries should go is missing. The original box, it was packed in (not my packing), looks as if someone took a pencil or pen and stuck holes in it and it is written on....just ink marks....a lot of them.
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blconner
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:21:53 PM new
I know I've been 'had' here and I am not wanting to refund, but I do want to do what is right.
He did pay and now, even though it is ruined, I have the item and his money. Should I send the item back to him; refund him a lesser amount or what is right on my end to do at this point is what I'm thinking and need some wisdom from all of you about.
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blconner
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:24:08 PM new
I know I've been 'had' here and I am not wanting to refund, but I do want to do what is right.
He did pay and now, even though it is ruined, I have the item and his money. Should I send the item back to him; refund him a lesser amount or what is right on my end to do at this point is what I'm thinking and need some wisdom from all of you about.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:25:24 PM new
i would send the broken item back advising it is unsellable.
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trai
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:37:25 PM new
"have the item and his money. Should I send the item back" YES!
As this is not the same condition as when you shipped it out, I would ship it back to him once he pays you the return postage rate.
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sanmar
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posted on June 12, 2002 01:46:33 PM new
Did you ship it prior to the check clearing, and has the check cleared? If so send back the damaged tape recorder & explain that this was not in this shape when you sent & NO refund. This guy is really trying to shaft you.
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ahc3
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posted on June 12, 2002 02:48:13 PM new
I would ship it back and offer no refund in this case, screws missing and such show this was not in original condition sent to you. You may even want to send back with delivery confirmation.
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onecentcds
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posted on June 12, 2002 02:58:46 PM new
"Hello!
Thanks for your original purchase of item [ITEM] from eBay.
I'm sorry you had a problem, with the [ITEM], and I know you had planned to send it back to me for a refund. I think however, that you've made a mistake with the item you sent to me.
It's clearly not the same item I shipped to you. This one appears to be missing several crucial parts, that I am completely sure were included with the original shipment. I'm guessing you just made an error at your end and sent the wrong one. If you would please send back the original [ITEM] and $5.00 to cover the return shipping, I'll be happy to send this one back to you with your correct refund.
Sorry about the mix-up, but I'm sure we can still work this out."
Puts the ball back in his court. At this stage, he'll either give up and play straight, or start name-calling.
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nharmon
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posted on June 12, 2002 03:21:58 PM new
I would not give him a refund. A few years ago I sold a Beanie Baby for $85.00 and all was well and about two weeks after they got the beanie they said after inspecting it for a couple of days they thought it wasn't a real beanie but a fake one. I had origanlly bought the beanie with a certificate of authenticity but I didn't want to risk getting a neg so I refunded the money to the buyer. When I got the Beanie back it was not the beanie I had sold him and it smelled of heavy smoke and was soiled as well. I put up a fuss with ebay but they didn't do a thing for me. About a month later the guy sold the Beanie I sold him and made $15 too. I was out the $85 plus had a the fake beanie he sent me.
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dacreson
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posted on June 12, 2002 03:57:42 PM new
Hello
My wife works in Radio shack and guy buys car fuses, goes out blows them because car has a short comes back wants money back. Guy buys speaker goes home hooks it up wrong blows speaker want money back. Guy buys karaoke machine, brings back next week don’t need any more (Party’s over). Guy buys cell phone brings back wants money back, as bill is too high and on and on. Some people are just plain idiots and when my wife says “No” they get mad and call the District. Go figure
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zathras11
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posted on June 12, 2002 06:41:14 PM new
What are you, Sears? I describe my items,
used or New, to the best of my ability and
provide the best pictures I am capable of
taking. I offer the option to purchase USPS
insurance (and the high bidder's expense).
I also list my items as "Sold as is. No
Returns. No Refunds." Does this cost me
bids? Probably. But I've also had very
few problems. You should consider changing
your TOS. It sounds like they are trying
to scam you! Good luck!
Z
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
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barparts
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posted on June 12, 2002 09:55:40 PM new
onecentcds has a great and professional suggestion. It does not degrade the buyer and keeps the whole transaction positive. One more thing you can do is state that the serial number of the unit returned does not match the unit sent. Even though it is a bluff, the buyer doesn't know that.
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inot
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posted on June 12, 2002 10:09:42 PM new
Return the item immediately via cheapest insured rate ( USPS parcel post) with confirmation. DO NOT REFUND ANYTHING. Accept
the loss of all shipping costs as a write off, block the user from bidding on any future auctions, make note of the fathers email addy in case he registers under his own name, expect a neg. feedback, be prepared to leave his neg, THEN MOVE ON.
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mcjane
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posted on June 12, 2002 11:59:37 PM new
This situation is further proof that an invisible marker which shows up under a black light is something every seller should have & use on certain items.
If this is a switched item, and it sure sounds like one, an invisible mark would be all the proof you need.
I bought a set, light & pen, on eBay for about 12.00 postage included.
I would not refund if I were you. onecentcds letter is a good one, you should use it.
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caffeitalia
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posted on June 13, 2002 04:34:42 AM new
Do not do what "INOT" says. It will only cause a war which you want to avoid. Let alone more money.
I also must concur with "ONECENTCDS" and "BARPARTS". Tell the person in a nice way. In fact, I would ask ONECENT if you can copy that statement. It is very good. Also include the part about the serial number. That should solve your trouble.
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gc2
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posted on June 13, 2002 05:22:13 AM new
One other thought:
Bear in mind that the actual buyer is not the eBay user....and the actual user may not be aware of what the father is pulling here.
I wouldn't contact him/her right now, but might as a last resort.
What kind of feedback does the real user have?
Definitely sounds like a scam, and I have had it tried on me a couple of times.
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mrspock
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posted on June 13, 2002 05:24:36 AM new
I used to get that with the B&M one item i recall one of the women working for me refunded
when I inspected it yes it was a item we sold but price sticker was definatley not ours plus inside the box was a recipt from a store in another state....
Send it back as others have suggested...
spock here......
Live long and Prosper
[
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alwaysbroke
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posted on June 13, 2002 08:53:45 AM new
Do you have clear pics of your item? The missing battery door should be a proof it was tampered with or switched.
lurking is not an option
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revvassago
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posted on June 13, 2002 01:24:08 PM new
To solve this problem, I purchased a custom rubber stamp from the local office supply store (about $8.00), and purchased a UV ink stamp pad online. I now mark all my merchandise with the UV stamp, which can only be seen under a blacklight. If someone wants to return because of misrepresentation, I politely tell them that the item was stamped with a custom UV stamp, and that the item returned MUST have this stamp to be accepted.
Oddly enough, even though I have had several situations like yours, I have never had anyone actually send the item back to me since I implemented this policy........hmmmm......
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inot
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posted on June 13, 2002 06:06:15 PM new
caffeitalia - How would my advice cause a "war"? or cost more money??
I advised to consider the case closed after
returning the item. This bidder has already proven he is unethical and will more than likely be leaving a neg. no matter what you do, I would consider it a draw.
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caffeitalia
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posted on June 13, 2002 08:34:33 PM new
inot,
You ask how is your advice costing money?
Dah, the post office doesn't ship for free. That would cost money. The seller is not at fault here, but you still want him/her to spend money to ship an item that should be tossed in the trash. The advice given by others is much more sound than what you have offered.
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on June 13, 2002 09:00:38 PM new
Gosh, this sounds just like my situation.
A bidder wins a pair of vermeil earrings set with faceted amethysts. Gorgeous earrings. She receives them and by her own admission, breaks one while putting them on. She demands refund or replacement.
I said NO. The item was fine when it arrived.
Today she threatened to 1) neg me 2) start legal action 3) get me kicked off eBay unless I refund or replace. She said that I had so much negative feedback (3 negs with 620 transactions) I shouldn't care if I get one more.
I love these snide comments about negative feedback, as if it were proof positive that an eBayer is a scumbag if she has a neg or three.
[em]Gee, I know of a seller who has 1026 negatives! Obviously should have been banned from eBay long ago![/em]
Wondered about the attitude, so checked out her feedback. Hmmm, she's both a seller and a buyer. No negs.
<type type type type type>
Okay, make that ONE neg. I just love popping someone's feedback cherry.
I have a feeling she has a few "you've got a negative in your feedback, how can I trust you?" emails in her future. I've got lots of anonymous email accounts.
[ edited by fluffythewondercat on Jun 13, 2002 09:01 PM ]
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tomwiii
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posted on June 13, 2002 09:44:08 PM new
pussy!
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inot
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posted on June 13, 2002 09:47:27 PM new
caffeitalia ~ Wow, a whole 3-4 dollars to cut your losses and also cut loose the LOSER?
Sounds like a Bargain to me!
Sound advice? I think so. You are telling this guy you don't play games and are moving on.
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