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Need advice from eBayers


Estranged Reality

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TL;DR -- i sold an old CD last week for $3.99 plus shipping (came out to $5.99 total). This morning I received a very demanding letter from the person I sold it to claiming that it was mislabeled as 'Like New' and that it would barely qualify for 'Good' condition. He outlined all these supposed flaws in the CD (jewel case cracks, scuffs on the CD, etc.). Now, this was an album that sat in a box for nine years in my house, because I thought it was rubbish and only played it once. Before putting it on eBay I inspected it and there were no cracks in the jewel case, it even had the original DualDisc slip cover sleeve, and the CD/DVD looked fine to me. If there were any 'scuffs' they were definitely very, very minor -- minor enough that for $3.99 i'd expect someone to consider it a steal.

Now I have this guy instead telling me that I tried to mislead him, and that it doesn't even qualify as Very Good condition (Which it most certainly did). At this point I'm thinking this dude may have deliberately damaged the item himself. But here's the real kicker, and why I think he's trying to con me... at the bottom of his message he says (paraphrasing), "Since your listing claims returns are not allowed, I expect you to offer a full refund plus the cost of shipping." In other words, he's trying to KEEP the album AND get his money back. I responded immediately and apologized, told him the case wasn't cracked when I sent it and must have happened en route, and said I was very sorry if he felt 'duped.' However, I told him I could make an exception to the return policy and would be happy to not only pay for the amount he paid, but also the return shipping fee as well. So far, he has not responded.

So, what would you guys do in my shoes? I'm thinking this guy is going to end up leaving me negative feedback (my first negative feedback ever) no matter what I do, but I'm trying to be reasonable with him. If he leaves me negative feedback, can I 'fight' it? And if he gives me a hard time about returning the item, what ground can I stand on? I just get the feeling he's an advanced eBayer (he has way more transactions than me on his account) trying to take advantage of my naivety. His letter was very formal and demanding and the fact that he expects to keep the item with a full refund is staggering to me, especially since it was only 6 bucks that he paid. If we were talking about a $100 out of print CD or something i'd definitely understand more, but c'mon. And even then, I'm convinced it was in perfect condition when I sent it. So what do I do?

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it's six bucks man.

exactly!

that's why i can't believe how seriously this guy is taking it. you should see the message he sent me... it's like he's contacting me over a lemon car i sold him or something. i want to tell him dude, you realize you only paid four dollars for this album, right?

but ultimately i don't want to let a six dollar deal ruin my flawless eBay history (i have 100% right now in ratings).

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Well, first question is: How did you ship the item and what packaging method did you use? Padded envelope only?

yeah, i used a padded CD mailer. normally i use boxes with air bubbles in them but i bought the envelopes at officemax a couple weeks ago because i heard they were reliable.

That's the first issue, man. Item was damaged in transit, and if you didn't use a secured packaging method (i.e. a box with air bubbles), then you can't deny the claim of the customer. He could be lying, but he could be also just telling the truth.

Now, I understand that it's only 6 dollars and your reputation is not worth that.

My advice: Try to work things out with the guy, even if he's a pathetic little shit. Do not let him keep the item for free, which is probably what he wants and he's just using a few scratches here and there as an excuse to claim that it was received in terrible condition.

Maybe, he thinks you will be like "forget it, I'll refund your money", since it's only 6 bucks.

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i guess i'll start taking pics of items before i send them -- i've never had any issues until now.

and i'll have to go back to using boxes... the thing that sucks is if he is telling the truth about it being cracked, he probably won't believe that it happened in transit. but it definitely wasn't like that when i sent it.

thanks for the input guys.

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i guess i'll start taking pics of items before i send them -- i've never had any issues until now.

and i'll have to go back to using boxes... the thing that sucks is if he is telling the truth about it being cracked, he probably won't believe that it happened in transit. but it definitely wasn't like that when i sent it.

thanks for the input guys.

He probably knows you'll do anything to save your precious 100%. Let him leave negative, it will free you, and you can post a response to negative feedback on your page.
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I don't know if US rules are different but in the UK if a buyer opens a dispute they have to return the item by registered post, when it's shown as delivered PayPal refund their money plus original postage. This is to weed out the chancers from those that have a legit issue.

A few years back I sold an unopened ipod touch. The buyer opened a dispute saying that it was damaged and jailbroken. They were angling after keeping the item and getting a partial refund. PayPal were really helpful (i rang them) and said send it back or nothing. Funnily enough they backed off then. They did negative me of course but I applied and successfully got it removed.

Whether it's worth the hassle for a CD is up to you. If the guy has a genuine issue though he should proceed through the proper channel rather than trying to bully buy email. Ebay flag up accounts that ask for refunds too frequently which is why he is probably doing it that way.

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Check his review list - are there a lot of people leaving him negative reviews? If he does this for a living (what he is doing to you) then surely there would be other people who have complained about him. Is there some sort of Ebay complaint center where you can voice your concerns?

How damaged would your ebay "reputation" be if you have one negative review? 99.99% instead of 100% Do people care that much if a guy has 259 positive reviews and 1 negative one?

Can you leave him a negative review and specifically say what he did to you?

Part of me wouldn't want to give him the satisfaction of getting a free item. Can you send him a self-addressed envelope and have him send you the CD back? I'd rather eat six more dollars than let him scam you for a free item.

If what you say is true, then this guy probably does it all the time. Knowing that people don't want to risk their 100% rating over 4-5 dollars. So they give in and refund the money and this dude gets TONS of free stuff.

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Interesting - I have the same sort of thing going on with an LP right now. The guy is telling me it was so warped he couldn't play it when he received it, and I shipped it in NM condition. I asked him for pictures of it on Saturday and he has yet to send them to me.

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