Question for ebayers

lahmejoon

Hi All,

I need an honest opinion from both sellers and buyers on ebay. I recently purchased a lot of a year from the 60's that I'm building a set of. In short, the condition of the cards are not what the title, nor the description in the listing led me to believe they were. Scans of the cards were provided in the listing; however, they were not close-up enough to where some of the issues with these cards would have been detected. The condition represented was no worse than NM with "amazing corners." Only a handful of the cards would fit this description.

My question (primarily to the veteran sellers) is, would it be found offensive if I offered to reimburse for shipping and fees, send the cards back, and ask for my money back? Basically, I'm willing to eat the cost of me shipping the cards back, plus the cost of the dealer's shipping and fees just to be rid of them. Or, should I just suck it up and chalk it up to part of the learning experience. I've been actively buying on ebay for about six months now to fill my sets. In previous lots I've purchased, there are always some cards that are of lesser condition than what I'm buying; however, the condition of the lots have been reasonably represented.

Thanks in advance for your help!
Aaron

grote15

If the cards were misreprented in the auction description, I would notify the seller and advise him of such and that you are returning the cards for a refund. I would expect a full refund including the shipping charge you paid, but I would absorb the cost of returning the cards, which is standard protocol for returning an ebay return. Just remain, polite, professional but firm. You are in the right.

vols1

It sounds like you pretty much got what you paid for. But Paypal gives buyers the ability to receive a refund for any reason within the first 45 days. All you have to do is is open a case.

JoeBanzai

I am both a buyer and seller on ebay. I usually sell graded cards, but when I sell raw, I tend to undergrade the items and post high resolution scans, so the buyer isn't surprised when he gets his winnings.

If you honestly feel the cards were not properly represented, simply contact the seller and let him know how you feel. Seller may come back at you with a few different options. Do not ask for a "rebate" on the cards or mention feedback, simply let the seller decide if he wants the cards back. Ebay will REQUIRE him to accept a return, even if his auction says he does not accept them.

Some sellers might be willing to renegotiate, but many will simply refund your money and you then are responsible for shipping them back to him. The best bet to avoid drama would be to return them all for a full refund.

If you can't come to an agreement with seller, simply file a claim with ebay stating the item "was not as described", there is a time limit on this.

Make sure when you send them back to ship as ebay requires. Depending on the value of the cards, you might be required to use signature confirmation. At the very least ship them with delivery confirmation, I would also spend the money on insurance.

There is no need to "suck it up and chalk it up". If the cards don't fit the description, they should be returned.

psychump

<< <i>If the cards were misreprented in the auction description, I would notify the seller and advise him of such and that you are returning the cards for a refund. I would expect a full refund including the shipping charge you paid, but I would absorb the cost of returning the cards, which is standard protocol for returning an ebay return. Just remain, polite, professional but firm. You are in the right. >>






+1

lahmejoon

Thanks for your advice. I really don't want to go down the claim/case route - I don't want to be one of those guys that ends up in a ranting thread about a buyer opening a case on them.

I think I'll contact the seller. I'd probably give a few days to get a response and then follow up with another note if I don't get a response. Is that reasonable?

Ilovecards

return them

if they are not what was stated but if they are and you are being picky then no

an example would be nice of both what the auction showed and stated and a scan from you

so we can decide who the donkey butt is

grote15

<< <i>Thanks for your advice. I really don't want to go down the claim/case route - I don't want to be one of those guys that ends up in a ranting thread about a buyer opening a case on them.

I think I'll contact the seller. I'd probably give a few days to get a response and then follow up with another note if I don't get a response. Is that reasonable? >>



Reasonable? If all buyers were like you, Aaron, ebay would be a much better place.

JoeBanzai

<< <i> In short, the condition of the cards are not what the title, nor the description in the listing led me to believe they were. Scans of the cards were provided in the listing; however, they were not close-up enough to where some of the issues with these cards would have been detected. The condition represented was no worse than NM with "amazing corners." Only a handful of the cards would fit this description. >>



This says it all, "condition no worse than NM" "amazing corners" and buyers view that "only a handful" fit the description.

Now we don't know exactly how many cards were in the lot or how many "fit the description". We also don't know the price paid or the year (says the '60's), no scans for us to look at and no auction number or link. So it's hard to say just how badly you got screwed or if it's even worth your time returning the cards.

You obviously don't want to have any problems with the seller over this, so if it worries you more that someone might be upset with you than the fact that someone appears to have misrepresented his items, just keep the cards.

After all this could be a lot of 4 1969 Topps you got for $8.00. On the other hand it could be a lot of 100 1962's he paid $300.00 for, without some specifics, it is difficult to give advice.

In answer to your question; it is not considered offensive if you want to return an item you are not happy with as long as you do it in a nice way. You seem like a nice guy, so that should not be a problem.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Meatloaf

<< <i>I am both a buyer and seller on ebay. I usually sell graded cards, but when I sell raw, I tend to undergrade the items and post high resolution scans, so the buyer isn't surprised when he gets his winnings. >>



+1

Also, as a seller, I always provide ultra high res, in focus, 300+DPI scans of cards (no junking camera phone pics with flash marks). When I do this, I rarely make claims of "condition" in the description and let the seller decide the potential condition. Over the last 6 months, I have sold 400+ raw cards on ebay, mostly modern, and only had 1 complaint regarding condition (and that was resolved quickly when I referenced the scans).

BL: graded or ungraded, buying cards is as art...there is always room for interpretation. If you feel the description baited you into buying something falsely represented, then work with the seller to come to a solution. In the future, I recommend avoid sellers failing to provide high res scans (they are either lazy and don't want your money or trying to hide the down side of their cards)....or simply ask before you buy....request the seller msg you with super high res scans so you know exactly what you are getting...if they don't comply, then move on....someone else will and hook you up. I provide this type of service all the time upon request and approx 90% of the time get a sale out of it.

Meatloaf

lahmejoon

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not going to post pictures or the ebay auction on this thread, as making it public could jeopardize me getting a refund. I know if I were a seller, I would take public scrutiny as an attack and would be less willing to deal with the buyer.

I have PM'd a few of you to get your opinions. Thanks!

jbarnes

Hi Aaron,

Ping me if you're in the Bay Area.

There's certainly some great answer here from very experienced buyers and sellers. Having bought lots of early 70's PSA 9's in the past 4 years, I can tell you I've made lots of mistakes, most of which I've paid for and swallowed the pill. I've done over 400 transactions and have 1 retraction.

I've had a few issues with over graded cards/sets, and I returned every one with the sellers blessing. To help the return process, I offer to pay shipping on both ends, to keep things cordial.

Here's my take, if the picture is not clear and you can't see the corners, don't buy it. It's 2014, if a seller can't get a high-res photo in the ad, then through a penalty flag, there's probably a reason. Or, if you really want the card, ask for another photo before buying. And yes, most raw cards are over-graded, but that is not unusual for anything that sells on e-bay, cars, stamps, bikes, etc.

For me, I buy mostly graded cards, all PSA 9's. I don't have time to buy raw cards, except for ultra high grade sets.

Spoiler alert, not all PSA 9's are the same. And some are vastly different. So the photo is extremely important. I.E. take a look at the two Fisk rookies sitting on e-bay for three months. This is a card that should sell in a minute, so I'm happy to report the market is getting smart. There is a very large seller on e-bay who I don't buy from anymore, whose photos are blurry when you zoom in. And, I can't explain this one, there is seller with a city name in South Cali. whose PSA 9's look like 7's.

Hope this helps.

jb

dontippet

<< <i>Thanks for your advice. I really don't want to go down the claim/case route - I don't want to be one of those guys that ends up in a ranting thread about a buyer opening a case on them.

I think I'll contact the seller. I'd probably give a few days to get a response and then follow up with another note if I don't get a response. Is that reasonable? >>




There's no problem in opening a case. In fact, ebay almost prefers that. I just had my first case opened against me. I have never heard from the buyer before and found out what the issue was via the case. If the seller doesn't get back to you after an email or two, then I would definitely open a case. You are completely in the right.