[Pony]

Would like to get some opinions on this, I sold an item on ebay, rather high doller, the bidder asked no questions before bidding and now that he has recieved the item he has a complaint. An issue that could have been easily answered if he had asked before bidding. I have allready paid the ebay fees and the paypal fees on the auction plus the fack that I estimated 32 dollers for shipping and it actually ended up costing $45.21 (I ate the difference) Heres the e-mail I got(name and item censored to protect his identity):


Hi,this is ***** Hows it goin? First ,let me say"Thanks". I got the *****
and they are awesome!!!/I mean,really cool!!!/The only problem is,is that
they come from a smoking environment,and my girlfriend(we live together)is
allergic to smoke.We tried this with a stuffed animal once,and we ended up
just having to getting rid of it.I am working on different ideas on how to
de-smoke them,or mabye sell them(Im BUMMED,these are so cool!!!)but if I
cant,I will have to return them.Like I said before,because of my
girlfriends allergic reaction-she smelled them almost right away-I cant
keep them in the house,which is where I wanted to display them.Anyway....I
hope you can understand my problem,Im sure you can re-sell them on
Ebay-there were plenty of bidders.Give me a week to try to figure something
out(right now,Im just trying to air them out in the back yard)and if ,after
a week,Im still stuck,I will have to return them.Sorry,but I hope you
understand.Thanks *****

 

[wlpaul]

Have them send the item back,...and you must get it the same way you sent it. They will be out the postage both ways, and you will be out the fees and postage difference from when you sent it.

Then refund the money. (Chances are, they will keep the item.) Then, you both leave positive feedback,...him first, obviously.

They wouldn't happen to be white lightnings, would they?!

If so, I smoke, and don't give a damn...send them to me for this free advice!

 

[HMMWV]

2¢

If you choose to accept the return, make it easier for the buyer to keep the "*****".

• Verify that the items are in the same condition as sold.
• Require that the buyer return with confirmed delivery.
• Charge a re-stock fee at least equivalent to your shipping cost shortage & fees.
• Do not issue a refund through PayPal until the "*****" are back in your hands in original condition.

[My 2¢ assumes that you did not have "Auction Terms" in your listing. Monkey business like this is why my terms are longer than the item description.]

 

[edseldave]

Unless you put in your listing , a refund notice . I would say your not obligated to refund anything ! Unless hes willing to pay all fees incurred . He should of asked about smoking if thats a concern ! Ive had people ask for refunds / returns because they said they didnt read the complete description on my stuff & then complained when they got it . And it was nothing to do with smoking either , as I dont smoke !

 

[sh1035]

Sounds like a lame excuse to me ......unless it was a stuffed animal??? Now I know why all those stupid items are listed as from a non smoking house....get over it, its a diecast car and you dont sit in it!

Send him an email and tell him you are sorry and to keep you posted. Then just remember Xmas is coming and you might be able to get more if he covers all the fees and shipping! He might forget about it..................?

 

[markkaz]

Has any Feedback been left yet? I believe that if not, then you can ask for a credit for your closing fees. I don't know about PayPal fees. If he wants to return the item, he can do so at his expense. Refund his purchase price but not any shipping costs. If you undercharged for the shipping, that is a mistake that you will have to absorb.

I don't believe in charging the customer a restock fee unless it was stated in your auction.

Personally, it is not a pleasant surprise when I get a package and even the box wreaks of cigarette smoke. I can't recycle the box nor the popcorn packing. I have to throw it all away. As for my purchase, I have to leave it in the garage for who knows how long to get the stench out.

 

[Pony]

Thanks guys, My take on it is that I totally understand where he's coming from but I think he should have asked about it before bidding. I know if my boyfriend was allergic to smoke I would ask first.

They weren't white lightnings for anyone wondering They were some highly collectible action figures that I put on for a friend of mine. They were actually only in my house for 2 days. I do smoke but I have a back room that I keep the door closed on and don't smoke in that I keep for my e-bay room. I couldn't tell you where they had been before that, my friend got them at a flea market.

And yes I allready gave my friend the money so if I take them back I guess I just bought the damn things. I talked to him about it and he doesn't want to refund them, especially after he heard the part about the guy "airing them out in the back yard" I understand his point too. I don't want to refund them but I have a 311 100% positive feedback that I hate to see ruined.

 

[ufptrekker1701]

Hi Pony, I deal on ebay quite a bit and I have had the same problem with an item I purchased, I am also a "non-smoker" and I purchased an item (Star Trek Ship) and it was actually coated with tar. The person must have had it sitting right in front of them while on the computer, anyhow, since I did not ask before hand, I felt that it was only fair of me to pay for returning the item and all came out well. Have you tried contacting the buyer and explaining this to him? Some folks are understanding some are not, hopefully this one will be.

Roger

 

[T/A Tom]

If she has that big of a problem allergic problem he should be asking on every e-bay item he buys. I say he's stuck with them.

 

[carnut2256]

People are becoming waaaayyyy too anal about this non-smoking thing ..... I have never smoked a day in my life, and have no problems being around the average smoker. My 18 y/o daughter suffers from moderate asthma, and even she doesn't make such a big deal about it. Of course I'd rather people didn't smoke, for many good reasons, but they do, and that's just another part of life you have to deal with.


From my point of view, allergies included, too many people are making this an issue of exerting control over another person (or group of people). I carry a couple of extra pounds from time to time, and when my daughter was little, I took her out for a Happy Meal, after which we were going to share a McHotFudgeSundae ..... the lady next to me actually said, and I quote, "you don't really need that, you know" !!!!!!! And it was a fat free freakin' yougurt one at that !!!!!!!!! I told her, politely, "I'll tell you now what you need, and that's to learn how to keep your damn opinions to yourself! And by the way, hope you lose a few pounds with that Big Mac"

People! They want to tell everyone else what to do!!!!

If the bidder is going to be that sensitive, they definitely should have asked up front. Now they've put you in a position where if you don't bail their ass out now, you risk a blemish on a perfect record....... bidders!!!!

Just make sure BEFORE refunding the money (minus your shipping charges!) that the items come back in the same condition they were sent out in! Especially where he says he left the "outside to air" (hope you saved that e-mail!).

 

[WWE4LIFE]

What the F?????????????????

Man i dont get it?

ITS AN AUCTION! NOT WALMART OR TARGET.

ONCE YOU BID AND WIN AN ITEM ITS YOURS PERIOD!

We all have gotten items that were better than described and worse than described. That's the way life is...


Persoanlly i have a 500+ rating on ebay and my auctions state.
This is an auction. Please ask questions before bidding. ALL ITEMS ARE AS IS. NO REFUNDS. NO EXCHANGES! IM NOT WALMART.

PLEASE PURCHASE INSURANCE ITS WORTH THE EXTRA COUPLE OF BUCKS.
This protects your investment and peace of mind.

I have had sevarl wl's where the buyer has tried to swap wl's and send me their bad carded wl for my mint one. Funny thing not one has evered offerd to show me a pic of a squashed box or damaged box... funny huh? :jest:

 

[siggy]

It seems Like everyone has given you the right advice, To keep your 100% feedback I would tell the person to send back the items exactly as they got them and to of course pay the shipping (both ways).When you get them back if they are as you sent them out then refund their money .Then you file with ebay for a final value credit fee and then you can relist them with no insertion fee from ebay,As for the paypal refund I dont know how that works because I dont use paypal. Goodluck

 

[markkaz]

I don't believe that he can't get the smell out of an action figure. I can understand a stuffed animal because of the fabric or the hair, but not an action figure.

I feel for your tough position because you're caught in the middle. It isn't right for your friend to not want to refund the money. I feel that the decision should be yours because he gave you the responsibility for the item.

 

[carnut2256]

I feel for your tough position because you're caught in the middle. It isn't right for your friend to not want to refund the money. I feel that the decision should be yours because he gave you the responsibility for the item.

I have to agree, your friend is putting you in a very precarious position, and all you were doing was trying to do him a favor. He should respect you enough to save your feedback rating and do the refund, whether the bidder is right or wrong. If it were your item, and your decision, that's a different matter.

 

[Pony]

I talked to my friend again this morning, he said if I relly feel we should do the refund, he would. I still feel stuck though cause I know he doesn't really want to and I really do believe the bidders in the wrong here.

On a side note, I do have a business selling knives and swords, I don't sell any of that stuff under my toykid2000 ID or vice versa no personal stuff under the psychosmileys ID because of things like this. If it was a business deal and he wanted a refund for a stupid reason I would probably do it just for the fact that "the customers always right" But when it's individual to individual I feel it's different.

Thanks again everyone for the advice!

 

[79'Tranzamman]

Very touchy subject for me. I feel that too many people don't ask questions, and the biggest thing they don't do is read the damn auction page !?! I get a ton of people, over exaggeration, ask me questions to which the answers are right in front of them, if they only read the rest of the auction page. I have a pretty short page too, direct, to the point, all bases covered. Still they come out of the woodwork ! Ya' know, I hit 1,716+ with 3 neg's. You need at least one neg and I'll tell you why. After you get one you don't tend to fold or suck up to these morons demands that they have no business putting fourth. While you still handle a transaction the proper way you just are more compelled to stay in control. Tell him to go get some friggin bleach and go to town. That should get the smell out, and the paint off the car (if that's what were talking about) and call it a day. :wave:

 

[scott1091]

Risk the negitive and tell him to go pi$$ up a rope...

 

[zzmustang]

Next time you post on EBAY, make sure you disclose that your item comes from a smoking environment, Many serious collectors do not like receaving items from smokers collections.

 

[Pony]

the saga continues

Heres his latest e-mail to me:

Hi,Connie-I havent decided what Im going to do yet,but I wanted to get
back to you.Let me start by saying that your "friend" sounds like a real
jerk.He obviously dosent know how to do business in any kind of
professional matter.His objection to the ***** being "aired out" is
rediculous.Does he actually think that I would leave them in the back yard
so that the dog and the rain and the sun could ruin them?What does he take
me for?They are completely protected underneath a roof,and also covered
besides that.Believe me,nothing can happen to them.Connie,are you sure you
did the math right on if I returned them?I just want to be sure. As far as
the smoking issue,in all my transactions,Ive never had a problem with it
before.Mabye I could have asked,but ,then again,mabye you could have
mentioned it up front.What Im trying to do now is to sell them,hopefully in
the next couple of weeks.Then,we wont have to worry about this anymore.If I
cant sell them,then I might consider making a complaint to E-bay.Connie,I
dont have a problem with you,really,at least we are trying to work this
out.And I dont want to mess with your feedback record either,I just want to
be fair,and try and work something out,thats all.Thanks

 

[Pony]

and my reply to him:

Hi *****, Let me start by saying your right my friend may not know how to do business in a professional manner, thats because he's not a professional, and niether am I. We are not Wal-Mart or Target, we don't return things because you decide you don't like the color, size or smell of it. If you want to be able to return anything you buy maybe you need to only shop at places like wal-mart or target. The item you bought was exactly as described in the auction listing. If you had any questions about color size or smell ect. they should have been asked before you bid.

Why would he not assume they are out there in the back yard for the weather and the dog to get, all you said was they were in the backyard, you mentioned no roof or cover.

The return price, you paid $162.50 + $32.00 for shipping, for a total of $194.50. The actual cost of shipping them was $45.00, now I figured I would eat that extra cost in shipping to make the sale but if the sale is not being made I don't think I should have to. So 194.50 - 45 = $149.50, ebay charges are $6.54, $149.50 - $6.54 = $142.96, Paypal charges are $5.44, $142.96 - $5.44 = $137.52, that is the amount I would be returning to you (if I was to refund them) But it is going to cost you $45.00 to ship them back, you can try to find a cheaper way but I doubt you will, I had the guy run the figures through USPS, UPS and fed ex calculators.

The smoking issue, in my transactions I've never had a problem with it either, I am a smoker BUT these ***** were not in my house untill the day I sent them out to you, and then only in my ebay/packaging room which is in the back of my house and I keep the door closed on it, don't smoke in there either. My friend does smoke but he doesn't smoke in his house, he has to go outside. Before that.... who knows, they came from a flea market. This is what I would have told you had you asked before bidding. Maybe I should mention it up front? As I said alot of my items come from flea markets, I have no idea where or what kind of environment they come from. If your girlfriend has that big of an allergic problem you should be asking on every e-bay item you buy.

you don't have a problem with me or want to mess with my feedback record yet if you don't sell them you may consider making a complaint to e-bay??? Well you might just have to do that, really I'm not too worried about 1 negative feedback vs. 300+ positive feedback. yes, you've gotten under my skin now, Do what you gotta do man, hey heres a novel idea....why don't you try selling them on e-bay!

Connie


So was I too harsh? Couldn't help it, drove 400 miles today and came home to his e-mail, guess I let him get under my skin. Now he's done made me mad.....not a good thing to do

Boy I hope he's not a member of this board