Gal decides to return Dvd - "not sealed" - Is my reply too harsh?

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electrictroy

electrictroy

Banned
http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-NEAR-NEW-P...goryZ617QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem [quote name='masha']99% of them don't read your description.[/QUOTE] That is sooo true. I sold a DVD described as "NEAR-NEW. The cardboard box has bent corners. Discs are in FLAWLESS condition." That's the very first line of the auction.

The Winner writes me, "Is it sealed"?

"No not sealed. The discs are in mint condition, but the box is slightly damaged."

Buyer: "Well then I don't want it. I thought it was sealed. I wanted sealed."

"Sorry for your confusion, but my description was clear. I never said it was sealed. Plus, I already mailed it yesterday. Thank you for the prompt paypal payment & I hope you enjoy the Punch Drunk Love movie."
 
Do you guys think this reply is too harsh? [quote name='"BUYER"']i am going to send the DVD back because it's not sealed[/quote] Fine. But you will not get a refund. My description did NOT say the dvd was sealed. It did NOT say it was wrapped in plastic. I advertised it as "near-new" and "damage to the box but the discs are mint" which is >exactly< what you are getting.

You were wrong to expect a sealed dvd. You made an invalid assumption. You made an error. ----- In addition, I will file a non-paying bidder strike. And neg feedback. I do NOT want to do that, because I prefer to keep things friendly. But I can't afford to lose ~$5.00 in listing fees for >your< wrong assumptions.

I am just an average joe, selling out of his living room. I've got a family to care for & an average job. I'm not a multi-billion dollar corporation like Wal-mart. I can't afford to lose money - ~$5.00 in ebay fees - every time a customer fails to read the description. I apologize for being harsh, but I consider this matter *your* error, not mine, and I will take steps to protect myself.

Now, how about we both take a deep breath, pause for a moment to let our anger subside, and solve this problem peaceably?

(pause)

- I advertised a "near-new" dvd with minor damage but mint discs.
- You bid on that dvd.
- We, both you & I, are now bound by Ebay rules & legal contract to complete the transaction.
- You already sent your money & I put the DVD in the mail - fulfilling contractual obligations.
-
- When you open your package, you will see a DVD that matches >exactly< what I advertised.
- So why don't we finish this transaction amicably?

troy
 
[quote name='sonderiaom']as much as I dislike the OP[/QUOTE] Why do you hate me? I never attacked you or insulted you.


Anyway, I was mainly concerned my reply (post#2) might be too harsh, but it sounds like everyone thinks it's okay. So I'll go ahead & send it.
 
We don't hate you, just dislike you. I don't even remember why; probably some asinime comments about an issue that's actually important.

If you'd really like to know why I personally dislike you, I can go over your posting history and try to figure it out, but I hope it's not that important.

Not everybody has to like you, remember.
 
I think you are 100% right. I can't believe they are getting annoyed over a $0.99 item. What's to stop them from doing a credit card (if they paid with a credit card) chargeback or Paypal chargeback if they get pissed off though?
 
That's something else I hate about a new change EBay did, on the review page before you submit a listing it says under listing analysis:
"Specify a return policy Give buyers more confidence. 70% of shoppers say return policy is a very important factor in their purchase decision. "

I think EBay is wrong to even suggest it unless you are a powerseller. They act like we are deparment store and can just send an item back for a refund to the manufactuer (I'm sure Nintendo would like it if I tried to get money back for a game I sold that I owned for a few years and then sold it to a buyer on EBay who changed their mind). If EBay thinks small sellers especially those who use EBay to get rid of their old stuff should offer a return policy they are crazy.
 
I think Ebay is trying to remove the "smalltime sellers" stigma, by forcing everyone to act like a professional store with "satisfaction guaranteed" return policies. Quite annoying. I'm not a store, and don't have the resources of a store, so Ebay should stop trying to make me into one.

Also we all KNOW what will happen. If I say, "Will refund money if game is damaged" then the buyers will get a brand-new game, hit with a hammer, and claim it was damaged to get a Freebie. I'm not going to give people new ideas for how to scam me.[quote name='smalien1']Just let her send it back and keep the money! You have DC and didn't offer returns (I assume)[/QUOTE] Devilish. I like!

But I know it'll backfire, because she'll complain to Ebay or someone, and I'll get in trouble. Better to tell he straight out - "No Soup for You!"

er... "No Refund for You!"



As for Returns, I only offer them if the DVD is Damaged & I see proof (return the package). That's not the case here.
 
Again, I don't hate you, I would find it really stupid to 'hate' someone on this board just for their comments posted; but I do find I dislike you for some of your comments. It doesn't really matter because as you can see, I'm willing to help anyway.

Back on topic, You are totally justified within the confines of your auction that you posted. You had said nothing within about it being sealed and while she may have automatically assumed from the "near new" designation that you gave it, a simple reading of it would've automatically shown that it was slightly used with the slight bending on the box.

[quote name='electrictroy']Why do you hate me? I never attacked you or insulted you.
[/QUOTE]
 
You listed it as "USED" in the automated extra info thing. Plus, you said "Nearly New" in your written description.

You are 100% in the right. Unfortunately, stupid people never read the descriptions. Stick to your guns, or stupid people will think they can set their own rules for eBay.
 
She's another person who ruins a good thing in ebay. Im sure you were able to feed your family on the .99 you }scammed{ from her.....
 
lol someone complaning they didnt get a sealed movie for 99 cents.... hell 5 bucks is a great deal for a dvd... tell her to get a life...

if they do send it back just put Return to sender.. i wouldnt take it back
 
[quote name='primemayhem']Im sure you were able to feed your family on the .99 you }scammed{ from her.....[/QUOTE]

Heh. Didn't notice that. For some reason I thought it was $15. (checks) Nope that was Sky Captain-World of Tomorrow.

Well 99 cents. Bah. Who cares? Still she's wasted my 50 cent listing free + $2.00 postage + half-an-hour of my time. She deserves a neg for inconveniencing me.

troy
 
my cousin was selling a dvd set the other week and she listed at as

brand new sealed and you wouldnt belive how many people emailed them asking if the movie was sealed... she got sick of it and emailed someone back

no i opened it up and took a dump inside your box.. learn how to read


person emailed them back and said o nevermind i was looking for a sealed movie...

i had to laugh when i saw that email back.. i dont even think people even take the time to read ebay listing or even their email :)
 
When someone asks me a dumb question - I just quote the auction:

Q: Is it sealed?

A: Well. Let's see. The title says "SEALED NEW".




Make them feel dumb.
 
[quote name='electrictroy']When someone asks me a dumb question - I just quote the auction:

Q: Is it sealed?

A: Well. Let's see. The title says "SEALED NEW".




Make them feel dumb.[/QUOTE]

People are always emailing me asking me if an item is new, or how much shipping is. I always email back "Shipping is $5.00, as mentioned directly in the auction description".

I want to be meaner LOL but I try not to be. It's true though, no one ever reads the descriptions. Half my eBay emails are questions that are answered in the item description.
 
[quote name='Dante Devil']Seems you are in the clear. 99 cents and shipping? That's a good deal.[/QUOTE]


For .99 Id buy the magical world of Poo on DVD.....
 
She probably was buying it as a cheap ass gift for someone for Christmas. And by it being opened it ruined that idea for her, or something. She's a cheap ass gift giver...oh wait she belongs on this site!
 
[quote name='VidgamesgivemeA_D_D']She probably was buying it as a cheap ass gift for someone for Christmas.[/QUOTE] AND, she thinks it has to be wrapped in plastic to be a gift, so she refuses to take it. Stupid. I give lots of unwrapped gifts. All she has to do is throw away the damaged box, and give the mint condition DVD case + discs. That's all.

AND, she thinks I should solve her stupidity. Screw That. SHE made the mistake. Let HER fix it. Not me.

AND, I see she charged back her payment. Welp. Looks like I'll be giving her TWO very nice presents this year - her first Non-Payer Strike AND her first Negative. And believe me, it's going to be nasty.



"Buyer paid. I shipped. Then she CHARGED BACK money! AVOID THIS PERSON - boycott her from your sales."

Her Followup will probably be - "But he advertised falsely; it wasn't sealed."

MY followup will be - "Wrong. Clearly labeled USED. Learn to read- you wasted $5.00 of MY money! LOUSY BUYER"



What else can I do to her (legally)? I'm feeling vengeful. Does Paypal have a feedback section?
 
I wouldn't encourage her to send the item back because you're not going to refund her. If she does send it back, just hit it with a RETURN TO SENDER. If you accept the item, it looks like you were okay with her returning it, which you clearly are not.
 
Not to go against what everyone is saying but...

You say "Near-New" in the auction and used in size 8 font suggesting that the DVD was opened. "Near-New could be interpreted as sealed with the cardboard having bent corners if the buyer didn't see the condition post. You should've been more specific, but you should be able to get by with what you had.
 
[quote name='rywateska']Not to go against what everyone is saying but...

You say "Near-New" in the auction and used in size 8 font suggesting that the DVD was opened. "Near-New could be interpreted as sealed with the cardboard having bent corners if the buyer didn't see the condition post. You should've been more specific, but you should be able to get by with what you had.[/QUOTE]

I'm inclined to agree too - you shouldn't have used the term "New" at all.
"Mint condition" or "Gently Used" would have been a lot better.

I see you've had a few problems in your feedback in the past also so you shoudl know you have to be careful how you word things.

joe
 
Yeah, but did you notice most of those people were NARU'd (banned) from Ebay? They were scammers - I refused to be scammed - and they issued retaliatory feedback. ----- If the negs from the BANNED users were removed, my percentage would jump to 99 instantly.
[quote name='rywateska']You say "Near-New" in the auction and used in size 8 font suggesting that the DVD was opened. "Near-New could be interpreted as sealed with the cardboard having bent corners if the buyer didn't see the condition post.[/QUOTE] (1) I can't be responsible if the buyer is too lazy to read the "Condition: USED" in bold black print. What? Are they blind??? (2) I don't see how "near new" is any more confusing than the "like new" descriptions on amazon - which are NOT sealed movies. I know because I've bought many of them. If amazon can sell not sealed stuff with the "like new" description, then I can too. ----- (3) More importantly, a person shouldn't assume an item is sealed unless the description SAYS it's sealed. That's just common sense. As the saying goes "Assuming makes you look like an ass" (or something). She assumed it was sealed, and she was wrong. Now she's trying to screw me for HER error. [quote name='"BUYER"']my error? your the idiot saying its near-new which its not? how did i make a error thinking it was a sealed dvd idiot. [/quote]

I filed an "abusive email" complaint with Ebay, since she's decided to start calling me names. Doubt it will do any good, but we'll see. I think this transaction is DONE. I don't want to deal with her anymore. I'll just file the NEG and move on.

I issued a "Second Chance Offer" to the next bidder down. Don't know why? They never respond. Probably end up relisting Thursday.
 
I am an ebay powerseller (benschuermann) and you are doing everything exactly correct. You are not at fault for this and you don't have to refund her anything. I sell used video games and if a game is in perfect condition i use the term Like New. Why? Because it is. If someone interprets that as being NEW SEALED then it isn't my problem. I have sold thousands and thousands of items and have only run into this problem a couple times.

One thing i wouldn't do though is file neg. feedback. More than likely all that is going to do is get you neg. feedback in return. In my opinion the feedback system is extremely flawed and something that ebay needs to work on. When someone doesn't pay for a game i don't even bother leaving them neg. feedback for fear i will get it in return just as retaliation. As a power seller i depend on the feedback also because i get health insurance through them and if i go below 98% i lose it. I would just chalk it up to a bad sale and leave it be.
 
I don't have health insurance. My employer offered it at a cost of $1.00 an hour, but I turned it down. I'd rather have the cash.

If you're a powerseller, your feedback is likely up around 2000 or 3000. Would a single neg from a buyer like my woman, have any impact? Not really. You'd lose something like 0.01%. Nothing to worry about.

Also, I'm probably going to offend someone here, so please don your armor.



If your goal is to preserve a perfect or near-perfect 99.9-100% feedback on Ebay, your priorities are messed up. Let's suppose that I allowed this lady to have her movie for FREE. Ditto all the other scammers who tried to take advantage over the last ~5 years. I'd have a perfect score! But at what price? The loss of several hundred dollars??? I'm not going to do that.

I'm not on Ebay for a high score. Ebay's not a video game. I'm on Ebay for $$$$$ so I can help pay my bills. Yes, my feedback dropped to 93% at one dismal point. But *I was making money*. If I allowed customers to scam me, and make me lose hundreds of dollars, just to avoid negs, I'd fail to achieve my goal of making money.

Might as well quit Ebay if I'm *losing* money, instead of collecting it.


troy
 
yes it does. If you don't believe me look me up (benschuermann). My feedback is 3879 with a 99.4% pos. All i need is 1 out of 100 to be negative and i my percentage goes down. Every 2 out of 100 and it keeps going closer to the 98% mark. Every neg. feedback brings it down a little bit and it is much tougher to bring it back up.
 
Good example of buyers not reading. Just got it in email.



Re: Question for item #8238008988 - Koudelka + GUIDE Playstation PS1 PS2 RARE RPG COMPLETE

does this game come with the strategy guide?


Not only does it say Guide in the title but it is also in the first line of the description and in the picture.
 
Yeah I had a similar question about my Gamecube. It says, "Includes component video out connector". They asked me to confirm the "component cable is actually component". Um. Hello? I never said anything about a cable. I said it has an output/connector. i.e Plug.


I decided to leave the Neg feedback *after* Christmas. Don't want some lady scaring away potential customers & ruining my holiday sales w/ her false negative.
 
It isn't the one feedback that hurts. It is that one neg. comes from one person then another comes from another and it adds up quickly. I am in it for the money but i also care about my feedback. I sell about 1000 games per month or so on ebay. I get alot of people that don't pay. I can't afford to leave neg. feedback for them as more than likely i will get it left back in return.


I own a video game store and do most of my business on ebay. Without the health insurance i am stuck paying unbelievably high prices for it as i am self-employed. Therefore yes 1 neg. feedback really could hurt.
 
Am I seeing this correctly?!?! The auction ended at $0.99?

And the winning bidder is complaining that it is not new and sealed for $0.99?!

Although, $4.88 for media mail shipping is a complete ripoff.
 
$2.00 stamps
$1.00 packaging costs
$2.00 for 20 miles of gasoline (handling)

$5.00 total. So the $4.88 fee is a reflection of actual costs for ship/handling.
 
[quote name='electrictroy']Yeah I had a similar question about my Gamecube. It says, "Includes component video out connector". They asked me to confirm the "component cable is actually component". Um. Hello? I never said anything about a cable. I said it has an output/connector. i.e Plug.


I decided to leave the Neg feedback *after* Christmas. Don't want some lady scaring away potential customers & ruining my holiday sales w/ her false negative.[/QUOTE]

You can never be to harsh to these people, and I wanna see what she says after that last e-mail you send her it was quiet good, so what is this ladys status dood?
 
I already posted her response near the end of page 2: "my error? your the idiot saying its near-new which its not? how did i make a error thinking it was a sealed dvd idiot."
[quote name='schuerm26']I sell about 1000 games per month or so on ebay. I get alot of people that don't pay. I can't afford to leave neg. feedback for them as more than likely i will get it left back in return. [/QUOTE] Do you let the non-payers go w/o punishment? Not even a non-payer strike?
 
Wowza, what a stupid bitch tell her to find hard proff of where it said it was sealed and why she thought it was a sealed dvd.
 
Already asked her for proof where I said it was "sealed", but she just doesn't get it. She's in the JCpenney/Sears/Target mindset where, if the customer changes her mind, she's automatically right & gets her money back.


She doesn't understand that on Ebay, the customer does not automatically get a refund, just because she asks for one. She thinks she doesn't need to "prove" anything. She thinks "I don't want it" or "I changed my mind" is good enough reason.


But she's wrong. I'm an Ebay seller, and I'm going to strike back at her. HARD. She'll be unpleasantly surprised that Ebay is NOT target. "I don't want it" is not acceptable reason to break a binding contract.
 
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