A couple delicate ebay issues. Seeking advice.

I recently ran into some issues with two different purchases on ebay.

I am usually pretty easy going and favor honesty and good communication.
The two sellers I have issues with are definitely lacking in the latter.
Both cases are regarding Arcade PCB boards purchase. BOTH WERE SHIPPED WITH GSP.

First Case: I bought a non working mortal kombat II board. Was listed for parts, tested not working. Got it very cheap BIN. But with somewhat steep shipping.
The board had seen better days but miraculously I manage to fix it!! Had broken traces on the bottom.
But then it turns out it is not a MKII board but a NBA Jam board!! Urgh, no need to tell you guys how I hate sports games. I explain the issue to the seller and his only reply was " Just return it for refund ".

Well.. Not likely... Sure I just fixed a 150$ board you were sending to trash and then will send it back to you all for free... I was actually insulted he suggested that. Put this aside, the return shipping will cost me more than the refund he will give me anyway...

I tell him sending it back is not an option, that I am not mad at him but disappointed and states that I would be satisfied with a 10$ off for my next purchase. He obviously does not want to do it and blames a computer error on ebay side. ( My bullshit-0-meter was ringing )

I am tempted to let this one pass because this was a junk board for real cheap with no warranty and in the end I still got a 150$ worth board that I can resell for a substantial profit, feels kind of cheap to beg for a few scraps. Still, the seller made a mistake and his only follow up on it is to stand still. I actually had sent him positive feedback when I received the board because it was junk anyway. I should have waited a bit, would have kept him more on his toes.. I think i will just let it pass and sell the nba jam board but what would you guys do?

Second case: I win an auction for a XMEN children of the atom CPS2 A+B boards, listed as working. Before paying I try to work something out with combined shipping for another board the guy had, but he was super aloof and unresponsive and could not work anything out. He often never replied to my messages and I had to bump them. Eventually he said no combined shipping, just pay for the other board in a somewhat rude manner. I shrugged that off and paid for the board. But at that point I did not like the guy much..

A week later the CPS2 board arrives and it is packaged HORRIBLY. Like no padding at all in a too small box. Not too surprisingly it was damaged. One of the volume buttons on the side of the board had broken off and was rattling inside the shell of the system. I initially thought it was GSP repackaging so I message pictures to the seller. But he replied: "I pack boards this way all the time and never had a problem". A freaking miracle if you ask me... He then ask me to contact USPS for shipping insurance..

I tell him that I cannot do that with GSP and that I think it is his responsibility to do insurance claims. He does not reply...
A day later I tell him that I would inspect the board fully, test it and come back to him before I do anything else.
I tested the board and it works... But I still have a broken button, the plastic snapped and will be super annoying to repair.
What would you guys do? I feel that it is not proper to make a insurance claim, because it is obviously the seller's fault who packed it wrong. He did not even deny it.

I think I will call ebay and ask for counsel. I am super annoyed as the seller is obviously not giving a shit about me, I would probably accept a modest partial refund but he needs to do something. I think he wont do anything unless I force him with a claim.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MaxWar

But then it turns out it is not a MKII board but a NBA Jam board!! Urgh, no need to tell you guys how I hate sports games.

---

1. Were there no labels on the chips? mine has a shitload of labels on all the chips showing what game it is.
2. NBA Jam is not a sports game, its an arcade basketball game. its 99% arcade fun and 1% sport.

I haaaaaaaaaaaate sports games but loooooooooooooooove NBA Jam.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NeoVamp

1. Were there no labels on the chips? mine has a shitload of labels on all the chips showing what game it is.
2. NBA Jam is not a sports game, its an arcade basketball game edit(AKA Still a sports game) . its 99% arcade fun and 1% sport.

I haaaaaaaaaaaate sports games but loooooooooooooooove NBA Jam.

---

Yes, there was NBA Jam on the rom label, but it was near invisible in the picture. I blindly trusted the listing title that said "MORTAL KOMBAT II"
The NBA Jam is identical to a MKII board beside the stickers on the rom..

Hmmm, so anyone interested in purchasing a WORKING Nba jam arcade board? :p ( It is missing a sound board, priced accordingly )

First case: Are you under the impression that the seller knowingly gave you a wrong board, that it was not Mortal Kombat but rather NBA Jam and that the seller was actually clever enough to have the foresight in selling it to someone who was going to repair it, find out it was the wrong board only to send it back? I often think like that too however in writing that, I doubt anyone would take that kind of chance much less go through that much more trouble.

Seeing that the board needed repair before hand, perhaps it was a simple mix-up. I'd call no foul with the guy, keep the board, sell it on your own as refurbed and try to make a dollar on it yourself.

Second Case: What a scum bag. I typically ask a question about a listing, sincerely or not, just so I can get an impression as to what caliber of a seller I'm dealing with. If I don't receive a timely message and or relatively complete / coherent sentences regarding my inquiry, forget it. Seeing that this is after the fact, you might have a few problems. Sorry if I've overlooked this, but totally document the condition you received it in and the manner of the boxing and packaging. Do not defraud the insurance, it doesn't pay to be unethical, no pun intended. Follow through with eBay and exact a claim; the seller is responsible for handling more so than the shipper.

My only concern with this case is that you've already done some preliminary repair work on the item and eBay may consider that as accepting the item as is.

Just my thoughts, I worked as a freight-claims inspector for a summer once.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lync

First case: Are you under the impression that the seller knowingly gave you a wrong board, that it was not Mortal Kombat but rather NBA Jam and that the seller was actually clever enough to have the foresight in selling it to someone who was going to repair it, find out it was the wrong board only to send it back? I often think like that too however in writing that, I doubt anyone would take that kind of chance much less go through that much more trouble.

Seeing that the board needed repair before hand, perhaps it was a simple mix-up. I'd call no foul with the guy, keep the board, sell it on your own as refurbed and try to make a dollar on it yourself.

---

I never doubted that it was nothing more than a honest mistake from the seller. I was still annoyed when it booted up to NBA Jam though. Was looking forward to repairing and playing a MK II board, I even had acquired the "As Is" sound board separately, only missing the cables that I plan to home make.

I was still ready to shrug the issue off but still wanted to let the seller know about the mistake and was expecting at least an apology or something. But the seller coldly shrugged it off and blamed ebay or a computer glitch, never apologized for the mistake or offered me any kind of compensation, Instead proposing me to send him the repaired board. This put me off more than the mistake itself. I will let it go but I worked in music retail for a while and it is not how I learned to deal with customers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lync

Second Case: What a scum bag. I typically ask a question about a listing, sincerely or not, just so I can get an impression as to what caliber of a seller I'm dealing with. If I don't receive a timely message and or relatively complete / coherent sentences regarding my inquiry, forget it. Seeing that this is after the fact, you might have a few problems. Sorry if I've overlooked this, but totally document the condition you received it in and the manner of the boxing and packaging. Do not defraud the insurance, it doesn't pay to be unethical, no pun intended. Follow through with eBay and exact a claim; the seller is responsible for handling more so than the shipper.

My only concern with this case is that you've already done some preliminary repair work on the item and eBay may consider that as accepting the item as is.

Just my thoughts, I worked as a freight-claims inspector for a summer once.

---

I would qualify what I did on the board to be "Assessment" rather than preliminary repairs. All I did is remove the broken button from the inside and inspect that nothing else was broken or susceptible to cause a short before I power it and test it.

I often contact sellers before I buy too but I caught this auction 1 hour before end time and no one had bid on it yet. I bid in a chance to have a CPS2 motherboard + a game for a fair price, even if shipping was 40$
I paid 65$ + 40$ Shipping for both A and B boards. I cannot believe that for 40$ damn I can't get a decently packaged item.
I think I will ask the seller for a partial refund. What would you think be a good amount considering what I paid (105$ shipped )?

In regards to the first seller, perhaps they are too ignorant to think of apologizing to you for the inconvenience - feigning responsibility, that is more the rule than exception unfortunately; Cut your losses with the guy, I'm sure you'll turn it around for a profit and put it toward a proper MK board.

Second seller, definitely ask for some reimbursement - your time is worth something if there are corrections to be made brought on by his poor handling (hence the term, shipping AND handling). If you can't come to terms, I'd pursue the matter with eBay but only after trying to work it out with the seller. As far as a dollar amount, whatever if costs for the fix and your time.

Man I just got negative feedback for shipping a credit card sized calculator wrapped in a shield cardboard in a bubble mailer. i can believe the crap people get away with. I would make them compromise or else. THough never threaten bad feedback.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Iron Lizard

Man I just got negative feedback for shipping a credit card sized calculator wrapped in a shield cardboard in a bubble mailer. i can believe the crap people get away with. I would make them compromise or else. THough never threaten bad feedback.

---

Ouch! No prior contact before feedback? Let me guess... A <5 feedback noob?

Anyway, thanks for the advice guys. My prior experience with ebay issues in the last 5 years was rather positive. When I had issues or DOAs sellers usually responded politely with apologies and/or with full or partial refunds. But for some reason, in the last 6 months I seem to get unresponsive jerky sellers.

A few months back I had a horrible seller who did everything wrong and I had to file a paypal claim. Paypal eventually refunded me more than I asked for, it is still a mystery to me why this guy was so bad at it, he could have been nice and I would have settled for something fair. Instead he was a jerk and I got 100% refund from paypal.

I honestly try to be fair with sellers, I myself have around 50 listings on ebay and had to deal with unhappy buyers in the past, so I can put myself in their shoes.

Anyway, here is what I plan to send to the second seller. What do you think?

Quote:

---

Hi.
I tested the board for a while and the game runs fine. It seems the damage is limited to the broken button. It is still something that will require some time and effort to fix and it will never look or feel as good as an intact button.

I thought about it for a while and asked a few people for advice.
I think a partial refund would be appropriate. The damage is a direct consequence of poor packaging and nothing else.

I think 15$ off the total would be reasonable compensation.

---

I also thought you guys might want to see the pictures of the unpacking of the board. The only padding was some paper balls at the two ends. The tops and sides were completely unprotected.

http://i.imgur.com/pkJo4zHh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7pLvTzhh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/t5v2tzBh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qAZ4KB5h.jpg

Your statement to the seller reads appropriately enough. You may or may not want to let him know you've asked for other's opinion as it might make you look undecided - otherwise it's well said. The only thing I would edit is the last line here:

I think 15$ off the total would be reasonable compensation.

to:

I feel 15$ off the total would be reasonable compensation.

It might seem overstated, but rather than saying "think," someone can never tell you how you should "feel" and is not up for debate or subjectivity. Just from experience, keep us posted!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lync

Your statement to the seller reads appropriately enough. You may or may not want to let him know you've asked for other's opinion as it might make you look undecided - otherwise it's well said. The only thing I would edit is the last line here:

I think 15$ off the total would be reasonable compensation.

to:

I feel 15$ off the total would be reasonable compensation.

It might seem overstated, but rather than saying "think," someone can never tell you how you should "feel" and is not up for debate or subjectivity. Just from experience, keep us posted!

---

Capital!
Nice subtle thinking. I approve of those tweaks.
Will message the seller in the morning.

Some people just lack common sense. Prior to making payment, in future may I suggest sending the seller a message inquiring as to how he or she plans to ship the item. If it is not to your liking, you should specify how you would like the item to be shipped. I would also take the time to mention the delicate nature of the item. In this way, you have a written record in case the seller does not follow through.

With respect to the broken CPS2 board, you do have recourse. But I would save that hand in the event that the seller is a complete imbecile and is not willing to issue a partial refund.

In your message, I would throw the situation in the seller's court and ask how intends to rectify the situation since it is his fault that the item got damaged in transit. If he or she doesn't relent, in your follow up message I would not hesitate to warn the seller that if the situation is not rectified, you will unfortunately have to open a case. If the seller is smart, he or she will deal with the situation in a fair and equitable manner instead of behaving like a dummkopf.

Addendum:

Linc makes a good point. I had the same sentiments when I read your (intended) message. I didn't mention any concerns since I thought you had already sent the message to the seller.

Personally, I would not divulge the fact that you tested the board and that it is working.

The issue at hand is that the board was not packaged properly by the seller and that it was damaged in transit. Whether the board works or not is inconsequential. The fact is that the button is damaged. And since the item in question is not in the state that it was originally listed as, you are seeking a partial refund. Mentioning anything further and it may be to your detriment should you have to open a case with Ebay.

The fact is that you are being fair and only asking the seller to refund $15.00 off the total fee is good enough.

Fair is fair but don't put yourself in a subordinate position should the seller not be willing to resolve the matter. Always work from a position of strength.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SEGA.GENESIS1989

Addendum:

Linc makes a good point. I had the same sentiments when I read your (intended) message. I didn't mention any concerns since I thought you had already sent the message to the seller.

Personally, I would not divulge the fact that you tested the board and that it is working.

The issue at hand is that the board was not packaged properly by the seller and that it was damaged in transit. Whether the board works or not is inconsequential. The fact is that the button is damaged. And since the item in question is not in the state that it was originally listed as, you are seeking a partial refund. Mentioning anything further and it may be to your detriment should you have to open a case with Ebay.

The fact is that you are being fair and only asking the seller to refund $15.00 off the total fee is good enough.

Fair is fair but don't put yourself in a subordinate position should the seller not be willing to resolve the matter. Always work from a position of strength.

---

I know what you mean, by default I am honest and do not hide facts. Still, it is not always wise telling more than you need to.
In this case, I had already told the seller I was going to test the thing fully. I feel it is reasonable in this case. I needed to fully assess the condition of what I received in order to make an appropriate claim.
I do not feel it to be subordinating myself in this case.

I respond well to smooth communication and reason. I like to think of myself as someone that should be a good customer to a good seller. In the past some sellers got away with more than they should have from me, I admit it, simply because they actually responded with a minimum of common sense and respect. Even if it was faked it still worked in their favor, but I did not mind it all that much, at least issues were acknowledged and a minimum was done in return.

By contrast I really hate to be ignored and shrugged off. I feel myself becoming nasty when it happens, and I do not like that, because by nature I want to be fair and rational. This is the reason why I started this thread. The issues themselves were not very serious, but the sellers acted in a way that put me out of my comfort zone and actually what I feared most was being unjust to the sellers, believe it or not...

MaxWar, I certainly understand where you are coming from. Like yourself, I always try to take a fair and honest approach in everything I do. But online auction sites like Ebay are a totally different beast altogether since you never know what kind of individual you are dealing with. I've changed my modus operandi after encountering issues with a few sellers.

By nature, I tend to document every action I take and if I ever purchase an item on ebay, I follow a strict unwritten script in the event I am dealing with an unscrupulous rule. My first rule of thumb is to deal with the issue at hand and leave all other factual information off the table that could be to my detriment. My second rule of thumb is to deal with the matter like a game of chess.

You can generally tell when a seller has made an honest mistake and when the seller is being a jerk. If the seller is straight forward and honest, I'll work with the seller to find a fix that works in both our favor. If the seller is a jerk, then I continue with the script.

I agree with you: One of the worst things that a seller can do is not maintain communication when an issue is brought to the forefront. I work by a 3 strike rule: If a seller fails to respond to my first message, I send a followup message detailing the fact that I sent a message and am still waiting for a response. If the seller does not respond to my followup message, I send a warning that should the seller not respond in 24 hours, I will escalate the issue by opening up a case on Ebay. That usually results in a prompt response. :p

To be honest, most sellers on Ebay are decent. But there are always a few bad apples that spoil the entire basket of fruit. And because of that, I use a script! :cool:

I sent this to the seller this morning.

Quote:

---

Hi again.
I tested the board for a while and the game runs fine. It seems the damage is limited to the broken button. It is still something that will require some time and effort to fix and it will never look or feel as good as an intact button.

I believe a partial refund would be appropriate. The damage is a direct consequence of poor packaging and nothing else.

I feel 15$ off the total would be reasonable compensation.

---