Cheap Ebay make the beast with two backs!!!

[Bun-bun]

We got a mantel clock as an early X-mas present, so I put my old one on ebay. It was a mid seventies Seth Thomas, nothing spectacular, but it was a nice clock, and it kept good time. I figured the clock was worth about $75-100. I listed it for $40, there was one bid, and so I was commited to sell it for $40. O.K., so, not the end of the world. The buyer sends me an email asking that it be packaged really well, and could I ship priority mail. I packed the damned thing like a baby, and emailed him a price for the shipping upgrade. He declined, so I sent it out first class.
So far, so good.
Late December, I get an email from the buyer, the clock doesn't keep accurate time, what can he do. I tell him, send it back, I'll refund you the $40. He asks for the shipping cost back, and I say no, I had to pay to ship it.
So far, O.K.
I get an email from Ebay last week, he's opened a dispute, claiming item not as described. I respond, and say that I've already offered a refund, and am waiting for the return of the clock. I ask for the tracking number, and offer to refund the $40 if the clock proves to be lost.
He emails me back " I put it in your box, wrote return to sender, and gave it to the post office."
I am awestruck!
This person is so make the beast with two backsing cheap, he didn't want to pay return postage!
It is all I can do not to fall over laughing.
This morning, I get an email cc'd from an email the buyer sent to Ebay asking how he can leave negative feedback on me for not giving a refund.
My jaw hits the floor.
I send him this reply:

email]From: "Jeff  <
To: "Peter" Cc: Subject: Re:  SETH THOMAS LEGACY IV 8-DAY CLOCK PERFECT WORKING ORDER
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2009 2:56 PM

Peter,
     You know that the clock worked when you received it. You say that it did not keep accurate time. This may have been caused in shipping, as it kept good time for years up on my mantel. When you asked me to package it very well, you inquired about priority shipping, and I gave you a quote. You elected to pass on the extra expense. Then, when you complain that it doesn't keep accurate time, I tell you send it back, and I'll refund your purchase price, you want the shipping costs back as well. After I tell you no, you put it back in my box(I certainly hope you packaged it well!) write "RETURN TO SENDER" on it, and expect the post office to ship it back to me and what, charge me for the return shipping?
     Now that it's lost, you want to leave negative feedback. The only one who deserves negative feedback is YOU!!
     If you weren't so cheap, you might have sprung for expedited shipping, and the clock would have worked perfectly, just the way it did when it left my hands.
     If you weren't so cheap, you would have shipped it back to me correctly, and gotten a full refund of the purchase price as soon as I got it back.
     You are out of luck, my friend, your cheap, chintzy soul must be writhing in agony, trying to find a way to blame me for your lack of judgement. This is most certainly one perfect example of "penny wise and pound foolish!
     In closing, I'd like to remind you that both sides can leave feedback, so think before you act this time.
Sincerely,
Jeff Fischl
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Peter
  To:   Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 10:57 PM
  Subject: SETH THOMAS LEGACY IV 8-DAY CLOCK PERFECT WORKING ORDER


  I should leave feedback on this CLOCK in PERFECT WORKING ORDER

  Can you help me?

  When received CLOCK did NOT work - $$$ not refunded-Do not purchase if it is relisted.

  POSITIVE
  NEUTRAL
  NEGATIVE.


  Please holp me create feedback.

  thank you  [/email]

I know this will probably create a stink, and I may end up with a negative in my feedback, but I just don't care.

[He Man]

I had the same problem not to long ago.
you can contest a negative feedback with ebay, and there is a POSSIBILTY they will remove it. But its like 30/70 shot that they will, even if you have good reason.

Im not sure what you are trying to do.

Leave him positive, but negative words? (not a good idea since no one will read it )I spoke with ebay about hte sellers not being able to leave feedback, and they said its their policy and they are sticking with it. Regardless of which, you can alternatively send him a NPB warning so he cant bid on items with  NPB warnings.

[Ddan]

No help for you, but I recently had a sale go bad as well.  I put a bread machine up for $25.  SOmeone ran the bidding up to nearly what a new one would cost.   Came time to ship it and she didn't want to pay for insurance.  Ebay calculated the shipping too high, so I emailed her that I owed her $3.18, and was she sure she didn't want insurance?  No reply so the package, and refund, went out.  The thing gets banged up in shipping, she opens a dispute with Paypal, and they give her her money back, no questions asked.  I was dumbfounded.

Good luck getting anything resolved.

[Bun-bun]

At this point, I don't honestly give a make the beast with two backs. I just thought you folks would get a laugh out of it. I just can't believe some folks are so damned cheap!
He can leave feedback that would set fires. He ain't gettin shit!

[He Man]

word fro mthe wise

DO NOT OFFER A REFUND AT ALL.

Paypal will just take the money out of your account UNLESS there is a judgement by the paypal reviewees and they find that he deserves a reund( thye almost always do in my experience)

[NeufUnSix]

Odds are if it is a mechanical clock, moving it even across town will cause it to go out of whack. Unless you have a military/naval spec item with stout internals even slight jarring can really affect accuracy; it's especially bad on old grandfather clocks, something people don't think about before they move them.

The buyer should have been informed of this beforehand, to cover your ass. If it is off when he gets it, he takes it to a clock shop, has it calibrated, problem solved.

[Bun-bun]

Odds are if it is a mechanical clock, moving it even across town will cause it to go out of whack. Unless you have a military/naval spec item with stout internals even slight jarring can really affect accuracy; it's especially bad on old grandfather clocks, something people don't think about before they move them.

The buyer should have been informed of this beforehand, to cover your ass. If it is off when he gets it, he takes it to a clock shop, has it calibrated, problem solved.

Not being anything like an expert on clocks, I had no idea that they could be so sensitive. It is/was a mechanical clock, and it had various attachments to lock down the chimes, and various other internal parts, all of which I locked down. I then packed it in bubble wrap, then nestled it gently in a bed of peanuts, covered it in more peanuts, and taped up the box.
Bottom line seems to be that he's a cheap make the beast with two backs who screwed himself. He could have taken the clock in to be calibrated, or he could have sent it back to me correctly and gotten a refund.

[DoubleEagle]

Flebay is a crap shoot. You pay your money and take your chances.

If you say some thing is so a buyer gets a mental picture in their head and if it's off just a little some people say send it back it's no good.

Think of the meals you may have gotten at restaurants that weren't so good but you ate them anyway. I can think of plenty I'd like to have said I'm not paying for this , it doesn't taste good. Steak or Pork Chops so tough you couldn't even chew them !    Dolph

[NeufUnSix]

Not many people are aware of how sensitive most clocks are. We had an old grandfather clock that was moved; afterwards the chimes didn't work properly (still don't) and the accuracy was off by several minutes a day. Now the only decent clocksmith in my parent's hometown is dead so there isn't really anyone who could properly adjust it. Some clever ones actually make house calls, so you don't bugger it up moving it back home after calibration.

[cyrus buelton]

I sold a mobile PDA back on December 5, arrived with the end user on the 7th.

I get an email from him on December 22 stating the touch screen does not work and he wants his money back.

Note: the guy is an exterminator and used this for a work phone, so it was out in the elements, on the job, etc.

He expects a full refund because the screen doesn't work 2 weeks after he purchased it.

Well, when I had the phone, the touch screen worked for 6 months without any issues.


If he received and didnt work, fine........I am happy to refund. But you use a phone for two weeks and it stops working?


Well......long story short...............I lost my paypal dispute.

what a crock of shit.

[Mother]

how exactly is there any kind of refund for buying used anything, especially electronics? that is just dumb.

[cyrus buelton]

how exactly is there any kind of refund for buying used anything, especially electronics? that is just dumb.

That is what I was thinking too.

Sure, if it didn't work when it first arrived.......fine.

That would be like me selling my broken DVD Player.


However, this guy uses it for 13 days and then claims it stopped working?


That is such bullshit.

My wife sold her old i-pod on ebay a while back. I shipped it, so it was anally wrapped in protective packing.

End user got it and claimed the screen was all scratched and item not as described, so wanted half the money back.


I shipped that make the beast with two backser in 3 inches of bubble wrap........it is impossible the screen got scratched.


The person won and got 30$ back.

[NAKID]

Take pictures with time stamps immediately prior to packaging the item. Then take a picture of the item packaged up with bubble wrap/peanuts, etc but before closing the box. Then take a pic of the box all closed up. Those three should prevent any undue refunds...

[cyrus buelton]

Take pictures with time stamps immediately prior to packaging the item. Then take a picture of the item packaged up with bubble wrap/peanuts, etc but before closing the box. Then take a pic of the box all closed up. Those three should prevent any undue refunds...

I did that.


Paypal doesn't give a shit.

[Oldfisti]

I did that.


Paypal doesn't give a shit.

How does that not surprise me.