Somebody smack me up-side the head, please!

[ArAich]

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

Time, materials, gas, all things must be considered when charging fees

 

Uh, yeah...all things must be considered:

 

Buffer amount to off-set low winning bid

Time to figure out what buffer should be

Time to actually enter buffer amount

How much extra can I actually get away with

 

OOps! Got stung on that last one.

 

And, uh...oh yeah, he's definitely getting repeat business from me!

 

Rick

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

Frankly, I don't think this transaction warrants a negative.

 

IMO, at the very LEAST it warrants a no feedback or a neutral...

 

"Nice" is pretty subjective, and this vintage book, even with a staple poking through, still looks pretty darn "nice" to me.

 

Even in your interpretation, "nice" is something POSITIVE. From the buyer's perspective, the condition of the books is not "nice". The scans look "nice", but the scans obviously don't reveal everything. This is why I never depend on scans, even the best scans don't reveal flaws like minor to moderate "surface wear".

 

It's not like he promised a NM or a numerical grade of any kind. And, the price seems downright reasonable for the book,

 

How about his email response? "I STILL stand by the condition of that comic. according to the 2003 Overstreet price guide.......THE Bible of comic book pricing, and grading, even at a 2.0 (Good) condition,(I know that book is better than good.) it lists for $17.00. Still less than you paid for it minus shipping."

 

What is he standing by? According to what? He's even trying to justify the end of auction price (which could have been higher) according to OverStreet. Why is a person that doesn't grade, using OverStreet to justify a price? I get boiling mad when I'm dissatisfied and a seller says something to the effect of "you STILL received a GOOD deal". Grrrr...I get mad thinking about it.

 

I'm all for laying the smackdown on unethical sellers, but I just don't see that being the case here.

 

Perhaps the seller is NOT unethical on the surface in a strict technicality sense, BUT surely you would admit that selling "nice" raw Silver Age books is gambling with your feedback. The seller could have described the book and pointed out flaws without assigning the book a grade. Because I have experienced a similar playing on words, I have made it my policy to absolutely AVOID like a plague any comic book auction without an OS grade listed in the description. This way, if I have a problem with the description, I'll have a stronger basis for my complaint.

 

IMHO, the buyer has to take some responsibility for rolling the dice as well.

 

I know what your saying, and I agree, but at least he was taking a nice positive gamble right?

[ArAich]

IMO, at the very LEAST it warrants a no feedback or a neutral...

 

Agreed...

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

Rick,

 

Just to show you that I'm not being too out of line about this (I asked for comments, right?)- here's how it was packed:

 

Bagged & Boarded, good. Wrapped with one (1) lining of apparently used bubble wrap, not so good. Placed in sturdy generic box, good. Dimensions: 8 3/4" by 11 1/4" 7/8" thick, not good at all. When I heard- and felt- the comic banging around inside the box, my stomach tightened up instantly. Did I mention there was no additional padding? And that the bubble wrap went around length-wise, but exposed the sides?

 

Yep, sounds like a $6 job to me.

 

Forgot to include this tidbit of info earlier, Araich. Maybe this makes my attitude a little more understandable (if not acceptable )?

 

Rick

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

"you STILL received a GOOD deal"

 

Exactly a pet peeve of mine. Like a stated in my response to him, "If it's so good, take it back & sell it for more!"

Ooh, I wish you didn't bring this up MOS, I can feel myself getting mad again....

 

Why is a person that doesn't grade, using OverStreet to justify a price?

 

Thank you. I will use this- eventually- in my feedback to said seller. Should have nailed him on this myself. Wooo! I'm getting fired up now!!

 

Rick

[OldGuy]

Not trying to minimize your situation, but try to keep it in perspective. At least it wasn't a $200 transaction. Getting something you don't like is bummer at any price so I understand your frustration.

 

When I find my self in these situations I have to ask my self "would I rather be right or would I rather maintain my serenity". This guy and the transaction aren't worth getting worked up over IMO. Just chalk it up to experience and start looking for a better copy of the book.

[greggy]

shut up greggy

 

OK, I'll leave you alone and laugh out loud in private!!

[FlyingDonut]

Rick:

 

I'm sorry, but I've got to disagree here. The seller did nothing wrong.

 

1) He stated the book was "NICE", which is a subjective grade, and said "CAREFULLY LOOK AT SCAN FOR DETAILS" (btw, the caps are his, not emphasis). On the scan you can see the problems with the staple.

2) He clearly stated what his shipping cost was. Yes, it sucks that he's making money on his shipping, but he's up front with what it costs. You knew it was $6 ahead of time.

3) He also clearly stated what his refund policy was "ALL SALES ARE FINAL AND PRODUCTS ARE "AS IS" IF HAVE QUESTIONS EMAIL BEFORE BIDDING, SORRY NO REFUNDS, SHIPPING IS NON REFUNDABLE." Again, if you had a problem with it, you shouldn't have bid on the item.

 

On all of the points that appear to be irritating you, he was up front. He also offered you a credit, which he didn't have to do. I don't see what ground you have to neg him.

 

just my two cents

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

OG,

 

I try not to factor in the $$$ amount too much. You're right; it could have been a more expensive book, but then I would have been more cautious before bidding, too. I normally stay away from 'NICE' auctions or listings where you get to "Grade the book yourself using the scan." That's why I posted this one up...it had BOTH!! I wasn't kidding when I mentioned ' humility ' at the top of this thread.

 

Anyway, if I'm not satisfied and think the seller is trying to pull a fast one on me, then I respond. No matter what the dollar amount involved. I'm going to "chalk this one up" as you said...after I neg him down the road to warn others of his selling practices.

 

My serenity will come from that.

 

Rick

 

And since it's starting to come off that I enjoy doing this, please check out feed I have left for others. Thank You:

 

http://cgi2.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedbackMemberLeft&memberId=twocoldaces&items=25

[dam60]

Darth your last comment was completely and utterly unjustified:

 

and I hate to do this to you but..." That's what you get for buying DC! " Serves ya right, beee-yotch!

 

DC Comics are the best and your Ultimate Spider-Man or your Origin pales in comparison to the true comic books, the one and only DCs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

DAM

 

PS - you never responded to my last PM

[Zonker]

Yes, this sucks.

No, IMHO, it does not merit the email exchange. Or the neg.

 

What if-- after the seller said

 

I wish to make my customers happy, but I know that sometimes no

customer is ever happy. What do you propose I do to make this right with you?

 

you had simply replied "I would like to ship this book back to you and receive a full refund so that you can offer it to another of your customers" without the extra verbiage? He might have responded differently, or he might not have.

 

As others have pointed out, there were alarm bells: "Nice" "No Refunds" "Products are As-Is" "All Sales Final" "Carefully look at scan"

 

Oh, and I don't know about others, but I've sent lots of books back but never expected a refund of shipping. I figure that's my admission fee to the virtual comic-con that is eBay. Of course I'm buying mainly lower-grade Golden Age books these days, so I'm expecting a certain number of hidden defects in a book of that age (just so long as there's no tape, dangnabit!!)

 

If it were me and it had come this far, I'd probably leave a neutral feedback to warn buyers to inquire what in the world "Nice" means. Particularly since the seller is at it again on Darth's World's Finest book (this time "Very Nice" )

 

Just my opinions,

Z.

[Kevin Boyd]

JLA,

 

I pretty much agree with the Flying Donut on this one.

 

Disagree or not with his selling practices, all of the problems you have with this guy were addressed in the auction listing - including his no refund policy and his shipping price.

 

That was the contract you accepted when he won the auction. The seller fulfilled his end and delivered the "nice" (whatever that means) book to you.

 

Kev

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

FD,

 

First let me say that I do take some blame in this. I saw the warning signs and took a chance anyway. I should have avoided this like the rest of you would have. I'm not denying that.

 

But "The seller did nothing wrong?"

 

I'd say re-read the entire post, but what the heck:

 

NICE- No, I can not see a problem with the scan. YOU obviously can, maybe others can, but it is not apparent. By the way, would this scan show interior defects???

Plus, like I stated before, using ambiguous broad-based terms like NICE leaves the seller open to have to answer to circumstances like this one. Unless he doesn't care about feedback or repeat business?

 

S/H- Anyone here expect a $6 charge to end in $1.75 actual usage? Everyone thinks that's right/moral/ok/acceptable? No need to neg for being robbed, right?

 

NO REFUNDS- Go back and read my initial email to him, FD. Yes, I knew it...and gave him a chance to save his feedback. You're saying I should have just negged without warning? Now that seems unfair.

 

CREDIT- Am I the only one here (besides Dogg) that sees a $5 credit on a $22 purchase as a big FU??? Five bucks! How about 3? Or 2? Anything less than a full refund is meaningless! Who here would accept a lousy 'fiver' for his troubles, hmm?

 

I respect your opinions overall, Donut, but the "seller did nothing wrong"

 

Come On.

 

Rick

 

 

[Kevin Boyd]

Firstly, I don't think anyone is suggesting that the seller is RIGHT to do things the way that he did. But he listed his terms of sale - and you accepted them. So the only person that deserves a neg is you for thinking that those rules don't apply to you. You may have ethical superiority in this matter, but you don't deserve your money back.

 

Secondly, he didn't really grade the book or give any details about it other than it was nice. He was being deliberately vague about condition, but he did say it was being sold AS IS - which means to me that you get what you get. You made the mistake of thinking that it was somehow better than what it actually was.

 

Thirdly, shipping cost sucks. For $6 you should get more than what you got. No argument there. But did he promise a specific service for that $6?

 

Fourthly, I don't see why he should give you a refund. He specifically says no refunds as is. You would deserve a retaliatory neg for giving him a negative.

 

Finally, I think the only reason why he gave you the offer of a credit is because you called him on the overcharging for shipping.

 

Kev

 

 

 

[JLA_ALL_THE_WAY]

Well, the Forum has spoken.

 

No surprises in the responses of, "No refunds" and "tell-tale signs of warning."

 

But I gotta admit, I'm somewhat taken aback by the general apathy towards the S/H overcharge and the seller not being accountable for the term NICE.

 

But that's ok, I still like most of you regardless. I'm still negging him. But if anyone here buys a $20+ book from me that they're not happy with, I will gladly offer you a big, fat $5 credit towards your next purchase. Because I just KNOW you're going to buy from me again.

(talk about an empty gesture)

 

Thanx for your "feedback" and it will definitely help me NOT to get into this mess again.

 

Rick

[wolvergeek]

sounds like a lousy seller but he clearly covers his arse in his auction description. I would leave a neutral and leave the neg's for the truly bad sellers who actually assign a grade like NM on a GD or FN book. By negging this guy, you lower the bar because there is no double negative feedbacks allowed......yet.

[vic6string]

I have to go with those that say that the seller shouldn't get a neg on this one. Does he know how to grade comics? Nope. Is his shipping cost a bit excessive? Yeah, but he stated this up front. I have dealt with items like this before, and I always try to send an email out before I bid asking for better details as to the condition, or better scans. When I get the details, I decided on whether to bid or not. I have been burnt on deals like this before in much the same way as you were, but I will admit it was my fault for not doin my homework. On one deal, I got what looked like a sweet book only to find out it was obviously trimmed. After getting the book I looked at the sellers history, only to find he had never sold any other comics, only car parts. So he probably didn't even know the book was trimmed, just that it looked "really nice"...which it did. Remember the old addage, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

[FlyingDonut]

Maybe I wasn't clear in my original post (posting after being in a bid/no bid review for 9 hours makes me buggy). The seller did nothing wrong in his listing or in his fees because they were all up front. That's NOT to say I agree with them. I think his shipping cost is usurious, his "no refund" policy is a joke, and, by not listing the problems in the book and only saying "look at the scan" he doesn't help you, the buyer, in any way.

 

That being said, again, I don't see how you can neg him - everything that makes you irked was clearly stated up front. Its like the guy who just negged me because I negged HIM for not complying with my shipping costs. Implicit in your buying the book is acceptance of his terms. I guess we all got to add a "bad seller" to our lists, but that's pretty much the only satisfaction I can see here.

[supapimp]

i don't buy from sellers that have "all sales are final" in their auction description, unless it has already been slabbed by CGC.