Problem With EBay Auction

[brian1227]

I recently won an auction from the seller "Aldukar" for a run of Ultimate Spider-Man books -#'s 1 to 10. The seller stated that the books were Near Mint, and that shipping would be $6 and the books would be packaged in a box for their protection. I received these books today, and they were definitely NOT in NM, maybe VF+..dings, missing color spots, spine stress on all books which to me meant they had been opened or read. The secure packaging was actually just the books in bag and board placed in a box, no additional packaging, except for the plastic peanuts inside. Item was send by Media Mail which came to $2.25, or about 70% less than the $6 he charged me.

 

Given my unhappiness with the books, I emailed the seller asking for a refund for my purchase. Of course, you know where I'm going with this. He refused to take them back, stating that I had won a few other USM auctions and he couldn't be confident that I was returning the actual books he sold me, and then he cited my feedback rating which is 4 currently. I set this new account up just for purchases, cause I really don't need my wife knowing what I spend on books (sssshhh, it's a secret). Every auction I win I pay immediately with Paypal, but that's besides the point. The guy just doesn't want to refund the money and thinks I'll go away cause he has a feedback rating of 500. But I'm not going to go away. I don't want these books.

 

I paid by Paypal, using a Visa card. I contacted the credit card company, and they suggested that I send the books back to him anyway, and that they will get my money back for me.

 

Other than to out this Mofo, what do you all think would be my best course of action in this case. I am not sure I like the idea of mailing him the books back, but the card company did say that if they are sent back, they can credit me for my purchase. They said that they will try to get the money back from his account, but I'm not sure they can do this (can they?). I figure at the end of the day, I'll get a credit, but it galls me that this insufficiently_thoughtful_person may get to keep my money.

 

Should I "negative" him....he'll probably respond in a negative fashion to the Positive that he gave me. I have enough stress in my life without this .

 

Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ben

 

[ninanina]

Ben, I see many people handle a situation like this by being the victim. You are not a victim, so don't act like one.

 

1) Do send the books back. (Do it in such a way that you can prove he received them)

2) The credit card company has already said that you will get your money back - that is a commitment.

3) If and when you do get billed for the purchase, call the credit company right away and ask them why there is no credit - you were insured there would be no charge if you sent the books back? (Wonderful thing about paypal using a credit card) Do not and I mean DO NOT pay for these comics no matter what. It is now the credit card company who has the problem - not you.

4) Be adamant and don't back down. You will win in the end.

 

How do I know? My sister-in-law paid a $1000.00 deposit for a cruise using her credit card and the cruise company went out of business 2 days later. She remained adamant on my advise, and eventually the credit card company wrote it off. Whether or not they got it back from the proceeds of the bankrupcy - I don't know. But the important thing is my sister-in-law was NOT out the money.

 

Worst case scenario: You cancel you credit card - with the balance of the comics still owing, and get a new one from another bank. Trust me, the card company won't let that happen. You are too important to them.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Ask the seller once again to refund your money. If they refuse, then direct their attention to this thread that you have now started.....

 

When I first came to this forum, I noticed that someone had posted a link to one of my auctions

 

The thread had nothing to do with me as a seller( merely the price a book I was selling went for), but it made me aware that people were watching.......

[ninanina]

Yeah, we could all get together and email some hate mail. However, don't know if that would be productive. It might.....depends a lot on what type of person's on the other end.

 

Just have a feeling, your best ally here (next to the forum) is your credit card company.

[brian1227]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. If I had bid under my other account, which has a massive feedback rating of over 400 then I think he may have acted differently. But because he sees a brand new account, he thinks I'm a newbie who he can push around. Or he may honestly believe that I'm trying to screw him, which is something I would never do, but he doesn't know that. He figures I'll just walk away quietly, which I will NOT do.

 

At least I learned one thing....I will never bid on an auction again where the seller does not specify that he will offer a refund if customer is not satisfied. That is something I have always done...even for a zero feedback bidder. What a Bas. this guy is. He doesn't know that I have a BSD.

 

Thanks again for your responses.

 

Ben

[comicsrus-migration]

I won 2 auctions from them in the past month. I got about 100 Detective Comics, about 1/3 were in fine, the rest in VF/NM, although the description was "NM". I also got a Batgirl statue for about 1/2 of sticker price, and it was opened, but like new. As a rule, I always assume that the comics described are about 1/2 as good as the seller says, and price my max bids with that in mind. The lower my expectations (and bids), the less I'm disappointed. Sadly, most eBay dealers have no clue about grading.

[brian1227]

I won 2 auctions from them in the past month. I got about 100 Detective Comics, about 1/3 were in fine, the rest in VF/NM, although the description was "NM". I also got a Batgirl statue for about 1/2 of sticker price, and it was opened, but like new. As a rule, I always assume that the comics described are about 1/2 as good as the seller says, and price my max bids with that in mind. The lower my expectations (and bids), the less I'm disappointed. Sadly, most eBay dealers have no clue about grading.

 

Hey Comics...nice to have your aboard. Always nice to see another newbie on the board.

 

I just sent the comics back to him today. I included a letter describing how I noticed five separate dings/splits etc, which, assuming -.02 for each, would render one of the books a 9.0 at best, and I can't even grade my daughter's homework.

 

I can understand a misgrade, I understand that most of the sellers on Ebay (not including the members of this board of course) know nothing about grading, but to flat out refuse a refund because of a low feedback record, which he assumed meant that I was trying to switch books on him (I wasn't and would never do such a thing) really pissed me off.

 

I know that my credit card company will take the hit if this guy insists on being a , but I would hate to think that he'll wind up with the books PLUS the money I paid him.

 

Well, if this thread costs him one future bid, then I'll be happy.

[500Club]

I recently won an auction from the seller "Aldukar" for a run of Ultimate Spider-Man books -#'s 1 to 10. The seller stated that the books were Near Mint, and that shipping would be $6 and the books would be packaged in a box for their protection. I received these books today, and they were definitely NOT in NM, maybe VF+..dings, missing color spots, spine stress on all books which to me meant they had been opened or read. The secure packaging was actually just the books in bag and board placed in a box, no additional packaging, except for the plastic peanuts inside. Item was send by Media Mail which came to $2.25, or about 70% less than the $6 he charged me.

 

Given my unhappiness with the books, I emailed the seller asking for a refund for my purchase. Of course, you know where I'm going with this. He refused to take them back, stating that I had won a few other USM auctions and he couldn't be confident that I was returning the actual books he sold me, and then he cited my feedback rating which is 4 currently. I set this new account up just for purchases, cause I really don't need my wife knowing what I spend on books (sssshhh, it's a secret). Every auction I win I pay immediately with Paypal, but that's besides the point. The guy just doesn't want to refund the money and thinks I'll go away cause he has a feedback rating of 500. But I'm not going to go away. I don't want these books.

 

I paid by Paypal, using a Visa card. I contacted the credit card company, and they suggested that I send the books back to him anyway, and that they will get my money back for me.

 

Other than to out this Mofo, what do you all think would be my best course of action in this case. I am not sure I like the idea of mailing him the books back, but the card company did say that if they are sent back, they can credit me for my purchase. They said that they will try to get the money back from his account, but I'm not sure they can do this (can they?). I figure at the end of the day, I'll get a credit, but it galls me that this insufficiently_thoughtful_person may get to keep my money.

 

Should I "negative" him....he'll probably respond in a negative fashion to the Positive that he gave me. I have enough stress in my life without this .

 

Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ben

 

 

You are holding ALL the cards....

 

1) Paypal chargeback is an option.

2) A seller with a 500 rating will feel the sting of a neg.... you, with a 4 rating, can simply start a new account.

 

Try to resolve things politely, but don't be afraid to neg the guy AND get your money back. Just be sure to leave a paper trail in case he makes a false eBay complaint.

[CosmicBob]

I'm having a problem too.

 

I won an auction on 7/21/03 for $xx.xx + S&H.

Emailed for total on 7/21/03.

Paid with PayPal on 7/23/03 = $yy.yy.

Positive Feedback from seller on 8/6/03.

Inquired on 8/15/03 - No response.

So far, no comic.

 

It's well known seller, so I don't want to mention who it is. Should I give them another few days? I asked for a tracking number, but got no response at all. When did the Chicago show end? Maybe they're not back yet.

 

Thanks

[brian1227]

That's almost 4 weeks Bob...you're right to be concerned. As I recall, you can get the guy's phone number through Ebay..I'd try giving him a jingle. I'm not making excuses for anyone, and the fact that he has'nt answered your emails is not right, but if this guy is a Power Seller running a hundred auctions at a time, your book just might have slipped his mind. I'd give him till end of this week/beginning of next to hear back from him, and then I'd call him and ask for my book or my money back. I'd like to think that you would receive your book soon after that.

[CosmicBob]

That's what I'll probably do. Wait until early next week. I've won several auctions in since then and have already gotten my books. It's kind of frustrating.

[garthgantu]

Should I "negative" him....he'll probably respond in a negative fashion to the Positive that he gave me. I have enough stress in my life without this .

 

Any suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks.

 

Ben

 

 

You are holding ALL the cards....

 

1) Paypal chargeback is an option.

2) A seller with a 500 rating will feel the sting of a neg.... you, with a 4 rating, can simply start a new account.

 

Try to resolve things politely, but don't be afraid to neg the guy AND get your money back. Just be sure to leave a paper trail in case he makes a false eBay complaint.

 

YES!! Doc's spot-on with this... one of the best reasons to have separate accounts is so that you have no qualms about leaving neg feedback (out of fear of retaliation), when it's warranted. If this guy doesn't get with the program, I say neg him and the horse he rode in on...

[garthgantu]

I won 2 auctions from them in the past month. I got about 100 Detective Comics, about 1/3 were in fine, the rest in VF/NM, although the description was "NM". I also got a Batgirl statue for about 1/2 of sticker price, and it was opened, but like new. As a rule, I always assume that the comics described are about 1/2 as good as the seller says, and price my max bids with that in mind. The lower my expectations (and bids), the less I'm disappointed. Sadly, most eBay dealers have no clue about grading.

 

Welcome aboard, ComicsRus... Your post brings up an interesting question... I appreciate your foresight in 'downgrading' comics you're considering buying via eBay, but to what extent is the buyer 'obligated' to do this? Sounds like you got a raw deal to me, and were only satisfied because you set your sights so low, in terms of condition.

 

If the books in question had come back as VGs, would you still have been okay with the deal? In a case like the one above, would you ever consider leaving neutral feedback? Because that's really what the seller deserves, based on your description of the situation.

 

I just hate the idea that knowledgeable comic buyers/collectors are leaving positive feedback for people who overgrade by such a wide margin; in a way, you're helping the seller mislead other prospective buyers down the road...

[Warlord]

 

Worst case scenario: You cancel you credit card - with the balance of the comics still owing, and get a new one from another bank. Trust me, the card company won't let that happen. You are too important to them.

 

Ack! No!! Under no circumstances should you cancel the credit card with an unpaid balance. Unless you enjoy trying to clean up a mess off of your credit report at three major credit reporting agencies!!!

 

You WILL get a black mark on your credit report. Your credit rating will suffer. Not worth it for something trivial!