• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Advice needed for a ebay problem - I'm the seller
3 3

Started by stock_rotation,

154 posts in this topic

stock_rotation

stock_rotation

Posted
Posted

Background: I bought a book 3 years ago from a well-respected seller/boardie. It was graded 5.5. I decided to sell it in January of this year. I listed it at (almost) the same grade as the seller sold it to me as, because I read the book once and put it away, stored properly in mylar, etc. etc. (A note about the "almost": I'm not a pro-seller and dislike using numerical grades because I'm not a pro. I list books using the old letter grades. I listed this as a FN by accident, when I should have listed it as FN-. This doesn't have a bearing on the problem, but I mention it out of full disclosure.)

Anyway, I sell it via the send offer function. The buyer receives it, declares he's going to get it graded, hems and haws a bit about how he thinks it's going to only grade a 4.5 and how he thinks he overpaid for it, etc. etc. It feels like he's fishing for a partial refund. I tell him if he wants to return it for a full refund, it's fine by me. I don't hear from him for a week or so, and then he just leaves me positive feedback.

A few days ago, he contacts me and says he got preliminary notes from his submission and that the book has come back with a C-1 designation. He can't tell why yet, but suspects it's minor CT. He says I didn't mention the color touch (which I wasn't even aware of; the seller who sold it to me didn't mention it, so that wasn't anything I had even thought about). I tell him even though the transaction was 2 months ago, if he wants to return it he can.

He contacts me the next day telling me because I didn't mention the CT, he wants a partial refund to cover his grading fees, some postage, and some additional money off for the CT. He's asking for what amounts to a 40% refund.

Before I can respond, he contacts me again telling me to disregard his previous message, because now he can see the final grade, which is a 3.0 with C-1 restoration and he wants a full refund.He send me the grader's notes:

Grader Notes
3.0 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE

Grader Notes:
Small Color touch (Non-archival material small areas) Center Spine C-1
Small Color touch (Non-archival material small areas) Top Spine C-1
detached cover
light cover tanning
light spine splits to cover
light staining to cover

Here's where the problem comes in. The cover was not detached when I bought it, it was not detached when I sold it to him (as mentioned in my auction and can be seen in the photo), and I'm 99% sure it wasn't detached when he submitted it, because if it was detached he would have mentioned it to me when he was drilling the book down to a 4.5. So now I'm stuck as to what to do. I don't want to take the book back because it's damaged, but a 40% refund for the minor CT seems unfair. I feel pretty confident that if it comes to it, I would win an ebay or paypal dispute and not need to take the return back, but I feel an obligation to right the wrong of the undisclosed CT. Now that I know where to look I can see it in my original auction pic, so it's definitely on me.

Any advice?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Popular Post
kav

kav

Posted
  • Popular Post
Posted
25 minutes ago, stock_rotation said:

Background: I bought a book 3 years ago from a well-respected seller/boardie. It was graded 5.5. I decided to sell it in January of this year. I listed it at (almost) the same grade as the seller sold it to me as, because I read the book once and put it away, stored properly in mylar, etc. etc. (A note about the "almost": I'm not a pro-seller and dislike using numerical grades because I'm not a pro. I list books using the old letter grades. I listed this as a FN by accident, when I should have listed it as FN-. This doesn't have a bearing on the problem, but I mention it out of full disclosure.)

Anyway, I sell it via the send offer function. The buyer receives it, declares he's going to get it graded, hems and haws a bit about how he thinks it's going to only grade a 4.5 and how he thinks he overpaid for it, etc. etc. It feels like he's fishing for a partial refund. I tell him if he wants to return it for a full refund, it's fine by me. I don't hear from him for a week or so, and then he just leaves me positive feedback.

A few days ago, he contacts me and says he got preliminary notes from his submission and that the book has come back with a C-1 designation. He can't tell why yet, but suspects it's minor CT. He says I didn't mention the color touch (which I wasn't even aware of; the seller who sold it to me didn't mention it, so that wasn't anything I had even thought about). I tell him even though the transaction was 2 months ago, if he wants to return it he can.

He contacts me the next day telling me because I didn't mention the CT, he wants a partial refund to cover his grading fees, some postage, and some additional money off for the CT. He's asking for what amounts to a 40% refund.

Before I can respond, he contacts me again telling me to disregard his previous message, because now he can see the final grade, which is a 3.0 with C-1 restoration and he wants a full refund.He send me the grader's notes:

Grader Notes
3.0 OFF-WHITE TO WHITE

Grader Notes:
Small Color touch (Non-archival material small areas) Center Spine C-1
Small Color touch (Non-archival material small areas) Top Spine C-1
detached cover
light cover tanning
light spine splits to cover
light staining to cover

Here's where the problem comes in. The cover was not detached when I bought it, it was not detached when I sold it to him (as mentioned in my auction and can be seen in the photo), and I'm 99% sure it wasn't detached when he submitted it, because if it was detached he would have mentioned it to me when he was drilling the book down to a 4.5. So now I'm stuck as to what to do. I don't want to take the book back because it's damaged, but a 40% refund for the minor CT seems unfair. I feel pretty confident that if it comes to it, I would win an ebay or paypal dispute and not need to take the return back, but I feel an obligation to right the wrong of the undisclosed CT. Now that I know where to look I can see it in my original auction pic, so it's definitely on me.

Any advice?

Do not refund anything, and block.  You did nothing wrong here.  Buying raws always comes with the possibility of CT.  If he wants a no CT guarantee, buy a slabbed book.
Tired of ppl buying raws but still want the guarantees of a slab.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kav

kav

Posted
Posted

These type buyers seem to want to go to a casino where they can only make money or break even.  Buying raws is a gamble.  Hey thats why they are cheaper than slabs!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
oakman29

oakman29

Posted
Posted

I agree with the masses here. If the guy wasn't happy initially, then I would have refunded.  However it went months through a grading process, and now because it doesnt get the grade he wants the deal is off? C'mon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kav

kav

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, oakman29 said:

I agree with the masses here. If the guy wasn't happy initially, then I would have refunded.  However it went months through a grading process, and now because it doesnt get the grade he wants the deal is off? C'mon.

 

Screenshot 2020-04-11 at 10.10.42 PM.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lightning55

Lightning55

Posted
Posted

Also agree with the general consensus.  But a lot depends on how he paid for it.  If he puts in a claim, eBay or PayPal could side with you, but even that is a high hurdle.  The usually favor the buyer, unless he has done something egregious.  If decided in your favor, then the buyer appeals to his credit card company, if that's how he paid.  Almost 100% of the time, they will side with the card holder, reverse the ENTIRE purchase.  Won't even bother to look at the circumstances, length of time, movement of the comic back and forth for grading, etc.  Then YOU have to try to get that corrected with very little help, ball in your court.  It's a mess. 

Best to try to negotiate something you both could live with.  When selling on eBay, you almost have to budget in stuff like this, because it's not matter of if it will happen, but WHEN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kav

kav

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Lightning55 said:

Also agree with the general consensus.  But a lot depends on how he paid for it.  If he puts in a claim, eBay or PayPal could side with you, but even that is a high hurdle.  The usually favor the buyer, unless he has done something egregious.  

That one guy started a thread where ebay/paypal sided with him because the item was no longer in the condition he sold it-it was in a slab.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chaz G.

Chaz G.

Posted
Posted
Just now, kav said:

That one guy started a thread where ebay/paypal sided with him because the item was no longer in the condition he sold it-it was in a slab.

Especially since the detached cover happened after the buyer received the book and submitted it to a 3rd party.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kav

kav

Posted
Posted (edited)

This is yet another in the countless reasons why you shouldnt put a grade in your listings.  Avoids all the "You said this book was a-"
Others have said they would never buy a book if some grade wasnt given but I have experienced no problems with selling without giving grade.  Good pics and description seems to work fine.
Maybe the ppl that demand a listed grade are the ones you want to avoid anyway-"you said this was a-"

Edited by kav
Link to comment
Share on other sites
gadzukes

gadzukes

Posted
Posted (edited)

I believe once he sends it into CGC it means he has looked it over and has confidence in what he has.  

You knew that when you sent it to him the cover was attached (and have photos to prove it).

A small refund may be in order but nothing more than that IMO.

Edited by gadzukes
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Buzzetta

Buzzetta

Posted
Posted
  1. Get someone to take pictures of his loved ones.
  2. Upload images to imageflip
  3. Make memes with pictures of loved ones that say, “Do you think they want you to pursue this?”
  4. Send memes
  5. screen cap response
  6. post here for us to see

can I go back to bed now ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kav

kav

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:
  1. Get someone to take pictures of his loved ones.
  2. Upload images to imageflip
  3. Make memes with pictures of loved ones that say, “Do you think they want you to pursue this?”
  4. Send memes
  5. screen cap response
  6. post here for us to see

can I go back to bed now ?

Your work here is done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kav

kav

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Lightning55 said:

If you get to a point where he will agree to send it back for a refund plus his fees for grading, shipping, etc., do that.  Every other option (except that he just goes away) will cost you more.  Much more.

why should he agree to recieve a book that has been damaged after he sold it tho?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
3 3
Go to topic listing