eBay story :( - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: zaoka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 03:44:04 am
content: Purchased "NEW" Sencore LC102, received used and old unit. Ebay asked for pictures, I sent it to them and they made decision in a favor of seller.These days you cant trust to anybodyThis is "NEW" unit:

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 03:45:58 am
content: Wow, eBay decided in favor of the seller? New one on me. Must have hit the wrong button.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 04:51:28 am
content: Someone at eBay needs new glasses. This is not even "like new" let alone "new".I feel for you, my friend. Hope you will have better luck next time.Rick

author: cwalex
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 05:09:46 am
content: did you pay with paypal? if so file a dispute through paypal.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 05:14:51 am
content: They must have missed the removed sticker residueEbay usually side with the buyer, it's a sellers house of horrors.You get real unlucky I think.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 07:03:17 am
content: Would like to see the listed item.

author: tinhead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 09:38:29 am
content: is it this one (271179787445) ?"New - other -> was also advertised by our source as having been unboxed, shelved, and never used"then i would say everything fine. You can even see on ebay pictures the sticker residue.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 10:12:56 am
content: Happened to me also with an LCD panel. I didn't open a dispute but I left negative feedback because the seller wouldn't resolve the issue.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 10:33:38 am
content: QuoteThe original listing is really not acceptable - they try to pass off the description (and blame?) on to whoever they bought from. I mean, how hard is it to appraise what you are selling yourself from the cosmetic point of view.The photos carefully don't show the top of the unit which certainly show signs of more than "having been unboxed, shelved, and never used", there is the residue of a sticker which has been removed as well as some damage (slight, but it's there) and dirt.At the end of the day though my advice to the OP would be to decide of the transaction was still worth it given the state of the unit. Does it work, for instance.

author: nixxon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 12:45:57 pm
content: Another important question: Does it work as supposed to?

author: ToBeFrank
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 02:07:29 pm
content: To be fair, Ebay's "new other" description really sucks. The first sentence says this: "a new, unused item with absolutely no signs of wear." And one sentence later it says it could be this: "a new, unused item with defects." So basically, you should assume it will be the latter.

author: wb3fsr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 03:28:35 pm
content: Take them to small claims court....The peoples court on TV might be Fun and you could raise awareness of the exceptional electronics hobby available to all young and old, plus you could plug the EEVBLOGHell, bring a robot, light array, or laser. That would be cool.I bet on close inspection you could find many examples of it being a piece of used equipment. In a few seconds viewing the pix u supplied I would believe it was used in a lab. Find some examples of calibration and inventory stickers that would match up to that glue stain.

author: zaoka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 03:56:08 pm
content: Yes, its that one:Item number 271179787445I paid via ProPay, never used that service before.I did not even power it up yet, there was no power adapter with it, I was so sure they would take it back.I told them in order to use this used test equipment I have to send it for calibration which cost additional $190. If it was new I "would not" have to that.You can see that yellow color inside of the plastic cracks, its just well cleaned from outside.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 04:33:54 pm
content: I've got to say I agree with the seller on this one. The item condition was indeed "New other (see details)", and the key there is "see details". You don't get many choices for that description - it's just a dropdown - so I would always take it with a grain of salt. The actual description says it was "unboxed, shelved, and never used", which matches those photos. All that wear is just from it being shelved outside its box; there's no reason to believe it was actuallyused.Perhaps the description was a bitoptimistic, but you can't really expect them to be pessimistic, can you? They certainly didn't lie.

author: logic
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 04:37:34 pm
content: I looked at the ebay item page and it indicates a 14-day return policy with paid return shipping. Why don''t you just return it if you aren't happy with it?I've purchased a lot on ebay over the years and one thing I've learned is the terms Like New, Mint, NOS, etc.. are abused by many sellers but fortunately most sellers are honest. But to be safe, only purchase from those that offer a return policy so worst case, you can return it and only have to absorb the shipping cost.But like somebody already mentioned, if it was purchased at a nice price, clean it up and enjoy it.Patrick

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 04:47:44 pm
content: QuoteThe "new" in "new other" is actually supposed to meannewthough - not sat around on a shelf for years. Perhaps if it had been sat around in its box neatly wrapped up then it could have been described as "New Old Stock".Had I been selling the item I'd have marked it used, I'd like to think that people would buy from me twice.That said when buying on ebay you do have to look at the whole deal and this one might well have been a good deal even considering the not-quite-as-described condition. It's worth asking "can I get this functionality anywhere else cheaper" - if the answer is no you know that you did the best that you could out of the purchase, even if the description left a sour note.At the end of the day you have feedback and the DSRs to record your feelings. DSRs in particular have the power (many would say too much) to genuinely restrict a seller - or even get them banned from ebay.Of course it would be sad for the seller if they had the best deal around and still got poor feedback and low DSRs for the transaction - in this case there's a good argument that it would be deserved.QuoteI read that as "if it doesn't work you can return it", not "if you don't like it you can return it".How does basic consumer protection work in the US - in the EU the buyerdoeshave the right to return something bought online from a business just because they didn't like it.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 05:02:24 pm
content: With a less-than-complete description it's up to you to ask questions or take a chance.QuoteThey stated it didn't have a power cord, and the picture clearly shows a DC power input.QuoteBullshit. The vast majority of buyers of Ebay gear will never go near a cal house, so it is not reasonable to assume anything about calibration unless explicitly stated, and similarly not reasonable for sellers to highlight expired cal dates.They made no claims about calibration. They made no statements about age - even a brand new never-used item could easily be past its cal-by date after storage as described.They made no statements about calibration. If you are one of the minority buyers who really need calibration you should have made further enquiries to establish details.I don't understand why anyone would interpret a "New Other See details" as meaning new after reading the details. It's a drop-down selection and could easily have just been selected wrongly.They offered a refund if not working but you've not even bothered to test it.I have no sympathy. Ebay was right.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 05:19:52 pm
content: Seems clear it could even have defectsas new, per this definition, so I would have been wary. It's certainly not the same description as their New description.New other (see details):A new, unused item with absolutely no signs of wear. The item may bemissing the original packaging, or in the original packaging but not sealed.The item may be a factory second or a new, unused item with defects.See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.