eBay etiquette - card has crease

[ASF123]

I'm dealing with an eBay seller who is becoming combative after I asked to return a card or receive a partial refund. The card has a crease that did not show up in the photos and was not disclosed in the description.

Seller is taking the position that he provided photos and started at a low first bid, so it's my responsibility to ask about the card. If the crease was visible in the photos, I would agree - but I say it can't be the buyer's burden to contact the seller of every card he might bid on to ask if there are any substantial flaws that aren't visible or disclosed.

Am I off base here? The guy even accused me of sending a phony photo of a different card.

[ullmandds]

the reality is that you can return anything if u want for whatever reason...so theres that.

[Eggoman]

As an eBay Seller & Buyer for 21 years, I'm in YOUR camp!

I calls 'em as I sees 'em and WILL DEFINITELY mention creases, especially light ones or paper wrinkles. UNLESS I GRADE A CARD AS "BEAT"!!! Then you are on your own!

Do I EVER miss a crease - of course, but I would DEFINITELY make it right!

My 2 cents... FWIW!

[sycks22]

My only question is if the card is graded or raw? If it's graded I don't think you have a leg to stand on, if it's raw you have a legit beef. If you bought a PSA 3 it's still a PSA 3 regardless if there's a crease or not.

[ramram]

Like Pete said, none of that really matters...you can return it for any reason anyway.

Rob M

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by sycks22

My only question is if the card is graded or raw? If it's graded I don't think you have a leg to stand on, if it's raw you have a legit beef. If you bought a PSA 3 it's still a PSA 3 regardless if there's a crease or not.

Fair point, and I agree. This case is a raw card.

[sycks22]

Originally Posted by ASF123

Fair point, and I agree. This case is a raw card.

You should be good to go then.

[DeanH3]

If it's a lower condition card, I always ask if there are any creases or wrinkles if I don't see any in the scans. What really drives me nuts is when I ask and get a response of no. Then when the card arrives I see a noticeable crease or wrinkle. That tells me that the seller obviously didn't even bother to look and verify. SMH!

Good luck. I hope this gets resolved for you.

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by ASF123

Seller is taking the position that he provided photos and started at a low first bid, so it's my responsibility to ask about the card. If the crease was visible in the photos, I would agree - but I say it can't be the buyer's burden to contact the seller of every card he might bid on to ask if there are any substantial flaws that aren't visible or disclosed.

Obviously the sellers tactics (not offering a description, response) in this case are not the recommended route for any seller to take, especially if they value repeat business. This sellers business model appears to not care if his customers are satisfied and he is not likely to have much repeat business. As poor as this seller's business model is, unfortunately, he is right there is some burden on the buyer from buying from a seller who offers no description. In this case, with no grade offered, I would have avoided buying from him all together.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by savedfrommyspokes

As poor as this seller's business model is, unfortunately, he is right there is some burden on the buyer from buying from a seller who offers no description.

Well, he did offer a "description," implicitly, by posting photos. And the photos were inaccurate.

[sando69]

yes, you are absolutely substantiated with your dissatisfaction.
now, just file a case with ebay, return the card WITH tracking and post his ebay id (or pm me) so we/i can avoid him in the future.

[Throttlesteer]

"I'm not a professional grader, see the photos and judge for yourself" always pisses me off. It's a cop out and I generally steer clear of any auction with this wording. It smells of bad stuff.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

+1, Anson!

[Jim65]

Return the card.

You should realize once you ask for a partial refund, some sellers immediately think you had buyers remorse and are trying to get some money back. A lot of buyers try to pull this scam so some sellers are very sensitive to it. Sounds like you have a legitimate claim so just file Not As Described claim and return the card.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by Jim65

Return the card.

You should realize once you ask for a partial refund, some sellers immediately think you had buyers remorse and are trying to get some money back. A lot of buyers try to pull this scam so some sellers are very sensitive to it. Sounds like you have a legitimate claim so just file Not As Described claim and return the card.

Good to know, thanks - I was just trying to be helpful because I figured neither one of us would want to deal with the hassle of a return for a cheap card. I literally asked for ten bucks back and we'd call it even. The whole thing is pretty absurd.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Jim65

You should realize once you ask for a partial refund, some sellers immediately think you had buyers remorse and are trying to get some money back. A lot of buyers try to pull this scam so some sellers are very sensitive to it.

Spot on. This is a big thing--not sure I'd call it a scam, more of a tactic. There are a number of buyers who habitually buy a card then try to renegotiate on the basis of some half-assed complaint because they know eBay will hit you up as a seller for a refund including the return postage, so it is to your advantage to give a smaller partial refund, which is why some sellers go nuts if you bring it up: when it comes to lower priced cards it is basically extortion owing to the high cost of shipping. When eBay goes to dollar shipping after the end of the year on cheap cards it may make it easier to resist this sort of stuff. Me, I will not play the partial refund game. If you don't like it, return it. The key is not to allow automatic returns. That way, if a buyer wants to return a card he will either have to open a case which I can fight or pay the freight (literally) to return the card.

Owing to the dynamics of the situation, when I sell a raw card I always will err to the side of caution and state that there is a crease when I see one that might not show up on the scan to my eyes. Sometimes even when it does and I think it might nevertheless be misleading. I want to be sure that the buyer isn't thinking he got a steal. That said, I do not 'grade' a raw card. I make high res scans and let the buyer decide.

[MidnightMarauders]

You have to disclose a crease, come on.

As a seller I feel like it's on me if a buyer finds anything legitimate I did not disclose (or if I am selling something outside of my wheelhouse a factor I did not consider).

It it happens I do a full credit or return in most instances and someone offering to take a partial credit on something legit is someone who is trying to work with me with is very appreciated in a compromised transaction.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by ASF123

I'm dealing with an eBay seller who is becoming combative after I asked to return a card or receive a partial refund. The card has a crease that did not show up in the photos and was not disclosed in the description.

Seller is taking the position that he provided photos and started at a low first bid, so it's my responsibility to ask about the card. If the crease was visible in the photos, I would agree - but I say it can't be the buyer's burden to contact the seller of every card he might bid on to ask if there are any substantial flaws that aren't visible or disclosed.

Am I off base here? The guy even accused me of sending a phony photo of a different card.

Out of complete curiosity, can you post the scan the seller used in the listing? It might be fun to see if we can detect the crease.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Out of complete curiosity, can you post the scan the seller used in the listing? It might be fun to see if we can detect the crease.

Ha - unfortunately revealing that it was over a light blue/white sky background would totally give it away.