Should Seller Reimburse Buyer For Grading Fees?

[Jacklitsch]

J. Owen Wilson 1911 T205 Gold Border sold for less than $20 including shipping. Basically a beater.

Seller's description:

"See the scan for the condition of this card.

Please look at the scan carefully. Scan does not always pick up the flaws. If you have any additional questions regarding the condition of the card, please EMail me and I'll do my best to answer your questions."

In this particular instance, now that I've seen the card, I might be inclined to tell the buyer no. But, with that said, looking at the seller's 20,000+ 100% feedback; over 5,500 in the last year alone, it might have been worth it to eat the grading fee. Couldn't have been much more than $8 or so. That single gray feedback is a blemish to what is otherwise a perfect record.

Not worth it IMO.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Jacklitsch

J. Owen Wilson 1911 T205 Gold Border sold for less than $20 including shipping. Basically a beater.

Seller's description:

"See the scan for the condition of this card.

Please look at the scan carefully. Scan does not always pick up the flaws. If you have any additional questions regarding the condition of the card, please EMail me and I'll do my best to answer your questions."

In this particular instance, now that I've seen the card, I might be inclined to tell the buyer no. But, with that said, looking at the seller's 20,000+ 100% feedback; over 5,500 in the last year alone, it might have been worth it to eat the grading fee. Couldn't have been much more than $8 or so. That single gray feedback is a blemish to what is otherwise a perfect record.

Not worth it IMO.

Ebay's feedback system is totally flawed. I was speaking with a good friend very recently. He is someone we all know and I have never, ever heard anyone in the whole hobby say one bad word about him. He has at least 15000 perfect feedback. NO neutrals, no negs....perfect. Recently someone stiffed him on 5 ebay auctions. Knowing he couldn't give a negative, not that he would have, he asked his ebay account manager if he could let other people know, in the remarks section of the feedback place, about this guy renegging. The account manager said yes he could but the guy that didn't pay could give him 5 negatives if he does AND HE DIDN'T even pay for the lots he won. On this point I have to agree with Steve, even though I disagree with the whole extortion (that's what ebay makes it be, in reality) situation. I would give back $10 to not worry about a neg.....but I absolutely see folks not wanting to do that. I just have so many other issues it's not worth $10 for me to dwell on it......

[Buythatcard]

Just a few facts about this transaction.

Cost of card was $30.00 plus $2.50 S/H fees.

Buyer wanted the above costs refunded plus $2.50 for shipping it back even though he paid $1.22 plus he wanted $11.00 for the grading fees.

I refunded $33.72 which included the cost of the card plus S/H fees that I charged him plus $1.22 for the shipping costs he paid for. He wanted $46.00. He returned the card to me.

I was considering paying back the grading fees until he tried to make an extra buck off me on the return shipping costs. I know its a small amount but its just a matter of principle.

To top things off, the neutral feedback that he left was for another card that he won. It wasn't even the one he sent to have graded.

I send off all this info to eBay. Lets see what they have to say about. I'll probably get a computer generated email.

Thanks for all of your opinions.

[painthistorian]

I feel E bay's policies are so out of line that feedback is meaningless anymore. Unscrupulous buyers can manipulate good sellers and e bay does not do anything about it...I do not feel in any way you need to reimburse grading fees and do not worry about the neutral, block this guy from bidding going forward.

E bay also allowing the DSR to be manipulated by buyers allowing 1 and 2 stars for sellers that have great feedback especially for S&H, often even when it is reasonable...you can have the other 3 categories near perfect and then S&H if not given free is often an excuse for buyers to "bully" sellers.

[JamesGallo]

I think the buyer was being a bit of a dick and greedy too.

That being said it sounds like you got back a graded card so I think the grading should have been covered by the refund but I totally understand your principle point as well.

As Leon said the feedback system is total BS and we all know that. The problem is that with the DSR not refunding a guy $10 could cost you a lot more with a neg and a lower DSR. I had a guy claim to not get his $10 worth of crap. He never asked me for a refund because he knew I had a DC number and he would have lost the case. 6 months later my DSR are still lower then they should be cause this ass gave me 2 negs. In the end it cost me more in the DSR discount then it would have if I would have just sent the $10 to him, but he was a total ass and made no attempt to try and track the package down on his end so I went with principle much like you did. The neutral won't hurt as much as the negs, just make sure he can't hit you on other cards as well.

If in any email through ebay he said I will leave you a negative or neutral feedback if you don't refund me, then you should have a pretty good case with ebay, otherwise I think you will be SOL.

In the end I think its a split, you got a bit of a benefit cause you got back a graded card but the buyer lost $11 because he was a dick. Serves him right and I don't think you were in the wrong with your decision.

James G

[Buythatcard]

Just to clear things up. The card sent back was not in a slab. It came back in a soft top loader with a label stating "Evidence of Trimming"

[JamesGallo]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

Just to clear things up. The card sent back was not in a slab. It came back in a soft top loader with a label stating "Evidence of Trimming"

Well if it is a SGC flip you should be able to get it slabbed at no charge, PSA your out of luck.

Based on this and the other information you provided I think you are in the right as long as you are accepting of the resulting feedback. You certainly shouldn't have to pay for feeback but that is how ebay has left it for sellers these days.

James G