The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: northstar3184 on April 25, 2016, 08:59:46 PM
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I wanted to see if this is something worth mentioning to a seller: I bought a twinkle eye pony on ebay. The pony is described as being in mint condition. However, when I received the pony today I noticed there are 2 very small cancer spots and her one eye has a minor scuff. Otherwise she's in perfect condition. Are these things worth mentioning to the seller? I'd like to keep the pony, but was surprised to see these flaws on an item listed as mint. She's a common TE for which I paid ~$19.00 including shipping.
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If it was just the scuff on the eye, I don't think it wouldn't be worth mentioning. However, the cancer spots are more concerning. I would definitely mention this to the seller. With the cancer spots, she is not even near mint, she'd be VTG at best. If you pay $19 for a pony, you expect the quality you're paying for. Just keep in mind, they may want you to send the pony back for a refund. However, some sellers try to work a partial refund with their buyers.
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I've had this in the past. Personally, I would never list a pony as mint if she has just the slightest flaw and I expect the same from others. For this reason, I have never listed one as mint actually, only as near mint, if they were. Would always contact the seller and give them the chance to get everything straight and to leave me with the feeling to have spent an ampount of money that goes with the pony's condition, so a "round" overall feeling. Again, I would want the same when I make mistakes selling a pony.
I have experienced everything from that point on, from sellers giving a full refund for the pony without wanting her back to attacking me and accusing me of fraud and anything in between. In your situation, I would just contact the seller, confront her with the flaws along with a close-up photo and either ask how they would want to resolve the matter or offer some options myself with which I would be comfortable. For the latter, I always try to see both sides and find a good middle ground myself which I then offer to the seller.
Again, I have made the experience that then, some try to get a middle ground between the middleground I found and an egoistic ideal of them taking no responsability at all, which makes me explain them that I already did that step before contacting them. I guess, all depends on whom you have to do with and if they were aware of the misleading description or not.
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Cancer spots = not mint, and definitely one of the things worth mentioning. If you think it worth the effort- you might ask for a refund.
I would personally never list a pony as mint- I always list them as in played with condition with lots of flaws such as scuffs and possible pen marks and/or fading (just in case I missed something). Then take lots of photos. But even then- I check very very carefully for cancer spots and I think most collectors do because that is a way bigger deal to me than a pen mark or a scuff.
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Here's a photo to give a visual of the spots.
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Oh wow i would return. They are easy enough to spot and should have been mentioned
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Here's the listing too:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/182085824577?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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The marks are visible on the pictures of the listing. Would that make a difference?
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In the listing she describes the pony as mint. She is also a seller of ponies so its not like she doesn't know about flaws :huh: those particular flaws (cancer for sure, but also the other mark and the scuff for some buyers ) would definitely affect the value :awake:
There are flaws visible in the photos if you look carefully though including what looks like a pen mark near one hoof and also the cancer spots. The flaws look better/worse depending on the lighting on your computer, and the pics are quite light so until I tilted my laptop a bit I couldn't see the cancer as obvious. On your pic the cancer is very obvious
With this pony Sweetie/ Sweet Stuff I have rarely seen one without cancer. Allllmost all of them have it to some extent, so I'm guessing the bidding may have gone higher due to the supposedly "mint" condition from an experienced seller :(
The seller does mention they may miss flaws though, and that's true we can all make a mistake. I'd contact the seller and mention the cancer spots. Keep it friendly and polite (the seller has obviously had some upset from buyers in the past according to what she says in the description) , thank her for the fast shipping or some other positive point about the pony/experience *first* then tactfully introduce the situation ;) you could say something like this " Hi, I received my pony Sweet Stuff, thank you for sending her so quickly (or for good packaging or whatever good thing you can find - some positive remark about the transaction) but unfortunately I noticed that she has 2 (check incase there are more) small cancer spots . I checked and they are not mentioned in the listing. I thought that the pony was in mint condition which is why I bid. I understand that its easy to miss something like this when listing , but I was a bit disappointed that she has these marks since they are permanent , so I wanted to talk to you about what to do next " ......
what you actually write next depends on what you would like the solution to be. If you don't want to keep the pony you could ask if she would mind doing a return/refund, or if you would like to keep the pony then perhaps leave the message at that and then allow the seller to give you some options before you take it any further . You cant make the seller give you a partial even if you end up opening a case...and with this seller a case is a last resort if you want things to end amicably ;)
The seller may suggest to you a partial refund , or they may not do partial refunds so they want the pony back.
See what they say in response to your message before opening a case though ( I think you don't really need me to say that reminder but sometimes you have to be careful as ebay has been known to open a case on someone for you when you really meant to just send a message. be careful of the wording ebay uses when you try to message the seller :yikes: ). Hope that helps a bit
Please let us know how it goes :hug: TBH I'd be disappointed if I thought I was getting a mint pony or even a near mint pony and then received one with cancer marks
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Others have mentioned problems with seller not that long ago. I remember I thread I responded to because she was a bit retaliatory and my husband had bought a pony from her for me and all he had asked was about when she was shipping the pony out. And she sent this long message about how she had three days because that's what it states in her auction and it would be sent three days after the auction ended blah blah blah. She went off when all he asked was the shipping date because it was a gift.
So just keep in mind that you might not get a stellar solution from this seller.
Edit: I found the thread: http://mlparena.com/index.php/topic,376150.msg1501592.html#msg1501592
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The pictures would make a difference if she said "look at the pictures for condition"
But she goes out of her way to say " Shes in mint condition. No marks. Eyes are great. Hair is soft and uncut. Cutie marks are perfect."
So if I read that I might not be inspecting closely for shadows that may or may not be marks. Photographs are tricky.
I agree the bidding went high on that pony because she was described as having "NO MARKS" which, as someone mentioned, is pretty rare with that pony.
**** Edited to add- after reading the other discussion linked - that you should definitely approach her very politely and not with accusations- maybe LM can help you with verbage- it is so easy to come across as agro via message- one must tread carefully.
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As a buyer, I'll forgive very small marks or initials written on the bottom of hooves from a pony that the seller described as "mint". Because I can believe that a seller didn't notice teensy marks, and because I just don't mind writing on the bottom of hooves. But not cancer marks and, to be honest, not an eye scuff on a TE. Their main feature is their eyes.
(As a seller I'm very picky, so I rarely describe a pony as mint. Sometimes "near mint".)
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Okay so I sent her the following message:
Hi, I received my pony Sweet Stuff. Thank you for sending her so quickly and well-packaged, but unfortunately I noticed that she has 2 small cancer spots. I checked and they are not mentioned in the listing. I thought that the pony was in mint condition which is why I bid. I understand that its easy to miss something like this when listing, but I was a bit disappointed that she has these marks since they are permanent, so I wanted to talk to you about what to do next. I do like her, so I'd hate to have to send her back, but I do feel a partial refund would be fair because she doesn't appear to be as described in the listing. Thank you for your time.
I'll let you know what happens. Thank you, Ringlets, for the great template. Sometimes it's hard to know what to say in these situations.
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I also see a blush rub and a mark under a hoof. This pony is not mint. Maybe excellent or great.
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I also see a blush rub and a mark under a hoof. This pony is not mint. Maybe excellent or great.
Yeah, the blush rub doesn't bother me and the mark is something I must have missed. If it was just those things and the scuff to the eye, then I wouldn't care. It's the cancer spots that prompted me to contact the seller. I didn't even bother to mention anything else to her.
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Thanks for linking to the other the thread dealing with this seller. I was sure I'd come across the name before but I hadn't the time yesterday to search :blush:
Okay so I sent her the following message:
Hi, I received my pony Sweet Stuff. Thank you for sending her so quickly and well-packaged, but unfortunately I noticed that she has 2 small cancer spots. I checked and they are not mentioned in the listing. I thought that the pony was in mint condition which is why I bid. I understand that its easy to miss something like this when listing, but I was a bit disappointed that she has these marks since they are permanent, so I wanted to talk to you about what to do next. I do like her, so I'd hate to have to send her back, but I do feel a partial refund would be fair because she doesn't appear to be as described in the listing. Thank you for your time.
I'll let you know what happens. Thank you, Ringlets, for the great template. Sometimes it's hard to know what to say in these situations.
:bigups: you're welcome hun :hug: looks good :) .
I've had to deal with some really irate and difficult sellers in the past , as well as ones where you have no idea how they are going to react in a situation like this one , so I guess over time you learn how best to approach them. It doesn't go right all the time but a tactful message does often work and if it comes down to a case where ebay has to get involved and decide the outcome they check messages and how you've talked to the person can make a big difference in the end. Should be straightforward in this situation BTW if it did come down to a case as the pony is definitely not as described, but I'm hoping the message will prevent it getting to that stage and you and the seller will be able to work it out without either of you getting upset :hug:
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Oh noes - not eaglesfan73 again!
:yikes:
Whenever a seller is also a big MLP G1 collector I think it's reasonable to assume they have knowledge about "pony cancer", and those spots on Sweet Stuff are pretty darn obvious. Unmentioned cancer spots are my personal bugbear since they can spread and de-value/destroy the pony even further. And your Sweet Stuff definitely isn't in mint condition! The seller also has a few recent feedbacks saying the condition of the ponies she's sold didn't match the description, so this seems to be an ongoing issue with her.
However this seller was a total nightmare to deal with when she made a mistake with my accessories (it got much worse later on and the Arena thread here only covers half of it!).
I thought the email you wrote to her was polite, friendly and well-worded and I can't see how it could be mis-interpreted. However this seller can take things extremely personally and severely over-react, so feel free to PM me for advice. ;)
Best of luck, northstar3184. :hug:
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She responded to my email:
Hi. Im sorry about that. Can you show me pics of what I missed? I have a few more of her to sell and I wanna make sure I dont overlook it and make a mistake.
Thanks
Angie
Here was my response and the pics I sent her:
Certainly, here's a couple more pictures. There's one cancer spot near where the head attaches to the body and a second one as you move toward her symbol about midway on the body.
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Hopefully, the spots will be easy enough for her to see. I'm new at using this camera.
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They're visible to me. :) But otherwise you can use Photoshop or Paint to draw a red arrow pointing at them, or circle them, or something.
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She sent me a reply:
"Ugh I cant believe I missed that Im usually good at picking flaws out. Im so sorry. Ill have my hubby get into his paypal to give partial refund.
Thank you"
She offered a 50% refund, which I've accepted. Now just waiting for the refund.
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Seems like a pretty reasonable response! Glad it seems to be working out
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Well, we'll see what happens. She sent that message 24 hours ago saying the refund would be sent when her husband got home from work. It hasn't been sent yet.
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I'm glad she responded positively - hopefully the refund will show up soon as well :hug:
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I still havent found a way of blocking sellers on eBay... anyone know if there's a way? I hate cancer spots as well...
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I don't think you can block sellers. You just have to keep a list of sellers you don't want to buy from. I keep a mental list. If I've seen that name before, I definitely recognize it.
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I don't think you can block sellers. You just have to keep a list of sellers you don't want to buy from. I keep a mental list. If I've seen that name before, I definitely recognize it.
OK thank you!
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Still nothing. Do refunds usually show on the buyer's end on the same day they're issued? Or is there usually a few days between when the seller sends it and when it shows in the buyer's Paypal transactions?
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It should be immediate, shouldn't it? Since it is electronic, I'd expect it to show pretty much immediately. (Though there may be some discrepancy since paypal and ebay separated, does it show as a part refund in your ebay account?)
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Yes, if the refund has been processed you will be notified right away. If it's not showing up, the seller has not sent a refund yet.
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If it's been a couple days, I would contact the seller again and send a friendly reminder. I didn't think you'd get off easy with this seller. She's obviously making you walk through hoops, hoping you'd forget about it. You may have to end up filing a not as described case if she doesn't follow through.
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I feel your pain.
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If it's been a couple days, I would contact the seller again and send a friendly reminder. I didn't think you'd get off easy with this seller. She's obviously making you walk through hoops, hoping you'd forget about it. You may have to end up filing a not as described case if she doesn't follow through.
If I do end up having to open a case, Ebay looks at the correspondence that has been going on between she and I, correct? If they see she's offered a 50% refund for the item not being as described but hasn't followed through, what usually happens? Would they require me to ship the item back?
I sent her the following message just now:
"Hi eaglesfan73,
I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the partial refund's status. I checked my Paypal account and saw that it hasn't come through yet. Thank you again for your time and understanding."
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If it's been a couple days, I would contact the seller again and send a friendly reminder. I didn't think you'd get off easy with this seller. She's obviously making you walk through hoops, hoping you'd forget about it. You may have to end up filing a not as described case if she doesn't follow through.
If I do end up having to open a case, Ebay looks at the correspondence that has been going on between she and I, correct? If they see she's offered a 50% refund for the item not being as described but hasn't followed through, what usually happens? Would they require me to ship the item back?
I sent her the following message just now:
"Hi eaglesfan73,
I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the partial refund's status. I checked my Paypal account and saw that it hasn't come through yet. Thank you again for your time and understanding."
Honestly, I'm not sure eBay will look at anything unless you bring it to their attention via a call on the phone. Most likely, if you have to file a case, you're going to have to send the pony back for a full refund. So, she's catching you between a rock and a hard place: Either keep the pony with the flaws and pay the full amount or send it back for the full refund.
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She wrote this reply last night:
I apologize. Im actually doing chemo treatments and they aren't sitting well with me I was brought to the hospital and I bet my husband forgot to issue it with all the chaos around us.
I will tell him to do it when he comes by in the morning. I am SO sorry for the delay. We will fix this. Thank you for being so great about this.
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:hug: I think you're handling this really well :bigups:
I hope she is telling the truth. I'm sorry for her if she really is going through chemo too - its awful and it would be understandable to miss/forget something :(
....but it can be hard to believe emails like that as too many scammers use horrible real life situations like this one to get away with things. If her story is true then you should be getting your refund soon. Give it a few more days before you send another message about the refund ( other than a message acknowledging this latest one )
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:hug: I think you're handling this really well :bigups:
I hope she is telling the truth. I'm sorry for her if she really is going through chemo too - its awful and it would be understandable to miss/forget something :(
....but it can be hard to believe emails like that as too many scammers use horrible real life situations like this one to get away with things. If her story is true then you should be getting your refund soon. Give it a few more days before you send another message about the refund ( other than a message acknowledging this latest one )
Okay thanks for the advice. I'll give her some more time before sending another message.
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:hug: I think you're handling this really well :bigups:
I hope she is telling the truth. I'm sorry for her if she really is going through chemo too - its awful and it would be understandable to miss/forget something :(
....but it can be hard to believe emails like that as too many scammers use horrible real life situations like this one to get away with things. If her story is true then you should be getting your refund soon. Give it a few more days before you send another message about the refund ( other than a message acknowledging this latest one )
Okay thanks for the advice. I'll give her some more time before sending another message.
I honestly think she's trying to play the sympathy card and isn't sick. It seems the chemo hasn't stopped her from continuing to list and ship ponies. Like Ringlets said it's sad when scammers use an excuse like this to play people.
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She was actively posting ponies for sale in the Facebook group last night. :huh:
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Yeah, I'm just ignoring the whole chemo thing; I'm not even going to acknowledge her saying that. I'll message her again tomorrow. This time I'll set a deadline and let her know I'll need to receive the refund within 48 hours or I'll have to open a case. At the end of those forty-eight hours it will have been a week since she promised the partial refund, which I think is more than fair.
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Seeing that there has been problems with this seller before I agree with giving her a deadline is fair.
I hope she doesn't give you anymore problems.
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Yeah, I'm just ignoring the whole chemo thing; I'm not even going to acknowledge her saying that. I'll message her again tomorrow. This time I'll set a deadline and let her know I'll need to receive the refund within 48 hours or I'll have to open a case. At the end of those forty-eight hours it will have been a week since she promised the partial refund, which I think is more than fair.
:bigups: sounds good to me.
If she is actively listing ponies right now then she is not too sick to give you a refund on time! :(
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I just sent her the following message:
Hi eaglesfan73,
The partial refund still has not come through. At this point, I'll have to insist that I receive the refund within the next 48 hours or I will have to open a case. By that time, it will have been a week since we initially discussed this matter and I was advised the refund would be sent. I feel a week is ample time to have resolved the matter.
Sincerely,
northstar3184
Post Merge: May 05, 2016, 03:29:23 PM
Well that got quick results. She messaged me back saying she called her husband at work and now the refund shows as pending in my account. Looks like problem solved.
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Well done, northstar3184!
(*＾-‘) 乃
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Subtle and straight to the point, happy things went over well
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So glad you're finally getting this resolved!
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that's great! well done! I'm glad its finally sorted out :bigups: :hifive:
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I just sent her the following message:
Hi eaglesfan73,
The partial refund still has not come through. At this point, I'll have to insist that I receive the refund within the next 48 hours or I will have to open a case. By that time, it will have been a week since we initially discussed this matter and I was advised the refund would be sent. I feel a week is ample time to have resolved the matter.
Sincerely,
northstar3184
Post Merge: May 05, 2016, 03:29:23 PM
Well that got quick results. She messaged me back saying she called her husband at work and now the refund shows as pending in my account. Looks like problem solved.
Well that is a relief.
I will have to say- that this seller really seems like someone to steer clear of. Too bad we can't affix warning labels to various sellers, it gets hard to keep track of them all.
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Maybe like the non-paying bidders list we need to create an ebay sellers to avoid list.
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Maybe like the non-paying bidders list we need to create an ebay sellers to avoid list.
I wish there WAS a "blocked seller" list that you could make on eBay, where eBay would pop up a reminder like "you put this seller on your blocked seller list, do you still wish to buy from them?". Because even if we make a manual list, what happens if a seller changes their name? :/
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Buyers change their names too. I really wish eBay wouldn't allow you to change your name. I think it makes it too easy for scammers.
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Yes, but if the buyer is already on your block list then eBay automatically updates your block list with the new name.
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I like the idea of having a list of problematic sellers for the arena. When I saw the seller's name, I knew it looked familiar. At the time, I figured she must be an arena member with a sales thread. I even tried searching for her ebay name in the sales forum. When I didn't see it, I figured it must have been a false sense of deja vu. Then when cirrusrose mentioned her thread, I realized why the seller's name looked so familiar.
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Yes, but if the buyer is already on your block list then eBay automatically updates your block list with the new name.
This :nod: this is one thing that ebay got right :P I check my blocked list for dodgy peeps especially if I find someone has changed their name but thankfully its changed there too. Doesn't help if they open another account though.
There is the bad trader list on here which has a lot of ebay and other site IDs for scammers or difficult to deal with people. LBS keeps that updated and it shows their multiple IDs . There is a thread stickied here too but it needs updating I think and I haven't been able to do it with my RL stuff going on ATM :blush:
Usually running a search for the person here helps but sometimes it can be missed