resolved

[Souffaloufagous]

Never had a problem buying things off of ebay until now...

SO I won a Baby Tictactoe off ebay for only $4.50, and I was super excited because she looked good from the pictures and was described as "excellent" condition, clean and no flaws anywhere.

Well she just arrived today, and she's definitely anything but, and I've never had this problem before so I don't know how to approach the ebayer.

Poor baby tictactoe feels slightly sticky and oily and she's over all a bit grimy, especially on her tummy/between legs/face.  There's lots of little specs of dirt and marks that won't come off, and her bottom is discolored in a weird greenish tint. And she smells REALLY weird, like a combination of cigarette smoke, bacon, and hot plastic.

Any advice how I should approach the seller with my pony dillema?

[goddessofpeep]

First thing to do is to contact the seller.  Be polite and try to avoid using confrontational language or accusing the seller of anything.  If you know what would make you happy(sending back the pony for a full refund, a partial refund and you keep the pony, etc), you can mention that in your initial email.  If you're not sure, you can ask the seller what they're willing to do for you to fix the problem.   I also tend to mention if the seller did anything right during the transaction(shipping the pony out quickly, packaging it particularly well, etc).  I find sellers are a bit less likely to get offended and start going crazy on you if you say something nice to them somewhere.

DO NOT MENTION FEEDBACK AT ALL.  This is important!  The seller could report you for feedback extortion, and ebay actually does check into that.  Keep feedback out of it until everything is resolved.  If they are willing to work with you and resolve things to your satisfaction, they probably don't deserve a negative.  I like sellers who are willing to work with me if things go wrong.

Something along the lines of this:

"Hello!

I got your package in the mail today.  Thank you for getting it out to me so quickly! Unfortunately there is a problem.  The pony I received is not in the condition I was expecting.  It is surprisingly sticky, has some unexpected discoloration and marks, and smells funny.  I have tried to clean the pony, but the flaws appear to be permanent.  I was hoping we could work something out since the pony is not what I expected from the auction description and pictures.  Is there anything you can do for me?

Thank you"



Try to work it out with the seller first.  If that doesn't work, you might be able to recoup your money from Paypal, but once you start with that things could get ugly.  That should be the last thing you try, not the first. 

Good luck!

[RockinPrettyBeats]

She basically covered everything. Good advice. The pony sounds wretched. Are you sure it's even the same pony?

[Em_L._Pea_Customs]

Just a thought, but was the pony shipped from the midwest?  We are in the middle of ten+ 105 degree days.  I know Baby Tic Tac Toe is notorious for plasticizer breakdown and maybe several days of being en route in extreme temps could have screwed with the plastic. 

[Ringlets]

Its always disappointing when a pony is not what you were expecting   Goddessofpeep offered some great advice on how best to handle this kind of situation (thank you godess! )   . Saying something positive about the transaction first can soften things a little and make the seller more willing to work with you    Its true that the super high temperatures could have caused the stickiness , but the marks and smell may have already been there. How was the pony packaged BTW? was there anything in the packaging that could have caused the marks/smell?

[RockinPrettyBeats]

I just want to add that I'm in Colorado and we are going through a horrible heat wave. It was over 100 degree highs for two weeks straight.

So the heat extends past the midwest as well. It's been awful for a lot of Americans.

But yeah, doesn't explain the smell....

[tulagirl]

Just a thought, but was the pony shipped from the midwest?  We are in the middle of ten+ 105 degree days.  I know Baby Tic Tac Toe is notorious for plasticizer breakdown and maybe several days of being en route in extreme temps could have screwed with the plastic. 

I agree with this thought as it really could be damaged from this. I have had that happen to me before with antique dolls. Some things shouldn't be shipped in the summer heat months.  Plastic can develop and odor when subjected to heat and moisture.  Also it will take on the smell of the box or bag it was in...then you have the house smell it came from.

[Souffaloufagous]

Ahhh sorry, I was computerless for a few days while my new laptop was being setup.

Hmm.  The pony was shipped from Texas, which could explain the smell and sticky.

She has since hardened up and isn't as sticky, because I'm a polar bear and keep my AC blasting at all times. 

The marks and weird stain on her butt though....  The packaging couldn't have done anything, it was plain bubblewrap.  I'll just have to mail the seller and see what happened.  =/
Thank you all for your advice.  =)