Hey all, I need some advice. I've got a couple of problems with an ebay purchase, and I'm not sure how to proceed in this case. I bought a minty so-soft pony who was quite expensive as a 'But it Now' On Nov 23rd. I paid in full but then asked the seller to hold onto it, as I was bidding on more of her auctions. The others ended on the 29th, and I paid for the rest. It was marked shipped on the 3rd of December, but not actually shipped until Dec 14th. I thought it was lost, but that part I can live with.
The first real problem is that the seller charged me the combined shipping rate of $30 for what the label says was $10.55 in shipping, so 3x as much as it actually cost them. That seems pretty straight forward to deal with through ebay.
The second bigger problem is that they didn't use any protection at all on the ponies, even the minty so-soft pony (a $70 minty Crumpet I've been waiting a VERY long time to find). No box, no tissue, not even a sandwich bag. She and the other 3 minty ponies were sent in a stiff cardboard envelope. All four previously minty ponies arrived with rough, matted hair, unlike the condition I bought them in. The worst part is that my minty SS Crumpet is Very Good condition at best, and very similar to a $30 one for sale here, that I turned down. She is missing most of the flocking on the back of one of her ears, and loads on her other ear and around her feet. One shoulder is really rubbed, as well as her mouth, eyebrows, nostrils. I can tell that it happened in transit, because the other ponies and the inside of the envelope itself all have flocking all over them, like glitter. The inside of the envelope is really rough and fairly stiff.
I found the ad for them here on the arena, but I bought them through ebay. I'll take it up through ebay, but I'm not sure what to do (especially since I have 2 problems). What should I do now?
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Dec 28th 2013
Wow, I'm pretty sure it's the same person. Her ebay ID is indiejones09, angela22 on here. I can't believe this has happened before and keeps happening. You would think that something like that is a mistake you would make once, and then learn from it.
I did check her feedback on ebay, and here, and I didn't see anything bad
BUT to play devil's advocate shipping costs usually are SHIPPING AND HANDLING and a seller can charge anything they want
If you are the buyer it is your responsibility to look into shipping before a purchase. I would have had a combined shipping quote sent to me prior to purchase...this way if a seller sends some crazy price all you have to do is say no.
I did ask for a quote to start with, and it was $14.50, which isn't outrageous if it's sent in a box. I asked if she would combine shipping, and she said yes. I bought and paid for the first pony in advance, so the first $14.50 was already paid for. When the other auctions ended, she combined it all with an extra $14.50, which I didn't see coming. I at least figured they would have been well packaged in a box. Honestly, if they had arrived as I bought them, For $20 actual shipping in a box, I wouldn't be complaining. *sigh*
Well, I opened a case by writing to her. I'm so sad about that minty Crumpet, though. She's been so hard to find, even though I'm willing to overpay, and another minty one just bit the dust. She's the very last one I'm looking for for all the US mom and baby ponies. I've been working on that goal since the early 2000s.
Thanks for your help
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Dec 28th 2013
So, I got a response
"Actually, you paid 14.50 for shipping, not $30. And the ponies I send are always sent that way with no problems at all to the items, and definitely not enough rubbing could possibly happen inside that envelope to cause flocking loss or hair damage. You can return it if you'd like and I will look the item over to see what kind of damage has been done. Please ensure you confirm the correct address to send her to first before you ship out and you may want to include insurance on the package as I won't be responsible for any items that do not make it back. Thanks."
I'm frustrated now because it sounds like she's saying I'm lying. The problem with the shipping cost is that I paid it twice, for two separate transactions a week apart, so I did pay $29. Do I have to open a separate case for the other 3 ponies? One of the 3 is ok, but I don't want to be stuck with the $30 shipping total I paid just for her.
Does anyone know if one tracking number will do for 2 transactions?
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Dec 29th 2013
*sigh*, you could use paper towel and sandwich bags, and still protect them while sending them cheaply. I've used bubble envelopes, but at least package them separately in plastic. I didn't say anything more about the damage at all. There's no use arguing over it. I just told her I'd ship them all back, and that's it.
I'm going to send them all back in a box, well protected, but what happens if she just claims that the damage didn't happen while in transit. When she says "I will look the item over to see what kind of damage has been done" it sounds to me like she's saying I'm lying, or I had buyer's remorse and I did something to them. I can take pictures, but does that prove anything?
I opened a second case for the others, but it only included one of the 3, so I guess I need 4 separate cases?
Also, where do I find the address I have to mail them back to? She says " Please ensure you confirm the correct address to send her to first before you ship out", but is there a place to find it, or do I have to ask her?
Sorry to ask so many questions everyone, and thanks for all your time. I've never dealt with something like this before.
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Dec 31st 2013
Ok, I sent them all back, well packaged, tracked and with insurance. Hopefully this goes smoothly.
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Jan 6th 2014
Wow. The ponies I bought are not expected to arrive back at the seller's for another 2 days according to the tracking, but they are already relisted, with the old pictures and ads. She hasn't even seen the damage yet. In fact, her auctions end the same day the ponies are due back to her.
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Jan 14th 2014,
I received a refund for the 3 other ponies that I returned to the seller, but not for Crumpet or her half of the shipping ($14.50, since I was charged that twice for combined shipping for 4 ponies). I got a message from ebay today saying that if the refund wasn't processed by now, to escalate the case, and so I did.
Bonnie Bonnets sold 8 days before the seller had her back in hand, and Crumpet now has bids on her with the old pictures, before all the extra flocking rubs that occurred the first time she was shipped.
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Jan 15th 2014,
Now I've got a new message from ebay, again saying that the seller has issued a refund, and an echeck should be processed by Jan 19th now. The case was automatically closed, even though the last round of this (waiting for the echeck refund to go through into my account) did not go through. I am so beyond frustrated right now. I just want this to be done so I can move on.
*update*
I got this message via paypal.
"This email confirms that the Pending Refund you received for $84.50 USD from (seller's email address) has cleared. The funds are now reflected in your PayPal balance."
I checked paypal, and there's no refund still. What on earth is going on?