Advice on what to say to a seller on eBay

[shimmlight]

I seem to have the worst luck with buying plushies on eBay at the moment xD I ordered the trio of hyenas from The Lion King for £75 (which, considering they're usually around £30-35 each, is actually a good price). Anyway, the listing was very vague and didn't really say anything other than how big they were, but I took a chance and bought them anyway as they're highly sought after and I didn't want to miss out.

They arrived this morning, all in one parcel but in individual clear bags. The first thing I notice is that two of them have their labels cut off. That's no big deal, I can live with that (although it wasn't mentioned or pictured). Then when I actually got them out of the bags, I noticed that one of them was in significantly worse condition than the other two. He's quite clearly been put in the washing machine despite them being surface wash only toys. He's floppier than them, and his fur isn't as soft, and he has a few paint stains on him. Also, both his neck and leg have clearly come open and been restitched. The other two are absolutely fine though.

I don't want to send them back or anything but I just feel like this is something the seller should have mentioned in the listing, as it's a rather noticeable defect. I'm just wondering what I should say to them. This is what I came up with, but I don't know whether or not to request a partial refund at this point or wait to hear their response:

"Hi there,

These arrived this morning. Ed and Shenzi are good but Banzai is in noticeably worse condition than them. I've found multiple flaws with him:

- He's floppy and feels as though he's been through a washing machine.
- His neck and one of his legs looks like they've been torn and restitched.
- He has a few white paint looking marks that I can't remove.
- His label/tag has been severed off (this is the case with Shenzi too actually but everything else with her is fine)

I'd still like to keep them because as I said, Ed and Shenzi are great and I don't want to split them up. I would have just preferred to know before I bought them, as it wasn't mentioned in the listing and I was under the impression that they'd all be in similar good condition. I have attached photos of all the flaws.

Sorry to complain, I really hate complaining unless I feel I have to.

I look forward to your response.

Skye x"

Does that sound okay? Do you think asking for a partial refund would be appropriate (not even sure if you can do that on eBay)? I still want the toys, I just expected them all to be in good condition.

Here are a couple of pics - you can quite clearly see that he sits floppier than the other two (he's the middle one)
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Neck stitches
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Leg stitches
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Some of the paint marks
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[Miss_Pompon]

I think you're very very polite. I'd probably would have been less polite than you.

[shimmlight]

I think you're very very polite. I'd probably would have been less polite than you.

Do you think that's a bad thing or it is okay? It's just I don't see the point of sounding too angry if I don't want to return them.

[Ringlets]

I think you sounded very reasonable   he definitely is not in the condition you were expecting and I'd be disappointed too, but  staying polite  usually gets better results and it makes it easier to solve issues . If you sent an angry message it immediately puts the seller in a bad mood and they are likely to be less co-operative    Plus it helps with cases too if ebay see that you have been polite throughout (even if the seller gets annoyed and wont work with you anymore - actually especially if this is what happens)
Hopefully your seller will be happy to deal with you and you can both resolve this amicably - please let us know how it goes

[Miss_Pompon]

Your second version is more to my taste

in the first one it sounded like you were apologizing not to like them as much as you should have

But it's just my opinion, right

[shimmlight]

I think you sounded very reasonable   he definitely is not in the condition you were expecting and I'd be disappointed too, but  staying polite  usually gets better results and it makes it easier to solve issues . If you sent an angry message it immediately puts the seller in a bad mood and they are likely to be less co-operative    Plus it helps with cases too if ebay see that you have been polite throughout (even if the seller gets annoyed and wont work with you anymore - actually especially if this is what happens)
Hopefully your seller will be happy to deal with you and you can both resolve this amicably - please let us know how it goes

Thanks, have sent the message and now waiting for their reply

Your second version is more to my taste

in the first one it sounded like you were apologizing not to like them as much as you should have

But it's just my opinion, right

I'm just too nice sometimes

[Icey]

I would be disappointed if I paid that much and they were in rough shape and the person did not disclose. I have a love hate relationship with Ebay. Years ago when I first started buying toys online Ebay was virtually unknown and it was amazing. Now every Tom, Dick and Harry are on there and they hide behind vague descriptions. I hope they give you a partial refund. Your message is incredibly polite.

[shimmlight]

Seller offered me a £10 refund, does that sound good?

[Loa]

I think that would be reasonable, especially if they aren't toy collectors.

[cloud_weaver]

Seller offered me a £10 refund, does that sound good?

Hrm...I have no idea.  How much did you pay in shipping?

[bluerose9978]

The question is do YOU think it's fair considering the flaws. At the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with the flaws.

[Miss_Pompon]

I think it's fair, but it's up to you

[Ringlets]

I think that £10 partial refund seems fair too TBH - but in the end its down  to whether you feel happy with it or not.
If the set of 3 was £10 less than you paid originally, but with flaws noted, would you still have bought them?  if the answer is yes then go for the £10

[Sea_Breeze]

You mentioned that the listing was vague so in my opinion it would depend upon what was stated in the auction whether or not the refund was fair.