Something for Nothing!

[sol95]

3 nights ago, I was trawling through the web and found myself on ebay ;)

So I thought I'd look at some prices of lenses. Usually, I buy Canon only. But for some reason, I felt like looking at the price of the Sigma 24-70 f2.8. It's usually around $500 delivered or grey market here in Sydney. It's not even that I was after a lens in this focal range...

So I was totally gobsmacked to find a listing of 5 lenses from a Hong Kong retailer for $155! I checked again to make sure I wasn't misreading. Read through the fine print to see if there was anything wrong with the lens.

Nothing - all good! A brand new Sigma 24-70 f2.8 lens for about 20% normal retail price!

Too good to pass up, I thought. Besides, if I pay through paypal, I'll be protected.

So I hit the "buy" button and went through the usual process, including receiving an automated email saying the lens would be shipped out the next working day.

The next morning, I checked my email, and I'd received an email from the seller giving me some garbage nonsense story that the lens was probably broken and so they had to cancel the sale. Meanwhile, the auction, which had 5 days to go on it still when I bought, was cancelled.

I replied that under ebay rules, he had to go through with the sale. And as I'd paid through paypal, I expected to have the lens in my hands in 10 days at the most, and if I didn't, that I'd report to ebay. At this point, I was cursing myself for the impulse buy...

Fast-forward to the evening, and I get another email from the guy. He'll give me a full refund of my payment, PLUS the cost of the lens again if I agreed to let the deal go.

I was happy to do that, and so he refunded the full amount + $155.

So while I didn't get a bargain lens (which I probably wouldn't have used much anyways), I've come out $155 richer!

So what lens/gear/whatever should I get with this "free" money? :lol:

[Mark]

LOL, he probably did drop the box with them in it or something, then you backed him into a corner, and he got worried his buisness would go down from neg feedback, so he gave you free money

Spend it towards the lens from a real source, or get some lighting gear..

[denno75uk]

You jammy......
Buy something else off them. See if you can double your money.;)

[segasaturn]

Personally, I don't think that's very nice of you. Regardless of the excuses he gave, you're a smart enough guy to know that he needed to say something as he listed his items at the wrong price. What goes around comes around.

[EcoRick]

Not to sound harsh, but I'd like to see how this post would have been written had you recieved the lens and it was in fact broken. We seen here time and time again what is too good to be true probably is. As a business owner, I try to work situations out where no party gets hurt. I don't think there is any benefit (other than to you) to get additional funds from a mistake that the guy owned up to. There's enough Ebay merchandise that, when delivered, is not what was expected. I appauld the guy for not sending it out.

[sol95]

let me clarify

1) the auction was a multi-item auction with 5 lenses. i bought 1 of them.
2) there was still 5 days to go until the end of the auction when the seller cancelled the auction (after my purchase)
3) the seller also had other auctions listed for the same lens at a greater amount, so he had lenses available
4) the seller them proceeded to tell me that nonsense story of a non-focusing lens. considering the amount of the same lenses he had on ebay, he could easily send a working one if it was really a problem with the lens

I don't know about you, but I do not being lied to - especially by a retailer who is trying to take you for a fool. I stated in my email reply to the seller that I thought it probably was a mistake listing on his part. And if he'd just owned up to it and asked for understanding, I was going to let it pass. But because of the lie he tried to sell me, I was not going to budge on my demand for the lens (as is my right through ebay)
it was then that he offered the extra money

[Super-Nicko]

bah dont worry about the others... lucky u! ebays full of scammers... glad you came thru ok! my mate lost 3K on a 50" plasma a year ago...

well there aint alot you can get for $155AUD - and now the USD dropped against the aussie -it doesnt make buying from BH Photo too exciting anymore!

have a look at d-d-photographics in sydney... i get heaps off them.. im sure youll find something - and being in syd you can pick up too !

http://www.d-d-photographics.com/

[Mark]

I buy from quality camera sales australia now, while they are more expensive, the service is above first class, and they only sell canon :)

[yogestee]

Mate,, go buy a beer or three!!

[EcoRick]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6246474#post6246474


I guess you found out what happened. And I guess if it wasn't worth keeping you'd have sold it for more on Ebay

[Jim G]

3 nights ago, I was trawling through the web and found myself on ebay ;)

So I thought I'd look at some prices of lenses. Usually, I buy Canon only. But for some reason, I felt like looking at the price of the Sigma 24-70 f2.8. It's usually around $500 delivered or grey market here in Sydney. It's not even that I was after a lens in this focal range...

So I was totally gobsmacked to find a listing of 5 lenses from a Hong Kong retailer for $155! I checked again to make sure I wasn't misreading. Read through the fine print to see if there was anything wrong with the lens.

Nothing - all good! A brand new Sigma 24-70 f2.8 lens for about 20% normal retail price!

Too good to pass up, I thought. Besides, if I pay through paypal, I'll be protected.

So I hit the "buy" button and went through the usual process, including receiving an automated email saying the lens would be shipped out the next working day.

The next morning, I checked my email, and I'd received an email from the seller giving me some garbage nonsense story that the lens was probably broken and so they had to cancel the sale. Meanwhile, the auction, which had 5 days to go on it still when I bought, was cancelled.

I replied that under ebay rules, he had to go through with the sale. And as I'd paid through paypal, I expected to have the lens in my hands in 10 days at the most, and if I didn't, that I'd report to ebay. At this point, I was cursing myself for the impulse buy...

Fast-forward to the evening, and I get another email from the guy. He'll give me a full refund of my payment, PLUS the cost of the lens again if I agreed to let the deal go.

I was happy to do that, and so he refunded the full amount + $155.

So while I didn't get a bargain lens (which I probably wouldn't have used much anyways), I've come out $155 richer!

So what lens/gear/whatever should I get with this "free" money? :lol:


.....Ebay as a means of making free money!? Nice work!

[bohdank]

Probably a listing error. Were you the first to buy from that auction ?

[DreDaze]

how's anyone supposed to recommend what you should buy when nobody knows what you've got already....

[hk300]

I do not want to sound harsh, but i strongly disapprove these kind of actions.
On ebay there are good and bad sellers, and these kind of actions will penalize good sellers.
You are now making misuse of a good seller who happen to make a typo or handling mistake. Even if they would only refund you the money, they would be in their rights. IMO they are just paying PROCTECTION MONEY to you ... to keep your mouth shut, maffia style ...

[SOK]

All's fair in love and war...and business is war...

...or something.

With $155, you could even think about buying a carton of alco-pops!

Although yogestee's suggestion about beer is probably more financially responsible!

[steved110]

I would have assumed it was either a mistaken listing ( which seems to be the case) or a hijacked listing - in either case I would not have risked my cash.

As for being lied to - it's pretty obvious you were. As to that being worth $155 - obviously it is to the seller. All in all I think you were lucky not to lose out, even luckier for a full refund, and as for the extra $, well, maybe you should spend it on lottery tickets!

[TeamSpeed]

I would have said that since the seller offered up the extra cash for the bad deal, that there was no issue here.

However, the problem is that the seller was basically blackmailed into doing something. In the other post, you state that you really weren't expecting much, so that you would be protected by paypal, and if it was a good lens, you would sell it to make money anyways. It goes to intent, and you are the type of buyer that is causing many sellers grief with the current feedback changes.

Why did you need to strongarm the seller in sending the lens or else threaten reporting them? If it was a bad deal, getting a refund and going your merry way should have been sufficient, it would have been a gamble, and you would have broken even. Many would have considered that lucky enough with all the scams out there.

Here is a followup question, if the seller accidentally shipped you a more expensive lens, say one that was about $155 more than what you ordered, what would you have done? I think I know the answer, but I genuinely hope I am wrong.