So I sold a lens on ebay....

[bigcountry]

And the guy has had it for a month.

I just got an email saying this:

I received the lens and took it on my trip. The lens arrived with a small (but
noticeable) hard spot on the zooming mechanism. It zooms smooth about 3/4
of the range, but gets hard (like stuck) on the upper focal length range. Very
annoying. I'm sure you're aware of this since there's no way you would have
missed it. I figured I would still give the lens a shot since I had bought it for a
good price and I had no time to get a different one before my trip. But now that
I have come back, all the photos made with that lens, especially with IS on, are
blurry, as in bad focus or bad IS functioning. Even with good AF conditions and
at 1/500 sec.

I want to send you the lens back for a refund because I believe it has been
dropped or somehow abused. You advertised the lens as being in "awesome
shape" and I think that it's far from awesome. If you believe the issues were
caused during shipping, then we need to address an insurance claim.

Please get back with me as soon as you can.

Thank you.


eh i dunno what to do. The lens was perfect when i sent it out over a month ago. And he has had it for a month and even took it on vacation. Who knows what it went through on his trip.

I know that if he files a paypal claim, paypal will side w/ him as they usually do the buyer.

I also wonder why he did not contact me immediately if there was some sort of issue.

Any suggestions?

[Woolburr]

Sounds like a sleaze that just wanted a lens for the trip....not sure how you can be held responsible after he took it on a trip...be sure to save that letter from him...since it contains that information.

[cdifoto]

Tell him to pound sand. It's too late. Empty your PayPal account and let him get his money back the hard way. Keep records of everything.

[Tumbl3w33ds]

If it were me, I would offer the refund once you receive the lens back from him. Just his tone, it seems like he is potential trouble. I don't trust him. To me, it screams he either damaged the lens or is having delayed buyer's remorse. But if you are confident about the condition of the lens, I would just do the refund once you receive it back from him, and sell it elsewhere. That's just me :)

[cdifoto]

Even if he wins a Significantly Not As Described claim, he'll have to ship the lens back at his own expense and prove that it was delivered to you before he gets a refund. If he misses any of those steps, he's SOL.

If he tries the Not Received complaint, as long as you have a tracking number that shows delivery, confirmed address (his), and a signature if it's over $250, he'll lose.

[cdifoto]

If it were me, I would offer the refund once you receive the lens back from him. Just his tone, it seems like he is potential trouble. I don't trust him. To me, it screams he either damaged the lens or is having delayed buyer's remorse. But if you are confident about the condition of the lens, I would just do the refund once you receive it back from him, and sell it elsewhere. That's just me :)
If HE screwed up the lens on vacation, then OP has issued a refund and cannot resell the lens in prior condition.

On the other hand, OP, you could tell him to send it back then remit the refund when you verify it's condition as originally sold.

[cdifoto]

If you can string him along another 15 days, it'll be too late for him to even file a claim of any kind.

[cdifoto]

Oh yeah, And call PayPal. Ask them if a Significantly Not As Described complaint is valid if the item has been used by the buyer on a vacation. Be nice and let them know you have the email stating they took it with them on vacation and you're unsure of what could have happened to it then.

A live rep will be able to look at it from a human perspective. Letting it go through the normal computerized procedure can result in a loss on your end, whereas speaking to a human can clear things up.

[bigcountry]

I called paypal...there are so many loopholes for the buyer it is sad.

[cdifoto]

Call them again. Talk to them. Be firm but polite.

You said you're going out of town but make sure you keep up on your emails and check paypal while you're away so you can respond to anything you need to respond to. You wouldn't want some crap happening when you're not even aware. Lack of response on your part can be an instant loss. I haven't had a claim filed against me in awhile though so I don't remember the timelines.

[bigcountry]

Paypal told me that the buyer has to offer the vacation information up in his dispute text. It is useless for me to copy and forward emails as they can be altered...

The paypal agent told me that it sounds like the buyer just wanted a cheap rental...we'll see what happens...

[cdifoto]

You might offer to let him send it back to you and tell him you'll refund asap.

Chances are, by the time you receive it, and inspect it, the 15 days will have passed. Tell him to ship it UPS Ground since that's the most cost-effective method for an item of that weight AND has tracking in case something happens to it in transit. UPS Gound will eat up to 7 days, plus the time until he packs it and sends it off.

[cdifoto]

Oh yeah and for the future:

Sell your camera gear on forums like this one, not eBay. Significantly Not As Described only applies to eBay. When you sell off eBay, you only have Item Not Received and Chargebacks to worry about, and you can always win those with a confirmed address, delivery confirmation/tracking, and a signature.

[DigitalSpecialist]

Just wait till you try closing your Paypal account, I had so much fun trying to close it that I will never go back on ebay!

[Nemesismachine]

I would ask for photos of his vacation with the defect he's talking about. Do you have any way of verifying undoctored photos? He could apply a gausian (sp) blur to a few and send them as proof.

[azpix]

Tell him to pound sand. It's too late. wow, i was thinking of that exact line. I have a guy at work that says that daily

I called paypal...there are so many loopholes for the buyer it is sad.

if i remember correctly, if you can prove you sent it you should be ok. Paypal usually doesn't get involved with quality issues.
good luck

[steved110]

I would ask him to prove that the lens arrived 'SNAD' - and explain why he didn't inform you immediately that there was an issue. And why he didn't test the lens before going on holiday as he was supposedly aware there was a problem at that point.

Also, do have a stated returns policy on your auctions? mine is 7 days - after that, I'm not interested.

as he kept it and used it for over a month, in my opinion he hasn't a leg to stand on - either a cheap rental as others have said, or he dropped it himself and is now trying it on.

BTW, has he left feedback?

[pmk]

Just wait till you try closing your Paypal account, I had so much fun trying to close it that I will never go back on ebay!

Paypal and eBay seem to be providing a LOT more "protections" to buyers -- probably because of all the scumbags who never ship items.

After I eBayed my old XTi and 70-300IS I learned that I couldn't access my paypals payment until three days passed after the buyer recieved the goods or after the buyer left me positive feedback. I wasn't too pleased and I don't think I'll ever sell anything on eBay again.

Now I'm worried that Paypals won't even let me cancel my account. Any recommendations.

Regarding the OP's dilemma, much depends on the return policy stated in the auction. It seems to me that the buyer has an obligation to inspect the purchase during that period. My guess: he damaged the lens on vacation. Unless otherwise stated, I think a month goes beyond any grace period.

pmk

[Mark_48]

I can't offer much in the way of suggestions or help other than a link to Google for a search I did on "Significantly Not as Described". You might possibly get some ideas for recourse looking through it. Sounds like alot of honest sellers are being hit with this sort of thing. Had the buyer left you any feedback regarding this purchase?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=%22Significantly+Not+as+Described%22+&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

If for some reason you do end up getting the lens back, make sure it has the same serial number as the one you had shipped.

[DrunkenGarbageCan]

I might be mixed up on this, but I think the buyer might have to take the lens into a 3rd party shop and pay them to verify there is a problem with it before he can just send it back. I had to do this over the summer with a gps and cell phone. It was kind of a pain in the a.. as they want a verifiable document with serial numbers and estimated repair costs. Then of course, you only have a few days to get paypal this info before you blow their deadline.

I would clear out my paypal account and any other account/cc cards tied to it and make this guy jump through hopes, especially if you think he is scamming you.

[Mark_48]

I might be mixed up on this, but I think the buyer might have to take the lens into a 3rd party shop and pay them to verify there is a problem with it before he can just send it back. I had to do this over the summer with a gps and cell phone. It was kind of a pain in the a.. as they want a verifiable document with serial numbers and estimated repair costs. Then of course, you only have a few days to get paypal this info before you blow their deadline.

I would clear out my paypal account and any other account/cc cards tied to it and make this guy jump through hopes, especially if you think he is scamming you.

I had thought also taking it to a shop would be a good idea, except the guy has had it a month and could have damaged it himself which would prove nothing about its condition when originally recieved.

[Sean]

I had thought also taking it to a shop would be a good idea, except the guy has had it a month and could have damaged it himself which would prove nothing about its condition when originally recieved.


He's had it one month, he's dropped it and is trying to get his money back because he's a scammer. I'd explain that you are 100% that the lens was working fine. The fact that he didn't inform you AS soon as he recieved it that the zoom was sticky then you cannot be sure the damage wasn't done by him. I'd just tell him unfortunately you cannot accept back articles that have been used.

This is the reason I DO NOT use paypal unless absolutly necessasary. I actually wish there was a better way.

[cdifoto]

PayPal isn't the problem. Accepting PayPal through eBay is the problem.

The Significantly Not As Described complaint process doesn't apply to non-eBay transactions.

OP should have sold the lens here.

[macroshooter1970]

sorry to hear about your problem, good luck. makes me glad I stopped using Paypal and eBay.

[Sculptorsam]

Please keep us posted on how it goes. My eyes have been opened to all manner of problems with ebay/paypal that I was not aware of before. I'll think twice from now on.

[krs2fer]

Let him send it back to you so you can check it.
If it's as good now as it was when you sold it to him and you don't want to fight about it send him his money back and sell it to someone else. If it's damaged or has been altered then tell him it all his and send it back.
You could send it to Canon to see if it's been damaged.
Good Luck... I think I'll close my eBay and PayPal account now.