Advice sought on a lens sale misfortune

[rumbliegeos]

I recently sold a Zeiss C Biogon 35mm 2.8 ZM on the big auction site. The lens was in stellar condition, it had no Zeiss wobble and the glass was crystalline. Shortly thereafter I received a message from the buyer, who is someone who clearly sells a lot of lenses on the site. He stated that the lens has the Zeiss wobble and offered to send a video that would illustrate it. I requested that he send the video, and when he sent it what it showed was him gripping the focus ring and yanking it toward the front of the lens, with much force. After arguing with him about the absence of play in the focus ring when I sent the lens, I finally agreed to refund him the money after the lens was returned.

I received the lens today and now the lens focus ring has play in it that most definitely was not there until the buyer jammed the focus ring in a direction in which it was not intended to go. In one message he also said that the lens had a rattle: it did not when I shipped it, but it does now from being damaged by the buyer.

Any advice on how I can get salvage some money from this immoral mess? I was selling the lens because I really need the money and now I am out upwards of $500.

 

[oldwino]

Biggest piece of advice - stay away from the big auction site. There are other, more curated sites, like here, or Fred Miranda's site.

There's not a lot you can do at this point - ebay almost always sides with the buyer.
I once sold a very nice Rolleiflex on there. It was mint. Some guy bought it, and wanted to return it the day he received it. Said it was defective. I suspected he was just having buyer's remorse, so I accepted the return (which ebay would have forced me to do anyway). Camera came back - worked perfectly. Later sold it to another, who was extremely happy with it.
Never challenge a return - you'll just get some jerk who will break your lens or camera in order to get his refund.