Am I being had?

H

hamish_gill

Guest
Just after a bit of perspective ...

I sold this - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252201839870?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1559.l2649

It was perfect when it left me. The guy who bought it has now sent me this video

http://s1336.photobucket.com/user/mkmc4leica/media/3E/M135/20151218001936_zpsjlw14nkv.mp4.html?o=0

And is asking for £60 to have it repaired.

Considering it was posted in its box, in its keeper, what are peoples thoughts on the possibility this chap is trying to do me over?

Is there a simple way to stop the aperture from closing that he might have affected on the lens?

Thoughts?
 
Personally, I don't do partial refunds, under any circumstances. I just have them return the item for a full refund. That kind of renders the point moot. If it really managed to break en route, though, that is definitely a bummer: sorry to hear it. It has happened to me once or twice.
 
I'd have it returned, refund the buyer, then repaired, and resell it. Chalk it up to bad luck, because you can't be sure what happened.
 
I cannot speak to what did or did not happen to your lens, or if the fellow is being truthful or scamming you. I don't know. It seems possible, given the nature of shipping.

If it was me, I would give him the refund he asked, or require him to return the item. Beware that he returns the same item you sent; that's a common scam (I am not accusing him of being such a person). However, not everyone feels the same way; I understand. You have to make the call, unfortunately.

I've been disappointed in many of the items I buy on eBay; for that reason, I bid low; even if it is not as described, I can usually live with it or chalk it up to a ripoff but not much money involved. I typically do not complain or ask for money to be refunded.

I have sold some items over the past couple years as my budget demanded. I found about 25% of the items I sold were subjected to the 'not as described' complaint and a subsequent demand for a partial refund. I truthfully believe it is considered an acceptable bidding tactic by many nowadays. Bid high, pay, and then demand a partial refund; you end up 'winning' with a lower bid than the next bidder down the rung. What can I say, people are crooks; many do not think of it as stealing, although morally it is.

Bottom line, do as you feel best. It is difficult to fight a 'not as described' complaint anyway, the seller is at a distinct disadvantage because the buyer can leave negative feedback, but the seller cannot, and in my experience, eBay and Paypal both tend to take the buyer's side, unless the buyer has made a habit of making such claims about everything they buy.
 
Anytime someone asks for a partial refund, I consider it to be a scam.. As a result I never give partial refunds. I tell them to return the item for a full refund.
 
From the video, one can't tell if he's actually turning the ring or not. It looks very suspicious to me. Returning it for a refund seems like the best choice.
 
I once sold a Toyo 4x5 field camera I hadn't used in years. The buyer told me there were a few pinholes in the folds of the bellows. I refunded him the cost of replacement bellows. I sold the camera for 4x more then what I originally paid for it, and much less then a new one. Even with the refund, which was quite modest, I came out way ahead. The guy lived in Canada. Return shipping and such would have been a pain and costly. I checked him out, he was a good photographer.
 
I agree with the full refund. But, if you want to pay for repair, think about having the shop contact you about it. If it's messed up, they can deal with you. If the repair estimate isn't the price he wants, you might pay less. And if it's more, you can always forego the repair and have the item shipped back for a refund.
 
Have him return it, with full refund, fix it yourself. Sell with a new starting price covering the shipping and Ebay fees. :\

Did you ship it through Ebay's GSP? Because it sounds like one of their f*@#-ups.
 
How about: Ask for him to send you back your lens, and after inspection only, give him back his money.

Is this kosher to do?
 
pixelated said:
From the video, one can't tell if he's actually turning the ring or not. It looks very suspicious to me. Returning it for a refund seems like the best choice.
Click to expand...

If you have the sound on, you can hear the click stops. I would say he is definitely turning the aperture ring. Not to say it could not be a scam, but it at least does appear to me that he's turning the aperture ring and not the focus ring.
 
I don't give partial refunds - if people dislike an item for whatever reason, they may send it back for a full refund. That keeps legitimate customers happy, avoids scams and it may allow me to get compensation from the post office if an item indeed has been damaged in shipping (there are no partial refunds from them in any case).
 
Generally speaking, after thousands of ebay sales of many high dollar items, I don't do partial refunds as a standard policy.

Because of ebay policies, partial refunds have become a standard way of doing business for some buyers.

However sometimes there are situations that clearly are not 'after the fact negotiations' (or extortion, if you will.) In those cases, depending on the amount, I'll sometimes agree to partial refunds. If it can be done easier/cheaper/simpler, in other words.

Oddly, almost every time a buyer has returned an item, it ended up selling for more the second time around. Which is another good reason to take a full return.

By the way, if a buyer threatens negative feedback in an ebay message, you can pretty much handle things any way you prefer, because ebay will remove any resultant negative.
 
bmattock said:
If you have the sound on, you can hear the click stops. I would say he is definitely turning the aperture ring. Not to say it could not be a scam, but it at least does appear to me that he's turning the aperture ring and not the focus ring.
Click to expand...

Slowly here ... I hear the sound of "some aperture wheel being turned", but the sound and the video images do not synchronize.
 
Looks like he had an issue with a Leica 75mm 1.4 too..
Sometimes..you just have to make the deal to make the sale..get it over with..
Tough choice..
If you get it returned you pay for all shipping and repair..is that worth it to you..?
 
raid said:
Slowly here ... I hear the sound of "some aperture wheel being turned", but the sound and the video images do not synchronize.
Click to expand...



It plays fine for me, it's definitely the aperture ring.

Seems as though he's using photobucket a lot to point out details/flaws in several other lenses...

I have never seen aperture blades on a Leitz lens that seize in an open position before. I suppose it's possible, but it's quite odd.
 
It really comes down to how much it costs to service such a lens in the UK. Elmars are not hard to open, if it were me, I'd take the lens back and try to fix it myself...but I like to do that DIY stuff.

🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

farlymac
Oh, if I had money to throw away...
Replies
3
Views
875
Sym101
S
David Hughes
Wow!
Replies
4
Views
1K
Ron (Netherlands)
Ron (Netherlands)
K
I bought a Kiev 2 and now I am broken
2
Replies
35
Views
4K
kyonthinh
K
Dralowid
A very early Fed
Replies
2
Views
1K
Dralowid
Dralowid
H
Kipon shift adapter?
Replies
5
Views
2K
hamish_gill
H
Back
Top Bottom