An Amazing STory About Integrity and eBay

Indeed, there are some good guys out there. I got something from Argentina once, which didn't work as advertised upon receipt. The seller was very apologetic and refunded the price plus shipping *both* ways in very short order.
 
I will throw in my story, which happened several years ago now. I sold a YashicaMat 124G on eBay and it was quite a nice one. I am in the US, and it sold to a fellow in the UK for around $200. I shipped it, but it never made it to the buyer. We had both agreed upon shipping terms, and I do not believe that it was insured. He asked that I refund half of the purchase price because it was lost in transit, and that was that. A little more than a year later I receive a letter from the UK which was quite odd. According to the included letter the fellow that bought the 124G had been trying to find some way to contact me, but my information (phone number and email address) had changed, so he posted a letter with his story and email address. The 124G had found its way to his doorstep a year after it was lost, the box looking very dusty and like it had been sitting in a corner of a warehouse for this whole time. He verified that it did have the postmark date of when I said I had shipped. He wanted me to contact him so that he could send the money that I had refunded him back to me. I do not believe that he dinged me for the slow shipping either. ;)
 
The plot thickens:

I took the camera to Essex Camera today for an estimate. The news wasn't good. $250.00 for fabricating some new RF parts (seems to be missing a tube or pipe of some kind), a new rack and lens cleaning (fungus!). So, I figured this wouldn't be fair to me or the seller, what with the repair costing nearly what the camera cost. So, I e-mailed the seller and suggested that I'd return the camera.

Unbelievably, he wrote back to me saying that I should keep the camera AND the money. This makes me uncomfortable. Not fair to him. He said he was out of 4x5 for good, thought the camera would be in a better home with me and felt bad for my inconvenience. Personally, I feel terrible for both us and am inclined to return the camera to him. I'm curious what others think. Of course, an essentially free camera is appealing to some of us, but it leaves my conscience feeling kind of lousy. I will probably write him back and insist that he reconsider. He's been too decent so far, as many of you have agreed given the average level of integrity on eBay. Am I nuts? Is he nuts? I think he should have the camera and I should have my money, but neither us should be left empty-handed. Opinions on this??? I also think he should receive some kind of award for his fairness and good nature. A televised award with a big statue or trophy (maybe like the one that the Spanish soccer player dropped yesterday, but not one that was run over by a bus).
 
Accept his kindness graciously and with humility. He doesn't want the camera and does want you to have it. It would actually be very selfish to insist on returning it. Send a letter with your appreciation. And sorry the camera is a dud.
 
Perhaps a donation to a good cause in his honor to recognize his integrity would be a fitting acknowledgement.
 
Accept his offer. Trust me, he would not have made that offer if he did not feel, in his heart, that it was the right thing to do. Both of you win in this deal, because for both parties, it was simply the right thing to do.
 
75% of the problems with eBay come from eBay itself. The people running it are just jerks. Same w/ Paypal. There's no other way to put it. Well, there is, but not for here.

eBay has long ago forgotten that it's the people that make it, not the other way around. I really miss the auction site of old, but Etsy is a refreshing change to a simpler and nicer time. Glad you ran into an old school eBay seller.

I had a similar experience once, and what I did was to sell the camera (w/ all of it's faults duly noted in the ad) and sent the seller the money it sold for, minus the 10% that eBay and PayPal fees average. You should already have his email for PayPalling him the funds. This way, someone gets the camera they expect, and the seller gets the money the camera should have sold for in the first place if it had been properly described. You keep whatever funds are left for your trouble. Everybody's happy.
 
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JSU said:
Rob--
Why not split the difference? Send him half the purchase amount and use the camera with its ground glass, forgoing the rangefinder.

Karma is a two way street and you have the opportunity to play it forward. Please don't take this as any disparagement, I don't mean it that way. I'm just saying.

Warm regards,
--Steve.
Click to expand...

That's what I would do, too. Or donate half the cost to a good cause and let him know. Surely a CLA'ed camera is worth the hundred bucks extra.

I always feel these old cameras should be maintained and used, even if it costs a bit extra. Just my 2 cents, in the end it's your and his business, and either way you'll do what's right for you.

Best,

Roland.
 
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so much conflicting advice AND all of it quite good. thanks everyone.

I'll resolve this conundrum soon.

the seller e-mailed me this morning with a recommendation about a Crown on offer at a store he visited. how on earth did I get lucky enough to find someone like this on eBay I'll never know.
 
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