Inaccurate e-bay description, what would you do?

Rey said:
... Basically angry, he said that all cameras need work, that everyone repaints, that he doesn't list cosmetic condition because he has photos, etc. He says that if I am not satisfied, I can send it back and he will refund my money, but he did not mention shipping costs, so I'm just going to leave it alone at this point.
Click to expand...

What a ridiculous bunch of double talk!

Several months ago I tracked an auction for an M2, which the seller claimed was a KS15-4. Since the serial number was out of the recorded range I pressed him on this. What I got was an angry email admonishing me to mind my own business.

Your seller sounds like the same guy (or at least he fell out of the same tree). I mean no disrespect to you, but quite frankly you do us all a disservice by not leaving him negative feedback and by not letting us know who this guy is.
 
Rey said:
Well, ironically, yes. It's amazing what some elbow grease can accomplish. By the way, the camera now has a gun metal body thanks to the patina on the metal under the paint. It's kind of cool.
Click to expand...
Then if you're happy with what you paid for, I really wouldn't worry about the seller's attitude anymore.
 
KEH has virtually no FSU's. When they have them, they are usually inoperative. The RFF is an option, but there is not always one for sale. I know of several trustworthy FSU e-bay sellers that I use, but none had what I wanted and I had checked for over a month. The only way to expand e-bay contacts and weedout the unreliable ones is to experiment sometimes, and then spread the word. That is what I did. I will spread the word when I am sure that this seller is not completely trustworthy.
 
Maybe your right, a month is not a long time to wait. However I also like the idea of expanding my list of reputible e-bay sellers, which is why I check their feedback in detail, and I do not purchase anything of value if the feedback drops below 99.7 or so. etc.,. So this was an "informed" gamble. I do not know any other way to do it. Do not get me wrong, I am not outraged and neither am I a fool. I just figure that e-bay sellers should not mislead, and he already acknowleged that he did that when he described the lens.
 
Rey said:
Maybe your right, a month is not a long time to wait. However I also like the idea of expanding my list of reputible e-bay sellers, which is why I check their feedback in detail, and I do not purchase anything of value if the feedback drops below 99.7 or so. etc.,. So this was an "informed" gamble. I do not know any other way to do it. Do not get me wrong, I am not outraged and neither am I a fool. I just figure that e-bay sellers should not mislead, and he already acknowleged that he did that when he described the lens.
Click to expand...

I have waited 5 or 6 months sometimes for an item to show up in my price range on eBay. I have at times bought two items before finding a good one. But, that it the price we pay for the convenience of eBay.
 
In general, FSU cameras are so cheap, you should just buy them for fun and not get bent out of shape if something is wrong with them. LOOK at the photos, gauge the emails you receive, and take a chance. You're not going to go bankrupt if the focus on a lens is stiff or the camera has been touched up with paint. Big deal. Don't be a prima donna.

Most of them are going to have problems, and Russian/Ukrainian sellers are not going to spend a lot of money diagnosing and reconditioning cameras that are going to sell for 20 or 30 dollars.

You can't expect retail store service, or even accurate descriptions. Just buy them and regard them as a pleasant hobby. Sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll lose.

Don't go over them with a microscope when you get them and plan on sending them back as if the seller was Sears Roebuck if you find flaws.

I agree, MANY people are not cut out for eBay and don't have a "flea market" mentality. They take every deal that is not perfect as a personal affront and let things bother them that are somewhat silly.

The world of FSU cameras in particular is small change. You're not buying brand new $5000 cameras with lifetime warranties. You're buying old junk that has been stored in barns, basements, closets, etc, and dealing with people who don't use them and don't test them.

It's a tough time for a lot of these Russian sellers, they're just trying to make a small supplement to their incomes. Don't kill them with nasty negatives and complaints over minor things. Assume anything you buy is going to need some work and consider yourself lucky if you get a mint one.

Western people are spoiled rotten.
 
I have to agree with Valdemar on this one... a lot of the people we buy from on ebay aren't camera dealers and don't really know what they're talking about. It's kind of like buying an Argus C3 from a roadside junk store in the US- they aren't going to be able to tell you a lot about a camera they probably haven't used before.

've been lucky. Of the two FSU cameras I got off ebay, my Fed 5c works perfectly and my Fed2B works almost perfectly (a pinhole in the shutter that Jay told me how to fix.) We'll see how the Kiev 4 on the way works (after all the recent talk I couldn't resist...)

Also, I've found that ebay sellers really generally are helpful. I had a person recently go so far as to call the Ukranian post office to figure out where the heck my package containing a lens ended up. To get a negative from me it would have to be a nonfunctional camera labeled as working perfectly
 
Resolution!
After my initial e-mail, which related the camera's problems to the seller, and his response, which was kind of angry. I replied that we should just "agree to disagree" on our discrepancies. No threat of negative feedback stated or implied. A day later he e-mailed me again, with an offer of a 20% refund, and a promise to start specifying cosmetic condition on his future e-bay postings. This worked for me and I think we both benefited from the experience.
 
Rey said:
Resolution!
After my initial e-mail, which related the camera's problems to the seller, and his response, which was kind of angry. I replied that we should just "agree to disagree" on our discrepancies. No threat of negative feedback stated or implied. A day later he e-mailed me again, with an offer of a 20% refund, and a promise to start specifying cosmetic condition on his future e-bay postings. This worked for me and I think we both benefited from the experience.
Click to expand...

I'm glad it worked out for you, Ray.

I think Valdemar's comments about buying inexpensive items with low expectations is a good way to think about a LOT of the stuff on eBay.

Sometimes you stumble into a good deal; I ended up with a Fed-5 with broken frame counter and 50mm lens because the deal had an Elmar 90 attached. I paid $90 for the combo, so I figure I have the camera for about $0, and am not complaining about the frame counter!
 
The few bad deals I get on Ebay are pretty much evened out with the good deals .
I can`t tell you how many supposedly non working shutters in cameras that I bought cheap that only needed film in them to cock that supposedly broken shutter. Or the need to set the frame counter off the 0 mark. Especially in a Kodak Retina.
However regarding Russian cameras, after many purchases from the Russian sellers I can honestly say those people are basically as honest as most US sellers I`ve ever bought from.
I`ve not had any refusals to make good (credit, replacement. or partial refund for a bad Russian camera yet. I almost feel guilty at times asking for some sort of compensation and have not yet felt a need to leave any of them bad feedback.
I`ve been very fortunate in life myself and don`t wish to add to any hardship they might have suffered in past years and personally I`m rather glad they have finally been allowed to engage in international ebay activities and become part of everyday commerce even if it is somewhat limited.(direct payments) It is my belief thay are providing sought after useful products for many people and in general they are doing as good a job as can be expected given the circumstances of internet purchasing itself.
Fedka in NYC is doing even better. He (Yuri) has my complete trust .
John
 
Last edited:
Just in case you don't realize, Fedka is an American citizen living in USA who immigrated a long time ago.

He's a good guy who really knows his stuff, and his website started more out of a love for FSU cameras rather than from a desire to make money.

Yuri is not making any wild profits (VERY little profits, actually) and he puts in a lot of time trying to make his customers happy, and I still think he likes handling and collecting the cameras more than he does selling them.

(I've known him for years)
 
I was trying to remember this seller, Fedka/Yuri, yes a reputable guy. I bought a lens from him a little while ago. FSU stuff arrives in 2 days, in described condition!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom