tricky ebay seller

W

weetsie

Member
Local time
3:34 PM
Joined
Aug 29, 2009
Messages
47
Just bought my first range finder on ebay but it certainly wasn't "in good condition" as he claimed and is being difficult about it.

this is the message i sent to him explaining my problem:

Hi, thanks for sending the camera. I have taken the camera to a camera repair shop today in Manchester as I noticed a couple of problems, the light seals were completely decayed and the aperture blades had leaked oil on them, other than that there were a few minor faults such as inaccurate shutter speeds and inaccurate range finder. The camera shop confirmed these issues and quoted me £40 to return the camera body to working order, they felt however the lens wasn't economically viable and would cost hundreds to take apart and clean properly. Because of these issues i don't feel good condition is a fair description. I am prepared to accept the condition of the lens as the oil currently only effects the value of the lens but would appreciate you reimbursing me the £40 it will cost return the camera to working order. Thanks, Ryan.
Click to expand...
He replied:

Hi thank you but due the camera was sold as seen and I never siad it was perfect or that i could confirm it was in working order. So i am sorry but I will not refund you the £40.00.
Click to expand...
The listing described absolutely no faults with the item and the only thing said on its condition was "in good condition"

If he didn't know about cameras or if it worked internally he should of said so in his auction, no?

I'm posting here to ask if you think I'm being fair and if so what should i do now?

Also i think this is wrong section, please move thanks.

EDIT: thanks, one day i will manage to post in the right place :)
 
Last edited:
Your message appears reasonable, but it would be helpful to know more about what camera it is and the wording of the ad, so a link to the original Ebay ad or item number would help. And did the ad say anything or nothing about a return policy?
If you can return it I would, but on the other hand, 40 pounds isn't a lot to pay out if the camera is what you want and can be restored to acceptable use - unless you only paid 40 pounds in the first place! Just joking. Unless it's a very unusual lens, if the problem is only oil on the aperture blades I think you should be able to get it disassembled, cleaned and reassembled for much less than "hundreds". Get a second opinion. Try posting this again in a forum related to the camera in question if you can - you'll get more help there than in this "Miscellaneous" section.
On the face of it It would appear you've been 'dudded' - not the first nor the last RFF member to suffer so, but you'll probably have to resort to the EBay dispute resolution process to get any satisfaction. I've never had to do that but my feeling is you might want to start registering the dispute with them sooner, rather than later. And if you use PayPal I'd also see what recourse might be available there too.
I'm curious about his message that the camera was sold "as seen". By whom? By you?
And your phrase "The listing described absolutely no faults". Did it really, or did it just not mention any faults. There's a difference between actually saying "no faults" and just not mentioning any.
 
Could you post a link to the auction so we can see the listing? We may be able to provide more help if we knew how it was described in the ad.
 
Thanks for your advice, I'm sure it would of been very useful however the seller had a change of heart, apologised and issued me a refund. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom