Quote:
Originally Posted by
Redwoood 
Again, how exactly does this work?
As I am obviously in the minority here I will not attempt to explain any of the other issues mentioned, but since you asked about this one I feel compelled to reply.
I recently purchased a Luciano Barbera suit on Ebay that was highlighted here at "ebay suits, sportcoats, and other clothing" by "Achilles_." Based on the measurements provided and the item description it seemed like a nice suit for my needs, although it would likely need some minor alterations to make it fit exactly right. He listed the suit as: "It is in pristine condition- virtually brand new." He also provided the following measurements: Waist- 38 Inseam- 32 and the jacket length as regular.
I received the suit expecting to shorten the inseam by about 1 inch and bring in the waist by 1 inch, based on the measurements he provided. The actual waist size was 40.5 inches and the inseam 28. Even with the 2 inches folded under I would not be able to lengthen the inseam to make it fit. IN addition, the coat was 29.5 inches long, clearly a very short, not a regular, as advertised. Clearly, not as advertised. It also had a rather grotesque pee stain in the crotch area, a photograph of which I included in "ebay suits, sportcoats, and other clothing" when I alerted others, here, of the issues I had with the suit.
In this instance, I felt I was entitled to a full refund, to include return shipping. The guy gave me a full refund, before I had even returned the item, which I thought was nice, but did not include the return shipping costs I incurred. I asked about this and he replied that Ebay does not require him to pay return shipping. The guy was clearly an amateur, did not know how to take proper measurements, and said he truly had missed the pee stain and was embarrassed by it. I took him at his word. Maybe I should have left the guy a negative, I don't know, but I chose, instead, to leave him no feedback at all.
I have had other, more serious "not as described items" where I felt it was deliberate. In those cases I told the seller that it was not right that I should have to pay to return an item to someone that was clearly not what I had purchased and respectfully asked that they refund my costs to return the item, especially since Ebay requires tracking. When one initially objected, I replied that I would have to take all of his actions into consideration when leaving feedback and regrettably, causing me to pay to return a misrepresented item to him was one of those factors. He paid the return shipping. In all other cases they immediately agreed to pay the return shipping and were usually quite apologetic so, having been made "whole," as I see it, I left positive feedback.
Negative feedback, for me, represents the ultimate punishment Ebay permits a buyer to leave a seller so I think the crime ought to fit the punishment. I have only left one negative feedback. The guy sold me a pair of shoes that never arrived. I asked him for tracking and he said he had none. I asked him to open an insurance claim and he said he had not purchased insurance. I reminded him that he charged me for the cost of both tracking and insurance to which he replied he would gladly refund those costs, but since the item was lost by the USPS it was not his fault. I left him negative feedback. Within days he had another half dozen or more negative feedbacks for the same thing and then his account was closed. I still lost over $400.
In my mind, there is no debate whatsoever whether this item classifies as "New without tags", "guaranteed never worn". An experienced clothing seller should easily see that, but I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. The fact that the seller relisted the item as new again after agreeing that it was misrepresented tells me he deliberately misrepresented this item on ebay, with certainty for the new auction, with very high probability for the old one. ETA:
