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Another interesting eBay case

post #1 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:08pm
Thread Starter 
This is rather amusing to me.

A German buyer claims the following:

"Hi, I am absolutely not amused. You put the shoes into newspapers and now the black printcolour has rubbed off on them. This was not rather clever. How would you make it up for?"

First of all, I always wrap shoes in polybags and then put the usps bag on top of that when shipping shoes. It is possible that I packed newspaper around the bags but I have rolls of unprinted newspaper for that purpose. Second of all, these were black shoes.

At any rate, my offer was to pay for him to have them professionally polished. Fair enough?

Is this guy trying to take advantage of my generosity?

Haven't heard back from him yet.
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post #2 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:12pm
just tell him (if he is telling the truth. i never heard of newspaper ink 'staining' the leather before)
that all he has to do is simply get a leather conditioner and clean the shoes as well as a simple wax polishing.

tell him that is it. i dont like ebay buyers who always find an opportune somewhere for a handout.
and that is what i judge him to be doing with you.
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post #3 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:14pm
You haven't hired Kasper to help with packing and shipping, have you?

I think your offer is gentlemanly and more than fair.
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post #4 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:15pm
Seems fair. I could imagine cheaply produced newspaper print leaving marks on shoes if they're pressed against each other for a long period of time, even on black leather.
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post #5 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoe View Post
i dont like ebay buyers who always find an opportune somewhere for a handout.
and that is what i judge him to be doing with you.

Agreed! Especially with that tone he's using. So leather conditioner, then polish-got it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lawyerdad View Post
You haven't hired Kasper to help with packing and shipping, have you?

I think your offer is gentlemanly and more than fair.

Not sure who Kasper is other than some banned guy-please explain...and thank you.

Quote:
Originally Posted by robin View Post
Seems fair. I could imagine cheaply produced newspaper print leaving marks on shoes if they're pressed against each other for a long period of time, even on black leather.

Our newspaper is not cheap, thank you very much Wouldn't that newspaper also need to be wet to transfer ink?
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post #6 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:43pm
Why doubt his claim? In cross-border shipping, it happens very often that packages are opened and content inspected by customs - so it is certainly possible that shoes were taken out of the plastic bags and repacked in direct contact with the newspaper. I think it is pretty obvious to me that newspaper would leave marks on leather (newspaper inks leaves marks on everything!) , especially if the shoe had been polished or creamed not too long before.

Also, you should not read too much in the tone of the message. English is not his native language.

I think you should go with your original idea to offer to pay for a professional cleaning/polish
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post #7 of 19
11/19/07 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
Well, that leads to another question. Am I responsible for the possible neglect by German customs? Of course I gave him the benefit of the doubt and have already offered to pay for a polish. Out of hundreds of customers, I've certainly had quite a few bad apples. When you deal with scams on a regular basis, you have to put your guard up.
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post #8 of 19
11/19/07 at 6:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by distinctive View Post
Am I responsible for the possible neglect by German customs?
Most likely not, unless you packaged something horribly to begin with or the item shipped in question is difficult to wrap/handle. You made the right decision in offering to correct the issue though.
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post #9 of 19
11/19/07 at 6:14pm
if it comes down to seller or buyer for customs problems, i believe it should be the buyer's issue.

seller does not choose where to send merchandise. buyer does.
he has the responsibility to know the customs of that destination and deal with whatever comes with that territory.
if not, he should not buy. period
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post #10 of 19
11/19/07 at 8:09pm
I don't negotiate with these types of buyers any more. If they are unsatisfied, their option is to return the item to get a refund, minus shipping costs, or keep it. It's their choice. I don't play any dumb games with "how bout you refund me $30 and we call it even" Even if it was customs' fault, it doesn't change the current situation. They have the product in hand, if they are not satisfied, they can return it under the agreed terms. If it was truly damaged in transit, you can file an insurance claim for that.
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post #11 of 19
11/19/07 at 10:22pm
Tarmac - what's your eBay handle? I'd like to know for future reference...
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post #12 of 19
11/19/07 at 10:55pm
I agree with Tarmac. A buyer should get to keep the item, or return the item and get a refund. The buyer should pay return shipping unless the seller was to blame. The buyer should not be able to keep the item AND get a partial refund. This is the road to ruin.

The question here is whether or not the seller is responsible for something that was possibly done by customs. At this point, we can't know even the extent of the damage. The seller should offer to refund the buyer's money. If newsprint has damaged the shoes, the seller should also refund the buyer's return shipping.

It sounds to me like the buyer has this seller confused with another. The seller should inform the buyer that he uses only clean, unmarked newsprint paper when packing, and ask the buyer to double-check that he is writing to the correct seller.

If German customs has replaced the seller's packaging with filthy German newspapers, then I think this remains the problem of the seller. It's the seller's job to deliver the goods. Shit happens, and it's not the buyer's fault. The seller should be self-insuring to cover such costs.

Good luck ...
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post #13 of 19
11/19/07 at 10:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gdl203 View Post
Tarmac - what's your eBay handle? I'd like to know for future reference...

you can bookmark me here
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post #14 of 19
11/19/07 at 11:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tarmac View Post
you can bookmark me here
Nice hairdo Tarmac !
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post #15 of 19
11/20/07 at 12:40am
oh, i love rick astley.

i had a big pink poster of him on my wall when i was in high school.


not.
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