Slightly misrepresented item on eBay

[tundrafour]

Having grown tired of being one of those watchless 20-somethings who rely solely on their cell phones to tell time, I decided I wanted to get a watch. I wound up buying, via eBay, a cheap Vostok that, though a little worse for the wear cosmetically, was represented as being in perfect working condition mechanically.

It arrived today and is almost exactly as described in the auction. However, the date function does not work-- it's stuck on the 26th. My initial thought was that I was perhaps trying to change the date incorrectly. After a quick look at a few web sites, I confirmed that I was doing it correctly. I then thought to look at the photos from the auction and the date on the watch then (a few weeks ago) was the 26th, as well.

So, my question is: is it overly petty to contact the seller about this issue? On the one hand, the watch was cheap, has no other problems, and I believe that this was an oversight and an honest mistake on the seller's part. On the other hand, this problem was not mentioned in the listing and, since I bought the watch for everyday use, I would appreciate a working date calendar.

I don't really know what I want or should expect to be done about the problem, but, at the same time, I also feel that I should bring it to the seller's attention. Any thoughts?

 

[DocHolliday]

It's perfectly legitimate to contact the seller. The question, I think, is whether it's worth it. Would you be willing to pay to ship it back for a refund? Would you want to return it, if that's the option given?

My key piece of advice is to decide what you want from the seller before you contact him/her. Decide what would be ideal and what would be acceptable. Then negotiate as nicely as possible.

Most sellers would be more than happy to make things right, I think.