Advice regarding an eBay purchase (this is a current problem, so advice today is required- if possible)

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CoolNik

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I won an auction on eBay that closed on 10th March. I paid the full amount, including postage on the 10th. The auction was for a NEW Veritas Router plane, large, a fence, 2 blades and a plane sock. The vendor now states he can’t find the fence. He wants me to accept a refund of $10 USD, which is the difference between Lee Valley’s cost of the large Router plane and their cost of a combined purchase of the router and fence. For me to separately purchase the fence it costs $23 which he has refused to pay. He is threatening to cancel the auction. My question is: am I being unreasonable asking for $23 not the $10? It will cost more than $23 for me to purchase it as I will have to pay shipping on the fence separate to the router. What do you think? What do you advise?
 
Funny one, he's being a bit harsh but he's also got your hands tied because if you dispute it with eBay they will just cancel the transaction and refund you and he will relist it. I would say it depends on how urgently you want it, if he's sticking to his guns and not being reasonable about it I'd make the call yourself whether the price you got overall was reasonable or not and decide whether $13 is worth hassle
 
I don't think you are being unreasonable, You believed you would get the genuine fence, To replace the part will cost you $23+, not $10. Your request is fair. I would walk away, unless you really really want it and it is still a good saving. Split the difference??
 
Funny one, he's being a bit harsh but he's also got your hands tied because if you dispute it with eBay they will just cancel the transaction and refund you and he will relist it. I would say it depends on how urgently you want it, if he's sticking to his guns and not being reasonable about it I'd make the call yourself whether the price you got overall was reasonable or not and decide whether $13 is worth hassle
Thanks for that - I haven’t ever dealt with eBays complaints procedure so was unaware that they would just cancel the whole transaction. It changes my thoughts.
 
Contact e-bay resolution and ask for a full refund. I have found them to be very reasonable in troubled times.

Colin
That was my thoughts - until I read the next comment @danst96 where he says they will just cancel the transaction. If I tell him to cancel, I wonder if it will show on my record as ”refusing to complete” or some such thing?
 
I don't think you are being unreasonable, You believed you would get the genuine fence, To replace the part will cost you $23+, not $10. Your request is fair. I would walk away, unless you really really want it and it is still a good saving. Split the difference??
Good advice, I just really wanted to know if people thought I was being to unreasonable.
 
I have done some further research since my first posting. What Ihave found is he has positive feedback from120 transactions, when he was purchasing but NONE when he was selling. What I also found out is that with all the currency exchanging, I have purchased the router, fence etc. for $183 US and it would cost $339 to purchase it from Lee Valle. Am I too cyni to think he has lost the fence because he is making such a big loss on the transactio????
 
He must have known the values when he decided on a sale price, if you brought A, B and C for ££££ then he loses B then he owes you the value of a fence otherwise is the price acceptable to you without? It is your call and a good reason why I avoid ebay these days, far to much hassle and issues.
 
I don't know the situation in NZ but in the UK you would have to pay import duties which the parcel delivery company collect before delivering. It's hard to predict how much they will be but often ten to twenty percent which can bump up the bargain price.
 
He must have known the values when he decided on a sale price, if you brought A, B and C for ££££ then he loses B then he owes you the value of a fence otherwise is the price acceptable to you without? It is your call and a good reason why I avoid ebay these days, far to much hassle and issues.
True, or he may just be one of the vendors who put up a low price to attract loads of vendors to push the price…..to bad it didn’t work here! But, on the other hand, there are other vendors like a chap I am dealing with who restores, sharpens and sells saws, particularly UK maker. He is helpful and quick to reply and makes purchasing something unseen, very easy. What a difference!
 
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I don't know the situation in NZ but in the UK you would have to pay import duties which the parcel delivery company collect before delivering. It's hard to predict how much they will be but often ten to twenty percent which can bump up the bargain price.
We, have to pay GST of 17% - it’s always an “ouch” moment!
 
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CoolNik, the question is whether the price you are paying is still a good deal. As the saying goes, "do not cut your nose off to spite your face".

If the deal is still good, take the discount. The fence is rarely used - good when you need it, but I have used mine a few times only in all the years, and I have had this (wonderful) router plane since it was first manufactured. You can always buy the fence at a later date.

Regards from Perth

Derek
 
@CoolNik I've been buying high value items from ebay for over 15 years and have never had an issue with their resolution service. I have so much confidence in ebay that I buy pretty much all of my tools and books there, and I buy lots of tools and books.

If the seller is changing the description of the item once you have paid, he has sold it as not as described and you will get your money back very quickly. He is free to re-list it as he wants to.

If you request to cancel the order through the seller, it will show up on your account, but I wouldn't be overly concerned about that.

There are several options available for you to cancel an order and it's worth reading this.....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/buyers-can-cancel-order/buyers-can-cancel-order?id=4004
 
CoolNik, the question is whether the price you are paying is still a good deal. As the saying goes, "do not cut your nose off to spite your face".

If the deal is still good, take the discount. The fence is rarely used - good when you need it, but I have used mine a few times only in all the years, and I have had this (wonderful) router plane since it was first manufactured. You can always buy the fence at a later date.

Regards from Perth

Derek
Thanks Derek, I enjoy your comments as you seem to “hit the nail on the head” with your responses. I am getting deal with this transaction, event if I have to purchase the fence later. Regards Robyn
 
@CoolNik I've been buying high value items from ebay for over 15 years and have never had an issue with their resolution service. I have so much confidence in ebay that I buy pretty much all of my tools and books there, and I buy lots of tools and books.

If the seller is changing the description of the item once you have paid, he has sold it as not as described and you will get your money back very quickly. He is free to re-list it as he wants to.

If you request to cancel the order through the seller, it will show up on your account, but I wouldn't be overly concerned about that.

There are several options available for you to cancel an order and it's worth reading this.....

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/buyers-can-cancel-order/buyers-can-cancel-order?id=4004
Hi Adam,
I was interested in your comments about the eBay procedure as I was left with the clear impression from @Phil Pascoe that there would be no satisfaction from deal with them. I actually was disappointed in his response because I had only had good dealings with PayPal.
Anyway, I have checked and rechecked my numbers and even allowing for customs duty (payable on all imports but waived under Policy to imports over $400 NZ), shipping and GST, I am still on the good side of the total. As a result, I have offered him a deal - refund me $15 USD and send the set as purchased, less the fence. He has accepted but told me he will send cash in with the router!! Does this seem odd to you? @Derek Cohen, what do you think of him saying he won’t refund the $15 on the credit card? I just don’t understand it and it’s quite inconvenient to receive US dollar denominated mone. There is no call for US cash in New Zealand!

I thank everyone who took the time to respond, your input is appreciate. Robyn
 
I'd say that you should beware of such a deal with cash in the parcel, as it invariably doesn't arrive with the cash in the parcel....As I'm sure you can imagine.

If I were you, I'd contact ebay, but their response will probably be to suggest cancelling the deal as it's the fastest way to a resolution.

Stuff like this makes me pull out of ebay deals, as it sounds so sketchy to me.
 
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