Dishonest ebay seller

**fuzzy beard** · #1 01-11-2012, 07:29 PM

I am starting a new thread per advice from my thread about a amp i was waiting on that i had "won" on ebay.

This is copied from post #42 from that thread.

Well got the amp today! The guy ships fast.

I do have a couple of problems! He listed it as good condition with little wear just checked out by a music shop. And when asked a question through ebay about weird sounds and condition he stuck to the same stance in good condition has little wear. He has 100% feed back from 70 people. Just so you know i have already messeged him with my concerns and is waiting his response!

So i pull the amp out of the box first thing i notice is some tolex wear. NOT a problem for me i expected it after my ampeg nothing scares me. So then i find the handle to be VERY loose looks like i will have to pull the head to tighten it back up. Then i noticed for a amp that was just checked out at a music store there are more than a couple cob webs between transformers and tubes. Then i find the grill to be pulled loose at top left corner wood stripped from screw. And to top it all off 3 casters are blown out with no bearings in them.

So even though i got it for what i belive to be a very good deal 300 bucks. I feel it was not repersented right! In a personal message response to me when asking him if he had removed the tubes for shipping he mentioned he owned a music store. I would have thought he new better.

What do you all think am i over reacting? I mean someone could have spent alot more on this going by the description he gave!

And this is the thread Another tube amp!

So what do you all think?

**fuzzy beard** · #2 01-11-2012, 07:35 PM

Here is what i sent him

Dear slneff22,Thank you so much for the super fast delivery! Thank you for packing it so well! I pluged it in and every thing works. But i have a couple of concerns. In both your item description and your answer to a question you wrote how solid it was with little wear. I have NO problem with the tolex wear and light rust. I have vintage amps and expect that! But when checking it out i found 3 casters with the bearing gone. I found the handle to be very loose. I found the grill to be broke( Screw pulled out of that left the top left corner not connected). And for a recently checked out amp it was full of cob webs. From what i can tell it sounds good but with casters, handle, and grill rattling its hard to tell. I fell you should have disclosed this info in your sales ad or at lest lowered the condition to fair.I will reframe from feedback till i hear from you.Thank you for your timeMike 812-926-1172- hwoulms

This is his reply

Dear hwoulms,Thanks for the info i tried to keep the amp as original and vintage as possible i did not check out the casters because it rolled with no problems. The amp is 40 years old the screw problems being loose i apologize i did not have the amp up loud enough to hear any of that nor did i realize that amp had a loose grill cover . I had my local amp repair guy check it out before i listed and he told me that it was in good condition for its age i tried to clean it up well before i sent it. I did not open up the amp and look inside. I understand if you are unhappy and if you feel that i was unfair to you i apologize- slneff22

funk generator · #3 01-11-2012, 07:35 PM

make him cover any and all repairs. If not make him send you a return shipping label, and dispute him through paypal if he disagrees. Not getting what you paid for aint right.

fourstringdrums · #4 01-11-2012, 07:43 PM

You received something that wasn't as described. Things being loose wouldn't bother me so much as the casters being stripped out. Did the auction mention it?

**fuzzy beard** · #5 01-11-2012, 07:46 PM

My reply to his last message

Dear slneff22,Did he tell you he open it up? I mean it has cob webs from the trans former all the way to the tubes! When you list a tube amp as being check out by a shop it makes it sound that it has been gone over. The fact that he checked it out and didnt tell you anything that i found in 5 mins doesnt sound good! Now i am in a pinch with a amp that not only needs work for the obvious but now it sounds like i need to get it checked out!- hwoulms

**fuzzy beard** · #6 01-11-2012, 07:47 PM

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

Can you see the ebay ad?

**fuzzy beard** · #7 01-11-2012, 07:56 PM

And then he leaves me positive feed back

**fuzzy beard** · #8 01-11-2012, 08:49 PM

I know its against the rules but bump for advice! Dont know how long i haveto take action.

chuck norriss · #9 01-11-2012, 09:02 PM

If it was insured through the carrier he can file a claim for the value of the insurance & send you the money. The tough part is getting him to do so.
I sold a hybrid tube combo, insured, across the country. USPS dragged it from a pickup truck & took it rock climbing before they delivered. I insured it, filed the claim & the guy got the amp for practically free. He said he would be able to repair it so he got the amp & the refund, I got the sale. But you have to file the claim.

**fuzzy beard** · #10 01-11-2012, 09:12 PM

Yeah but the problems it has has nothing to do with shipping.

michael_atw · #11 01-11-2012, 09:13 PM

*turns head sideways to look at link pictures*

**Staccato** · #12 01-11-2012, 09:15 PM

1. From the sellers response, he is implying keeping the cobwebs are part of the vintage appeal?
2. How much does a 'repair guy' function check have to do with going over an amp? He obviously did not perform the latter-recently.
3. Good condition for its age is a ridiculous statement/assertion that is too common on ebay (and forum classifieds, too).

sunbeast · #13 01-11-2012, 09:18 PM

If you really want to keep it and are happy with the price you paid, then just email him again saying that you would like to keep the amp but will probably need to leave him bad feedback based on his description. Really you don't need to even tell him before leaving bad feedback, but I personally prefer to give someone a chance to make things right before hurting their feedback (I've received bad feedback twice over things I would have reimbursed for/made right if I would have been notified- a CD that was missing an extra booklet I never knew about and a mandolin with a bridge problem I couldn't have known about).

If you would prefer to dispute the transaction or try to get at least a partial refund to cover repairs/refurbishment, I would still start by emailing the seller and giving them a chance to make things right. As was mentioned in the other thread, keep any correspondence you have as evidence, and also take good pictures of all the problem areas of the amp. If he isn't willing to settle it on his own, then raise a dispute with Paypal- I don't know the time limit, but I think it is at least a couple weeks to a month, the sooner the better. If worse comes to worse and you bought it with a credit card, you can even raise a dispute with your credit card company who will almost certainly get you what you need (I would only look into this in the unlikely case that Paypal sides against you though). My experience is that Paypal pretty much gives in to cancelled credit card payments no matter the evidence- I once sold a rare album to a guy that received it, left me positive feedback, then subsequently cancelled his Ebay account and cancelled the charge on his credit card (over a month after the auction). Paypal took the money out of my account without ever even asking me my side of it (all I ever got was an email saying they had opened an investigation and were freezing my account, and then another soon after saying they were taking the money out of my account), despite having proof of delivery confirmation and emails from him saying he received it (not to mention the positive feedback he had left). I disputed their decision, but was basically told "tough luck"!

jlane72t · #14 01-11-2012, 09:19 PM

personally, i'd feel disappointed that it's not in better shape, but be happy that I still got a new amp at "what i belive to be a very good deal". then i'd play it until i smiled and not sweat the small stuff.

but you're totally within reason to demand compensation if you want to go with that.

WildWes · #15 01-11-2012, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzy beard

I know its against the rules but bump for advice! Dont know how long i haveto take action.

If I'm not mistaken fuzzy beard, you have 45 days to file a paypal claim dispute. Take photos and keep all correspondence with the seller. When/if you file a claim, list what interaction you have had with the seller in a chronological format. Paypal likes to see that you've seriously attempted to resolve the issue, prior to requesting their intervention into the matter. Hope it works out for you. WW

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuck norriss

If it was insured through the carrier he can file a claim for the value of the insurance & send you the money. The tough part is getting him to do so.
I sold a hybrid tube combo, insured, across the country. USPS dragged it from a pickup truck & took it rock climbing before they delivered. I insured it, filed the claim & the guy got the amp for practically free. He said he would be able to repair it so he got the amp & the refund, I got the sale. But you have to file the claim.

I recently received a P-Bass (shipped/insured by the seller via USPS) with the tone pot shaft broken. Both the seller or buyer can file a damage claim with USPS. Since I had the bass in my possession, I took the photos and scanned a repair estimate for the insurance claim. I did need some info (ie, insurance cost, shipping cost, USPS receipt number) from the seller to complete the online claim form though. They approved the claim in 3 days and sent me a check for the repair estimate. WW

I've also received an amp that was damaged while enroute with UPS and they denied the sellers damage claim. Insurance claims seem to be hit or miss, depending on the carrier. WW

bassmaster831 · #16 01-11-2012, 09:32 PM

you would definitely win a Paypal or eBay dispute since he wrote to you in email form admitting that it wasn't as described. I would have him pay for all repair costs or just ship it back to him. You'll have to cover return shipping though so that's a factor to consider

chuck norriss · #17 01-11-2012, 09:34 PM

Well, if you're unhappy with the purchase, file a claim & return it. It's business, not personal.
If it's insured, have the seller file a claim--just listen--& pay you out while you keep the amp & he keeps his sale revenue. That insurance claim money will buy you another amp, or casters, or tubes, & another lumberjack outfit.

pnut166 · #18 01-11-2012, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlane72t

personally, i'd feel disappointed that it's not in better shape, but be happy that I still got a new amp at "what i belive to be a very good deal". then i'd play it until i smiled and not sweat the small stuff.

but you're totally within reason to demand compensation if you want to go with that.

This. "Good shape", especially on vintage items, is subjective. To him. it may have been "good", to you - not. But you are the customer, and certainly deserve to be happy and satisfied. Good luck !

**fuzzy beard** · #19 01-12-2012, 07:26 AM

There is a big difference between good shape and broken parts.

Randall · #20 01-12-2012, 03:02 PM

looking at the pictures I see a old beat up amp that I would expect to have to fix up myself. That would mean going over every screw and nut and bolt and taking it in for new caps, check bias and possibly new speakers as well. Just saying

.
Ebay descriptions really need to be taken with a grain of salt when you are buying vintage gear.