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As-is / no returns

#61
Pretty sure private sales are by law considered as-is, including cars.

I would guess that most folks that highlight as-is have either been burned before or are hiding something.

There's a great latin phrase to describe the situation:
Caveat Emptor
Let the Buyer Beware

That said, I have had 0 problems here with anything I have bought and sold, personally I think it's the forum that helps push folks into honesty and disclosure since we are a community here.

Dirk
 
#62
Dirk Diggler said:
Pretty sure private sales are by law considered as-is, including cars.

I would guess that most folks that highlight as-is have either been burned before or are hiding something.

There's a great latin phrase to describe the situation:
Caveat Emptor
Let the Buyer Beware

That said, I have had 0 problems here with anything I have bought and sold, personally I think it's the forum that helps force folks into honesty and disclosure since we are a community here.

Dirk
Click to expand...

Most sales here are done via PayPal and the transaction would be bound by the terms of PayPal's buyer/seller protection.
 
#63
As a buyer, an “as is” listing is a red flag for me, unless the item is clearly damaged and that is disclosed up front. I’m not going to make any grandiose judgements about the seller necessarily, but to me it’s an early indication that the seller already expects a problem. I’d rather pay a little more elsewhere to a seller who isn’t already anticipating some weird complication before I’ve even contacted them.

If the seller is someone I know or who I otherwise have some reason to believe I can trust, of course that’s maybe a little different.
 
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#64
I have had a few bad experiences on eBay where an item is received and then all sorts of claims are made then a reduction in price is requested along with the possibility of bad feedback, my feelings are that I will only buy from a store or someone I know as there’s so much stolen stuff about and I like a guarantee on larger purchase
 
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#67
Pilgrim said:
Just about anything I will ever sell, to anyone, for any reason, is "AS IS, NO RETURNS."

I'll tell you everything I know about it, answer all questions, fill you in in nauseating detail. I'll let you test drive it if the circumstances permit. YOUR job is to decide that you want it, and the reasons you want it.

When cash hits my palm, it's yours and I don't want it back. If you change your mind, or decide that it's the wrong color, or doesn't go with your toenail polish, I don't care. It's yours now, not mine.

If I was simply wrong about something and it's non-functional or was damaged in transit, that's another deal, and I'll handle it reasonably and with consideration for both of us. But you bought it, and it's yours.
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Beat me to it.
My only add would be i’m of the same mind when i’m the buyer. Once i pay a seller it’s mine. Shipping damage or obvious deceit are the only exceptions if it’s not an in person transaction.
 
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#68
Just a side comment on this « community thing »
Back then trades where easy to do since everyone wanted to try things and share experiences of different stuff.
Look at my trade rating history, I would give away stuff for free and even pay for shipping a while back.
Sort of « giving back the good vibe thing », now......Im not so inclined to do so since I’ve got one member flip the freebie for $$ on reverb.

Now people bicker for 3$ on the difference on MSRP value. It is your right to do so......but is this fun...???

Not complaining, just my observation of the way things changed in the « classifieds ».
People have the right to go buy\trade\sell as they see fit.

My 2 cents.
 
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#69
Lowbrow said:
Sounds like you've got some eBay seller experience.

My wife is an eBay seller, and boy, one thing you learn with deadly predictability is that the buyer who is a pain of the front end (pre-buy) is about 80% more likely than most to have an issue once the item is received.

And indeed, some do damage then want to return - my wife sells clothes, and more than twice a buyer complains about an 'open seam' when they are returning something damaged due to ... sizing miscalculation mishap? Even noting every measurement of a garment does not thwart this.

And the scammers - wow. They will sometimes circumvent PayPal, which takes scamming into account and will often support a seller who can show positive feedback followed by a charge cancellation attempt. They will instead go directly to their credit card to cancel the PayPal charge citing 'unapproved charge,' which is generally insurmountable.

However, I've never had an issue here on TB, but I really try to be warts-and-all in my descriptions of items I want to sell. NEVER do I make something look better than it is!
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I've had a couple bad experiences with selling clothing on Ebay. One buyer left me negative feedback because he didn't like the way the pair of pants fit. Another returned a jacket because he claimed the color didn't exactly match the photos. As most of us know, photos don't always capture the true color of something, but there was no point in arguing with him. He was going to get his money back no matter what.

My favorite Ebay story belongs to a friend of my wife. She sold an item, the buyer never paid, and the buyer left her negative feedback because they never received the item. When she explained to the buyer that they had to pay before shipping (duh), they said "but how am I supposed to know if I want it if I can't see it first?" True story.
 
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#70
Rabidhamster said:
That’s the biggest part of it, I simply refuse to use PayPal. They’re awful, what a horrible horrible company. If a website uses PayPal on the back end for credit card processing there’s nothing I can do about it but I’m not using a PayPal account.
If I found something in the classifieds I wanted badly enough to risk sending a money order then maybe.
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I'd be interested to see more info on the issues with PayPal. Any more details or links to articles with info about the specific issues you've experienced? I hadn't used the service for over a decade until very recently, but do vaguely recall having issues with them in the past. My recollection is that it was a major hassle to get a small amount of money out of the account because my address changed - something like that. But that was a long time ago, back when ebay had a lot of real auction activity going on.
 
#72
skycruiser said:
I'd be interested to see more info on the issues with PayPal. Any more details or links to articles with info about the specific issues you've experienced? I hadn't used the service for over a decade until very recently, but do vaguely recall having issues with them in the past. My recollection is that it was a major hassle to get a small amount of money out of the account because my address changed - something like that. But that was a long time ago, back when ebay had a lot of real auction activity going on.
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I've never had a problem with PayPal, and I've been using them for many years. I typically do not keep a balance in my account; I transfer all money I make on selling items to my bank account. I did send a payment to a wrong account once, and they took care of it right away. Do I like their fee structure ? No, but its the price of doing business.
 
#73
There is a layer of risk associated with as -is and no returns. There is also great potential to get a very good deal (pay significant less money as result of the "risk"). If you are astute at evaluating instruments or general merchandise, if you are technically proficient making repairs, adjustments etc, your risk is greatly reduced. I do this all the time. I welcome these deals and feel confident when its OK to pull the trigger. (or not) If you are not technically inclined, you can buy perfection and return options but at a cost. You decide what is right for you.
 
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#77
MultiScaleMale said:
If PayPal is involved, not sure that wiping hand of any responsibility after a sale is as easy as saying "as-is, no returns". Buyers still have up to 180 days to file a claim and we all know how PayPal will rule.
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Don't buy from a seller that you cannot accept his conditions whether you think paypal will back you up or not. You a VERY clearly starting into a transaction where one side starts off unhappy. Just ain't gonna work. EG- Being hit by a car. The pedestrian is ALWAYS right, but being dead and right kinda sucks.
 
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#80
I personally would never ever buy anything of significant value that I can't return - if I didn't have the option to put hands on it and give it a spin. If you as a seller fear the abuse of tire kickers, well, it's your option to conduct business as you see fit - but you won't be getting any business from me. The issue I have with "as-is", is it gives the seller license to send me pristine pictures of a piece of poopy item and then I have no recourse when a box ox parts lands on my porch.

I get not wanting to fund return shipping and would have no issue having that as part of the deal if I received the item in the condition I expect and find that it just didn't suit me. IF you sense a little bitterness, I'm anchored with a $1500 bass that I bought with a very short return window - and I had to negotiate to get even that week. It was a month after the return window expired that I finally determined the bass wasn't for me. The bass has been difficult to flip (6 string fretless). So now I'll insist on at least a month of return option on an instrument if I ever do a private on-line instrument purchase again.

Pedals and such, I'm fine with a short window - it either works or it doesn't. And yes, I do have a few pedals that I would now return because after time to try to dial it in it didn't quite do the deed, but those will be easy to get my money back on a resale and we're talking about ~$100 level gamble.

Just know that an "as-is" approach to online business will make your buyer's pool a bit shallower.
 

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