Are they valid? Should I return them?

[dell1312]

I bought three lots of 10 postage bags on a listing that says...10 new prepaid 500 gram satchel Australia post office parcel small bag w $7.45 post. On the listing was a picture of a normal 500g red and white  AP satchel.

What I received were white plastic bags, with International Post stamps Sellotaped on the bag (on top of each other) and a tracking sticker.

i admit, I did not read the description, because I looked at the words and photo in the listing and presumed that is what I would get.

Are they valid, or should I return them. I have $200 worth.

i contacted the seller and he insisted I should have read the description. Maybe I should have.

What do my fellow ebayers think?

[lyndal1838]

Yes, that is the theory.....the photos and description are supposed to match but the seller goes to great lengths to explain what the buyer will receive.   He could well win a dispute if he can convince ebay that the description is correct and that is what the buyer received.

Ebay is notorious for not always abiding by their own policies so it is not always easy to know how a dispute is going to go.  If the PO says they are invalid it will make the OP's task a lot easier to get a refund.

[dell1312]

Thanks everybody. The post office has said they are not usable. Using international Stamps on domestic parcels is not acceptable (gst not inc,) and neither is the manner they were stuck into the satchels.(on top of each other, some only displaying about a third of the stamp).  They were also covered in Sellotape and the PO said that is not allowed because postmarking cannot take place. 

Not sure now whether to send them back, if he is unscrupulous he may not provide a refund. Or maybe I should take it up with eBay first. In my dealings with eBay, I haven't had anything like this happen before. I appreciate the time you have all given in helping me solve this...Thankyou!

[lyndal1838]

I would go with an ebay return request.....the seller will have to pay the postage to get the items back and you will get a full refund of all you paid for the items plus postage.   That's if you paid with paypal.

Did you by any chance get something in writing from the PO to say they are not valid?

[digital*ghost]

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@samjess54 wrote:

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But was just wondering - how much importance is usually given to photos by ebay as to veracity of a listing?  I would think that in this listing the photo of the red and white bag should guarantee that that is what you are going to receive regardless of any weasel wording in the listing.

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eBay do take the photos of an item into consideration when determining whether something is as described - how far that goes or how much weight it carries is variable, though, because it's used in conjunction with title, item specifics and then description. 

eg If a photo shows an item being used with props, and the description says "props not included", then the description will carrry more weight. If the title implies the props are included, though (eg says something like 'kit' when it's only a single item), then the disclaimer in the description will carry less weight.

What I personally find interesting is the line in the description that says - "All have stamps stuck on them with tape, if you dont like stamps dont buy it, Pic shows sample only, not exact item you receive, stamps used may be different" which suggests to me someone has complained about this before, but a deliberate choice has been made to continue using an image that is barely representative of the product (not surprising, considering the other items they have for sale). 

[annieoakley2000]

Well hmmmm - the listing clearly shows a picture of a red 500gr AUSTRALIA POST prepaid satchel with the following header:

10x NEW Prepaid 500g Satchel Australia Post Office Parcel Small Bag w $7.45 post

To me that means you are buying 10 x  500 gr Australia Post pre paid satchels and not 10 x generic grey plastic satchels with stamps sticky taped all over it.

It is a moot point if the stamps are valid or whatever - the satchels received are not the advertised red Australia Post 500 gr prepaid satchels as they are supposed to be.

Also never mind the humbug in the description - it is clear the Op was supposed to get 10 x 500 gr red Australia Post pre paid satchels but was baited by the seller with this deceitful listing - as were other buyers as can be seen from earlier feedback left for him (or her)

[samjess54]

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@annieoakley2000 wrote:

Well hmmmm - the listing clearly shows a picture of a red 500gr AUSTRALIA POST prepaid satchel with the following header:

10x NEW Prepaid 500g Satchel Australia Post Office Parcel Small Bag w $7.45 post

To me that means you are buying 10 x  500 gr Australia Post pre paid satchels and not 10 x generic grey plastic satchels with stamps sticky taped all over it.

It is a moot point if the stamps are valid or whatever - the satchels received are not the advertised red Australia Post 500 gr prepaid satchels as they are supposed to be.

Also never mind the humbug in the description - it is clear the Op was supposed to get 10 x 500 gr red Australia Post pre paid satchels but was baited by the seller with this deceitful listing - as were other buyers as can be seen from earlier feedback left for him (or her)

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Could not agree more. 

I have just reread this seller's feedback and what I find amazing is the number of buyers of this item that have given positive feedback for them.

I think I mean scary rather than amazing.