Ebay seller out of stock on an already purchased item, want's to swap for a similar product

[4bytes]

Hi all, I'm in a bit of a muddle right here and I want to gather advice so I don't mess up anything.

Last night I ordered a computer part, when I made the order there was still two left in stock according to the Ebay Listing. I got a message from the seller this afternoon that they didn't realise they were out of stock so they have offered to cancel the sale and give me a full refund or swap it with a similar product. I haven't received notification yet for a refund but I suppose I'm meant to respond to the seller at this point with what option I want to go with before anything get's rolling. 

What will happen if I offer to go for the swap of the similar product the seller is offering me? If anything goes wrong am I still protected or will Ebay be in the Sellers favor?

Or would it be safer to get the full refund first and then go & buy the other product that the seller is offering?

the majority of my EBAY purchases have gone flawlessly so when it comes to messups and what not, I'm not really sure what to do.

The computer part is a HDD, the one I ordered was a Western Digital, the similar product is a Seagate HDD, same capacity and RPM.

[twyngwyn]

get a refund and repurchase....are they in Australia?

[digital*ghost]

I can't see any issues that would concern me as a buyer - if the price is the same I'd accept unless I had a particular reason for choosing the other brand.

If the seller is asking you to pay any difference in price, then I would decline - if you are willing to purchase the other one from them, then a cancellation and new order would be the best way to go (making multiple payments for the same item is an issue with PayPal, anyway, not 100% sure if it is for eBay, but that's about the only thing I know of that could compromise any buyer protection you have in this scenario - give it a bit longer to see if anyone else has more info, though). 

[lyndal1838]

Western Digital is generally more expensive than Seagate so do not pay any more.

I have used both brands and have had no issues with either....and cannot see any real difference.

[4bytes]

in total I paid $50 including postage for the Western Digital HDD, the Seagate HDD the seller is offering is $59. Both are used products but both made in 2017. 

I probably should've mentioned in my OP but the seller did say I would not pay an additional cost if I wanted to swap & get the Seagate instead & that their sorry for any inconvenience caused. 

So if I accept their swap, I'm guessing I'm still covered if anything goes wrong? I just ask because the last thing I want is anything to backfire & go wrong. 

To the person asking if their Australian, their seller profile seems to indicate that's the case and the item location is Sydney. 

[kopenhagen5]

I would get a refund and purchase elsewhere.

A disorganised seller IMO.

[digital*ghost]

As far as I can see, at absolute most ebay could check the messages and see you agreed to a substitute, which should rule out any claim of item not as described on the basis of it not being the brand you originally purchased, but I can't see it compromising protection for item not received, or not as described on any other basis.

Maybe - is the condition the same for both units? As long as there isn't a discrepancy there, then I can't see any issues arising from accepting a substitute.

I would howver suggest that if you don't feel 100% confident about it, then a cancellation  / new order is likely to make you feel more at ease, if nothing else - responders here can't 100% predict how an eBay case will go if you had to open one, so we just have policy and history to indicate what's likely. The seller may try to discourage this as they'll lose a bit more money that way, but if they are reasonable they shouldn't have too much of a problem with it, particularly considering the oversight was theirs. 

[digital*ghost]

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@kopenhagen5 wrote:

A disorganised seller IMO.

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Inventory management can be extremely difficult - especially (and perhaps surprisingly) if you have a large inventory and need software to do it for you.

Some sellers are lazy and keep stock available when they know for sure they can't supply it, some sellers get unlucky and sell out on one site before their software updates their inventory. Some sellers get even unluckier and have their software glitch - no different to eBay relisting items without the seller knowing until someone buys it.

No idea what category this particular seller falls into, but if they appear to be on the level and are offering a reasonable / acceptable solution, I don't see a need to decry them.

[4bytes]

To stay on the safe side of things, I'll probably just go for the full refund option, saving both the seller & myself any headaches in case of any mishaps. 

Thanks for the advice through.

[porcelain_dolls_by_me]

All other comments aside I would not have a bar of a 3yo, second hand HDD.

You don't know how hard the drive has been used, and given the HDD is a critical component I would always pay the extra for a brand new unit with a full manufacturers warranty.