seller sent different item than pictured

[shoppingbag*]

I bought an item, which I judged very carefully by the pictures, front and back, and would not have bought if I thought I wasn't getting the one pictured.  It was a loose item, so not a stock photo.  When I received the item, it was definitely not the one pictured.  While it was the same type of item, it was not nearly as well made (very obvious), and also had a distinctive flaw. I contacted the Seller, no explanation from her, just send it back for a refund.  To America? I guess I am expected to pay the postage.  I am unwell and unable to leave the house at the moment, and don't see why I should have to be inconvenienced like this.  There was no offer to send the correct one when I send this one back.  A previously favourite Seller, who I have dealt with for years, who I won't now ever trust or buy from again.  I think eBay should really crack down on Sellers like this, I feel cheated and very disappointed.  I will probably end up keeping the item which cost me an arm and a leg, because it would be just too costly to return it, even though I don't want it, even if it was free. My only satisfaction will come in leaving them the worst possible feedback I can think of. Why would a seller with 100% positive feedback want to pull a swiftie like this on a long term reliable customer who always paid for everything immediately and left great feedback.  It doesn't make sense.

[lyndal1838]

Mistakes happen...we are all human.  If the seller's feedback is as good as you say then it seems unlikely she was pulling a swiftie on you.

Why would you leave the worst feedback you can think of when you seller has offered a refund on return of the item?  Maybe she has nothing else to send you.   She cannot send a replacement if she does not have any more of the item.

While bad feedback might make you feel better it will certainly not reflect well on you if you are the only buyer to leave bad feedback.

A full refund is all you could hope for if you open a dispute in paypal

[shoppingbag*]

There is no doubt this was a swiftie being pulled.  If you knew the item you would understand why.  Why put up six large photos, of an excellent one of these (most are not as good) and then not send it?  Her attitude not concerned at my distress over the matter, which I politely pointed out.  It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.  I used to be very tolerant, always giving everyone another chance, only to be had by the same people I gave a second chance to..."Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." a very true saying.  It is obvious by conversation with the Seller who gives no reason, no excuse, or any explanation and who deals in these types of items all the time, that she knew exactly what she was doing. A sincere sounding apology would have gone a long way.  It wasn't forthcoming.  In fact the reply was very cold, just "send it back", she knows it is not practical. Oh well, my custom now goes elsewhere, some people don't deserve to have good customers. I don't consider it any reflection on me for leaving her some well deserved negative feedback, I overlook a lot with most purchases and try to give everyone positive feedback, and always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but in some cases like this, there is no doubt whatsoever, and my family who have read the messages and know all the facts agree wholeheartedly. I have really been taken for  a fool in this case.

[lyndal1838]

If your mind was made up why did you come to the boards?

Most posters are asking for help/advice on here but you obviously don't need any.

[muppet_detector]

One of the considerations for shopping anywhere is returning the item to the point of purchase if something goes wrong. Online shopping is no different.

As your seller's history shows them to be above board, maybe consider trying to contact them again in a few days. You say you are unwell, perhaps your seller is unwell at the moment too (or has something else going on in their life), and is not responding as they normally would. At least you got A response, and not ignored.

If you want a refund, then it is your responsibility to return the item before refund, regardless of your ability to do so. For the time being at least, the financial responsibility for return is yours, unless you seek legal action, where the seller MAY be required to pay the costs. Some sellers will agree to cover this, others even arrange for copllection of the item as well. But at this stage, neither eBay or PayPal enforce this.

If you open a dispute through PayPal for item not as described (which is what I advise you do before returning the item) they will approve return at your expense, but provide a refund for original price including original postage. If the cost of return is prohibitive, PayPal may make a discressionary contribution towards the costs. If, when you call and they respond "thankyou for being a top customer" you will probably be in with a shot. So emphasise the expense of return (find out how much it will cost before contacting them) and if it is a significant amount, they may just offer to chip in a bit to help.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@shoppingbag* wrote:

I bought an item, which I judged very carefully by the pictures, front and back, and would not have bought if I thought I wasn't getting the one pictured.  It was a loose item, so not a stock photo.  When I received the item, it was definitely not the one pictured.  While it was the same type of item, it was not nearly as well made (very obvious), and also had a distinctive flaw. I contacted the Seller, no explanation from her, just send it back for a refund.  To America? I guess I am expected to pay the postage.  I am unwell and unable to leave the house at the moment, and don't see why I should have to be inconvenienced like this.  There was no offer to send the correct one when I send this one back.  A previously favourite Seller, who I have dealt with for years, who I won't now ever trust or buy from again.  I think eBay should really crack down on Sellers like this, I feel cheated and very disappointed.  I will probably end up keeping the item which cost me an arm and a leg, because it would be just too costly to return it, even though I don't want it, even if it was free. My only satisfaction will come in leaving them the worst possible feedback I can think of. Why would a seller with 100% positive feedback want to pull a swiftie like this on a long term reliable customer who always paid for everything immediately and left great feedback.  It doesn't make sense.

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okay, at the risk of being labelled 'very rude', I will have a go at this thread.

If you are having quite a few problems with eBay sellers recently, and you are unwell, then it may be that your being unwell is affecting your previous impeccable eBay judgement.  I know that when I am unwell I do not make as much sense as when I am well (well, my wife says I talk jibberish when I am unwell and she never lies).

Maybe take a break from eBay until you get well.

Also, if you find that being unwell makes you short with people, short tempered, rude, harsh, irrational, stupid etc then stop posting on public forums until you get well.  I am not saying you are behaving this way, I am saying if you find you do behave like this when sick then stop posting on forums.

[audistarelectronics]

I'd like to add to this issue regarding used items that carry a serial number, such as consumer electronics. When the seller displays a picture of an item, and that item has a serial number, I consider that the number should also be shown in the pic, so that you know you are getting the actual item that you believe you are getting. Some sellers are using stock pics of used items, and it is difficult to judge the condition of the item from that. There are several listings of used items from the same seller, but the same stock pic is shown for all of the items, even though they are separate listings, which means that you could be sent anything that the seller feels fit. Maybe the serial number idea cannot be used for legal reasons, not too sure about that one, but I guess I will be told on here. lol

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@shoppingbag* wrote:

There is no doubt this was a swiftie being pulled.  If you knew the item you would understand why.  Why put up six large photos, of an excellent one of these (most are not as good) and then not send it?  Her attitude not concerned at my distress over the matter, which I politely pointed out.  It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.  I used to be very tolerant, always giving everyone another chance, only to be had by the same people I gave a second chance to..."Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." a very true saying.  It is obvious by conversation with the Seller who gives no reason, no excuse, or any explanation and who deals in these types of items all the time, that she knew exactly what she was doing. A sincere sounding apology would have gone a long way.  It wasn't forthcoming.  In fact the reply was very cold, just "send it back", she knows it is not practical. Oh well, my custom now goes elsewhere, some people don't deserve to have good customers. I don't consider it any reflection on me for leaving her some well deserved negative feedback, I overlook a lot with most purchases and try to give everyone positive feedback, and always give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but in some cases like this, there is no doubt whatsoever, and my family who have read the messages and know all the facts agree wholeheartedly. I have really been taken for  a fool in this case.

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once again, your being unwell may have something to do with this.

Maybe your family agree wholeheartedly with you because you are sick and they want to please you and help you get through this hard time, and to disagree with you would fire you up.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@audistarelectronics wrote:

I'd like to add to this issue regarding used items that carry a serial number, such as consumer electronics. When the seller displays a picture of an item, and that item has a serial number, I consider that the number should also be shown in the pic, so that you know you are getting the actual item that you believe you are getting. Some sellers are using stock pics of used items, and it is difficult to judge the condition of the item from that. There are several listings of used items from the same seller, but the same stock pic is shown for all of the items, even though they are separate listings, which means that you could be sent anything that the seller feels fit. Maybe the serial number idea cannot be used for legal reasons, not too sure about that one, but I guess I will be told on here. lol

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report those listings to eBay.  It is against eBay policy to use stock photos for used items.

[springyzone]

It might help if we had a link to the item number so we could have a look.
What you are saying is the seller had two of whatever she sold you. Have you looked at her completed listings for the last month? I would, to see if she sold another one recently.

It is annoying to get an item that doesn't match the photo. I've had it happen to me a couple of times-once with a top where the pattern wasn't in the same place on the top I received. Same material but definitely/dramatically not as in the photo. I gave a positive back then but would not these days.

I think all you can do is maybe take your own photos as evidence, contact paypal and see how you go although as someone said, you would be out of pocket for the return expenses.

All you can do is avoid the seller and maybe if you are buying from overseas, consider worst case scenario-how will things pan out if it goes wrong?

Whether the seller deliberately switched items on you, it is hard to tell. Quite possibly not, but as you say, communication is everything and it would have helped if she had responded with at least an apology. Or if it is indeed the same item, she could have stood by it but offered you a refund. I think it is the seller's response as much as the mix up that has upset you.
And in the final analysis, that is a lesson for sellers I guess. When things go wrong, sometimes a quick refund isn't enough, you need to smooth the waters.