Can anyone see a way out of this situation?

[collectibles_in_canberra]

I sold a vintage 1974 Hewlett Packard HP-35 calculator for approx $150.

Photos show the condition and also clearly the display working fine.

Buyer receives & states it does not work. They are straight forward to turn on although the 3 prong power adaptor needs to be firmly pushed into place.

It has worked for 40 years but somehow it mysteriously stopped working in the 3 days from packing to buyer receiving it but I tell them to return for a full refund.

They state they will return the item asap.

Instead they open a return request through Ebay & now I have to also pay the return postage.

My concerns are, what if I find evidence that it has been opened up or that the battery compartment which has corrosion etc (clearly shown in the photos) has been cleaned.

I suspect from their emails that they have tried to clean up the battery compartment & used some liquid that has gone into the circuit board.

I checked their bidder history & they buy a lot of HP calculators - maybe they needed a part or swapped the circuit board all together.

Or maybe (best case scenario) I receive it back & nothing wrong with it - don't laugh has happened quite a few times before.

Why should I get a defect and out of pocket because the buyer is an idiot.

From my experience I think I am stuffed no matter what I do - any suggestions?

[i-love-my-sheep]

I could be wrong, but I believe that an item has to be returned in the same condition it was received to get a refund. So, any cleaning, modifying etc means it's not in the condition it was received. Chances are it's a change of mind but they are using INAD so they don't have to pay the return postage.

If it's not in the same condition, as in if it's been cleaned or modified when you get it back, RING eBay and tell them that they buyer modified it.

[cherry*135]

It could have failed due to bumping along in the post, as it is very old.  Did buyer say they had tried to clean the inside of the battery compartment?

[cq_tech]

If there has been any obvious tampering when you receive it back, immediately take photographs of the affected part so you have evidence that it's not in the same condition as it was when sent.

[collectibles_in_canberra]

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@am*3 wrote:

It could have failed due to bumping along in the post, as it is very old.  Did buyer say they had tried to clean the inside of the battery compartment?

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Yes it is a possibility but I have my doubts.

In one of their emails they stated they removed the battery because they knew from the photos that the battery compartment was dirty.

They said something about the power cable connector but cannot decipher as English is not their first language.