can I try to remove marks from clothing before opening a dispute?

[needlessjunk]

Hi, after a bad experience buying clothing off ebay I decided to try again......

purchased a couple of pre loved items they arrive and both have marks on the front.

one I don't think the marks will come out the other item may come clean.

the marks stand out, they are right there on the front of the items, can't miss them really.

only fault on one item is the mark on the front the other item has marks on the front a cigarette burn on the hem at the back (could cut a bit off the hem and re-hem) and 2 large holes on the inside of each side where I'm guessing breast pads were cut out (not sure if I can do anything to fix that)

question is can I give the items a wash, try to remove the stains now or should I open a dispute before doing anything?

I have messaged the seller haven't heard anything back yet but did only message them today so will give them a chance to reply first.

they are preloved items, the listings didn't mention the stains or the other faults but I also didn't ask if the items had any stains, burns or cuts, can I still open a dispute or is it just bad luck and part of buying preloved clothing?

if I can get the stains out then I can wear one item and try to fix the other problems on the 2nd item but if the stains don't come out they are wearable if you don't mind the stained look.

thank you for your help

[amber-eyed-girl]

Cats, that goes back to the point I made at the start; the original poster would be better not being out of pocket returning the dresses at her own expense.

Which Paypal would insist on, so worth a chat with the seller, no threats, just nicely.

A partial refund would pay for drycleaning, which usually isn't too much; a seller seeing stains in a photo might be happy to reimburse 6$ or so, but baulk at refunding the whole lot without getting the dress back.

If a seller refuses to help with the drycleaning, I then decide whether it's worth paying it myself, sending it back (if that's agreeable to the seller), or throwing it out.

With over 2000 buys (don't always get feedback) I've had maybe 6 things arrive so dirty I couldn't wash them myself and fix it.

Sometimes I have hand sewn damaged clothing and said nothing, because it didn't cost me anything but a little time, and it was things that could easily have been overlooked.

[thecatspjs]

Amber the price the OP paid would not cover drycleaning both garments  - they were very low cost purchases both pieces under 5 bucks each.

Its not really worth the effort is it ? 

[amber-eyed-girl]

then quite honestly she shouldn't be returning them at her own cost if that's what it comes down to.

I know Paypal has to abide by Aussie law on cost of return/value of object, but they don't ever seem to in practice.

The original poster would have to really really push that.

I hope it works out, it's not nice to get things not as described and be stuck with the dilemma of what next.

Drycleaning at her own expense would depend on how much she loves them 🙂 or not 😞

[amber-eyed-girl]

I looked at that it says:

Trading on eBay and Limitation of Liability

"While we strive to maintain a safe trading environment you accept that there are unfortunately sometimes risks."

"When you enter into a transaction you create a legally binding contract with another user, unless the item is listed in a category under the Non-Binding Bid Policy. You must ensure that you comply with your obligations to that other member and are aware of any laws relevant to you as a buyer or seller. If another member breaches any obligation to you, you – not eBay – are responsible for enforcing any rights that you may have. "

Which shows the original poster should just do what she can, open a dispute if needed, hope it all works out.

[amber-eyed-girl]

I'm quite interested in these types of threads because when I started buying, I lost money by not following through with what rights I did have.

[thecatspjs]

---

@thecatspjs wrote:

Yes, this one is an interesting thread.

Most threads pretty much have posters advising the OP to contact the seller to let them know of the problem and wait for their response, and if that is not satisfactory then open a paypal claim and take it from there.  Pretty much how this one started out.

i have not seen that many threads where a partial refund for stained clothes that cost under $10 together was ever really suggested before,  interesting approach.

---

to let them know

[amber-eyed-girl]

It's to make the seller recognise they were in error and take some responsibility.

It doesn't matter if it cost 5$ or 5000$. It is against eBay policy to sell unlaundered second hand clothes.

By the way, I don't snoop in people's purchases, so I didn't know how much they cost. She didn't say, and I would have said the same thing.

It's dirty. The seller should be informed. The seller should be given the opportunity to make it right before a dispute.

It's up to the OP if she think's it's worth a dispute.

5$ a dress by 1000 sales, say, is a lot of money if it's a habit of theirs to sell stained clothing year in year out. As quite a few do, because they can.

I don't like being ripped off after having taken the oh, the seller didn't realise, I'll just take care of this myself approach.

[amber-eyed-girl]

It's OK CatsPJs, I knew what you meant 🙂

I was thinking this over, and I have lost money on little and big purchases.

I've had two things go to Paypal, not for 5$, but sellers shouldn't get away with this sort of stuff...

and I'm not all buyer vs seller, I have been both.

It protects good sellers when bad sellers are made accountable, and change their ways, or are given honest negatives to notify buyers of their selling habits.

I did check how seller feedback went after I had any issues, sometimes they keep at it, sometimes they improve.

[thecatspjs]

I don't know what you are trying to get at with your posts.

IMO the buyer should contact the seller and take it from there.

I imagine if it was a decent seller (which it appears to be) they will issue a refund without return.

The seller has not "got away" with anything at this point that I am aware of.  They may not even be aware that this problem has arisen.

[amber-eyed-girl]

responding to you, CatsPJs, implying it isn't worth it over 10$ or under.

The stains are on the front, there are holes too, I hope they didn't know, but ... I bet they did.

Quite honestly, the sellers can be reported for the state of the clothes too. I've never done that.

It is, to improve eBay, hopefully, to be a place where buyers are happy and keep buying.

It would be great if the sellers just refund here.