quality ? on sold item

[shirts_n_more]

HI

I have sold an item, only about $8 , so not a huge problem.  but it has raised questions for me.  I am selling off add things from around the home.  I am a crafter and have a rather large hoarde to get rid off.  I sold a rubber stamp; that I purchased brand new ages ago but had never used.  I sold it as New.  The buyer is complaining about the quality and that it does not stamp a good image.  Some stamps are better than others, and a lot of time it also comes down to the talent of the person doing the stamping.  She wants a refund so I suppose I will have to oblige.

My question is; if you are selling items that you have not used and that are basically new; who is responsible for the quality of the item?  The listing description was fine and did not make any untrue claims.  What if I sold a vase made by Wedgewood, but it was not a particularly good vase as Wedgewood vases go?  Am I responsible for a refund if a buyer finds its quality is lacking?

I do not purchase wholesale to resell, but have a lot of items I have purchased but never used.  If they are in their original packaging I sell them as NEW.  I also have items that are unwanted gifts that I will be selling as new.  How do you warant quality on your listings and is it the responsiblity of the seller?  Thanks in advance

[imastawka]

My understanding is that items purchased retail and then resold - even if unused -

are second-hand, not new.   If you list it as new, do you want to be paying gst on

an item that you have already paid the gst?

Someone else may have a better understanding of the situation, though

[amber-eyed-girl]

Hi there.

Have you read through this?

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/providing_item_condition.html

It has information on how to describe items. If your stamp was unused, in any original packaging, it would be "new".

If it's like you would buy it in a store.

It is up to the seller to describe items as honestly as they can, including the quality if relevant, but occasionally a buyer may disagree on a description. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

If the stamp was brand spanking new, you can refund if you would like the buyer to be happy.

It's good will; particularly if you have lots more stuff to sell...so think about a refund policy too.

(1) are you generally going to be happy to accept items back for change of mind, for example? the buyer should pay return shipping if it's change of mind

(2) would you pay the return shipping if items are definitely faulty/not right? personally, I would do this

If you have a couple of clear points on returns in your listings that can be a good thing, so buyers know that you will look after them if there's an issue.

But you don't have to write it in, I like it when sellers do though...

In terms of quality, if items have a brand name, you should tell the buyer that in the description, then they can assess the quality based on that and any pictures you provide.

You use Wedgewood as an example; say the vase is numbered, that implies "better quality" through being a limited edition.

But the quality of any item is normally captured well in clear pictures too, as well as the written description.

On this stamp, yes, some are better than others. It really is up to you on this one.

[amber-eyed-girl]

imastawka, lots of goods can be sold as new or new with tags by private sellers. For example, say I buy a dress at a sale. I take it home and think "what the h*** was I thinking?"

If I haven't cut off the tags, or done anything to it, it could be listed as new with tags. Or if I'd been really excited and cut off the tags, it would be "new" 🙂 as the condition is as if you'd buy it in the shop yourself.

Same with handbags etc. Things with original packaging if it had any, etc.

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/sell/contextual/condition_2.html has the conditions for items to be listed as new.

On eBay, I believe your turnover has to be quite a bit to have to be registered for GST and charge GST on the items.

[amber-eyed-girl]

Here's the GST page:

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/seller-gst.html

If a seller is required to collect GST, the GST must be included in the price; it looks like annual turnover is 75,000$ as a rule for GST.

[imastawka]

Thanks for that.  I sell vintage paper collectables so was unsure.

[amber-eyed-girl]

🙂

[shirts_n_more]

HI Amber

Yes, I thought I was labelling it correctly; I purchased it retail but then changed my mind.  I'm sure I a not the only woman who has bouth something and thought "WT heck?" and then thrown it in a cupboard.  Time for a big clear out for me. 

I am registered for GST for my business, but these are not transactions of my business  they are personal selling such as a garage sale and therefore have not GST to be collected or paid.

I'm just concerned about people's perception of quality.  It was a good stamp from a reputable company and was sold for less than 1/3 its retail price.  I'm  selling other as new items and really it all comes down to personal perception.  I can put all the photos in the world up and describe in great detail in the listing, but if they think it not up to scratch when they get it in their hot little hands, who knows?

I have an old camper van up for sale at the moment  I have included the 12 photos and tried to be very accurate in the listing details and have advised any bidders to inspect first.  It is only $2500, but what if they expect the interior of a brand new Jayco for their money?  In a couple of listings I put up last night i stated "No returns; please ask all questions or inspect prior to bidding".  I am more than happy for people to inspect, especially on some of the higher value items I hope to list.

It's just a pain in the ar** to go through the complaints and refund route.  I will try and ensure I cross all T's and dot all I's before I receive a winning bid!

[zelly888]

The problem with rubber stamps is that if they are not used in a long time they tend to dry out and not stamp properly,this is why I think the buyer is complaining about the stamp.

[shirts_n_more]

I'm aware that rubber can perish, but that is not the case with this stamp.  The red rubber appeared in as good as new condition and I am still using most of my stamps that were purchased 15 years ago.  This stamp was not that old. 

Her claim was not that it was damaged or perished, rather that the detail was not intricate enough for her.  It is a very detailed stamp and if you ink those sorts of stamps too much or press too hard, you are not going to get a good impression.  It is actually from a range artists use collectively to stamp landscapes.  I bought a whole lot of them intending to stamp my own backgrounds but find I prefer to use other stamps to colour with my Copic markers.

So, the questions is, how do you handle a person's perception of quality when you are not actually the person initially responsible for the quality of the item; ie the manufacturer?