Advice regarding an eBay purchase (this is a current problem, so advice today is required- if possible)

[robgul]

If the deal is good moneywise without the fence, then go ahead and allow him to send the item with (or not the refund he offers). If the item/price without the fence is not a great deal allow him to cancel the sale. All he has to say is item broken or missing and the sale is finished, ebay will automatically send a refund to you.

As others have said if you wish nothing to stop you bidding again and I suggest (I have done this successfully in the past) you bid a price that you would want to pay straight off (so you don't have to keep bidding a little more every day or so) -- then as other bids roll along yours will still remain top unless your bid is outbid. If no other bidder come close to yours then you only pay a nudge over the next closest bid (not the max you have bid)
If he sets a buy it now thats something else to consider.

Taking your second paragraph about bidding - I only bid on ebay using Auction Sniper - I set the max bid and the system fires of my bid 3 seconds before the auction ends - that way you're not exposing your max to other bidders that may creep up until they pass yours . . . . the service costs peanuts and is worth it - I've won lots of items with lower than my max bids.

 

[Blackswanwood]

You can even use a credit card to fund paypal in order to add a third layer of protection on larger purchases.

Not sure what is meant by this. For Section 75 Rights under the Consumer Credit Act the payment would have to be made directly to the vendor - ie they don’t apply if funds have been routed via a third party such as PayPal.

PayPal have their own disputes process and are a regulated business. As such if you have a dispute with them (say you don’t feel they have handled your dispute fairly) the matter can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service whose decision is binding on them.

 

[Sideways]

Thanks for pointing that out. I don't take this step myself but a friend recommended it. A quick google shows your absolutely right and the advice was mistaken.

 

[CoolNik]

I had one problem with a ebay purchase not arriving and ebay sorted it within a couple of weeks.
I believe their terms have changed a bit since then as they were too biased towards the customer. Some customers were saying they had a problem even though they didn't to get their money back.

The seller does not have a leg to stand on if they say in their advert "includes a fence" but they are not sending one. Contact ebay and hopefully you have done all your communications through their messaging system which they can view.

Yes, I have made all my communications through the eBay message system. I also copied all my eBay emails to my own email, so I have a complete record. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[CoolNik]

Not sure what is meant by this. For Section 75 Rights under the Consumer Credit Act the payment would have to be made directly to the vendor - ie they don’t apply if funds have been routed via a third party such as PayPal.

PayPal have their own disputes process and are a regulated business. As such if you have a dispute with them (say you don’t feel they have handled your dispute fairly) the matter can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service whose decision is binding on them.

I am guessing that the UK Financial Ombudsman‘s powers do not extend to an eBay transaction between a USA based sellor and a NZ based purchaser.. my guess is eBay has a requirement in their Rules, that all disputes are resolved by them and all people that use eBay are required to submit to them. I will look into eBays rules for dispute management.

 

[danst96]

Honestly I know by principles it's not right but if you have got a steal of a deal that is unlikely to come up again I'd just settle paying a bit more to get a new fence because either way you come out better off. I don't know your personal situation but I personally don't think $23 is worth sweating if you already have an excellent deal

 

[AdrianUK]

I would consider this carefully, especially if it’s a costly purchase.
Weigh up how much of a good deal the purchase is, against how the seller may behave if something goes wrong later, in which case it’s not a bargain.
As a rule of thumb is, if after all reasonable steps taken something appears still good, then that’s about all you can do so it’s reasonable to proceed. However, if you uncover something that appears unusual, wrong, unreasonable, that’s enough warning for me to walk away.
Having to wait for something hurts a lot less than being taken advantage of.
In you situation, I’d tell the seller to cancel the order as it’s not as originally advertised, and keep looking.

 

[manicminer]

Ebay have been great at sorting out any disputes I have had. The buyer has a lot of power.
If you can get the item elsewhere, ask for a full refund as not sold as described and move on.

 

[DiyAddict]

Walk away asap. You've already identified several problems with the seller, and you haven't even received it yet! Ebay will definitely find in your favour. Something that suits your needs will come along.

 

[Shan]

Yes, I have made all my communications through the eBay message system. I also copied all my eBay emails to my own email, so I have a complete record. Thanks for your thoughts.

CoolNik, the post has generated a load of responses on the forum, I'm dying to know the outcome?

 

[CoolNik]

Honestly I know by principles it's not right but if you have got a steal of a deal that is unlikely to come up again I'd just settle paying a bit more to get a new fence because either way you come out better off. I don't know your personal situation but I personally don't think $23 is worth sweating if you already have an excellent deal

Thank you. Your advice is noted. I,have acted upon it and told him I accept his offer of $15 US dollars.

CoolNik, the post has generated a load of responses on the forum, I'm dying to know the outcome?

hi there, well the outcome at the moment is that he has sent the package without the fence, by fedex. I don’t know if he has sent the $15 cash until it arrives, but he did say he had paid for higher insuranc….so we will see. The deal was worth continuing on with the transaction, even without the fence. Veritas planes are very scarce at the moment, although there have been a couple of router plane listed on eBay after mine, so it seemed a bird in the hand was the best way to continue.
Thank you to all off you for giving your thoughts and advice. I really appreciate your assistance.
Cheers, Robyn