Was this a dimwit buyer?

[toymailman]

Just when my feedback score went back to 100% from the last dimwit buyer a year ago another one came along.

 

Here is the eBay listing: eBay Auction -- Item Number: 310222052424

 

 

The buyer claims it is not an Atari System. Here is their actual text.

 

"This console was for a collection. It does not say "Atari." The games are not original Atari. Everything is Sears Tele-Games. I'd never heard of it so I didn't know to watch for it."

 

 

Here is my responce in the dispute resolution center:

 

"The buyer thinks this is not an Atari system. It IS an Atari system. It is simply a version that was sold through Sears. The auction listing clearly described that this is a Sears branded Atari system. I had that in the title, in the description (at the beginning with bold color letters to make it stand out), and it could easly be seen in the picture that it was a Sears Telegames brand Atari system. The buyer could've not bid if they were unsure. The buyer could've contacted me prior to leaving me frivolous negative feedback. The buyer is obviously new (feedback=2) and doesn't know what they are doing. As a result I have lost fees due to a negative PayPal balance and have lost my 100% feedback score; all with no fault of my own. I am a very good seller and even refund shipping charges to exact amounts (see all my refunds in this regard in PayPal). Its not right for the buyer to do this to me. Negative feedback should ONLY be allowed once a dispute has been ruled in favor."

 

 

Guess how eBay ruled...In the buyer's favor. What?!?! Am I missing something?

[Albert]

Guess how eBay ruled...In the buyer's favor. What?!?! Am I missing something?

Only if you were expecting eBay to be fair.

 

..Al

[Rybags]

Some people are just dipshits.

 

I knew even back ~ 1981 that it was also sold as the Sears branded system even though we've never had Sears here.

 

Also, some people will whine about anything. If he'd not complained about the branding, he'd probably complain about not being able to plug his PS1 controllers into it.

[DaytonaUSA]

Wow, I cant believe with that response they sided with the buyer. I'm really sorry.. I hope you got your system back at least. Next time you list it.. in the body copy.. put "IT'S A FREAKIN' SEARS SYSTEM... SEEEAAAAARRRRS!".

[eightbit]

Yet one more reason I hate selling on ebay. What a moron...

 

Not only that, but it looks like the guy got a really nice deal too!

[SpendTooMuchOnAtari]

I hope that jerkoff sent the system back to you. I'm sorry to hear about this, ebay is so frustrating.

[toymailman]

Whew, thanks everyone.

 

For a moment, I thought I woke up in the wrong universe.

[+LS650]

Did the seller send back the 'incorrect' (cough) unit?

 

I'm betting 'no'...

[+save2600]

Yet one more reason I hate selling on ebay. What a moron...

 

Not only that, but it looks like the guy got a really nice deal too!

 

No kidding! Even though I personally do not collect the Sears stuff, I recognize its coolness factor. You'll never see a relationship like that with any other retailer - ever.

 

XBox360... faux woodgrain Wal-Mart edition. Yep, it's the one that keeps you coming back to the store. Exchanging defective units all_day_long in the hopes you finally remember to purchase some diapers for your baby's mama.

[Almost Rice]

Posts like these just reinforces my decision to stop selling on ebay back in 2007.

[Cebus Capucinis]

My opinion:

 

It's not a dimwit buyer, it's a scammer. Someone who knew eBay would rule in their favor if they complained about something. They got the item, made up a false complaint, the rest is history.

 

This is a big part of why I've stopped selling on eBay as much in the past months.

 

Sorry to hear about this!

[+LS650]

Yeah, eBay sucks, but what're gonna do? I have bought a few things lately on Gamegavel.com, but for the most part, where I live you just don't find anything uncommon or rarer in the wild.

[SoulBlazer]

Reasons like this I buy and sell 99 percent of the time on Amazon.

[lemoncurry]

My opinion:

 

It's not a dimwit buyer, it's a scammer. Someone who knew eBay would rule in their favor if they complained about something. They got the item, made up a false complaint, the rest is history.

 

This is a big part of why I've stopped selling on eBay as much in the past months.

 

Sorry to hear about this!

 

Okay, I'm lost, the guy has to send the unit back, right? So what did he stand to gain with this "scam"?

 

If you are selling, and want to keep high feedback, you have to accept returns, it's just how it is. And can't buyers change their negs now if you suck up enough?

[Cebus Capucinis]

Okay, I'm lost, the guy has to send the unit back, right? So what did he stand to gain with this "scam"?

 

Not necessarily. Yes, you get a refund, but a lot of scammers bank on sellers not wanting to deal with the headache of relisting the item and sending it back.

 

Scammers will complain about an item and hope that the seller doesn't say "Okay, you don't like it, just send it back and I'll refund you". I've seen quite a few instances where the seller just says "F%^& it, I'm sick of this, Merry Christmas, have a free item" because it's just too much hassle to deal with the arguments and decision-process through eBay.

 

The buyer is generally required to send back a defective or incorrectly listed item, but if it's a low enough price point there's a probability the seller just won't care.

 

It's happened to me with some $10 CDs....spend more money shipping it there and back than the CD is worth, and even though I knew the buyer was lying about it, it just wasn't worth it to me to get it back. I refunded and said "Whatever, keep it, I don't want to deal with this anymore" -- then of course banned the buyer, but nonetheless...

[Mase147]

off topic but did you sell your rca studioII mate?

[Crazy Climber]

From what I have learned, no matter what, some people will not be happy. I get responses like that now and then from selling and what I do the second I can tell they are a complete idiot (which is usually after the first comment) is just offer a 100% refund including return shipping charges. It is just easier that way, sure, I know I am right but I would rather eat the shipping costs then get a negative. So far it has worked, it is unfair, but my feedback has remained 100%

[Almost Rice]

To address the seller's question, I would have responded by asking for the item's return for a "full" refund inside the dispute. This is from experience on Amazon. When in a dispute, the buyer is almost always right in Amazon's eyes. I can only ask for my item back in order to refund. I have seen that this is the only way I have seen to prevent an automatic decision for the buyer. The buyer now has to prove they shipped the item back to the seller in order to get a refund. Ebay may have started to take this position to protect buyers.

 

I had one AtoZ claimed my item material different from the listing. It was the only time I had to state that this is not possible as I was the manufacturer and the one who created the listing. The item sent was exactly as pictured. In any case, I always state that the buyer has not returned the item and I would be unable to refund until that is done. If Amazon grants a materially different claim, the seller is out the item and the money. I do not know eBay's position on this.

 

In any case, I would think that the seller must state that the item has not been returned for a refund to be processed. 'Full' refund on only the purchase price if all parts are there. Shipping is not refunded. Amazon allows for up to a 20% restocking fee, but I have not done this to any buyer. If eBay automatically refunds even when I claim item has not been returned, I would not do business there. This would open the door wide for scammers.

 

For proof of delivery the Amazon seller would have to ship with signature confirmation to protect themself. I would assume the same is true for buyer trying to get a refund. If the buyer ships and empty box but only uses delivery confirmation, they would lose if the seller claims non-delivery. I am not too sure what eBay's policy on this.

 

 

Asking for the item back has prevented a lot of trouble. I have noticed that buyers are trying to get something for nothing. If you respond like just stating your side, (i.e. "the item was test and works" and buyer state it is "item does not work"), you will lose. You must always ask for the item back so you can start processing refund. The casual scammer has just dropped the claim when I do this. The scammers know how to game the system. You must know how to protect yourself.

 

 

As for the Sear L6, I would have not use Atari all over the place to advertise. Just enough for the search to pick up 'Atari' & '2600'. I would have titled it "Sear Tele-Games system, rebadged Atari 2600". This prevents the casual buyer like this one from mistaking it for an Atari badged 2600. We as collectors forget the lay person has no idea they are internally exactly the same and that even the power supply says Atari. Just remember the buyer barely reads anything. The first 2-3 words are all they read in the title and it is your job to make sure they are not mistaken. Being a new buyer, he may have been looking for an Atari branded system and I would not automatically assume scammer except for the fact that he did not contact you prior to putting in a claim.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Almost Rice

[atarinut76]

I just blocked him on Ebay..

[Crazy Climber]

I just blocked him on Ebay..

Good idea, going to do that now..

[shadowdoggie]

Ebay is incredibly unfair and I'm also on the verge of abandoning it. I never told this story here, but I once sold a practically mint 7800 w/40+ games to a buyer who used Buy It Now - $199.00. The very next morning, while on my way to the UPS store 8:00am, I get an email from him "I'm expecting you to send the Atari today, as it's for my girlfriend's b-day" 'Red Flag'. I assured him that it would be shipped that day and I even included a birthday card in the box. Writes to me a few days later, said the item is all bashed up and he wants $100 off. I had a very bad feeling so I told him to send it back to me immediately for a full refund. He says stuff like "Come on, you know it's not really worth the $199 anyway, just give me $100 off." Short Story: I ask him to start a claim w/Paypal and we'll let them decide. In the mean time, he goes and wins 4 other 7800 auctions. Paypal sides with him. He sends me back some 7800, not mine, that looked like he'd taken a hammer to it. I video taped opening up the box because I had a bad feeling and sure enough the thing was dented, smashed, and non-working. Paypal and ebay did absolutely nothing when I reported it. It was about as made as I've ever been. Sellers have almost no protection at all.

[atari181]

I really dont think anyone with any fucking brains reads the information in the dis makesputes on Ebay, I have had many simialr stories and sometimes it just makes you wonder who the hell is reading this!

[Albert]

Ebay is incredibly unfair and I'm also on the verge of abandoning it. I never told this story here, but I once sold a practically mint 7800 w/40+ games to a buyer who used Buy It Now - $199.00. The very next morning, while on my way to the UPS store 8:00am, I get an email from him "I'm expecting you to send the Atari today, as it's for my girlfriend's b-day" 'Red Flag'. I assured him that it would be shipped that day and I even included a birthday card in the box. Writes to me a few days later, said the item is all bashed up and he wants $100 off. I had a very bad feeling so I told him to send it back to me immediately for a full refund. He says stuff like "Come on, you know it's not really worth the $199 anyway, just give me $100 off." Short Story: I ask him to start a claim w/Paypal and we'll let them decide. In the mean time, he goes and wins 4 other 7800 auctions. Paypal sides with him. He sends me back some 7800, not mine, that looked like he'd taken a hammer to it. I video taped opening up the box because I had a bad feeling and sure enough the thing was dented, smashed, and non-working. Paypal and ebay did absolutely nothing when I reported it. It was about as made as I've ever been. Sellers have almost no protection at all.

Wow, that really sucks, sorry to hear that.

 

If it's any consolation, I've been screwed by sellers several times in the past year. I've repeatedly been sold items that arrived damaged or were not as described. In the case of Commodore 1702 monitors I've purchased, I've received several that have been damaged upon arrival. Given how much it costs to send them back, it's not even worth it from my end. I had one seller basically flat out lie about the condition he sent two different monitors to me, he used USPS Media Mail to ship them out (!!) and refused to refund my money without my sending them back. I've also had tons of problems buying DVDs (got several pirate DVDs, even for somewhat elaborate sets), and recently even received pirate software I paid $100 for.

 

It's so ridiculous that I go out of my way NOT to purchase items on eBay, and I'll pay more for the same product from a more reputable business. It's tough to find alternative sources for some items, so you have to take your chances sometimes. I've even been screwed by 100% feedback sellers, so you can't even rely on that.

 

..Al

[toymailman]

I figured I wasn't alone in this. Sad to hear so many other bad stories.

 

In this case it seems eBay will automatically issue a full refund from my PayPal account. The buyer has to enter in the shipping/tracking information so it can be known when I get the item back. However, what is to stop them from sending me an empty box and claim the item was indeed shipped back? No end to the possible scamming, if that is what a buyer wants to do.

[accousticguitar]

In this case it's too bad you've got money in your account.