I don’t blame eBay; there is always someone who tries to work a system. My pet peeve, however, are the sellers who do not accurately describe an item and, then, when you complain, offer to refund your payment, but not the cost of the return of the item. So, they waste your time and money and you have to prove the item was delivered to the address they give before PayPal will refund the money if there is a dispute. Meanwhile, you are out the original amount you paid, including shipping and, in addition, any import duties and taxes that were paid plus the cost of the return while you wait and hope that a proven dishonest person will make some of it right.
Case in point, I bought a glassed 4x5 negative carrier described as being in “great” condition. When I get it; it is corroded, has two locating pins and one of the small screws holding the glass retaining clip all missing and a corner of one of the glass pieces broken, leaving a ragged edge that would be perfect for leaving scratches on any negative put in it. Now, call me picky, but I do not think this carrier is in “great” condition. The carrier was sent to me at my address in the States, but I was ready to leave for Europe when it arrived and I just threw the package in a bag and did not open it until I got here. Sending it back from here is going to cost considerably more and getting both a receipt and tracking is not possible.
The seller says send it back and he will refund the amount I paid. I really do not have the time to mess with organizing, packing and shipping it back and I am reluctant to put approximately a third of the total amount to be refunded into the cost of the return. I think I would rather just take the time needed to give him a load of bad feedback and write it off without spending the extra time and money in an attempt to get a refund. Besides, this listing of things that are not accurately described seems to be more and more prevalent and, as I said, it is a pet peeve of mine. I can see where someone might overlook something when it is not obvious, but not things that have obvious defects that reduce them to the level of junk. Why are sellers sending stuff that does not even come close to what they describe?
So, what to do? Am I being unreasonable in doing what I am inclined to, just giving a load of bad feedback and getting on with my life?
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