Moral Obligation to bad eBayer?

[Harlock]

I buy backissues on eBay from time to time. I tend to snipe, looking for good deals, etc. Anyway, I recently had an experience with an eBayer that is leaving me in a moral quandry. I know, asking advice on morals on CBR... anyway... ;)

I bid on and won a small lots pf Amazing Spiderman Comics 210-213. I sniped it for $.99 plus the obligatory huge shipping charge, which was $9.00. Still not a bad deal. I added insurance at $2.25 (knowing full well the PO only charges $1.35). The seller only accepted Money Orders and Chashier's Checks, so I bought the MO and mailed it off.

After a week, I emailed the seller asking if she got my MO and asking if she had shipped, or would she at least advise me when she received my payment so I could look for the box in the mail. She never responds.

Well, today a box comes and it is from this seller. I have been buying a few comics lately, so I simply inspected these for condition and then left positive feedback without actually looking at the issue numbers themselves (there was no invoice in the box to check off against anyway, another seller mistake).

Then I sit down to notate my master list and notice these are not the books I won. I ended up with:
ASM 215, 220, 221, 223, 225, 226, 227, 229, (220-229 I didn't even need new copies of) 231, 232, 234, 235, 237, 242, 243, 244 (this is in VF+ condition, worth more than I paid altogether).

So then I got curious and checked her auctions, noted she sent me 3 of the wrong auctions, hadn't sent me mine, but two that other people had won and another auction that no one had won. I also double checked the box, noted the $6.90 in shipping she paid (not unusual on eBay to overestimate shipping) and that she used a free priority mail box and had NOT insured the package, as per my payment and request.

So now the question: I have sent this seller an email one time before and it got ignored, I sent it through eBay so I know at least she would have seen it there. I have already left feedback before I realized her mistake. I came out way ahead on this and needed the bulk of these issues anyway. The seller ripped me off on insurance and I sort of feel like this is not my fault, why bother with another email? Am I morally bankrupt here?

[Michael P]

I think you're sketchy at best, given that you're knowingly depriving the other auction winners of the comics they rightfully won and paid for.

I would suggest contacting them through eBay and explaining the situation. Odds are one of them has your comics.

The stuff nobody won? Call it a moron fee.

[isaac a person]

It might be nice for other potential buyers know although they may not lose out monetarily, that the seller seems to be somewhat confused :confused:

I'm not a big Ebayer, so I'm not up on the politics of the whole feedback situation. Consider this uninformed advice :)

[atlcane]

- I sell a lot on ebay and people that do not use paypal you need to stay away from. First it shows a lack of experiance. Second, there is a strong posibility you could get scammed.

- I believe you can still open a dispute. You may need to go to ebay live help to figure out what to do.

- as for shipping, the correct term is shipping and handling. I ususally charge a few dollars over the actual shipping price to pay for the handling piece of it. Time and Materials are not free. I sell old videogames and ship them Media Mail. The cost of shipping is 1.73 plus the 1.00 padded envelope, plus the time to pack, print labels, and trip to the post office. $9.00 for shipping was a fair deal in my opinion.

[Boldido]

You have attempted twice to make contact. At this point, I would suggest that the ball is in her court. If she doesn't contact you at all and you are satisfied with things as they are, then let sleeping dogs lie.

If she does contact you and wants the situation corrected, then I would suggest the following:

Tell her you will be happy to return the shipment to her as soon as you receive the shipment you bought and paid for as well as a money order for estimated shipping costs for the order you have to send to her.

[atlcane]

You have attempted twice to make contact. At this point, I would suggest that the ball is in her court. If she doesn't contact you at all and you are satisfied with things as they are, then let sleeping dogs lie.

If she does contact you and wants the situation corrected, then I would suggest the following:

Tell her you will be happy to return the shipment to her as soon as you receive the shipment you bought and paid for as well as a money order for estimated shipping costs for the order you have to send to her.


This is where paypal makes things so much easier. I once mixed up my shipments. Just sent the both buyers the money to reship the returned items via paypal. I received only one item back and credited that buyer in full via paypal. I cannot imagine what I would have had to go through if I had to send money orders out.

[Harlock]

- I sell a lot on ebay and people that do not use paypal you need to stay away from. First it shows a lack of experiance. Second, there is a strong posibility you could get scammed.

- I believe you can still open a dispute. You may need to go to ebay live help to figure out what to do.

- as for shipping, the correct term is shipping and handling. I ususally charge a few dollars over the actual shipping price to pay for the handling piece of it. Time and Materials are not free. I sell old videogames and ship them Media Mail. The cost of shipping is 1.73 plus the 1.00 padded envelope, plus the time to pack, print labels, and trip to the post office. $9.00 for shipping was a fair deal in my opinion.

Oh, I am a seller too and am aware of shipping and handling. I said I was okay with that, it was paying for insurance and not getting it that was a rip-off. Her feedback was decent enough to warrant a money order transaction as well, so I went along. I am normally a PayPal only kind of guy.

I think the obligation to her other customers lies in her hands, honestly. It's not my duty to contact them. Thing is, while she has great feedback she sells in spats, so I am really confused as to how she shipped the wrong items. Additionally, when she invoiced me she said the items were boxed and awaiting only my payment to be shipped... she is just a crappy eBayer.

So, I'll sit back and wait for now. As it stands, I am well pleased with the transaction. If I had done this as a seller I know I would likely eat the mis-shipped items and refund the other two auctions (it is important to note the other auctions only went for $.99 as well). But hey, that's me and I actually DO give my auctions personal attention and care.

[spazzy mcghee]

I have been on both ends. I agree with you. Its her fault. The other buyers will likely be upset, mostly I want what I buy and am not satisfied with a refund. Especially when I catch a good deal. But, crap happens.