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burkhard · (This post was last modified: 11-14-2018 04:35 PM by burkhard.)

Very recently on the typical auction site I purchased at a fairly good price an untested HP-29C being sold "for repair or parts only". My intent was to use it for a Panamatik Woodstock LP conversion, so I wanted one that looked good. If it were dead, all the better because that actually helped keep the price down and I wouldn't feel even a twinge of conscience for modifying it.

I paid the seller immediately.

The next day, i received a message that said only "I'm so sorry, I dropped it getting it ready for shipping. I have issued a full refund."

The abruptness of the note surprised me. I inquired if I could still purchase the damaged item (I was buying it for parts, after all) and if they could tell me what was damaged or at least send a picture.

The seller replied only with "Sorry if it was minor I would've offered something"

I replied indicating my complete dissatisfaction, but have gotten no further communication. As he indicated, he did issue a refund.

So, what is apparent to me is that the story about damaging it during packing is utter rubbish. Rather,
1) The seller just didn't like the price the auction ended at...
and possibly,
2) They finally took the pains to test it, found out it did work and then REALLY didn't like the price the auction ended at.

So, has anyone ever filed a complaint with eBay over seller activity like this? How? As far as eBay is concerned, I didn't actually purchase the item since the seller cancelled the transaction and refunded me after I paid. So there isn't even a "report seller" link that I can see. But it still bugs me that this person was pretty clearly evasive and not being honest with what transpired.

Zaphod · (This post was last modified: 11-14-2018 05:31 PM by Zaphod.)

Ebay would probably just pay lip service to you and your concerns ...

They’d probably say ‘they take your information very seriously’ and that it would be ‘put in the records’ and they’ve passed it to their investigation team .....

But more than likely they’ll just file your call in the bin as soon as they put the phone down on you.

Amazon are the same ........

Just move on and forget the asswipe.

burkhard · 11-14-2018, 06:17 PM

(11-14-2018 05:31 PM)Zaphod Wrote: Just move on and forget the asswipe.

Yes, I suspect you are right. Still annoyed, though, and wish it were possible to leave feedback other buyers would see. Oh well. Dead Woodstocks are not super-rare, so I'll just keep looking :-)

Harald · 11-14-2018, 08:09 PM

Was it this auction by any chance?
29c

I did bid on it an then realized the seller didn't ship to Germany. Somewhat lucky I didn't win the auction

burkhard · 11-14-2018, 08:24 PM

(11-14-2018 08:09 PM)Harald Wrote: Was it this auction by any chance?
29c

I did bid on it an then realized the seller didn't ship to Germany. Somewhat lucky I didn't win the auction

No. Although I had seen it, I had somehow forgotten to get a bid in on that one.
It is peculiar (and misleading) that it shows up on eBay.de site if they don't ship to Germany.

In any event, that seller you point to there is probably legit / on the level / ehrlich.
Over the years, I have had remarkable success with online sellers in multiple countries. It is only a scant minority that are unscrupulous. Even with the other guy I mention, I didn't lose any money...

**rprosperi** · 11-14-2018, 11:14 PM

(11-14-2018 04:34 PM)burkhard Wrote: So, has anyone ever filed a complaint with eBay over seller activity like this? How? As far as eBay is concerned, I didn't actually purchase the item since the seller cancelled the transaction and refunded me after I paid. So there isn't even a "report seller" link that I can see. But it still bugs me that this person was pretty clearly evasive and not being honest with what transpired.

You can still leave feedback, even though the purchase was cancelled. As the item was cancelled, it is no longer available in your Purchase History, but there is another way to get at the list of ALL your transactions.

Here's how:

1. Login to your eBay account
2. Go to your "My eBay" page
3. Click on Account on the upper left, just under "My eBay"
4. In the My Account box on the left, the 6th item down is "Feedback" - click this
5. You should now see (scroll down a bit) a list of all your transactions, so you can let the world know what a truly special person this seller is.

Leaving negative feedback may not help you to feel any better about this seller's tactics (I agree, he/she likely decided the bidding didn't go as high as they wanted) but it may warn the next guy enough to stay away.

If you really want to help the seller to see the light, watch his/her new listings for the next couple weeks to see if he/she lists the 29C again. If so, I would then call eBay support and report what happened. You have to be patient when you call, but the last couple support folks I spoke with seemed to 'get it' and were very helpful.

Albert Chan · 11-15-2018, 12:04 AM

(11-14-2018 04:34 PM)burkhard Wrote: The next day, i received a message that said only "I'm so sorry, I dropped it getting it ready for shipping.
I have issued a full refund."

At least the seller kills the bid tactfully. He did say sorry ...

I had once bid for a used hard drive, and wins the bid.
The seller just say, point blank, he is not honoring the bid, "postage cost me more"

burkhard · 11-15-2018, 02:43 AM

Brilliant, Bob! Thank you so much—you really know your way around the site! I did just what you said. One doesn't have many characters to write, but I could at least ding him. I'm sure he'll post some "explanation" but he refused to further reply to me after the two curt answers posted above, so I am pretty sure my assessment of his action was accurate. I gave him the benefit of the doubt at first...

I won't bother complaining to eBay when he relists eventually. He should have gotten my point that it was not a cool way to treat buyers and that is good enough (along with a visible ding on his score).

(11-14-2018 11:14 PM)rprosperi Wrote: You can still leave feedback, even though the purchase was cancelled. As the item was cancelled, it is no longer available in your Purchase History, but there is another way to get at the list of ALL your transactions.

Here's how:

1. Login to your eBay account
2. Go to your "My eBay" page
3. Click on Account on the upper left, just under "My eBay"
4. In the My Account box on the left, the 6th item down is "Feedback" - click this
5. You should now see (scroll down a bit) a list of all your transactions, so you can let the world know what a truly special person this seller is.

Leaving negative feedback may not help you to feel any better about this seller's tactics (I agree, he/she likely decided the bidding didn't go as high as they wanted) but it may warn the next guy enough to stay away.

If you really want to help the seller to see the light, watch his/her new listings for the next couple weeks to see if he/she lists the 29C again. If so, I would then call eBay support and report what happened. You have to be patient when you call, but the last couple support folks I spoke with seemed to 'get it' and were very helpful.

**rprosperi** · 11-15-2018, 03:35 AM

(11-15-2018 02:43 AM)burkhard Wrote: Brilliant, Bob! Thank you so much—you really know your way around the site!

Well, it's really just evidence of having spent far too much time (and money) on eBay.

Glad it helped. And I'd still report him if he relists it...

markhen · 11-15-2018, 08:07 AM

I had a very similar situation (34c) and I left negative feedback for the seller, who promptly contacted me and asked if I would retract the feedback since he had now “found” the “lost” calculator... I did, and I got the original deal (and am happy with the machine). But a bad taste.... Bottom line - feedback does matter on a crowd site.....