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While sellers often complain about Chinese buyers, here is a case to show some complaints are nonsense.

I bought 5 stamp lots of varies values from seller "apache2011" who is located in Germany. Things are alright except one lot of 9 stamps, one of them is torn 5mm, another with corner tooth about to fall. The defects are not listed in item description.

I emailed the seller suggesting a partial refund as I am happy with the rest of stamps. I didn't even mention the refund amount, it was a polite message to tell apache2011 he is making mistakes.

10 days gone, no reply. apache2011 was online in those 10 days, he gave feedbacks to other buyers.

I was totally ignored. Alright, so negative feedback left, "2 of 9 stamps torn. Messaged seller for resolution, no reply in 10 days". Miracle happened! apache2011 replied the next day. He gave a remark at his own feedback section to my words:

"always trouble with Chinese bidders except very few ! late or no payment etc."

He now points at me saying buyers from China are trouble makers.

I am not from China. I made my payment within 3 days (yet it took 22 full days for him to make shipment after I paid by Paypal). And most of all, the seller's stamps are TORN.

apache2011's just tries to confuse readers with generalization and shift the attention away from his faults. Thank you eBay for having the seller exclusion function in item searching, apache2011 is forever blocked, and I hope he blocks me too, so I won't mistakenly bid on items from him in the future.

Your profile says you are from Hong Kong.

Has it gone back to Britain from being part of CHINA, and no-one told us?

Where did he ship it? If to HKG, he correctly says on feedback you are in China.

You do not show scans or indicate value of the lot. Yes you label this seller "dishonest" as he did not give you a partial refund - i.e. asking for a discount onr the stamps you bid on via his photo, that you do not show us.

It might have been a few stamps in a 99c lot, in which case a bad perf or tear is no big deal.

I know a few people from Hong Kong - and they hate people saying that they are from China.

Would be good to see a pic.

Some Tasmanians think they are not Australian too, but I have news for them!

This allegedly "Dishonest" seller sold a set of 6 for 12 Euro.

3 stamps are duplicated, so if the alleged tear was in them, no big deal.

http://www.ebay.ph/itm/170807149017

Current SG Cat is £65 and a new SG is on way to me now so cat will be higher than £65 for sure. Maybe £80 or so.

Sisophon tries to get the 12 Euro price he bid discounted, and leaves Negative when seller ignores his request and now calls seller "dishonest".

What you do is return the goods for a refund if not happy - not leave negatives.

Tell you what Sisophon. Mail them to me for the 12 Euro and I'll be happy with them.

Seller seems to have offered good value items. This lot is Cat £70 in the old SG and look to be all fine -

http://www.ebay.ph/itm/170807143474

Sisophon paid 22 Euro - BARGAIN.

Can someone remind me WHY I have no time for the 3 Ring Circus that is ebay?

Glen

In the course of my army career, I was posted to Hong Kong for two years, during which time I could have bought on EBay (had it existed then). Doesn't make me less British.

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With kind regards, Jim

Glen, if you cannot tell the difference between Hongkong and China, you are welcome to visit more.

Politically yes, the city is in Beijing's hand; socially no, Hongkong is not run by China in the way you think, still two separated entities. Both the Chinese Customs and the Hongkong Customs are present at the border, you need travel documents to get through, and the Chinese currency is not legal tender of Hongkong. Things stay much the same as in the colonial era, except the Queen's portrait is replaced by some stars, and of course, the Commies are sneakily trying to eliminate the separation.

Hongkong and China is not the same as NSW and Tassie. You don't need a passport to go from NSW to Tassie, do you?

And you are reminded that if your mail to Hongkong has the word "China" on it, there is a fair chance it is sent to Shanghai instead of Hongkong, no kidding.

btw, other than HKG my profile here says CBR as well, that is Canberra. I do not use my ACT GPO box for eBay.


Back to stamps.

Glen, you have to understand that, when I bought the lot, I have taken stamp duplication into consideration. You look closer, one dup is stained (4f), one dup has missing corner (20f). So I am not buying 9 stamps, they are just 7 stamps, and 2 pieces of rubbish.

Out of the 7 stamps, now 2 are damaged, one has a 5mm torn which is not visible both on front and back, you only know it when you hold it with your tongs. The other has an about-to-fall-off corner, again, it isn't shown in the scan.

I bought the lot primarily for 3 particular stamps, one of them is the orange 8f, it is very hard to find it even in VF condition, and this one is torn. So ended up I paid 16 USD for so called 9 stamps, which in fact only 2 stamps in my collection and 3 unwanted stamps to re-sell (not in full set), and 4 damaged down the bin.

I ask for partial refund as I want the seller to know he is not doing his job, it is his responsibility to describe the items accurately. It is not about how much I bought the lot, this is a free bidding, it could have ended up at 12euro, 24 euro, or 60 euro or any amount we don't know, my proxy bid was definitely way more than 12 euro, I assure you. Please do not use the outcome to judge the cause.

If dealers think they can cheat buyers to purchase defects and use the price to justify dishonesty, they are very wrong, and they should be sanctioned.

Since you seem to have empathy for apache2011, maybe you can explain why he said about my transaction:

"always trouble with Chinese bidders except very few ! late or no payment etc."

Should my payment made within 3 days be considered "late" or "no payment"? And how should I put it when he sent the stuffs 22 days after payment made? What about his "no reply" attitude?





Absolutely.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

Did you try the "Resolution Center" process to communicate with the seller?

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Stamps on eBay: USA & worldwide. Lots of Dr. Who, Star Trek & Star Wars comics, too. Do Advanced search for Seller ddaannv and Keyword the country you collect (or leave Keyword blank).

Before leaving negative feedback you should have at least opened an item not as described either with Paypal or with Ebay, 99% of the time that will get a sellers attention. Like myself, most sellers will not entertain a partial refund, after all we have no way of knowing whether the stamps you say are damaged actually are.

You still have not told us WHICH stamps these are.

A small tear "not visible on front or back" does not make a seller "dishonest".

Er ... next sentence:


Given that you actually posted the picture yourself, which part of "the orange 8f" wasn't clear to you? Read the damn thing.

OK, giving quick negative feedback isn't the best way to handle this (it's supposed to be what negative feedback is for, but in practice it never worked out that way). Simplest procedure is just to force the issue by raising an eBay complaint, getting a refund, and then work something out if necessary. Or take Glen up on his offer to pay 12 Euros for them.

It may well have been a honest mistake from a volume seller. On the other hand, the dismissive and stereotyping response was both well out of order and not at all responsive to the actual complaint. If he gets criticism, well, he invited it.

I did read the damn thing you smart arse, and the buyer stated -

"2 of 9 stamps torn"

Do you have a crystal balls as to WHICH of the alleged 2 tears is 5mm? And even that is allegedly not visible front or back according to buyer.

Bottom line - you do not buy a set of stamps for a fraction of cat price, and then counter offer the seller on the very low price you paid.

And then leave a negative when he declines to respond, as he has no obligation to do.

And if you do, and you have an Asian name, and the goods are shipped to HKG (part of China) you cannot complain about what the seller commented re the rude negative.

Indeed you are very lucky sellers no longer can leave Negatives or Neutrals or you'd have a taste of your own medicine on your own feedback.

You would if I were the seller.

Sisophon,

I suspect Glen can tell the difference between HK and China.

I certainly can, because one of my sons just moved from Beijing to HK, and I've been to both places in 1982 and in 2009.

Just this week I blocked buyers from China due to "lost in the mail." I did not block buyers from HK.

It doesn't matter where you are FROM, though, there are dishonest sellers and buyers everywhere.

There are honest sellers who don't write well and honest buyers who don't read well. Caveat emptor on eBay and everywhere else in the world.

Just know that honest sellers are at a great disadvantage on eBay for many reasons. And please give them the benefit of the doubt. In a situation like this, use the Resolution Center if a seller is not responsive.

It should be always okay to arrange to return a lot that is NOT as described.

It is also okay for the seller to decline an offer of a partial refund for reasons stated by others earlier in the thread.

Stampboards is a good place to vent one's frustrations, and a TERRIFIC place to learn.

So, THANK YOU to Glen and to the many board moderators.

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Stamps on eBay: USA & worldwide. Lots of Dr. Who, Star Trek & Star Wars comics, too. Do Advanced search for Seller ddaannv and Keyword the country you collect (or leave Keyword blank).

Was nice to be able to add this dishonest buyer to my blocked bidder list, thank you OP.

Glen, apache2011 isn't selling unsorted/unchecked lots ! So he is supposed to examine his items for accurate description. The 8f torn may not be very visible when flat on the table, but it is visible once the stamp is picked up, there is no way apache2011 didn't notice the split, unless he did not pick up the stamp by any means.

Even if, I say if, defect was not known to the seller, I did write to the seller about this. He did not make any attempt to do reconciliation, no apology, not even a reply, this is the prime reason why he deserves negative feedback.

My feedback is not rude. Glen, look at the Buyer Complaint Process of Paypal, "sellers who don't respond will default the claim, which automatically refunds the buyer." Silence is not gold. For those whose mums didn't teach manner: when someone speaks to you and you turn your head giving no reply, this is rude.

If apache2011 knows his stamps are damaged before selling, he is dishonest. If he didn't know, I emailed him, yet his feedback remark hints as if I made late payment or didn't pay at all, this wrong accusation and attention shift is a dishonest act as well. He is just dishonest.

It doesn't matter which stamps are damaged. Do not stuck in there. As I have said, this is free/open bidding without ceiling, the final price realized could have been $1 or $50 or $100. You are saying I make a fuss on such cheap lot, what if I bought at $100? Should I complain then? If the answer changes from no to yes, you are making the seller's fault a dependent variable, it is not a variable.




I messaged the seller by ebay mail, so it is just the same as messaging him through resolution centre, certainly he received my message.

You are right, he can decline an offer of a partial refund. Unfortunately he simply gave no reply, silence is unacceptable.

I complained about damaged items, his remark about my feedback is then about "late or no payment etc". This wrong accusation and shift of attention shows his cunningness and strengthens the idea that he cheats.

sisophon -
The reason I suggested using the resolution center is that if the seller does not respond at all, you could get a full refund.

This is the reason I have blocked buyers from (mainland) China and from Italy - buyers there are either more likely to be dishonest, or the mail system there is corrupt or inefficient.

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Stamps on eBay: USA & worldwide. Lots of Dr. Who, Star Trek & Star Wars comics, too. Do Advanced search for Seller ddaannv and Keyword the country you collect (or leave Keyword blank).

I have to return the lot in order to have a refund. It means I have to send the items by airmail with tracking, and this expensive postage is not refundable.

It doesn't worth the trouble if the items are not high valued. My idea of partial refund is just to make the seller understand that he cannot get away if he fails to describe his items accurately.

Certainly I have considered the possibility of his decline regarding my partial refund suggestion. I will not leave him feedback and that is it, case closed. My whole point is not to make a big bargain, I am not the kind of people who save coupons or visit xmas sales (nothing wrong with that, just I don't do that!).

Not necessarily true.

I've had people state they have emailed me through ebay in this way yet I have never received those emails, for some reason they have become lost in the ebay ether.

Cobbie10 said:


and ack.

I have found the eBay resolution process very useful in contacting "non-responsive" vendors - and used the mechanism to get a partial refund.

The established complaint resolution processes have been abandoned, by choice of the buyer, who seems to be more interested in retaining (apparently flawed, but not illustrated as such) items purchased though an auction process at a further discount.

I don't believe I have dealt with either the buyer or seller on eBay - but at this stage, I'm inclined to side with the seller on the one...

I would like to see the title of this thread changed. There is absolutely no evidence that apache2011 is the least bit dishonest. This rage over a lost penny is the only negative/neutral apache has on his record.

Sellers on eBay aren't perfect. Buyers on eBay aren't perfect. Surprise, eBay itself isn't perfect. But there are mechanisms to work around the imperfections. The eBay resolution center is there for a purpose, and works well enough. Angry emails directed to the seller, as Cobbie10 suggests, can often go awry.

Even though negative comment has been left, it is still possible for it to be deleted. I don't have the link right at hand, but either party can initiate this from their comment page.

Negative comments are not a mere gentle reprimand. They are a public insult in a global marketplace, and should be carefully considered before posting. For larger sellers, they also can affect any discount on fees the seller gets from eBay.

I do agree that the comments the seller made (likely in haste and anger) were crude and regrettable. Those can be erased too, if you work together.

This can only happen if both parties agree and I do not see the OP agreeing to this, he seems to be too bull headed.

Confucis say: Collector who makes big fuss over trivial matter sure to develop lousy collection.

Rod

I don't get it? The stain is obvious and the missing perf is obvious.

The only question is about a tear that cannot be seen. Perhaps even the seller didn't know the stamp was torn. Your word against his.

For a fair an reasonable understanding of both sides of a story or dispute what was actually said needs to be explained - I can't see that here yet, so how do we publish on the web and complain about a seller's response and believe a warning without knowing what you actually told him?

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Greg - Looking for Goulburn Australia Cancels and Grangemouth Scotland Cancels and Covers
Member of the S.T.A.M.P Club for Slightly Twisted And Mad Philatelists - Motto: "Bring back the lick!"

I don't understand the argument here. The seller's only responsibility is to describe the item accurately so that the buyer can judge whether he wants it and what a fair price is. Some collectors don't mind creases, stains, hinge marks, short perfs, etc, while others would never buy stamps with these faults, no matter what the price. This is a matter of principle and has nothing to do with the price !!!

Several years ago I had a similar argument with a large, reputable and reliable auction house. A block that I won had 2 separated perfs that were not mentioned in the lot description. I emailed that I wanted to return the block but was refused on the grounds that the separation was "trivial" and did not affect the value, in his "expert opinion".

I replied that I never buy blocks with separated perfs, and that I greatly respect his expertise, but that in this situation his only responsibility is to accurately describe the lot so that I - and not him - can decide whether it is trivial and whether it affects the value !

I got the refund.