sold my laptop on ebay now problems

[stars1]

Hi I'm hoping someone can help me, I sold a laptop on ebay last week, it was bought in 2003 for 900 pounds and it was a packard bell M5284. When I bought this and when i sold it on ebay it was 512 mb ram, so i find it strange that when the buyer has received it, it now only has 256 mb in. It took them over a week to get in touch so naturally I have already left them positive feedback. They have a feedback rating of 14, I have a feeback rating of 1480. I'm just a bit lost as to how to go about this as I know it was 512 mb ram, everywhere I have looked have said that these are standard 512 mb ram. I did state it had a fault in the description, which was that the battery doesn't hold its charge, but it works fine when plugged in the mains.
So on the message I got first time round, It said that I had advertised it as something it wasn't, which I replied back and said that I hadn't altered any of the hardware on the system since I had bought it and that this was bought with 512 mb as standard, which is what it was, but I was happy to refund the money for the computer on return. I then got this message back
I am not happy has the item was advertised with 512mb but only has 256mb you should have checked this before writing your listing. I have checked the Internet and this model was sold with either 256 or 512 when new due to the mistake on your part I take it you will cover the cost of return postage?
Firstly I'm not sure where they are looking on the internet because all the pages I have seen state its a 512mb, and I know that it was a 512 mb, and I feel a bit like why should I pay for the return postage because I know how I sold it and I never put any false information in the listing, I know its my word against theres but can anybody give me any advice please.
thanks

[stars1]

Hi I packaged this up lovely in bubble warp and in a box that fits, so I'd be suprised if the ram had jolted out as everything was intact before it left. I used city link too and had fragile all over the box too. I did take a picture of the serial number in my listing which I still have is there a way I can trace what the ram was through this? would I need to contact packard bell?
thanks

[pinkshoes]

How much did you get for a 9 year old laptop???

Are you 100% sure it was 512 ram? (Not because the box said so, but because you have an image from the booted computer showing the ram).

Was/is the case still sealed?

[stars1]

Hi I packaged it up really carefully, bubble wrapped it and put it in a box to fit it, so there wasnt a lot of space for it to move around and had fragile all over it, I didn't take an image of the mb ram, but I know it was a 512, because thats what I bought it as and I never added to the hardware or anything,I sold it as a buy it now £49.99.

[Crowqueen]

Originally Posted by Allison Haskins

If it was sold with either 512 or 256, it's just possible that a 256Mb RAM 'stick' could have been jolted out its socket in transit and hence the laptop is reporting the 256Mb left. You could ask buyer to pop open the "door" in the case to check/reseat.

However it's more likely this is a scammer whose is looking for a 'goodwill' partial refund or will SNAD you and sent back their totally broken laptop. IIRC there's no obligation to refund their postage on a SNAD esp. if the seller is TSFE.

Do you have the serial # and did you put that in the listing?

You seem to be out to convince everyone that buyers who have problems with items they have been sold are scammers. The law and eBay buyer protection requires that people give the benefit of the doubt when a buyer complains. You provide a convincing explanation of what is happening here and components do get jolted in the post. So why go on to say 'buyer is probably a scammer' when you can't know that for certain?

There is an obligation to provide return postage on SNAD returns; eBay can't enforce it but looking at SOGA closely, which mandates the refund of return postage, it's quite possible it applies to private sellers as well.

Yes, there are possible scams, but having sold something on eBay there is no way they can refuse a return if a buyer wants one. The buyer here has an issue with what OP sold; they paid for 512 MB computer and only apparently got a 256 MB computer. So --- how are they TSFE? how are they automatically a scammer?

It's the seller's responsibility to deal with this as it stands. OP needs to look into this and forget the clash of feedback, people with 14 FB are just as entitled to what they paid for as anyone else is.

OP - I would ask them to return the item if they are not happy with it. Forget anything else. Then you are either making a genuine person happier or putting off a chancer out for a partial refund; I would ask for photos or screenshots of the memory capacity showing (the PrtSc button on most computers copies what is on the screen to the clipboard, allowing them to paste it into Paint or another image editor and to then save the picture as a jpg). If they open a dispute you will be forced to refund, and they will be forced to return, so unless you can provide proof that the buyer is lying it's probably better not to rock the boat. Electronics can go wonky in the post, however carefully they are packed a random jolt can upset things, and what Alison says initially makes sense to me - but you can't unfortunately defend the claim without certain things, so you need to just ask the buyer to return the item.

[porto bello]

I'd say Allison has hit the nail on the head here.

Since 256 is conveniently exactly 50% of 512 I'm guessing the buyer is trying for a 50% discount, so they receive a £50 item for the bargain price of £25.

Electrical components tend to work - or not - they rarely suddenly work at exactly 50% capacity, the minute they are sold on eBay!

Another slight possibility is that the buyer has swapped the component themself, but it's far more likely they are looking for the quick and dirty 50% reduction.
[Probably they have heard that somebody else managed to successfully pull this stunt on someone less IT acquainted].

What can Stars do? Well at the end of the day, eBay will enforce a refund, but will do so only if the buyer returns the item via a tracked form of shipping. So Stars can insist that the item is returned (and assuming Stars is a small private seller) at the buyer's cost. [Then, in the very unlikely event that the buyer's story is true, the untouched laptop's components will show 256mb].

This should allow Stars to resell the laptop to a genuine buyer for the full amount, avoiding the loss of £25. However, there is a chance with this kind of buyer that if they are forced to return the item, they will either ensure it arrives broken and beyond economic repair, or that they substitute it for another laptop of lower specification.

If it were me, given this situation, I would insist the item were returned and put the ball back in the buyer's court, but personally, I completely avoid second-hand electronics on eBay, as a buyer or seller.

[macfly]

I agree portly. That model was sold with one stick of memory, so to show 256 is totally impossible. If memory fails, it fails.

[pinkshoes]

Originally Posted by stars1

I didn't take an image of the mb ram, but I know it was a 512, because thats what I bought it as and I never added to the hardware or anything,I sold it as a buy it now £49.99.

I know you bought it as a 512, but is there any possibility it never was a 512, and you've always had the 256 version without realising? You can only know this by checking when the computer was booted, and checking the spec by doing a run DIR thingy...

For £50, they seem to be making a lot of effort, and don't seem to be requesting an actual refund, so perhaps they're genuine?

[porto bello]

Originally Posted by pinkshoes

I know you bought it as a 512, but is there any possibility it never was a 512, and you've always had the 256 version without realising? You can only know this by checking when the computer was booted, and checking the spec by doing a run DIR thingy...

For £50, they seem to be making a lot of effort, and don't seem to be requesting an actual refund, so perhaps they're genuine?

I don't think there is any realistic chance that this particular computer on an assembly line somehow managed to be fitted with a different part to all of the identical others.

But the clue is that they have never wanted a refund. What they have said is it's only 50% as good as the seller stated, so (it won't be any great surprise) if the next step is that they want something better: to keep the laptop AND have half the money returned.

For 50% (£25 refund) they aren't really going to any great lengths by sending a few messages... This situation might not be the first time for them.

[Avoriaz]

If I have found the correct listing, you appear to have sold it twice, once for £25 + £15 postage and three days later for £49.99.

Or did you have two identical laptops with the same spec and the same problem?

[porto bello]

Originally Posted by Avoriaz

If I have found the correct listing, you appear to have sold it twice, once for £25 + £15 postage and three days later for £49.99.

Or did you have two identical laptops with the same spec and the same problem?

Interesting. Did you also notice that the winner of the £49.99 laptop also won another auction for another laptop, from another seller, only this morning?

[Avoriaz]

Originally Posted by porto bello

Interesting. Did you also notice that the winner of the £49.99 laptop also won another auction for another laptop, from another seller, only this morning?

I didn't search that far but, if that is so, then it is possible that this buyer has bought two laptops, only wants one and is looking to get out of one purchase.

That happened to me once with some speakers. Fortunately my buyer just never paid so I relisted, sold for a similar amount and the first buyer got a NPB for his pains.

If the OP's buyer had any sense he would just sell the unwanted laptop and avoid all the hassle of returning it etc.

But, as we know, honesty, intelligence and common sense are sometimes in short supply on ebay.

Actually, that isn't really true. I have an almost 100% easy and smooth buying and selling experience with only a few problems in over 1,000 transactions.

[shegirl]

Originally Posted by porto bello

Interesting. Did you also notice that the winner of the £49.99 laptop also won another auction for another laptop, from another seller, only this morning?

Maybe because he isn't happy with the one he already bought?

[soolin]

Originally Posted by Allison Haskins

In my experience, they are!

If I thought all buyers were scammers I would give up selling !

[paddyrg]

well, a 256MB stick of RAM should cost pennies if you can even find it, send him one in the post, cheaper than return postage even...

[stars1]

Originally Posted by Avoriaz

If I have found the correct listing, you appear to have sold it twice, once for £25 + £15 postage and three days later for £49.99.

Or did you have two identical laptops with the same spec and the same problem?

I sold it the first time on a bidding system, and the buyer backed out at the last minute, so I then put it back on ebay on a 3 day listing buy it now and it sold within the day to this buyer

[stars1]

Just to let you know the computer is being returned she is wanting a full refund, and I'm having to organise a courier for pick up. So I now wait to see what condition it comes back in, I will keep you posted. Thanks for all your comments I appreciate every single one of them.

[porto bello]

Originally Posted by stars1

Just to let you know the computer is being returned she is wanting a full refund, and I'm having to organise a courier for pick up. So I now wait to see what condition it comes back in, I will keep you posted. Thanks for all your comments I appreciate every single one of them.

Stars, more experienced eBayers may advise you differently, but I would not organise the courier. The courier will pick up 'a parcel' and if it turns out to be a box of magazines, the buyer will end up with both the money AND the laptop.

I would leave it to the buyer to return the item tracked, at their own risk. You will probably receive bad feedback if you insist on this, but quite honestly, I think you are going to get it anyway - I'm not at all convinced by this buyer's 'issue'.

[fishpond]

May I ask why you are arranging a courier?

[stars1]

Originally Posted by fishpond

May I ask why you are arranging a courier?

because the cost of sending it through royal mail is considerably more and if I have to pay the return postage I want it as cheap as possible. Maybe not the best move I appreciate, but if it came back through the royal mail I would be looking at around £25 postage and packing