Ebaying competition win - advice on guarantee

MimiJane

Hi all,

I've recently won an expensive camera in a competition and would like to ebay it. I haven't opened the box, but it does come with a "warranty card" apparently. No word re. a guarantee as such, but I presume it comes with the normal one year's manufacturer's guarantee, though there's nothing on the box to state this and, of course, I have no receipt.


My concern is that something may go wrong with it during the first year - could there be any comeback on me? Should I ebay it, is there any wording I should use to cover myself?


Thanks.

Crowqueen

Well, as a private seller you remain liable for the item being in working order when it arrives at the buyer - you can't cover yourself against that, obviously; and the forty-five day eBay buyer protection usually applies although if contested they usually find in favour of the seller if the item has been used for any length of time by the buyer. It's been shown sometimes to be very flimsy in the event of an item going faulty as opposed to being damaged or not working on arrival.

Personally I would honour any claim within 45 days and be prepared for the fact that the guarantee may not be transferrable. I wouldn't try to indemnify myself; I'd work with the buyer within a reasonable space of time including accepting a return even outside the 45 day period and dealing with the manufacturer myself, given the existence of a guarantee. I wouldn't want to turn someone away - I'd like to give them the confidence of buying from me at point-of-sale, which is always preferable to packing my auction with loads of disclaimers etc which says to buyers 'in the event of a problem, talk to the hand'.

On the very rare occasion that this would happen to me I might not sell it through eBay at all, as electronic items are not something I'm comfortable buying there, for various reasons including postal damage as well as life-span, and I wouldn't want to get loads of money for something only to have to pay it back a few weeks later because the item was faulty. If I wanted money for it I might take it to CEX or somewhere like that - less money but less risk of something e.g. being damaged in the post.

MimiJane

Thanks for the great advice Crowqueen. Never heard of Cex, but there is one not too far from me, so I'll look into it. I don't want to risk my good feedback and want to avoid any possible hassle, so probably the way to go ...

chancesare_2

CEX are online at http://uk.webuy.com

Crowqueen

My boyfriend goes in there quite often - to buy raffle prizes for a sci-fi club he runs - and I stand and drool looking at the electronic gizmos in the window that I can't afford. I'd probably buy new (at least in the last-year's-model sales perhaps) but it doesn't stop me wishing I could keep away from eBay long enough to amass some dough for a smartphone.