Faulty camera from ebay, shipped from UK but seller listed in China?

jmc160

Hi folks!

I bought my son an action cam for his birthday this year, best price I found for a brand new one was on eBay. Two months later, the Micro SD card slot has failed so it appears the camera is faulty. I've contacted the seller via eBay to try and get this resolved, and they've apologised and offered me £10 as a partial refund (camera cost a little over £60) and said I can keep the camera and get it repaired myself.

Now, I have no idea how much a repair like that would cost in the real world, also after looking closer at the item, which I made sure was shipped from the UK, while that is the case it appears the seller account is registered in China.

Anyone have any idea what my rights are in this scenario?

Many thanks in advance.

EDIT: I've just had another look at the seller info and they have a VAT number on their page. I've checked it and it appears it's valid, registered to the same company name as the Paypal transaction shows, and is registered to an address in Manchester. However their info page on eBay lists an address in China. Based on all this, I would hope I have some rights here, but it's eBay so I'm not sure how this will all go down.

jblessing

No one is going to repair a camera (even if it was possible) for £10. Either write it off or ask Ebay to resolve it.

macman

Manufacturer's warranty?

DoaM

Was it a business seller or a private individual? If a business seller then all parts of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply.

I'd suggest that you contact them and request either (change the order to suit yourself):

1. A repair (with them bearing all costs involved) OR
2. A full refund (with you returning the camera at their cost) OR
3. A replacement (with you returning the camera at their cost)

As it must be less than 6 months since purchase then the above are your rights in respect of a remedy. IMHO a £10 refund doesn't cut it - even with you retaining the goods, as the nature of the fault makes the camera useless.

George_Michael

DoaM wrote: »

If a business seller then all parts of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply.

Even if the seller is registered in China?

The camera may have been shipped from the UK but if the seller is based in China then the CRA will have little relevance to the contract.

DoaM

I've assumed the seller (on Ebay) is registered in the UK but sources goods from China (to store and ship from the UK). If the seller is indeed registered in China then you're correct. Thanks for clarifying.

jmc160

DoaM wrote: »

Was it a business seller or a private individual? If a business seller then all parts of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply.

I'd suggest that you contact them and request either (change the order to suit yourself):

1. A repair (with them bearing all costs involved) OR
2. A full refund (with you returning the camera at their cost) OR
3. A replacement (with you returning the camera at their cost)

As it must be less than 6 months since purchase then the above are your rights in respect of a remedy. IMHO a £10 refund doesn't cut it - even with you retaining the goods, as the nature of the fault makes the camera useless.

Not sure how to check if it's business or private, but based on the amount of feedback, etc. I've assumed business. Thanks for the info, I've emailed them with basically what you've said. Now I'll need to wait a couple of days and see if they come back to me. If not, or if we can't come to an agreement, based on the fact it's only two months old and I paid with my Paypal balance, could I claim back through the buyer protection thing?

jmc160

George_Michael wrote: »

Even if the seller is registered in China?

The camera may have been shipped from the UK but if the seller is based in China then the CRA will have little relevance to the contract.

This is the main concern. The item did indeed ship from the UK, but when I logged in to contact them when the camera failed a couple of days ago, I noticed that the seller is registered in China and looking at my Paypal history, it appears that's where the payment has gone too. If they're registered in China, then I really have no idea how to proceed.

EDIT: I've just had another look at the seller info and they have a VAT number on their page. I've checked it and it appears it's valid, registered to the same company name as the Paypal transaction shows, and is registered to an address in Manchester. However their info page on eBay lists an address in China. I'll add this info to the OP as well.