Spares/repairs ebay return advice needed

jack_121

Hi Thanks for reading.

I purchased a pioneer amplifier from a car boot which turned out to be broken, would not power up.

I sold it on ebay as spares/repairs.

Got an email from the buyer saying that there are parts missing from inside the amplifier, circuit boards have been changed.

Where do i stand. I did not open the amplifier to check, just labeled it as spares/repairs, and hoped that would be enough to make people wary.

Thanks

soolin

jack_121 said:

Hi Thanks for reading.

I purchased a pioneer amplifier from a car boot which turned out to be broken, would not power up.

I sold it on ebay as spares/repairs.

Got an email from the buyer saying that there are parts missing from inside the amplifier, circuit boards have been changed.

Where do i stand. I did not open the amplifier to check, just labeled it as spares/repairs, and hoped that would be enough to make people wary.

Thanks

Did you sell it in the category for parts or in the main category for Amps? 

jack_121

I sold it in amps and premaps, then in the drop down menu it said to select condition, and i chose spares repairs.

The listing states: " For parts or not working " at the top of the page just under the title.

Thanks

Browntoa

Personally I'd expect all parts to be inside unless stated otherwise in the description

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Problem with spare and repairs is you get some people who don't read anything and think they have a bargain or you get some people who do repair stuff but might not be honest, take bits out and send it back again. 

Unfortunately if the buyer opens a not as described return eBay will expect you to cover the return cost and then refund when it comes back.

In my view spares and repairs means you take your chances and get what you get. 

fwor

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

In my view spares and repairs means you take your chances and get what you get. 

Unfortunately that's not going to be an acceptable solution for most people buying something "for spares". If I buy something that's not working, I expect all of the parts that you could use "as spares" to be present, unless the seller said otherwise.

So you really need to be clear what you are selling.

In this case the seller didn't even check inside to see what was there, so (in practical terms) it was as much a gamble on their part as the buyer's.

jack_121

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated.

Do you think i should defend myself in this instance and refuse a return. Which way would you go?

Also what do you think i should do in the future. I do sell electronic items now and again but am no electrician, even if i did open an item up i will have no idea if parts are missing or if parts have been exchanged, i just see a puzzling spaghetti junction of wires and strangely coloured parts.

I am honest but do not have the qualifications or experience to troubleshoot circuit boards. I want to just list an item in a quick hassle free manner and the buyer has to accept whatever is inside. At the same time i do want to make some money to cover my costs ebay and paypal fees, so do not want to list the item in a derogotory manner.

Thank you

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

fwor said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

In my view spares and repairs means you take your chances and get what you get. 

Unfortunately that's not going to be an acceptable solution for most people buying something "for spares". If I buy something that's not working, I expect all of the parts that you could use "as spares" to be present, unless the seller said otherwise.

So you really need to be clear what you are selling.

In this case the seller didn't even check inside to see what was there, so (in practical terms) it was as much a gamble on their part as the buyer's.

With a private sale the goods only have to match the description, unless it's stated that all parts are present there shouldn't be the expectation that they are and the price you accept to pay should reflect that risk.

The difference in this case is the item was sold on eBay which affords the buyer the benefit of the eBay guarantee where eBay won't get involved in the nitty gritty of who is right or wrong but just expect the seller to accept the item back for a refund. 

If something is sold as spares and repairs via an avenue that doesn't have any such protection it is a case of you get what you get as you'd have no recourse unless the description (including pictures or any messages to answer questions, etc) was incorrect. 

If you buy from a business you obviously have more rights. 

soolin

I always think a phone call to ebay is worth a try, I have won cases in this sort of situation before. However when I sell for parts or spares only I also mark in the main description box and item specifics - may also be incomplete. 

fwor

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

With a private sale the goods only have to match the description, unless it's stated that all parts are present there shouldn't be the expectation that they are and the price you accept to pay should reflect that risk.

Sorry, but as both a seller and a buyer, I can't agree, and as either a seller or a buyer, I would expect Ebay to side with the buyer.

As Soolin says, if you are unsure whether it's complete, then you should say that it may be incomplete.

If as a buyer I am told that I am buying an amplifier of a given make and model then I expect all of the parts to be present that make it an amplifier (rather than just a shell with some random components stuck inside). Ok, some of those components may not be working, but they have to be present - unless the seller says that it isn't complete (or may not be complete).

Having said that, I'm sympathetic with the seller - but it's just a hazard of reselling on Ebay non-working stuff that you don't fully know the history of. Being realistic, you have to expect that some of it will be rejected by the buyer and come back to you (at your expense).

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

fwor said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

With a private sale the goods only have to match the description, unless it's stated that all parts are present there shouldn't be the expectation that they are and the price you accept to pay should reflect that risk.

Sorry, but as both a seller and a buyer, I can't agree, and as either a seller or a buyer, I would expect Ebay to side with the buyer.

As Soolin says, if you are unsure whether it's complete, then you should say that it may be incomplete.

If as a buyer I am told that I am buying an amplifier of a given make and model then I expect all of the parts to be present that make it an amplifier (rather than just a shell with some random components stuck inside). Ok, some of those components may not be working, but they have to be present - unless the seller says that it isn't complete (or may not be complete).

Having said that, I'm sympathetic with the seller - but it's just a hazard of reselling on Ebay non-working stuff that you don't fully know the history of. Being realistic, you have to expect that some of it will be rejected by the buyer and come back to you (at your expense).

eBay would side with the buyer if they complained that a spares and repairs item wasn't working even if it was clearly detailed as not working, they don't adjudicate each case one by one. 

When dealing with a private sale the Sale of Goods Act applies in that the goods must meet the description but implied terms about fit for purpose, quality, etc don't apply, businesses are bound not to omit information that would affect your purchasing decision but again it doesn't apply to private sales.

eBay's cover aside, purchasing anything from a private seller is always a case of buyer beware.