item not in condition as described

niceshoes_2

I bid on some perfume which was described as in excellent condition, brand new and sealed. Item intended as a gift for someone, hence the "in excellent condition" being an important factor.

Now I paid for the said item by paypal and paid £2.00 for postage.

Went to collect the item from the post office as there was a postage fee of £1.47 to pay on the item. When I got to the post office, the postman explained that the postage had already been used and the sender had recycled the jiffy bag.

The item itself is still sealed, however the packaging is no where near the "excellent condition" as described. The box is bashed and battered and scuffed, and is not in the condition that I would consider giving to anyone as a gift. I also do not believe that the perfume is genuine, as the packaging seems to be of a poor quality and the ingrediants listed are "water, alcohol and fragrance."

I have emailed the seller to explain that I am not happy about having to pay £1.47 extra for the postage and the fact that I am not happy with the condition of the box. I had not mentioned the question of the perfumes authenticity as I have only come to this conclusion after giving it a deal of thought.

Now she has refunded me £1.47 via paypal for the additional postage cost that I had to pay but has not mentioned the fact that the box is now in a condition so crap I can not give it to anyone in that state.

Can anyone advise what they would do in these circumstances - should I persist with the seller or do I accept it is one of those things, and accept it is a danger of ebay.

Please help, the item cost £10.50 in total with postage costs, so it is not a great deal, more of a principle.

Malestrom

Personally, I would start a chargeback through PayPal for 'Item not as described' although you may have to wait up to 30 days before they decide whether to refund you or not. Maybe best to broach this with the seller again first, reiterate your reasons for being unhappy and ask to return the item for a full refund. If you get no response or a negative response then go for the chargeback. Don't threaten to leave negative feedback if she won't refund you though, feedback 'blackmail' is frowned upon by Ebay.

niceshoes_2

I have just received an email from the seller, which states that the item was in perfect condition when she posted it, so she will not offer a refund for the item, as she said that it was not her fault.

I haven't mentioned the fact that I do not think the perfume is genuine - is there anything I can do about this or do I just accept this transaction hasn't gone in my favour?

DaisyNelson

If the condition of the item has deteriated since she posted, surely that means her packaging wasn't very good. Therefore still her problem. Tell her you would like a refund. Give her a couple of days before you take futher action.

Malestrom

Agree with DaisyNelson, also if she is claiming that the PO have damaged it then its up to her to seek compensation from them, its not your job and a good seller would offer a refund or replacement. You are quite within your rights to reject the item and i'd now just go straight for the chargeback via PayPal.

niceshoes_2

thanks for your replies, I don't want to create a huge fuss, but this is the first problem that I have encountered with ebay. Do you think that I should mention that I am concerned about the authenticity of the product, or does this look like I am creating more problems.

I shall email her back and give her the oppurtunity to sort the problem out, hopefullly I can get the problem sorted without too much hassle.

Thanks everyone for taking time to help me

westernpromise

niceshoes wrote:

thanks for your replies, I don't want to create a huge fuss, but this is the first problem that I have encountered with ebay. Do you think that I should mention that I am concerned about the authenticity of the product, or does this look like I am creating more problems.

I shall email her back and give her the oppurtunity to sort the problem out, hopefullly I can get the problem sorted without too much hassle.

Thanks everyone for taking time to help me

did the original ad have a photo of the actual item? not a generic one but one of the actual item to be sent? if not, call me cynical but I would suspect the seller had a battered old piece of stuff and deliberately despatched it in re-used wrapping so she could claim the post office did it. a battered package in a mint envelope would be a dead giveaway, right?

as for it being fake, does it - apart from the damage - look exactly like the real thing in a shop? if it were me I would take it to a shop that sells it and see what a definitely genuine one looks like. a lot of perfumes come in cellophane. does this one? did yours? and the next step would be to see if there is a tester of the one you have and compare it to a real one. ask the shop staff if it looks / smells genuine to then too.

if you think it's fake I would risk the neg and report the buyer to eBay for selling fake goods.

niceshoes_2

the picture of the one on ebay looks as if it is in excellent condition. The box certainly doesn't look battered and bashed around as does the item I received. She has emailed me to say that she can not understand how the postage has not been paid for as she says that she uses a "franking machine?" and has not had any other problems with her other items. The item came in a scruffy old jiffy bag, not wrapped or anything, just in the envelope.

The item is cellophaned and is still sealed. It has one of those long thin plastic security things on the side of it to. There just seems something not quite right with the packaging, it looks like a poorer quality box and print than something that would be bought from Boots. If I get a chance to pop into town, then I'll take it with me and maybe have a look to compare it.

In terms of the negative feedback, she has already left me feedback. I have emailed her to say that I am not happy with the said item. i have said that I bought the item in excellent condition and it has not been received as sold. I have pointed out that the packaging was not suffice to protect the item in the post and that she should seek compensation from the royal mail if nescesary. I have asked for a refund, so we shall see what happens. I will let you know once/if she replies.

jaffa30

Hi

IMHO i would send the perfume back to the seller and start a chargeback asap via paypal for goods not as described.

Its there responsibility to make sure your item arrives safe and sound.
If theres a claim to be made they will have to make it against the PO.

I personally refund straight away and wait for the PO to come with theclaim.

Dont let the seller know you are doing a chargeback.

Good luck

Jaffa

niceshoes_2

thanks for your response jaffa30 - is there any reason why I should I not let the seller know that I am doing a chargeback and would you mind explaining briefly what one is please?

Thank You in advance

jaffa30

Hi

The chargeback is to get your money back off the seller.
You need to goto paypal and click on the actual transaction and at the bottom is the resolution centre
clcick that and follow the instructions.

Imho i wouldnt tell them as it gives them a chance to empty or close there account and leave you out of pocket.

Jaffa