Jump to content

Another Ebay Drama Thread!


Recommended Posts

Sold a nice watch last week on ebay and just received a email stating that the buyer wound the watch, it worked for a small amount of time and not does not wind or work.

 

This watch from one of mine and had no problems what so ever.

 

i asked if they had maybe was a bit too forcefull with the wind and they said no.

 

Im assuming now that the buyer has damaged it as i know it was fine when i sent it but im guessing im going to have to refund them and fix the watch..

 

Guessing im going to loose out on the money now left with a damaged watch like last time it happened to me !

 

Im assuming that the buyer always wins still!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a difficult one to contest, I'm afraid.

 

A couple of years ago I sold an acoustic/electric bass guitar on eBay - got £220 for it but, when it arrived, the buyer reported that it was distorting and not sounding right. We spoke on the phone and he agreed to send it back for a refund, and I also refunded the postage, which was £20.

 

Anyway, I thought I'd have it mended and took it to a guitar techie that I know. He tested it and pronounced it to be OK - seemed that the buyer had been using the wrong amplifier! It all turned out well because I traded it in for a PA system - and got £280 in PX for it.

 

But I never queried the refund.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi jnash

Unfortunately this is nearly always the case,may I ask had you serviced it?? The reason I ask is that I was once in a similar position but the watch had been serviced and I got a similar message, when I asked the usual questions they insisted they had not tampered inside, had wound it etc... They then threatened me with EBay and then legal action so I gave in and when I received the watch back gave a refund. Upon inspecting the watch I found a number of parts had been swapped out for broken ones, so I too was left in a similar predicament...

EBay almost always sides with the Buyers,but on occasion will back the Seller (Ref - Clockboy's case)

Sorry this has happened to you as it puts decent people off trading on EBay

I hope you get a satisfactory outcome in the end

Best Wishes

Darren

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Serviced this watch a while back, movement is flawless. I'll know if its been tampered with however that didn't make a difference last time. I remember asking a million questions and the buyer couldn't answer them and still eBay sided with them! The buyer hasn't opened the case yet so maybe I'll call eBay first before I reply again!/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I do with serviced watches now is put a 14 day refund policy in place as this puts a time limit on the transaction and gives the Buyer enough time to test the watch and report back if problems occur...

Best wishes

Darren

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gosh, Darren! That's not fair, only giving 14 days to swap parts! That's too little time! :)

 

Seriously, well thought and fair although when we get stuck with the wrong customer we get stuck! I had a similar experience but it wasn't ebay, it was a coworker that wanted the Seiko I was wearing. Since I rebuild them and have fun with them I just sold that one on the spot. I had more toys and some more coming anyway so I was never attached to the watch considering it would get a nice home to live in...but it was beautiful, still is!.

 

The guy had never used an automatic before and a couple of days later started complaining and even made fun of the watch at some point. Well, I actually made him give the watch back and refunded the money on the spot. Not a good experience. I was lucky he wasn't into parts changing...those new parts I had put in the watch during its service were from CousinsUK = time + money for this side of the pond.

 

In any case, I feel for you guys. It make me feel I will never sell on ebay even though the thought has occurred to me oftentimes.

 

Cheers,

 

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The answer is to have a clear return policy. Some actually state NO returns accepted but I think this is not possible under the trading standards act for details of the act go too: 

 

http://www2.eastriding.gov.uk/business/trading-standards

 

 

​Since my Ebay case I have not traded. I will eventually trade but will now er on caution who with.

Edited by clockboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I personally would and have done in the past , just tell them to send it back for a refund Sometimes the buyer is just trying it on snd will therefore not send it back as they were just trying it on to get a bit of money back , and when their bluff is called they get cold feet.

But if they send it back give them a refund get your fees back and block him from bidding on anything else you might sell It not ideal I know but that's what I do

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only tend to list "No Returns" on watches for spares or not working as they are listed as such so any potential buyers knows what they are before bidding

also clear item description also helps, Many Thanks for the link Clockboy some useful tips there...

 

 

cheers

 

Darren

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is, of course, one unknown quantity in buying and selling on eBay - which is that of the delivery service. I know of one watch seller who advises other sellers to imagine that their watch is being hurled from a speeding car under the wheels of another car - and to wrap accordingly. In other words, don't underestimate the hammering that a parcel might take in the process of being delivered.

 

I know, for example, that some old pocket watches such as American Hamiltons have very delicate balance staff which are easily broken if the watch is, say dropped. So it's possible that the watch in question above might have suffered damage in the post which came to light after it was wound.

 

Just a thought.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Such a shame this happens. I've had a few similar experiences although the most frustrating was when I sold a lovely fusee lever I'd restored...it travelled abroad to & fro 3 times, the first time when the buyer complained about a broken chain the first time he wound it ("I didn't overwind it honest guv!"), the second time after the chain fell off (ok, I probably rushed refitting & didn't put enough tension on it so I'll take that one on the chin), the third time it arrived "non-working" I got it back & the centre wheel pivot was broken. That was probably due to the postal service playing football with it. Each time I paid postage to & from Europe but was most cross that a lovely antique piece was basically ruined (or at least ruined until I learn how to re-pivot a centre wheel....the watch is still in bits in a box).

It's easier & less stressful to just refund & get on with life.

I've had some lovely replies of thanks & satisfaction after other sales so that still makes the hobby worthwhile.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have bought many items on eBay and have had no problems I didn't anticipate.

 

Many from the continent and many US. My attitude as a buyer is, Buyer Beware, do your research. I don't expect much from sellers evidenced by a lathe I bought and received in a broken box stuffed with bed linens or a lot of NOS Vintage crystals that turned out to be all ladies sizes. On the other hand, I have received tools and watches from the UK that, although slow to arrive, have been in perfect condition. And I have got some very good deals on the US market as well.

 

I have sold a few items and always deferred to the seller. I don't need the hassle. It all balances out in the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've only sold a couple items, but one of the things I've learned is to picture document the servicing, and then video the watch in working condition as its packed for shipping. The customer complained it wan't working when he received it and opened a case with eBay when I didn't immediately offer a refund - I did offer to pay for servicing from a local or a refund after the watch was returned. He wanted his money immediately and wouldn't send the watch back until he got it. I sent eBay the pictures and the video and they found in my favor relatively quickly AND removed his negative post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats I,m afraid is whats required now when selling on eBay it,s important to cover one,s backside before sending.  I now only send via Royal Mil next day delivery & signed for.  This seems to put off the time wasters and I do also apologise for the cost in my listings.

Edited by clockboy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

personally I've only ever brought or sold items I can actually afford to lose the money with from Ebay. Its a tuff one to deal with really. Some (not all) take liberties, but its also worth remembering some people are as honest as the day is long. the watch could genuinely have packed up at the moment they first wound it. put yourself in their shoes for that, how would you feel?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Bay Tale, get a drink and sit back as it goes on a bit but there are pictures -

 

A friend wanted a cheap slim black faced mechanical watch and I thought I would try one of the HMT Sona's which I got off the Bay from India for £8.99 (postage included).  Now despite some of the cynicism I have read (not on our forum I might add) about Vintage Indian watches and their servicing prior to sale, I have bought watches from this same guy before and I bought them cheap and with the thought that they were basically Citizen movements under license and I could pull them apart and service them for experience. They are old but generally worth the price which is always about a tenner. The watch arrived, pristine case with a rather skilfully repainted dial and my friend was really very happy with it for two days when it stopped.

 

To send it back tracked would have cost about the same as the watch so I thought I would have a look and was helped by a teardown of the same watch thanks to "Watch Guy".  I found that the head of a screw must have been floating around in the works and found itself jammed in between the barrel and the click eventually displacing the click and stripping the screw out.  On further investigation I found one of the heads of the screws holding the movement in the case was missing, the movement was in solid enough but no head on one of the screws and by comparison I considered it was the one that caused the problem.

I would not be the first to cast a stone here as I have had parts flying all over the room going missing and turning up in all sorts of places so I can see how this could have happened, even to a watch repairer (which I am not).

 

post-197-0-94671400-1424178698_thumb.jpg

 

post-197-0-86063700-1424178718_thumb.jpg

 

I would have had to rethread the screwhole for the click screw and get a new click and screw as the current one was a bit chewed up and I thought that was going a bit far so I got in touch with the seller and sent the photos and advised, that although i would not pay postage, I was prepared to undertake the repair myself if he provided the parts. Two weeks later rather than parts, a complete working movement arrived in the post sandwiched between two new watch lenses used to protect it.

 

As a bonus,I now have a spare movement for an HMT Sona to fiddle with, two spare lenses and now having bought a brand new tap and die set plus an assortment of screws I will no doubt be scouring the net and getting in touch with my engineer buddies on the forum to tell me how to do it all.

 

Anyway all is well that ends well.

 

The End

 

Cheers, Vic

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do agree Lee..

99% of all Buyers are indeed genuine and most transactions can be dealt with amicably, but there is still that minority that do target sellers of vintage watches if they need particular parts to repair their own watches or they just bid and simply do not pay. I myself have had several people target my watches for parts as well as the usual timewasters, what the solution is I don't know I take all the precautions that are available and this does help but EBay needs to get more pro-active with these people so that it makes the site safer for both genuine Buyers and Sellers alike

Darren

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had not realised that was going on Darren, although I suppose I should not be surprised. I tend to buy rather than sell so I have had no experience of it.

Pity we can't put a seal or marker on or inside the case that means no refund if the seal is broken, like apple do with some of their products. However, you should not have to go to stupid lengths to force honesty - must be annoying and frustrating though and the burden of proof will always be problematic.

You would think the Bay would be able to latch on to serial offenders via communications they see but perhaps I am being naive thinking they would actually care.

Vic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Vich

Thankfully not that often but it does go on, one particular case I had was with a Smiths Pocketwatch I sold, I had fully serviced it which included a Brand new mainspring and the pocketwatch was listed with this info. The watch was bought and 3 days later I received a message from the Buyer saying he wanted to return the watch as it was not as described and he did not want another Smiths that did not work (turns out he had purchased another from another Seller which was not working) I told him to send it back and once I had received it back I would check it first and then issue a full refund, the watch was sent back to me and on inspection I found the Mainspring and Barrel had been replaced with an old Barrel which contained an old spring that had snapped. so I challenged the Buyer about this who insisted that they had not touched the watch it was then that it got a little nasty, the Buyer then demanded a full refund immediately and if this was not forthcoming that they would open a case against me and that my Feedback would receive a Neg as well as it impacting on my Seller rating, I was also threatened with Legal Action, in the end I just issued the refund and bought another mainspring and did the extra work to put things right with the watch. Needless to say that this Buyer will never buy from me again...

Darren

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Hi guys I think that old hippy is correct, it opens the gates for china to manufacture aftermarket spare parts. considering that they already do work on behalf of the Swiss I guess this decision gives the a little more legitimacy to tool up and I am sure they will take advantage of the situation either with or without the blessing of the Swiss watch industry  Having read about the protectionist machinations of the Swiss in the history of Europe they were the only ones to get fat at everybody else’s expense. I think the outcome could have been guessed at but ,  fair play to Cousins UK for standing up to them.  Now the question,  will everybody boycott Swiss watches and Swatch, no way they will still fill their coffers.  Me I stick with the Japanese once renowned for cheap shitty watches who came good through industrial effort and don’t for get the Russians that most dismiss as low grade crap. Wouldn’t buy a swatch product ever how about you all.? a
    • Hold the crown when in winding position, move the click away from the crown wheel, and then while holding the crown let it slowly unwind. I recollect that you must remove the automatic device bridge first, but maybe I'm wrong. You can first try without removing the automatic device bridge.
    • nevenbekriev- You nailed it with your description of me and my reaction when the clock started ticking again. I am a newbie.  I love the sound and idea of mechanical clocks but the idea of owning one and trying to keep them running has never appealed to me. My wife bought this one and an antique German wall clock.  When I looked into having someone repair them for me, the universal response was "it's really expensive to work on them, you should just replace the movement". So, I had nothing to lose, I started researching them and opened them up. The wife is happy because she hears the sound of the clocks again. But I have gone down the "accuracy" rabbit hole. In the vertical position, the balance wheel was not floating. It was sitting on the bottom of the frame. I adjusted the lower spring collet and got it floating. It easily passed the 270 degree 3 to 5 minute oscillation test. It took 8 minutes for the wheel to completely stop moving.  I put it the unit back in the movement and checked the safety pin. It does not touch the safety roller anywhere in +/-270 degrees rotation from neutral position. But the amplitude of the rotation with the spring fully wound is weak based on what you are saying. It rotates +/-90 degrees from the neutral position.  No, I did not take the movement completely apart.  That seemed way outside my skill set at the time. There is a reason I became an electrical engineer and not a mechanical engineer. I am much more comfortable with moving electrons than tiny moving metal parts. Will I do it in the long run? Anything can happen. I don't seem to be able to let it go.
    • Isn't that the same guy who told Zelenskyy to escalate the war with Russia/Putin when they already had a peace deal? 2 years later and we have half a million young Ukranian boys dead. He doesn't seem very clever...
×
×
  • Create New...