Ebay question

MEValery

Member
I foolishly bought a "as is" wagner ware 1402 chicken fryer with matching top on ebay. It arrived with a crack near the handle. Plus the top and bottom are spinners. The sellers have no other cast iron items for sale now or any cast iron items sold in the last 15 days. Another thing I should have looked at before buying.
Do I have any right at a refund? Although financially painful is this a plain and simple buyer beware lesson?
Thanks,
Mark
 
Title:Wagner Iron Skillet No 1402 with lid cast iron
Desc:This skillet is marked Wagner Ware Sidney - 0 - 1402, this set has been used and has not been cleaned, we are selling as is, if you have any questions please email us anytime

I really screwed up on this one.
 
I would say you have no recourse. Seeing those pics and the wordage, Im sure they knew exactly what they were selling. It really sucks that people do s*hite like that
 
Mark, I think you have a chance of submitting a claim to eBay for their money back guarantee, review their rules here, http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html. I went to the listing that you mentioned and viewed both pictures and I couldn't see a crack in the pan at all. And I have monitor with good resolution and contrast. Since the seller didn't mention the crack in the listing or present it in the picture, he was implying that the pan was not cracked. (I am assuming here that you didn't clean the pan at all.) Hence you thought you were buying a pan that was not cracked. False advertising by omission. Don't mention or complain about it being a spinner, because it will not help your case. Below is some information I copied from eBay.

When an item doesn't match the listing description

If a buyer receives an item that doesn't match the listing description, the buyer needs to request a return from My eBay. The seller should address the buyer's concern and offer a solution, such as accepting a return, offering a replacement or refund.

If the buyer doesn't receive a response or solution, or returns the item but doesn't receive a refund or replacement from the seller, the buyer can ask us to step in and help.

If asked to step in and help, we review the item description, photos of the item, if provided by the buyer or seller, and any other information about the item that the buyer and seller provide. If we can't determine that the item matches the listing description, if the seller has already offered a return, or the seller's stated return window and policy applies, we may ask the buyer to return the item to the seller.

When an item is returned to the seller
The buyer must return the item in the same condition in which it was received.
The seller is required to accept the return at the same location specified in the listing.
The cost of return shipping is the seller's responsibility. For return of items with a total cost of $750 or more, we require signature confirmation.
The seller pays for any customs charges on the returned item.

Good luck.
 
Was the item packaged well? I have received items that were damaged in shipping due to improper packaging. I alway send a link to this website to ask the seller to properly package an item. Most people think that cast iron can't break. Im not saying that it wasn't damaged prior to shipping but it may have been damaged in shipping. Post office likes to play football with packages, and if it was sent priority the refund would be covered by the post office.

That being said, I found your listing and there is only 2 photos that do not clearly show the piece. Hind sight being 20/20, would have asked for more pictures, specifically asked if it sits flat, and if there were any cracks. If they flat out lie and you purchase it, then you have a stronger case. I would agree with Todd also that they were hoping some one wouldn't ask questions or for clearer pictures and would just purchase. I think you may have a case and might need Ebay to get involved. Read the buying tips on this website very helpful when I started looking on ebay. Constantly coming across listings with 1 blurry picture. I wouldn't even bother to ask questions when the seller hasn't taken the time to properly list a piece, just assume they are trying to hide something.
 
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I have found thru a couple years of buying from eBay sellers that a lot of times when you ask a specific question regarding an item that has vague information you will most likely not get an answer. I ask one seller the same question three times and never did get a reply. That usually indicates the seller is hiding something and simply wants to unload his product to the first sucker that bites.
If the seller sent the item priority mail it should have been insured and assuming the item was damaged during shipment (which you will never be able to prove) simply take a picture of the suspected damage and involve eBay ASAP. Regardless the seller will most likely receive his insurance claim and "should" refund you your monies accordingly. The seller will most likely not want his product back (simply because he's gotten paid thru the insurance claim) and will just offer for you to keep the item along with the refund he has agreed to credit back to you. He doesn't want to spend any additional money for return shipment.
It should end up in a "lived happily ever after" scenario and both parties satisfied.
 
First, i want to thank everyone for their opinions on this. It helps.

In the back of my mind while communicating with the seller I kept thinking about how many questions I should have asked before bidding. So we arrived at a compromise that I will not forget because it affected my wallet. They refunded me the cost of the item and I mailed back the top piece today. In the end I spent time and $40 for a cracked spinning chicken fryer bottom. I also mentioned to them that they have to spell out that the top wobbles and spins when they go to sell it again. I will be watching for it to come up again on ebay.

I keep learning from my mistakes. Only a couple million more to go before I'm perfect!
 
I have found thru a couple years of buying from eBay sellers that a lot of times when you ask a specific question regarding an item that has vague information you will most likely not get an answer. I ask one seller the same question three times and never did get a reply. That usually indicates the seller is hiding something and simply wants to unload his product to the first sucker that bites.
If the seller sent the item priority mail it should have been insured and assuming the item was damaged during shipment (which you will never be able to prove) simply take a picture of the suspected damage and involve eBay ASAP. Regardless the seller will most likely receive his insurance claim and "should" refund you your monies accordingly. The seller will most likely not want his product back (simply because he's gotten paid thru the insurance claim) and will just offer for you to keep the item along with the refund he has agreed to credit back to you. He doesn't want to spend any additional money for return shipment.
It should end up in a "lived happily ever after" scenario and both parties satisfied.

Michael, filing and receiving an insurance claim from USPS is not nearly as easy as you make it sound. It involves both the seller and the buyer holding hands while they jump through hoops. The fact that the lid was returned voided any chance of the seller filing a claim because the insurance adjuster can request the buyer to bring the original box and contents to the Post office to be inspected.
 
In this case it was not damaged in transit even thought the seller said it must been. The seasoning filled the crack. Maybe I'm wrong. Just realized that I can't look at it again. I had room in the lye tank and I threw it in today.
 
This is a very interesting series of posts. Thanks to all for sharing information. This tale illustrates why I don't even consider eBay as a source of CI. (However, I'm a big chicken too, and not able to spend money "on spec." as it were.)
 
Sharon,
You are not "chicken", you are smart. I have bought very little off eBay and no cast iron. If you ever do bid, be sure to ask lots of questions and make sure either the seller or eBay is on the hook if they misrepresent the item.

Jack
 
I have carefully purchased over 500 items on eBay. Less than 10% went South and 7% I got my money back. The other 3% weren’t worth screwing with. I only ask a question or questions once but I have learned to study the pics with a magnifying glass. Bad or not enough pics and I pass. I also shop all other listings for what I want and have a ribbon for being a marksman sniper.

Overall I have been happy with my eBay purchases, but there is a learning curve that requires a high degree of cynicism and experience. Then, each purchase is a crap shoot.

Hilditch
 
Michael, filing and receiving an insurance claim from USPS is not nearly as easy as you make it sound. It involves both the seller and the buyer holding hands while they jump through hoops. The fact that the lid was returned voided any chance of the seller filing a claim because the insurance adjuster can request the buyer to bring the original box and contents to the Post office to be inspected.

I'm sure you are correct Bonnie....I just used the two items I received damaged as my experience and made some assumptions. I don't sell on eBay and buy very few pieces (usually the "make offer" or free shipping.) In both my cases I received the refund and was told to keep the piece from the seller. Maybe it was out of kindness from the seller or the fact that eBay were involved with the damage claim. I think MEValery made a few mistakes in his process and he will learn like most of us do to ask more questions and check his sellers stats before pulling the trigger.
 
I agree Michael, I learned this lesson the hard way also. Nobody really wins when you don't package correctly. I still buy from ebay but I carefully read the seller reviews to make sure the seller has good history shipping iron. I have seen sellers with 600+ positive feedback but not one shipping iron.
 
Well I just got 2 cracked items from ebay and USPS today. The Wagner arc #10 griddle broke in transit. The handle cracked right off. The Wagner Ware #13 arrived with an old crack near the handle. I got a full refund on both, but my collection of cracked cast iron is growing!
 
Maybe you should shop someplace other than eBay.

I'm certainly done taking any chances on ebay. My last purchase resulted in the buyer never shipping and me having to request a refund from ebay after waiting two weeks. I was worried that the seller was just trying to get my paypal information so they could harass me, I can not imagine a reason for selling something you don't intend to ship. It's a shame that ebay does not offer a block seller option.
 
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