Definition of Factory Sealed

[phph-86]

When a buyer says that an item is factory sealed, it must come with all of the extras, right?

I recently bought a collector's item that was sealed. There was a photocard that came with it, which was meant to be taped to the front of the book, on top of the seal. If the photocard were taken off, would the item still count as factory sealed, since one of the components is missing? 

They also claimed that the item is new, which I believe doesn't fall under eBay's definition of new, which states that all components must be "A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See the seller's listing for full details."

[reallynicestamps]

A package could be factory sealed, and still be missing parts if they were somehow missed when it was filled at the factory.

Before you decide the seller is purposely cheating you, send him a polite note explaining why you are disappointed.

I'm sure you checked the photos of the sealed package and the photocard was on it at the time. Perhaps it fell off and is somewhere in his eBay shipping room?

Perhaps it is somewhere in the packaging material you removed when you received the parcel? Static cling on the bubblewrap?

If the seller is unable to help you, or if the photocard was not pictured nor mentioned in the description, you could use the eBay Money Back Guarantee to return your purchase and get a refund.

[momcqueen]

Big sigh.

Is the seller experienced, or is he someone new? 

Inexperienced sellers of collectibles tend to throw around terms like 'mint' as if it was candy at the homecoming parade. Same with 'factory-sealed' and 'new'.

As both a buyer and seller, I would expect something sold as 'factory-sealed' and 'new' to be absolutely complete with all parts contained within or included and, well, factory-sealed.

That being said, in the categories I sell, there are literally tens of thousands of items sold as 'new' which do not meet ebay's criteria for 'new'. They are loose from the package or open in package but unused. That is not 'new' nor is it 'factory-sealed'. It would take me the rest of my life to report them all and it would be pointless. Pre-emptive education is key to preventing this. And, let's face it, selling on ebay is not as easy as they make it out to be the the new seller which ebay is trying to recruit.

As femme suggests, start with a polite note to your seller explaining how the item did not meet your expectations. You may be satisfied with a partial refund, or you might want to send it back for a full refund on the seller's dime. Open a Return request. Work it out. The seller may be simply inexperienced and unaware as opposed to sneaky and dishonest. Be firm but polite. You should not have to keep an item that did not meet the expectations set out by the listing. 

Let us know how you fare.

[momcqueen]

(Whoops, I meant as reallynicestamps suggests.... )

[momcqueen]

Also, with Collectibles, as you may know, there are sometimes Exclusive versions of the same item created for only one retailer and none of the others. You must be certain before you open the Return case that the photocard you're missing is, in fact, supposed to be included with this particular release of that particular item. Know what I mean? Otherwise, the mistake is yours and it's a case of Buyer's Remorse and return shipping is your responsibility if you want to return it for a refund.