Something I'm discovering: A new pet peeve

[needsmorerobots]

So if one orders DVDs or Blu rays from a seller that are extremely cheap, and the condition says "Like New" and what comes in the mail (and it's not damaged from the Post office) is nothing close to like new, how does one deal with it?

Keep in mind that the products are so cheap that returning them even in regular post at your own expense would cost you more finances, time and hassle than is worth.

 I'm asking as there are a number of sellers who don't label their products' conditions properly. And I don't mean very good should've been good, I'm talking like new ended up being (at worst) acceptable or brand new was not even wrapped.

Would you leave a negative or a neutral or would you do something else completely?

[snoopwiz]

In my world, I would always ask the seller about the condition before clicking the "buy" button.  If they don't answer or you arent comfortable with their answer, hit the back button and move on.

Once you receive an item that is not as described you have a few choices.  Personally I would contact the seller, be polite, civil and see if they can work it out to your satisfaction.  If not satisfied, follow the "not as described" function in which you will be made whole again. 

To neg or not to neg?   Me, I have never left one.  Maybe should have once or twice but, thats just me. Your mileage may vary. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

A major issue with eBay's condition standards, is that it seems like they were created in 1998 for VHS tapes, and never changed to reflect optical media. Most of the condition standards focus on either problems with VHS tapes (skipped frames, fuzziness), or just the condition of the box. I think eBay would benefit from updating their condition standards to better reflect optical media. Very few movie sales are VHS tapes, so it's asinine for the standards to focus so much on them, or for their not to be different standards for optical media. 

Buying optical media on eBay over the years, I noticed the same thing you did. While there are a lot of really good sellers, it was difficult to know whether I was buying from someone who had a certain standard for their discs, or someone that would send me a scratched disc as 'like new'. A big problem is that it is impossible to properly photograph the bottom of a disc, everybody has different standards, and eBay does not actually have clear rules or standards about grading optical media. 

I sell mostly DVDs/Blu-Rays, and part of my value proposition is to try and outline my condition standards beyond what eBay provides, and then strongly stand by them. That doesn't mean I won't ever make a mistake, but I try to take some of the vagueness out of it by providing an outline of how I evaluate each condition in my listing along with photos of the actual item. 

Again, an issue I face as a seller of DVDs/Blu-Rays is that eBay's condition standards aren't very useful when conveying the actual condition of optical media. So this is where it could be easy for a buyer/seller to miscommunicate. Every seller is going to have different standards of grading (some more conservative like myself, others more liberal) so it creates a situation where if a buyer buys 10 DVDs in the same condition from 10 different sellers, they all might be very different. 

As far as your situation goes, I'd at least give the seller a chance to correct the issue before giving negative feedback. IMO, negative feedback should only be left if a seller is really terrible, dishonest, and bad to deal with. If a seller makes an honest mistake, owns up to it, and tries to quickly resolve it, I would not consider that a negative transaction. With that said, if this was their mistake, I don't think you should have to pay for return shipping to rectify the situation. If they don't want to provide a return label because it isn't profitable on a low cost item, they should still provide you a refund if it was their mistake. 

[mcrlmn]

If the item delivered isn't "Like New", go to the Resolution Centre, select, "I received an item that does not match the seller's description", and follow the directions.

The seller is responsible for the cost of return shipping with tracking.

If you feel inclined to leave feedback, be civil and to the point.

[pjcdn2005]

The op is saying that a seller is using Like New and the item isn't in that condition, I don't see how that is the fault of ebay's condition choices.  Like New is clearly stated to be:

An item that looks as if it was just taken out of shrink wrap. No visible wear, and all facets of the item are flawless and intact. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.

Unfortunately, it seems to be common for some sellers to use like new as a condition when it is far from being like new.  If I thought a seller was being purposely misleading I would file an item not as described return request.  Perhaps if they have to refund and pay for return shipping often enough they will be more realistic with their descriptions.

[darak10]

I'd ask the seller directly.  I agree with the commenter who said negative feedback is only if the seller is dishonest or another serious breach of some kind.  I used to be quick on the draw myself when stuff would go wrong and I have really grown to appreciate customers who just address their issue with me calmly and respectfully (Europeans are so good at this).  It makes things a lot easier for me and even if they are upset, I have no problem admitting I made a mistake if I missed one - it doesn't happen often but it does happen when I'm buying, selling and listing so much.  There have been ones I missed completely or wrote the wrong description down or today even I wrote a description of VG for an item and noticed later thru sheer fluke I accidentally left it as like new...clearly not right.  I'd err on the side of caution and conclude it might have been an honest mistake, but if it happens more than once with a seller, I'd start buying elsewhere.  I dont buy anything used off amazon anymore for this reason, most of the time used stuff is garbage if its even the right disc.