Advice please....

comics-rock
Community Member
I recently had an item sold where the buyer sent me an email asking for a complete description shortly before the auction ended. Due to work commitments I couldn't respond, but this buyer still buys anyway. This comic sold for $4,200, way under guide price, and the next highest bid was only $50 less than his. Its a professionally gradeed comic and is what it is. There's no way I can misrepresent it. I don't refund on professionally graded comics.
I send him his invoice for $14 S & H plus $40 for insurance, which he states he did not want to pay. So I swallow the insurance cost as well, just in case it went missing.
He received the comic today and states he is not happy and wants a refund telling me I didn't fully describe the comic. Now I've refused, firstly on priciple, and secondly it was clearly from his emails after that he regreted his impulsive and uneducation purchase. Who spends that kind of money when they still have unanswered question?
Right, so theres no way I'm refunding because the item is exactly as described. Cost that he should have covered (ie insurance) I had to pay. So my question is, what happens now? He opens a dispute, what happens to my account? Can I still sell or will they freeze everything until this one is sorted?
Thx in advance, Paul.
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whoscloset
Community Member
i don't understand this??? if he bid on exactly what was described, why should he win? when i was speaking to a paypal rep a while back, they didn't give any indication that the buyer wins unless there really IS a discrepancy in the listing??? they'll have to actually go in and look for the discrepancy that the buyer is claiming...its not automatic???

PayPal doesn't really care whether or not the item is as described. They aren't going to take the time to make a ruling on each and every case that comes before them. They will tell him to return it...and provided he does so with tracking they will refund him in full (including his original shipping charge). In reality a customer could send back an empty envelope, with tracking, and PayPal will refund them.

Don't shoot the messenger. 😉

Monique

Message 21 of 47
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Here is a better picture of the book. Check out the population statistics....Very rare indeed. Only 74 graded and 36 of those were restored.
I love the cover... and the fact that Cap is beatin up on Hitler!

www.cgccomics.com/gallery/details.aspx?comic=300
Message 22 of 47
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If you can follow this mess... And you care to look. These are the documented sales of this book. The 9.6's are the german edition printed at a later date.


Grade Notes Avg (All Sales) 12 Mnth Avg 90 Day Avg Last Sale High/Low Last Sold Publisher Vol Year Print
(9.6) German Edition -26.00 - - 26.00 - Jun 2002 Timely/Mar.. 1 1999 1
(9.6) German Edition/Gold Foil -86.00 (1) 86.00 - 86.00 - May 2007 Timely/Mar.. 1 1999 1
SP (9.2) -37,500.00 - - 37,500.00 - Sep 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(9.0) Kansas City pedigree -96,686.25 - - 96,686.25 - Jan 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (9.0) Edgar Church (Mile High) -64,400.00 - - 64,400.00 - Feb 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (9.0) Married Centerfold -9,487.50 - - 9,487.50 - Oct 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.5) German Edition -104.82 - - 104.82 - Mar 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1999 1
(8.5) Windy City pedigree -63,250.00 - - 63,250.00 - Oct 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.0) (4)46,855.89 - - 46,000.00 60,375/39,648 Aug 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.0) Printing error/Item recorded as sold/seller verified non-sale -39,999.00 - - 39,999.00 - Aug 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.0) Item recorded as sold/Low feedback seller -20,100.00 - - 20,100.00 - Jun 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (8.0) -12,650.00 - - 12,650.00 - Jun 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (8.0) (4)9,633.13 - - 12,000.00 12,000/8,100 Mar 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (8.0) Item recorded as sold/relisted by seller -13,995.00 - - 13,995.00 - Jul 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(7.5) -18,600.00 - - 18,600.00 - Mar 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (7.5) -11,212.50 - - 11,212.50 - Nov 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (7.5) (2)8,453.75 - - 7,420.00 9,487/7,420 Oct 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(7.0) -20,400.00 - - 20,400.00 - Jul 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
EP (7.0) -9,200.00 - - 9,200.00 - May 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(6.5) (2)21,493.75 - - 26,887.50 26,887/16,100 May 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(6.0) (4)16,987.83 - - 15,568.80 18,975/15,007 Dec 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (6.0) -9,750.00 (1) 9,750.00 (1) 9,750.00 9,750.00 - Sep 2007 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (6.0) Item recorded as sold/seller verified non-sale -8,500.00 - - 8,500.00 - Oct 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
EP (5.0) Trimmed/Married Page (2)4,310.12 (1) 4,138.99 (1) 4,138.99 4,138.99 4,481/4,138 Nov 2007 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(4.5) -11,212.50 - - 11,212.50 - Jul 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SA (4.5) -8,500.00 - - 8,500.00 - Nov 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(4.0) -3,050.00 - - 3,050.00 - Mar 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (3.5) -4,370.00 - - 4,370.00 - Oct 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
EA (2.0) Incomplete -2,025.00 - - 2,025.00 - Oct 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(1.0) (2)4,362.50 - - 4,125.00 4,600/4,125 Dec 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
Message 23 of 47
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Advice please....

comics-rock
Community Member
Monique, if your correct whats to stop me from buying that $400 statue you have listed. I could then ask after I've bought it what color the LED lights are, because thats not listed. You tell me 'red', after Ive bought it. I say OK, pay and when It arrives say, 'you know what, reds too aggressive a color, you should have told me they were red before i went and bought it of my own violition.' Therefore it dosen't meet the exact description. By your calculation I claim with paypal and automatically win. I then take a baseball bat and a blowtorch to the statue. I beat that thing up good, because according to 'future-liq', there's nothing stating I have to return it in the condition it was sent, (ie "Pray that he insures the item properly cause if it get damaged then you will be out even more $$$.") as long as they get the tracking number it'll be considered delivered. Then I get refunded because paypal will assumed it was returned in the condition sent!!! This makes no sense whatsoever!!!

I do this as a hobby and make no money...I paid $5400 for the comic I sold for $4200, I just wanted to own one for a while. Im a collector, not a dealer. It's not worth the agravation and after these current listing are done I'm closing down the lot, paypal and all, selling all 10,000 comics and going on vacation to Cuba. Then i'm gonna get the wife to take a picture of me smoking a $4,200 Havana Cigar with the price tag still attached, and send the photograph to this moron who bids on items he dosen't really want.

Peace out, Paul.

(PS It'll take me about an hour to calm down. Thanks for letting me vent)
Message 24 of 47
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Advice please....

Recped...a 5.0 for a Cap America 1 even restored is rare to say the least. The highest graded is only 8.0...this is a comic that was published in 1941. The 8.0 would presently sell for upward of $200,000.

I understand it's rare but grading has nothing to do with rarity unless comic grading is considerably different from grading systems used in other collectibles (records are the one I'm familiar with). Looking at the CGC site the grading scale goes from .5 to 10, the way they display the grading makes it appear as though anything 2.0 and below is pure junk which puts a 5.0 at the lower end of the scale. No grading system is perfect which is why if the grading is significantly below the top level the actual defects should be specified at least in general terms all the more so when you are dealing with an item which is known to be of high value.

So if I refund, even if he covers the cost of shipping back to me I'll be out at least $300...???

I explained previously that if you move quickly you can get refunds of all your fees with the exception of the initial listing fee and the original shipping costs. You're not dealing with a newbie that you can bully, the buyer could make this a VERY expensive experience for you.


Now this invites people to write and ask for further details and gives me the opertunity to 'sell' the comic. Over fifty buyers asked for a description, 'before' the auction ended.


To me it simply invites trouble, even if you provide accurate information the fact that it's not in the listing means that you can't refer to it in case of a dispute.

Your buyer is very serious, they buy a lot and spend BIG money on rare items, looks like buyer disappointment rather than buyer remorse.

PayPal doesn't really care whether or not the item is as described.

Actually they do care but in this case buyer simply says "item had x defect not mentioned in listing", 99 times out of 100 PayPal will agree. You could be in a worse situation if the buyer simply does a chargeback via his credit card company, he might get to keep the comic AND get his money back.

I do have some sympathy for you, the buyer may be somewhat unjustified in his claims but it would really be sad to have a total loss because you stand your ground.
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.


"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 25 of 47
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Advice please....

I'm closing down the lot, paypal and all, selling all 10,000 comics and going on vacation to Cuba.

Say hello to Vitali! He's not a fan of paypal either.:-D

Paul, sounds like you have had a hard week, between this and getting your listings unjustly removed. Are the two related?

Andrew
Message 26 of 47
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so if we the seller do everything on our end to describe the item exactly

Problem in this case is that the seller did not do "everything", a simple grading is probably fine for a $20 item but not for a $4000 item.
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.


"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 27 of 47
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Advice please....

comics-rock
Community Member
...but the buyer must be aware what "Professional Extensive restoration" means....it means its had a lot of work done to it....i can t even tell him whats been done...its impossible to tell unless your the person who did the restoration. I could give it to another restorer and that person wouldn't be able to tell you all the work that had been done.

"You're not dealing with a newbie that you can bully"

I'm not "bullying" anybody...im trying to resolve this with him. he bought a comic knowing exactly what it was.

You know what, I'll stand my ground, go for the total loss.

Paul.
Message 28 of 47
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comics-rock
Community Member
Andrew, no, not linked in the slightest. He only received the item this morning. The listings being removed was a mistake on the part of ebay. I know, I know...you all scream at me ebay don't make mistakes. It's gotta be down to you. But no it was an error on their part.

Paul.
Message 29 of 47
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comics-rock
Community Member
"I understand it's rare but grading has nothing to do with rarity unless comic grading is considerably different from grading systems used in other collectibles"

Recped...yep it's very different. A 2.0 of the right comic ie Action # 1 can bring as much as $90,000, becaus eof the rarity. The comic sold is the joint 5th most collectable along with Batman # 1. So it has everything to do with rarity and desirability.

Thx, Paul.
Message 30 of 47
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whoscloset
Community Member
Paul,

I'm in no way supporting the fact that PayPal has this "money-back regardless" policy...I'm just explaining it to you as I know it to be. I do not endorse it in any way whatsoever...but I have been burned by it in the past.

Monique, if your correct whats to stop me from buying that $400 statue you have listed. I could then ask after I've bought it what color the LED lights are, because thats not listed.

Sadly, this HAS happened to me in the past with a buyer from Puerto Rico. It cost me $300 to ship two large fountains to them via UPS. They were unhappy with their purchase and returned one without proper packaging or insurance. It was garbage when it arrived here so I refused to refund them. After a PayPal dispute during which they showed P.O.D. for the ONE fountain, PayPal refunded THEIR ENTIRE ORIGINAL PAYMENT which covered two fountains (one which they still have) PLUS thier original $300 shipping fee.

In no way, shape or form do I support this PayPal policy. I'm providing you with this information so you can take the appropriate steps in order to protect yourself...period. It is time to cover your butt and minimize your loses.

As I said before...don't shoot the messenger.

Monique

Message 31 of 47
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whoscloset
Community Member
Hey...if you would prefer it...I can blow smoke up your butt and tell you to stick to your position knowing you stand to lose $4500.

Monique

Message 32 of 47
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Recped...yep it's very different. A 2.0 of the right comic ie Action # 1 can bring as much as $90,000, becaus eof the rarity. The comic sold is the joint 5th most collectable along with Batman # 1. So it has everything to do with rarity and desirability.


Paul you are misunderstanding what I said, the value of an item obviously depends greatly on it's rarity but if you are grading an item only the condition matters. A $2 comic in medium condition should be graded exactly the same as a $2,000 comic in the same condition. Anything else would make the grading system useless.


You know what, I'll stand my ground, go for the total loss.

If that's not sarcasm it sounds like a good plan, hope you get what you want.
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.


"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 33 of 47
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comics-rock
Community Member
Monique, I only 'shoot' bad guys and thats not you. Im sorry that happened to you...and no, it wasn't sarcasim. Im gonna stand my ground and see what paypal say. Thx, Paul.
Message 34 of 47
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katiusciav
Community Member
PayPal doesn't really care whether or not the item is as described. They aren't going to take the time to make a ruling on each and every case that comes before them. They will tell him to return it...and provided he does so with tracking they will refund him in full (including his original shipping charge). In reality a customer could send back an empty envelope, with tracking, and PayPal will refund them.

Don't shoot the messenger.



yes, i may be thinking about an ebay dispute...but i do believe in some cases, where there may not be alot of arguments and stuff back and forth, where the seller may be clearly justified, paypal won't always reimburse buyer automatically...but i know it can happen in some cases when its not fair either...which really is too bad...very discouraging for the seller, like i said before, ebay does almost anything to encourage buyers to 'shop' ebay, and sometimes its at the seller's expense...
good luck op...don't let this predicament burn a hole through your stomach...its not worth it...! it happens to the best of us...the nature of the beast... Kat

http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z204/katiusciav/?action=view&current=0010.gif
Kat
Message 35 of 47
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katiusciav
Community Member
Grade Notes Avg (All Sales) 12 Mnth Avg 90 Day Avg Last Sale High/Low Last Sold Publisher Vol Year Print
(9.6) German Edition -26.00 - - 26.00 - Jun 2002 Timely/Mar.. 1 1999 1
(9.6) German Edition/Gold Foil -86.00 (1) 86.00 - 86.00 - May 2007 Timely/Mar.. 1 1999 1
SP (9.2) -37,500.00 - - 37,500.00 - Sep 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(9.0) Kansas City pedigree -96,686.25 - - 96,686.25 - Jan 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (9.0) Edgar Church (Mile High) -64,400.00 - - 64,400.00 - Feb 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (9.0) Married Centerfold -9,487.50 - - 9,487.50 - Oct 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.5) German Edition -104.82 - - 104.82 - Mar 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1999 1
(8.5) Windy City pedigree -63,250.00 - - 63,250.00 - Oct 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.0) (4)46,855.89 - - 46,000.00 60,375/39,648 Aug 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.0) Printing error/Item recorded as sold/seller verified non-sale -39,999.00 - - 39,999.00 - Aug 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(8.0) Item recorded as sold/Low feedback seller -20,100.00 - - 20,100.00 - Jun 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (8.0) -12,650.00 - - 12,650.00 - Jun 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (8.0) (4)9,633.13 - - 12,000.00 12,000/8,100 Mar 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (8.0) Item recorded as sold/relisted by seller -13,995.00 - - 13,995.00 - Jul 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(7.5) -18,600.00 - - 18,600.00 - Mar 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (7.5) -11,212.50 - - 11,212.50 - Nov 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (7.5) (2)8,453.75 - - 7,420.00 9,487/7,420 Oct 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(7.0) -20,400.00 - - 20,400.00 - Jul 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
EP (7.0) -9,200.00 - - 9,200.00 - May 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(6.5) (2)21,493.75 - - 26,887.50 26,887/16,100 May 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(6.0) (4)16,987.83 - - 15,568.80 18,975/15,007 Dec 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SP (6.0) -9,750.00 (1) 9,750.00 (1) 9,750.00 9,750.00 - Sep 2007 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (6.0) Item recorded as sold/seller verified non-sale -8,500.00 - - 8,500.00 - Oct 2006 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
EP (5.0) Trimmed/Married Page (2)4,310.12 (1) 4,138.99 (1) 4,138.99 4,138.99 4,481/4,138 Nov 2007 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(4.5) -11,212.50 - - 11,212.50 - Jul 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
SA (4.5) -8,500.00 - - 8,500.00 - Nov 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(4.0) -3,050.00 - - 3,050.00 - Mar 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
MP (3.5) -4,370.00 - - 4,370.00 - Oct 2004 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
EA (2.0) Incomplete -2,025.00 - - 2,025.00 - Oct 2005 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1
(1.0) (2)4,362.50 - - 4,125.00 4,600/4,125 Dec 2003 Timely/Mar.. 1 1941 1




buck...you're killing me ova hee...s-p-a-c-i-n-g my friend...spacing!! 🙂
Kat
Message 36 of 47
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K a t ...... You loined somtin nu & wunt to piss it un to mi ! HUH. LOL . Eye tuld yu it wuz a mezz... 😛

b u c k
Message 37 of 47
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jakeeangel
Community Member
You need to learn full disclosure in item listings. On everything but especially on expensive items. Relying on generic listings and having buyers email you for particulars is foolish and only asking for trouble. You have no details about the items in your listings other than the grade. That's a bad listing no matter what the item or the value was.

I'm sorry but that's a bad approach to sales. Your time to 'sell' them is in the listing. Think of it as an ad in a magazine. Tell them everything they need to know about the thing, especially flaws. The sellers, both big and small that don't do that run into trouble and there's not much there to back them.

All relevant information about an item needs to be detailed in the item listing for buyers to read. Yes we all have problems with stupid buyers who don't read much less understand what they're reading but it's still your responsibility to put it there.

Based on your listing I wouldn't buy anything from you. I want to know details about what I'm buying before I'll take the time to email a seller if I feel I need/want to. No details immediately gets me to hit the back button. You don't even have good close up shots or scans of the comic.

Do you care that I won't buy from you? Probably not and that's fine but think about it another way. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this way. You say you got 50 inquiries about the item. How many other people looked at it and hit the back button because it had no details? You'll never know. Buyers can look at it many ways. You don't know what you're talking about so you have no details/specifics in the listing or you're trying to hide something so you put no details/specifics in the listing.

Think about it.



Come See What Else We've Got Up For Auction!

When you find doing what's right hard to do - you've got a problem.
Message 38 of 47
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katiusciav
Community Member
uuuuuuuummm...buck...took me a while to get that, but i got it! al pacino much??


cella luna mezzo mare mamma mia che marinara...lala..lalalala...
Kat
Message 39 of 47
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After a PayPal dispute during which they showed P.O.D. for the ONE fountain, PayPal refunded THEIR ENTIRE ORIGINAL PAYMENT which covered two fountains (one which they still have) PLUS thier original $300 shipping fee.

PayPal and eBay protection policies are in place mainly to protect themselves. The buyer can pretty much return a bucket of coal or deliberately smash the item and from PayPal policy they would get money back after showing delivery confirmation.

Internet is young and many buyers do not understand that shopping online is the same as shopping in brick & mortar. Their thinking needs to be adjusted. Everybody knows that shoplifting is bad, but somehow online shopping makes it right?

Buying a product online and then extorting something that was not included, demanding money back and not returning the item ... is shoplifting. Or try to bring a shattered piece of furniture back to the brick & mortar store "hey dude, I dropped this from the moving truck, now get me my money back!" ...

OP's $4200 item ... get it returned at buyer's expense. I believe (but do not quote me on this) that you are actually required to accept the contract cancellation within certain time period after the purchase, but these regulations may not apply (or may be different) to used items or collectibles.

Open the returned package in front of a witness. If it comes back damaged or otherwise devaluated, politely refuse the refund. If PayPal refunds on your behalf against your authorisation, explain the situation (in writing with your witness sig) and ask PayPal to revert the refund. If they refuse, and you still feel violated enough to keep going, report an online fraud to RCMP (and CC to PayPal). This may not 100% work and keep in mind that it may become way more costly to get things right than just gulp and bend over. You may win (technically) but PayPal may refuse any further services to you, so if you are only trying to recover the $200 back, just forget it after the part where PayPal refused to revert the refund.
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