QUESTION: Is it okay for me to contact the seller to be absolutely sure the item is available before committing to buy?
Yes, you can ask any question you like of a seller. Most will answer politely and you don't want to deal with the others.
Has it been more than 30 days since your VCR was delivered?
If not, you can open a Not As Described dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.
The reason is not the changed model, btw, it is that it is not performing as advertised.
You don't have to follow the suggestion that you Contact the Seller about the NAD. EBay will do that, and you have already been in contact with him.
You do NOT want another replacement.
You want a refund.
EBay will instruct the Seller to send you a Return Shipping Label. If he is in the USA, let him know that Shippo can do that for him because you need a Canada Post label not a USPS one.
When you get the label. pack up the VCR carefully, because you are a Good Guy, and mark it as 'Returned Merchandise."
When he gets it back, you will be refunded. (Keep an eye on the tracking, he should refund within 24 hours of Delivery.)
If more than 30 days have passed since delivery, you can still get a refund through Paypal for 180 days after Payment.
But PP requires you to pay for return shipping, so start with eBay.
And if neither of those work, go to the customer service number on the back of the credit card you use to back your PP account and ask about a Chargeback. The policies of cards vary wildly, so no advice there.
