An item I Am looking at is not being described honestly, I feel

[hondahman]

Hi, I am a Auto Harp player so am always looking at used harps on eBay. I notice a seller is attempting to sell an auto-harp as a 21 Chord Autoharp but the 21 Chord Box has been removed! The seller makes no mention of this ! One CANNOT play an Auto harp without the Chords Box!! It is completely USELESS without the Chords! I emailed him  to tell him this but NO answer back ( over 2 weeks ago). I am afraid that someone will purchase this without really knowing how an Auto harp works, as I notice the seller's ad says"no refunds" and the seller has had some negative marks against him in reviews. I do not want a buyer to "get taken" but do not know what to do. Very few people play the auto harp so most people would not be aware of this. Thanks for any advice. 

[esclyons]

walk away, it is a buyer beware market.. you could message the seller if that would make you feel better, perhaps, they don't realize what they are doing..

[hondahman]

Thanks for replying so quickly! Appreciate it...I did email seller...no answer..I guess I just hoped that someone would give me a "heads up" if I were the one buying an item on here. I recognize your advice as practical....thanks for that

[cumos55]

If OP can recognize what is wrong .... then anyone interested in this item should also see what is missing.

A seller is the potential buyer's eyes... but ... It is always ... Buyer beware.

The seller is responsible for what is in the listing... Returns/Refunds are ....always ..... an option

[momcqueen]

Halfway down every listing page (when viewed on a desktop) on the right-hand side is an option to Report Item. You might try doing that although I'm not convinced anything ever comes of it.

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

s I notice the seller's ad says"no refunds"

As a Seller I probably shouldn't tell you this but: No Refunds is not enforceable.

If the buyer is unhappy with the purchase and the seller refuses to refund, she has protection from eBay's Money Back Guarantee (MBG) for 30 days from delivery, from Paypal's Buyer Protection for 180 days from payment and if she uses a credit card to back her PP account,  chargeback protection from the card .

and the seller has had some negative marks against him in reviews.

The seller who gets negs probably also has a few Defects which are not public but which are much more important than Feedback.

 While savvy buyers will not buy from a seller with less than 99%FB, a few hopefuls will make a purchase and then use the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page to start up the MBG. If the seller does not act promptly to fix the problem (by paying for return shipping and refunding on arrival) he gets a Defect.

It only takes a few of those for eBay to restrict a seller's account or even close it completely.

I guess in the seller's defence it should be noted that unusable items can be sold here, but only if they are listed "As Is, For Parts". You'll see a lot of those in auto parts and in electronics.

[momcqueen]

I think it’s also possible that the seller has no clue about the item they’re selling or how it works or doesn’t work. And that they’re simply unwilling to take unsolicited advice from another user. Assuming the oversight is accidental and the seller is disregarding what’s been told to them because they suspect it’s an attempt to devalue the item so they’ll drop the price. It’s hard to know what the seller has experienced in the past but most sellers get many rude messages from buyers with all sorts of inappropriate suggestions. I know that I do, and I sell Toys which should be stress- and harassment- free.

[femmefan1946]

The "I would like to speak to your manager" haircut.

[hondahman]

Very good points........however, if I were that seller, I would really want to do everything in my power to "research" an item I am selling......after all, the seller sure doesn't seem to have any qualms about asking top value for an item that, IF he/she did not know what he/she was selling, sure was able to somehow "research" the 'right price 'to ask for it.....like I very nicely mentioned to the seller, as the item is right now, without the chordbox, it is worth virtually nothing as it cannot be played.without the chordbox...............to me, as an Autoharp player, it would be like someone selling a guitar without strings and saying nothing was missing, and that it sounded musically sound!!lol!

[hondahman]

exactly! That's why I feel that the seller should be forthcoming...all mentioned as missing are "2 strings".......the item should not be listed as a "21 Chord Autoharp" when the 21 chords are missing!!!! lol........

[hondahman]

and...I asked, as a potential buyer, where was the chordbox for it? more than 2 weeks ago...but no answer.....as I collect autoharps and chromaharps, etc.......and play them