# eBay Item Broken? Process...



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

Hey everyone. Just had my first eBay auction that didn't go amazingly. Bought a 2215 canister filter. Turns out part of the canister that has the clips...well a little plastic piece that holds that clip is broke so the clip falls out, and overall the metal clips don't seem to hold well which makes me nervous.

I payed via Paypal. I just emailed the seller, so I still have very high hopes that all will be resolved. I really hope they can just reimburse me for the new canister part or send a new canister, as shipping the whole thing back would not be fun 

I won't mention any names or anything yet to protect the innocent...but as far as documentation of the problem goes, do I need to do anything special? Should I just wait a few days for the seller, and file an eBay and/or Paypal claim?

Never had a problem before, so here's hoping the seller is as nice as most of the people on the forum and makes everything right. But just in case, I hate to be out a chunk of change.


----------



## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Was it a brand new filter? 
I had that happen with some stereo equipment which was broken from the factory and I just contacted the manufacturer directly and they sent a new one out right away.

I did also contact the E-bay seller so they were aware of it, but the manufacturer handled it satisfactorily.

I would go ahead and take a couple of pictures of it and have a little documentation on it, just in case there's a snag somewhere.

If you don't get a satisfactory solution within a week or 2, you'll probably wind up filing a claim with E-bay and they handle it from there.


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

Thanks for the reply  The term that was used on the auction was "unused condition". Of course I wouldn't consider a broken clip unused. I emailed the seller immediately when I got the item on Monday as well as sending them a message over eBay with the same text. This was Friday night.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they just don't work weekends or only check their mail so often. So far all of the sellers I've dealt with in the hobby has been incredibly nice and willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to fix things. I'll probably wait until mid-next week to give them some time to email me and then file a paypal dispute. You can still resolve things without escalating it to a claim there. My tank(s) are now partially on hold because I needed the filter, so selling me something defective and making me wait isn't too nice  Here's hoping things are resolved on Monday.


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

Has anyone had any luck contacting Eheim? I'm not too sure if contacting the manufacturer is the correct way to go about this. The seller did send me a receipt with tracking information. Eheim intervening and sending me a new part would be awesome, but I'm not too sure I can expect them to ride in on a white horse and safe the day...especially since it's damaged plastic and not a pump failure.


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

The #1 option is always, always give the seller a chance to make it right. Be courteous, kind,... cheerful, brave, etc., etc. (sorry - just got back from scout camp) and it will go a long way.

Eheim is very good about providing replacement parts for their equipment - better than any other manufacturer IMO. A google search should give you some options for dealers. They probably won't replace the part for free unless you can prove the item was new and that you were the original purchaser. Who knows. Maybe it will be under warranty. What exactly is broken? If the whole pump housing needs to be replaced that's a major bummer.

The metal clips are a bit on the flimsy side, even on a good day, but they seem to work perfectly well - at least they do when nothing is broken........


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

BryceM said:


> The #1 option is always, always give the seller a chance to make it right. Be courteous, kind,... cheerful, brave, etc., etc. (sorry - just got back from scout camp) and it will go a long way.
> 
> Eheim is very good about providing replacement parts for their equipment - better than any other manufacturer IMO. A google search should give you some options for dealers. They probably won't replace the part for free unless you can prove the item was new and that you were the original purchaser. Who knows. Maybe it will be under warranty. What exactly is broken? If the whole pump housing needs to be replaced that's a major bummer.
> 
> The metal clips are a bit on the flimsy side, even on a good day, but they seem to work perfectly well - at least they do when nothing is broken........


It's not the pump housing, but it's the actual green canister. One of the plastic supports for the metal clips is broken, so the clip falls off. It may not be a huge deal, but I don't want that metal clip falling everywhere and if for some reason the other side of the plastic clip breaks, I won't be able to use 1 of the clips. Plus it'd probably get really annoying with that clip constantly falling off, especially since the thing was supposed to be in pristine condition. I replacement for that is $45 or so from Big Al's, or $55 directly from Eheim. Might actually be cheaper if the motor blew up. 

I haven't heard back from the seller yet, but I was as nice as can be. Just said I bought from them and stated the problem. Waiting to hear back from them, so who knows. They might be the nicest people in the world and send me a replacement part or send a new one out first and pay for the return shipping. I've just never had anything broken off eBay before, so wanted to get some advice to make sure I was doing the right thing.


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

I just sent Eheim an email explaining the situation and to see if any warranty applied and if so, what it was. I assume it couldn't hurt as long as I made sure to tell them the specifics...that it was an online retailer (ebay store), the item was advertised as an unused customer return and it was broken etc. I still have hope that the seller will make things right but we're approaching 4 days now. I had some luck buying a light off of eBay for a really good deal so I thought I was on a lucky streak. From now on it might be better just to purchase essential equipment (filters/lights) from the big online stores (Big Al's, That Pet Place, the good Dr. etc.).


----------



## bgzbgz (Jul 6, 2007)

Be sure to leave the ebay seller a negative feedback, and keep in mind he cant do the same to you (new ebay policy). If you write a really nasty one he might be more inclined to make it right.


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

bgzbgz said:


> Be sure to leave the ebay seller a negative feedback, and keep in mind he cant do the same to you (new ebay policy). If you write a really nasty one he might be more inclined to make it right.


Just got an email from him late today. He said to return the item to him, and the full amount + return shipping would be reimbursed to me. I wasn't too sure whether the full amount would include the original shipping or not, but I went down to the UPS store and shipped 'er back. I think I'm planning on positive feedback if all money is refunded and I don't spend a cent, neutral if I have to eat the original shipping costs, and negative if there's some major snafu.

Only downside is I'll have to order a brand new filter. Fortunately Big Al's extended their free shipping offer so I might have to roll the dice and hope my original amount is refunded and order a filter from them.


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Sounds like he's trying. That's about all you can expect. Also, I don't think it's unreasonable for him to ask you to cover the shipping costs - at least one way. That's just an opinion. I'm sure others will have a different view.


----------



## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

BryceM said:


> Sounds like he's trying. That's about all you can expect. Also, I don't think it's unreasonable for him to ask you to cover the shipping costs - at least one way. That's just an opinion. I'm sure others will have a different view.


+1


----------



## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

BryceM said:


> Sounds like he's trying. That's about all you can expect. Also, I don't think it's unreasonable for him to ask you to cover the shipping costs - at least one way. That's just an opinion. I'm sure others will have a different view.


If the item can be shown to have been broken in shipping perhaps, but if it was represented and sold as "unused" and in working order with no mention of the breakage then how can you see it as the buyer's responsiblity to pay the shipping back for returning a defective or misrepresented item?


----------



## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I suppose one's viewpoint on the shipping issue depends mostly on whether you spend more time being the buyer or the seller.


----------



## erijnal (Apr 5, 2006)

True, but I highly doubt any experienced eBay seller would set themselves up for that, considering that only buyers can leave feedback.


----------



## bgzbgz (Jul 6, 2007)

Its kind of an unwritten rule, buyer pays return shipping 99.99% of the time.


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

Based on the eBay feedback they've been given, it sounds like they refund shipping both ways and the full price of the item. Given the fact that most online retailers have this policy for broken or defective items, I'd kind of expect this dealer to do the same. It seemed to be packaged pretty well so I doubt the clip could've broken off in shipping. It's certainly possible, but not very likely given the Eheim was packaged inside a box with bubble wrap, and that box was inside another with more bubble wrap. 

I kind understand BryceM's position though. Being a college student and selling some of my old stuff, I think I'd die a thousand deaths if someone said something I thought was working really wasn't when it was received. I sell old stuff to try to make some extra money, not take a net loss on shipping. It does seem like he's trying to resolve the issue and it doesn't seem like there's anything malicious going on. In my opinion, as a business, I think the correct gesture would be to refund shipping both ways. I said I wasn't beyond giving positive feedback in an email so hopefully they'll look at that.

But honestly, in the grand scheme of things a $10 loss on shipping wouldn't be enough to go burning bridges and not recommending the seller. I'd probably just be happy to know the entire thing wasn't some elaborate scam and that I'll be getting a new, 100% working filter from Big Al's.  Plus, in my return to the hobby and fixing up of a 29 gallon and setup of a 20L shrimp farm...I think I'm pushing the $600 mark now. I'm just going to pay the credit card...and...not...look....


----------



## rich815 (Jun 27, 2007)

eh


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

Hey guys. I just wanted to share my happy ending to the story. Today I received an email from UPS that the package arrived. Within a few hours, I was issued a refund for the item and it's original shipping, as well as return shipping. I think the total I'm out is less than a dollar. Seems to me like it was simply an honest mistake by the seller or it was damaged in shipping, and the seller did make it right. :wink: 

Also, my brand new shiny Eheim 2215 came from Big Al's today, so I'm a pretty happy camper. I left positive feedback for the seller and just noted that the item was received broken, but I was promptly and fully refunded. But still, I'm really glad this seller decided to refund all costs involved and make it easy for me to get my money back. Thanks for all of the advice everyone!


----------



## inareverie85 (May 5, 2008)

I just got a broken Milwauke setup from an ebay member. I hope the ending to my story is as good as yours, or else I'm out ~$90.


----------



## Pyro (Nov 20, 2005)

I hope it's as good of an ending as mine too. It's an awful feeling when you buy something off eBay that costs ~$100+ and you open the box to discover the thing is broken. Hopefully everything works out for you. My advice would be to just be patient and try not to get frustrated.


----------

