Kelly in IL Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Even after all these years dealing with sellers and paypal, I learned a hard lesson this week and wanted to pass it on so others won't be surprised either. I bought two sets of Sonlight 6 books from a seller. The books were listed as being in "New" condition on homeschoolclassifieds (specifically bought in 2010) and "very good" on this site. Before purchasing I asked if ALL the books were bought in 2010 and was told yes. When the books arrived, a total of 7 of them ended up being almost completely trashed. Using even the most subjective standards, between them there was writing on the edges and inside the books, slight to significant yellowing on pages, tears on the covers, very significant cover wear/bends, and one even had water damage to the entire second half of the book with complete wrinkling. Obviously neither new or like new. When I contacted the seller and asked for a partial refund, it was really bizarre. She said she "disagreed" about the condition of the books because she lists her books accurately (?!?!) She refused to give me a partial refund. At that point I agreed to ship the books back (at my own expense) because I had paid $196 for the books that were supposed to be a complete set and was now going to have to buy 7 books new. Here's the rub: I did say I would pay return shipping, but the more I thought about it the more I realized how stupid it was for me to have to lose about $16 in shipping costs just because the seller had totally lied about her books. So I checked in with Paypal just to see if I opened a dispute and won (which I absolutely would have because I took video of the condition of the books and had all of her E-mails which repeatedly referred to the "incredibly great" condition of the books), would she have to pay return shipping. They said no! They said that under their paypal protection plan, the BUYER has to pay return shipping even if they decide the seller sold something under false pretenses. I guess that might not be too bad if it was a dollar or 2, but I bought this set because I need to pinch pennies, and losing $16 because I was unfortunate enough to deal with one of those scam artists we all run into from time to time really doesn't seem fair. Of course, I do have the option of opening the claim and then proving she lied and then having paypal reimburse the portion for the damaged books. But she turned from sugar sweet to incredibly nasty, condescending and sarcastic when I dared question her description of the books...so I'd rather lose the money than have to deal with her for one more second. Just wanted to pass this on because I remember when people were just finding out that if you used the "personal" tab and had a problem, you didn't have the protection program. I thought it was important for people to know that you really don't have 100% coverage with the protection program, so be careful when buying groups of books that would cost a lot to ship back!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 "Like New" can mean almost anything. Sometimes I am not as careful as I should be about checking things, and we've found missing pages, whole chapters written in, etc. months later when there really isn't a lot you can do. I bought my last curriculum purchases new because I have become so frustrated with how dishonest people have become on the used market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Threads like these make me sad. I am always truthful with my sellers and these people make it more difficult for honest people to sell their used curriculum. I just don't understand why people find the need to try and scam others..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovetobehome Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thanks for the heads-up! Paypal has always had this policy, as far back as I can recall. I bought a 'new' coffee maker on ebay. When I got it, the box had been opened and there were coffee stains and grounds in the machine. Not exactly new! I disputed it, and won, but I still had to pay the return shipping. I am sorry you had this experience. Sometimes buying/selling can really be a hassle. I buy for myself, my 2 sisters and a couple friends and I also sell for them, too. The majority of my experiences have been really wonderful, but there are occasionally transactions that are really problematic. Hope yours gets settled quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.