Feeling bad about an e-bay transaction

[Cindyg]

I listed a book like this:

 

"This book is in very good condition. I never used it much. It does show a little wear just from sitting on the shelf: The front cover has a dent in it, and the back cover has a tiny tear. It really is tiny -- about 3/16ths of an inch. The book is otherwise not written in, grubby, smelly, or torn. It is from a non-smoking home. The pages still feel new."

 

This description is (was?) completely true. The book is about four years old, and I had probably spent about an hour reading it. Otherwise, it has lived on a bookshelf. It is softback. The buyer paid $14 for it, and it sells for $28 new. I sold it "no returns."

 

But OK, this morning I got an e-mail from the buyer saying, "The binding is broken in the middle of the book and pages are trying to fall out. This is not in very good condition. "

 

She didn't ask me to do anything, but I assume she put that feedback on my e-bay listing, and I feel terrible. I would not have *donated* a book with "pages trying to fall out"! Honestly! I certainly wouldn't have tried to sell a "not very good condition" book as "very good." This book was like new. (There was a picture of my book in the ad, but the spine doesn't show in the ad.)

 

What does it mean to say a soft-bound book has the spine broken in the middle of the book? Does that mean it falls open to a certain page? (I don't think so! ???)

 

Any ideas what happened? Is there anything I should do? I really feel bad.

Edited December 17, 2008 by Cindyg

[lionfamily1999]

Sounds like the glue broke. If it was mashed in shipping that could have happened.

 

How did you ship it? In a box, envelope, etc...

[lynn]

I listed a book like this:

 

"This book is in very good condition. I never used it much. It does show a little wear just from sitting on the shelf: The front cover has a dent in it, and the back cover has a tiny tear. It really is tiny -- about 3/16ths of an inch. The book is otherwise not written in, grubby, smelly, or torn. It is from a non-smoking home. The pages still feel new."

 

This description is (was?) completely true. The book is about four years old, and I had probably spent about an hour reading it. Otherwise, it has lived on a bookshelf. It is softback. The buyer paid $14 for it, and it sells for $28 new. I sold it "no returns."

 

But OK, this morning I got an e-mail from the buyer saying, "The binding is broken in the middle of the book and pages are trying to fall out. This is not in very good condition. "

 

She didn't ask me to do anything, but I assume she put that feedback on my e-bay listing, and I feel terrible. I would not have *donated* a book with "pages trying to fall out"! Honestly! I certainly wouldn't have tried to sell a "not very good condition" book as "very good." This book was like new. (There was a picture of my book in the ad, but the spine doesn't show in the ad.)

 

What does it mean to say a soft-bound book has the spine broken in the middle of the book? Does that mean it falls open to a certain page? (I don't think so! ???)

 

Any ideas what happened? Is there anything I should do? I really feel bad.

 

 

Ask the buyer what they feel is a good resolution. Do they want the book and would take partial refund. Do they want to send it back for a full refund. Would you feel better just to issue a refund and let it go?

[Alyce]

Certain things catch buyers eyes like "in very good condition". They stop reading from there. I've been guilty of that. Having sold things on ebay I would not have described your book in very good condition. I would have said good condition but has some damage. That would have been closer to what you described here. You did right by listing the damage. When she said spine was broke she probably meant that it was bent in the middle like paperbacks tend to get when you've read them. I'm not sure about the pages falling out. I suspect she read the "in very good condition" and had a expectation that the book was almost new. Selling things on ebay can be difficult. You have to word them just right. I would offer her a refund. That might keep her from leaving negative feedback.

[MBH]

If the book is worth $28 and she bought is for $14 and there is nothing wrong with the book other than the fact that the binding is weak in the middle, then I say she got a great deal.

She can take it to a shop where they can fix the binding and/or punch holes in it and place it in a binder. She can also tape those pages.

The weather is cold; the binding could have become weak as a result of cold weather.

She cannot expect a brand new book at a used price. That is the bottom line.

 

[EKS]

What I'm imagining is what happens when a paperback book is opened as far as it can go and it makes a crease in the glue binding. Sometimes if the glue is unyielding, it can crack there and then at that spot the pages can come out, sort of like they would from a pad of paper. This frequently happens to older paperbacks, but can happen to new books with bad glue.

 

I don't know if that makes sense. It could happen from minimal reading if the book was opened really wide and if the glue was of the unyielding type.

[Cindyg]

How did you ship it? In a box, envelope, etc...

 

I think I sent it in a large padded envelope. The kind with bubbles built into it.

 

The book truly was like new. The little dings I mentioned, I mentioned to be totally honest. These were tiny dings, the same as you might find in a book on a bookshelf store or that you might get in the mail new. :(

[lionfamily1999]

I think I sent it in a large padded envelope. The kind with bubbles built into it.

 

The book truly was like new. The little dings I mentioned, I mentioned to be totally honest. These were tiny dings, the same as you might find in a book on a bookshelf store or that you might get in the mail new. :(

Okay, you did nothing wrong with mailing it in an envelope, first of all. Secondly, an envelope is flexible, it is the Christmas season, and the odds are the envelope got some tough love between your hands and the buyers hands. They need to understand that you are not liable for damage incurred during shipping. Did they insure the package? No? Then, it's over, they got what they paid for. The book could've gotton mashed, mushed, and bent countless times in shipping. Not enough to damage the packaging, but enough to damage the binding. Like someone else posted, in the cold the glue will get brittle.

 

Do not feel bad. You WERE honest. You have no control over the nuts that work in shipping. The nuts in shipping have very little control over the volume they have to process. Everyone tried to make this a good transaction, but there were elements outside of your/their control, cold weather etc. The book should have been allowed to warm up to room temp. before being opened, the damage could have happened then.

 

Shmile. S'ok.

[siloam]

I don't think you should feel bad at all.

 

If it were me I would just issue a refund. Not because it was my fault but just because that is what shippers do for me when I get a book in bad condition, lost in the mail, or missing pages and I appreciate it.

 

Heather

[Peek a Boo]

If you didn't actually check the binding before sending it, then you have no way of knowing whether it's really broken or she's just making a big stink.

 

The ONLY offer I'd make is that she can return it for a refund. I'm leery of claims like this, especially on a book that you were convinced was in good condition. Just be sure to leave a reply to your feedback [does ebay still do that??].

 

and no, i wouldn't feel too bad about it.

[KellyGirl]

About a year ago my dh and I bought a bass guitar pedal used in a music store and then turned around and made $400 on it by selling it on ebay. When we bought it we tested it thoroughly and even took it apart to make sure everything looked good on the inside. There was one jack that did not work on the pedal, and we stated that in our auction.

 

A few weeks after the guy got it, he sent us a message saying that the inside of the pedal was full of packing peanuts and it didn't work - it was ruined. Thankfuly, we had taken it apart (and put it back together)so we knew he was lying. I replied saying I didn't understand his complaint, asked for pictures, and suggested that he take up a claim with UPS. I didn't hear back from him and a month or two later he left positive feedback!

 

All that to say, some people are just out there to scam. Why pay for it if you can make some crazy complaint and get your money back? I would ask for a pic and better explination before giving a refund. But always present yourself humbly and word responses carefuly.

[PariSarah]

I got a book off the shelf for the first time in about eight years recently. It was brand-spanking-new looking, but the second I cracked it open, the binding broke and the pages started falling out. It was like the glue had just given out some time in those eight years it was sitting on the shelf. Maybe something like that happened?

 

If you had opened it to look through it before you sold it, though, that's not very likely.

 

If you are concerned, do try what lynn suggested--just ask what she thinks is a good resolution. Maybe ask for pictures first, possibly in a gentle way. ("I can't quite imagine what you're describing. Could you send me pictures?")

[Cindyg]

The ONLY offer I'd make is that she can return it for a refund. I'm leery of claims like this, especially on a book that you were convinced was in good condition.

 

All that to say, some people are just out there to scam. Why pay for it if you can make some crazy complaint and get your money back?

 

I have wondered if this person is not simply trying to get a further discount on the book.

 

Personally, I don't think it's worth mailing a $14 book back and forth. But maybe I'll offer her that. If she's really trying to cheat me though, she'll ask me to pay her shipping, I'd bet. :(

 

Sigh.

 

I appreciate everyone who said don't worry about it. :grouphug:

 

P.S. PariSarah, I flipped through the book to make sure it had no writing in it. It was not 8 years old. I would guess 4 years. It really still had a new-book smell and feel to it. It just wasn't perfect. It was slightly used.

[JudoMom]

I have wondered if this person is not simply trying to get a further discount on the book.

 

Personally, I don't think it's worth mailing a $14 book back and forth. But maybe I'll offer her that. If she's really trying to cheat me though, she'll ask me to pay her shipping, I'd bet. :(

 

Sigh.

 

I appreciate everyone who said don't worry about it. :grouphug:

 

P.S. PariSarah, I flipped through the book to make sure it had no writing in it. It was not 8 years old. I would guess 4 years. It really still had a new-book smell and feel to it. It just wasn't perfect. It was slightly used.

 

Honestly, to me, it sounds like she's trying to get a discount.

 

I ordered a Before FIAR off of eBay once. It was supposed to be like new. But when I got it, it was bent in half, so the spine was bent. My postman decided to bend it so it fit in the mailbox. Really, he probably would have exerted less energy and strength if he had walked it to my door, but my point is that it wasn't the seller's fault.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. As long as your description was honest and you checked the book over before you shipped it, I don't think you need to do a thing.

[SquirrellyMama]

Has she left feedback yet? I think i would just refund her the money. We've taken losses like that before even when we knew people were trying to cheat us. It just wasn't worth the bad feedback. We don't make people send the item back to us. We haven't had this happen with anything too expensive though.

 

Kelly

[coffeefreak]

I think the suggestion about asking for pictures of the binding and the pages that have fallen out would be a good start. If she is very unhappy, she'll be willing to provide pictures and details. And, I would only give a partial refund, not ask for the book back. Otherwise, you'll never know if SHE opened the book too far upon arrival and SHE broke the binding. You're never going to be able to sell it after this. If she sends pics, I'd offer a partial refund in exchange for no neg feedback. I once sold an outfit to a lady on e-bay. She was quick to tell me it was missing the socks. I sent an e-mail explaining that I had double checked the envelope, and I would appreciate her checking again. I also explained this had NEVER happened to me, so I was confused as to what might have happened? Two days later she admitted she let her daughter open the envelope and they found the socks in the envelope in the trash. I think if I had been quick to offer a partial refund, she would have just taken it and not looked harder.

 

I have been scammed both ways on e-bay. Because of this, I've started using other sites to buy/sell things. Plus, I don't have to pay seller's fees :)

 

Blessings!

[Nestof3]

Did you open up the book before listing/packing it? If it were old enough, it could have cracked the first time it was opened.

[SonshineLearner]

I just bought a book off ebay, and the good condition that the seller said it was in...was just not what I call good. I didn't ever contact them, because I didn't want to go through the trouble. That being said, if you offer half back, maybe that would be a good solution? I would have been happy with anything back...just to let me know that they cared. It's funny, even when it's a non-personal transaction...usually the person just wants to know that the other person wasn't trying to take advantage...

 

Sorry,

Carrie:-)

[Word Nerd]

My sister has an eBay shop and has noticed an increase in the number of people who make complaints and try to get a partial refund ever since eBay stopped allowing mutual feedback from sellers and buyers.

[Word Nerd]

Has she left feedback yet? I think i would just refund her the money. We've taken losses like that before even when we knew people were trying to cheat us. It just wasn't worth the bad feedback. We don't make people send the item back to us. We haven't had this happen with anything too expensive though.

 

Kelly

 

I think more sellers should fight it instead of encouraging the bad behavior by giving in, but I avoid stuff like this by not selling on eBay at all! :)

Edited December 15, 2008 by WordGirl

[dawn of ns]

What I'm imagining is what happens when a paperback book is opened as far as it can go and it makes a crease in the glue binding. Sometimes if the glue is unyielding, it can crack there and then at that spot the pages can come out, sort of like they would from a pad of paper. This frequently happens to older paperbacks, but can happen to new books with bad glue.

 

I don't know if that makes sense. It could happen from minimal reading if the book was opened really wide and if the glue was of the unyielding type.

 

I used to work at a bookstore and it wasn't unheard of to have newly bought books returned because the glue was no good and pages had started coming at soon after a person started to read it.

 

If it were me I'd probably offer to refund the money with a return. It wasn't your fault the binding failed but then again neither was it the fault of the person who bought it.

[Cindyg]

To recap:

 

Here was my original ad:

 

"This book is in very good condition. I never used it much. It does show a little wear just from sitting on the shelf: The front cover has a dent in it, and the back cover has a tiny tear. It really is tiny -- about 3/16ths of an inch. The book is otherwise not written in, grubby, smelly, or torn. It is from a non-smoking home. The pages still feel new."

 

(The book sells new for $28, and she bought it for $14. I sold it "no returns," "insurance optional," and they buyer didn't insure it.)

 

Here is the buyer's complaint:

 

"The binding is broken in the middle of the book and pages are trying to fall out. This is not in very good condition. "

 

Here's how I responded:

 

"I am very sorry you were disappointed in the book. I tried to be meticulous in my description and honestly enumerate its imperfections.

 

I am not a book dealer. That was a book I purchased new for my own use, was done with, and wanted to pass on to another family.

 

To the best of my knowledge, it left my house in the condition that I described. I am truly puzzled how it was damaged to that extent, and I am sorry for your disappointment."

 

Sigh. This (season) is the first time I've tried selling used curriculum. This was actually the 4th thing I've ever sold. In the past I've donated books. Lots of donations. But this time I needed the money. So. Oh well.

[SquirrellyMama]

I think more sellers should fight it instead of encouraging the bad behavior by giving in, but I avoid stuff like this by not selling on eBay at all! :)

 

It is my dh's account and he doesn't want to anger anyone. He's really not a confrontational type. I would go too far if I were fighting it. There is no middle ground between the two of us. :001_smile:

 

Kelly

[CookieMonster]

My postman decided to bend it so it fit in the mailbox. Really, he probably would have exerted less energy and strength if he had walked it to my door, but my point is that it wasn't the seller's fault.

 

 

My postman does this too - including envelopes containing 8x10 photos of family members that are clearly marked "DO NOT BEND". Ooohh, it makes me so mad!

 

Honestly, it sounds like something happened during shipping. That is not your fault. I repeat, that is not your fault.

 

I would inform the buyer that you "flipped through the book" as you stated above, that you thouroughly checked the condition, and that you listed accurately. I would suggest to the buyer that damage must have occured during shipping and that you are not liable for that.

[JFSinIL]

To protect your ratings at ebay I'd email the person that you are sorry - the book must have gotten squished in shipping, but that since the envelope wasn't apparently sturdy enough you'd be glad to refund her money. Changes are with that offer she may well be satisfied and say "never mind" (one can hope!)

 

Even if it ISN'T your fault - this way the buyer may well give you a good rating for dealing with the problem. At least you should not get a bad one.

[TraceyS/FL]

I got a book off the shelf for the first time in about eight years recently. It was brand-spanking-new looking, but the second I cracked it open, the binding broke and the pages started falling out. It was like the glue had just given out some time in those eight years it was sitting on the shelf. Maybe something like that happened?

 

 

:iagree: I've had this happen a lot with books that are "old". The glue just isn't holding up :(