Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

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MikeLem
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p.1 #1 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Last month, I put an item up for sale in the Buy/Sell forum. You can see the ad here. I received an offer from a member ($970 shipped), he paid via PayPal Gift, and I shipped the item.

- The item was shipped on 10/22, insured via UPS Ground.
- He received and signed for the item on 10/26.
- On 10/28, he left me the following feedback: (sic) Great - perfect condition "lens came as described and was in perfect condition. couldnt love it any more than i do"

Today (11/14), he sent me a PM claiming to have a focusing issue while shooting "light action," and asked for a refund. Considering the following facts, I told him (politely) that I recommended for him to send it in to Canon if he feels there is an issue: I had no issues with the lens, the lens is still under warranty, he's had the lens for more than 2 1/2 weeks, and he left feedback saying it arrived in perfect condition and that he "love(s) it."

I feel like I'm being reasonable. Please confirm.

Screenshot of feedback is below, since I'm not sure if it's possible to change feedback here on FM.

Cheers,
Mike

2013 © MikeLem

Nov 15, 2012 at 04:35 AM

MikeLem
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p.1 #2 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Slight correction. We agreed on $1000 shipped, apparently.

Nov 15, 2012 at 05:05 AM

MikeLem
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p.1 #3 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

To add to the fun, the buyer is saying the following:

Like I said, I have barely used this lens. Once for test when I initially received it, once for fun in hall, and once again walking around my campus taking a few shots for fun.

After doing a little Googling, I found photos he posted on Tumblr/Facebook using a 70-200L non-IS that were taken on 11/2 at a basketball game. Screenshots below. Not fun when members try to make things other peoples' problems.

2013 © MikeLem

Nov 15, 2012 at 05:25 AM

trenchmonkey
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p.1 #4 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

VERY reasonable, Mike. Sounds more like a case of buyers remorse.

Nov 15, 2012 at 11:52 AM

anthonysemone
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p.1 #5 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

If he paid by PP "gift," unless it was on a credit card that allows disputes under the conditions of your sale, he may well be SOL if he forces your transaction to a PP dispute. FWIW, I agree with the Monkey on this one.

Nov 15, 2012 at 01:14 PM

Spydweb
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p.1 #6 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Agree with Mr. Monkey also

Nov 15, 2012 at 02:32 PM

MikeLem
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p.1 #7 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Thanks, everyone. I was pretty confident that I was being reasonable, but since he's apparently a college student, and $1000 is a good amount of money, I wanted to be sure that my approach was the consensus.

Cheers,
Mike

Nov 15, 2012 at 02:36 PM

Danpbphoto
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p.1 #8 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Agree with all....I NEVER use PP GIft!!

Nov 15, 2012 at 04:43 PM

MikeLem
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p.1 #9 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

anthonysemone wrote:
If he paid by PP "gift," unless it was on a credit card that allows disputes under the conditions of your sale, he may well be SOL if he forces your transaction to a PP dispute.

I knew this was the case, but I wanted to make sure I was on firm ethical ground. I want him to have to deal with it on his own because he shouldn't reasonably get a refund, not because he can't get a refund due to his payment method.

Nov 15, 2012 at 05:03 PM

mmurph
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p.1 #10 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

As long as it is under warranty, I don't really see an issue.

If you have CPS (Canon Professional Services), you could let him send it in under your account. It would come back to you for free, so no extra shipping cost, but guaranteed fast turnaround.

I sold a Canon 17-40 on here that the buyer had trouble with. I told him to send it back, and I refunded his money. But he told me right away that he was having problems.

(I made a mistake and cleaned the external body after I had tested it. I got some of the plastic anti-oxidizer on the contacts. Worked fine after I cleaned it.)

If you wanted to be nice, you could offer to pay $15 - $20 for shipping to get it serviced. (Assuming Canon charges both ways for non-CPS? I know we get free Express return shipping.)

I don't think that is "required", but I sometimes try to go above & beyond.

Good luck!
Michael

Nov 16, 2012 at 01:09 AM

mmurph
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p.1 #11 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

MikeLem wrote:
After doing a little Googling, I found photos he posted on Tumblr/Facebook using a 70-200L non-IS that were taken on 11/2 at a basketball game. Screenshots below.

If he wasn't being 100% straight-up with you, I probably wouldn't pay for the shipping.

That's what makes I hard to figure out to begin with - you don't know how he used the lens, what might have happened, etc. He could have dropped it and damaged it, etc.

While Canon will probably service it any way under warranty, you really can't take the risk. They could come back and say it was negligence, and charge you $575.

Have him send it. Offer $20 max toward shipping. Maybe after you see the repair, that it wasn't dropped, etc.?

Nov 16, 2012 at 01:16 AM

kewlcanon
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p.1 #12 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Thanks for the heads up...I'll avoid dealing with this kind of buyer

Nov 16, 2012 at 02:47 AM

BenV
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p.1 #13 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

just based on the fact alone its been 2+ weeks I'd say sorry you're out of luck. 2 days is my limit to test out gear. I'm not a store

Nov 16, 2012 at 02:56 AM

dcains
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p.1 #14 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

This is ridiculous, and it doesn't matter if it's buyer's remorse or a broken lens. After a few days, the deal is final. If a buyer wants the full protection of buying a brand new product from a retailer like B&H or Amazon, then let that buyer pay full retail price, plain and simple. I'm going to start sending an email bill of sale to any new buyer I deal with, and before I ship the gear, that buyer will have to agree to a 3-day trial period, with the option to return the item for a full refund, if shipped at their expense. This crap needs to stop. FM was never like this before, and we're seeing posts like this far too often.

Further, PayPal are @ssholes for allowing, and perhaps even encouraging this sort of behavior when a buyer pays using the regular method. They're taking the fees from the seller, yet treating the buyer like their customer.

Nov 16, 2012 at 03:52 AM

Lars Johnsson
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p.1 #15 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

trenchmonkey wrote:
VERY reasonable, Mike. Sounds more like a case of buyers remorse.

Nov 16, 2012 at 05:29 AM

anthonysemone
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p.1 #16 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

Dcains +2

Nov 16, 2012 at 12:51 PM

MikeLem
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p.1 #17 · Am I Handling This Buy/Sell Issue Appropriately?

FWIW, I haven't heard from the buyer for a day or so, so I'm assuming he is figuring out that he isn't going to get anywhere.

Nov 16, 2012 at 03:04 PM

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