p.1 #1 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
A couple of weeks back I sold my Tamron adaptall SP 90mm f2.5 macro lens on ebay because I was desperate for money.
It was in perfect working order and in very good cosmetic, mechanical and optical condition when I posted it and because I knew this I did not offer any return/refund policy on the auction.
A couple of days after I posted it the buyer emailed me to say the iris was'nt stopping down and that he had fixed it once already and it had gone again. And then he accused me of selling him a dodgy lens.
Understandably I was completely outraged by this and after a few emails back and forth he opened a dispute case with ebay. Several emails later, the case was escalated then eventually ebay made a final decision that he should send the lens back to me and I should refund him, despite my protests that he had broken it and no returns could be accepted as that would be illegal due to the conditions of the auction text.
The lens turned up a few days later and ebay automatically refunded him from my paypal account.
Now I'm stuck with a broken lens and no money again!
I have appealed their decision and I have been told I have to go to a police station to file a report about it and then send a copy of the police record to them, all within a week. This seems rediculous because who do I complain to the police about, the buyer or ebay
Anyway I'm hoping I can fix the lens myself but I need photos or diagrams of the rear iris control mechansim, and what it should look like on a working copy.
Thanks in advance.
p.1 #3 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
The problem is, how do you prove that the was in 'very good cosmetic, mechanical and optical condition' at the time he received the lens. The only thing that is easy to prove now is the current condition of the lens. I was recently on the other side of a ebay transaction similar to this. Fortunately it was only a filter, that was poorly packed and arrived with the glass broken in two. Even if the auction had been labeled 'as is' or 'no warranty', the vendor was liable since the item wasn't 'as described' and I assume that would be Alf's buyer's claim. Sucks for Alf, but when dealing through ebay the vendor needs to be sure the buyer gets exactly what was described.
The only thing that works for Alf, in this case, is that the buyer admitted that he'd 'fixed' the iris, before contacting Alf. To my way of thinking, this 'fix' should relieve Alf of his responsibility, but that's a bit more advanced than paypal's general approach to settlements.
Alf, I don't have that particular lens, but I have a few adaptall lenses with me. If you can post a shot of the broken part of the lens I'll see if I can take one of a similar working copy.
p.1 #4 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
The most important lesson for this is to never leave any money in your Paypal account. Never connect your Paypal account to you "primary" savings/checking account. Open a separate account and connect that to your Paypal. As soon as you get a payment move it the separate account. As soon as it hit the separate account transfer to your primary account. That way Paypal can't just grab the money.
p.1 #5 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
metagraphica wrote:
The most important lesson for this is to never leave any money in your Paypal account. Never connect your Paypal account to you "primary" savings/checking account. Open a separate account and connect that to your Paypal. As soon as you get a payment move it the separate account. As soon as it hit the separate account transfer to your primary account. That way Paypal can't just grab the money.
This puts you back in control but I suspect that you'll not be able to use paypal again if there's ever a problem. For all it's flaws, it's a very convenient, and relatively safe way to send money online. In my case I was happy paypal was able to get my money back. The vendor wasn't being too reasonable, forced me send back the filter at my cost (with tracking it cost me 6x what he paid), and I ended up having to file a dispute to get my money back, all in spite of providing a picture of the boken filter immediately on receipt. Without paypal there's no way I would be able to force a resolution for the cost of a $40 filter.
Just making sure the other side gets told as well It's not always the buyer that's at fault.
p.1 #7 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
I purchased that same lens some while back from a reputable shop in pristine (okay, almost pristine) condition. The first time I went to use it, I couldn't get it to function properly on my D700, gave me fits for a few days and I was ticked.
Sadly, I don't remember what I ended up doing that turned out to be the issue, but it was definitely OPERATOR ERROR, the lens was & is fine and I've never had another issue with it since.
Something about that particular lens / adaptall mount alignment that probably got out of whack from 'playing with it' before I mounted it. I remember that in my hand everything worked flawless ... mounted I had only partial aperture control.
Then, 'magically' after I had mounted it on a nikon-EOS adapter and used it on my 5D, I tried it again on my D700 ... perfect ever since. I never really figured it out ... but it is obvious to me that it was operator error of some kind (guessing the alignment of the two aperture indicator tabs).
Uploading pics to Flickr. Can you post any pics of what yours currently looks like?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25965178@N04/?saved=1
Sorry for incomplete link ... my Flickr is "Rusty Bug" with a space in the name. The pics are tagged with Tamron 90mm SP 2.5 and are at the beginning of my photostream as well as in the equipment set. If these aren't what you're looking for ... just let me know.
Just some quick pics for orientation of adaptall on lens, adaptall off lens, lens without adaptall. I was careful not to reposition the tabs when removing the adaptall. Hope these help.
Hopefully he didn't go inside and screw anything up.
p.1 #8 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
+1 on Metagraphica's method. I never leave $ in paypal, always transfer it out immediately. They can't auto-debit your bank account in the USA, to go after it, without your permission (and even if they tried that, your bank would reject it if you told them it was unauthorized).
yes, doing so will lock up your paypal account until such time as it gets resolved (e.g. never), but that's no big deal. Just start another paypal account with another email address, etc.
Paypal/ebay screwed me over with a forced return/refund one time, similiar situation - scumbag scammer buyer broke the item then returned it. Fortuntately I had already transferred the funds out, so paypal/ebay ended up eating that $500+, which serves them right for their dirtbag forced returns policy.
I've been on the other side too as a buyer, and yes, the dispute/etc. system did help get things resolved in my favor. Paying with a credit card via paypal as a buyer helps too, since you can always issue a chargeback via your credit card company (and Paypal hates that! !).
Moral of story: don't trust paypal. And don't trust ebay most of the time either. Especially not with them holding funds on your behalf.
p.1 #9 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
Alf Beharie wrote:
A couple of weeks back I sold my Tamron adaptall SP 90mm f2.5 macro lens on because I was desperate for money.
It was in perfect working order and in very good cosmetic, mechanical and optical condition when I posted it and because I knew this I did not offer any return/refund policy on the auction.
A couple of days after I posted it the buyer emailed me to say the iris was'nt stopping down and that he had fixed it once already and it had gone again. And then he accused me of selling him a dodgy lens.
Understandably I was completely outraged by this and after a few emails back and forth he opened a dispute case with ebay. Several emails later, the case was escalated then eventually ebay made a final decision that he should send the lens back to me and I should refund him, despite my protests that he had broken it and no returns could be accepted as that would be illegal due to the conditions of the auction text.
The lens turned up a few days later and ebay automatically refunded him from my paypal account.
Now I'm stuck with a broken lens and no money again!
I have appealed their decision and I have been told I have to go to a police station to file a report about it and then send a copy of the police record to them, all within a week. This seems rediculous because who do I complain to the police about, the buyer or ebay
Anyway I'm hoping I can fix the lens myself but I need photos or diagrams of the rear iris control mechansim, and what it should look like on a working copy.
Thanks in advance....Show more →
This is the reason I demand direct paypal payment after the auction closes (not through e-bay). If the buyer refuses I just offer it to the next highest bidder. So far there's been no trouble and everyone has been happy to do so and liked what they got from me. Only I trust me with my ethics and I won't have them dictated by know-nothings.
1) He admittedly "fixed" it himself, and
2) it apparently worked fine for a week or whatever till it busted.
E-Bay is a bunch of legal/political buffoons who know absolutely nothing about lenses and I don't want them mediating ANY part of my sales. Yahoo policies are a million percent more sane - and cheaper too!
I think while I was visiting the police department I would also take out a claim against E-Bay for stealing money out of your bank account.
In my case I can repair lenses so I would have had him ship it back, repaired it and shipped it back to him - where he pays shipping to me ($20) and I pay shipping back to him ($20) - or might be open to other suggestions. A refund sounds like it was not in order in this case.
Anyway, if you want to fix this yourself, take lots of pics of it's current condition and someone here can walk you through the reassembly.
--
I'd like to try this lens actually so if you just want to minimize your losses PM me with the price you want for it in it's current condition.
p.1 #10 · Need help to fix lens and a cautionary tale
Ed Sawyer wrote:
+1 on Metagraphica's method. I never leave $ in paypal, always transfer it out immediately. They can't auto-debit your bank account in the USA, to go after it, without your permission (and even if they tried that, your bank would reject it if you told them it was unauthorized). yes, doing so will lock up your paypal account until such time as it gets resolved (e.g. never), but that's no big deal.
The money I got from the sale of the Tamron had already been transfered out of the account to my bank account but a couple of days after selling the Tamron I also sold a CZJ 180mm f2.8 Sonnar and there was'nt enough time to get the money transfered before ebay put a stop on the transfer.
It seems to me that the wheel might need to stick up from flange X more so that the presser plate on the adapter has more effect, if you know what I mean?
It's not always the buyer that's at fault.
!).