What do you do when your item comes not exactly as described?

[GameNinja]

So I need a bit of advice. I recently bought a guide on Ebay, and here is the listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...T#ht_504wt_905

It shipped really quickly, but I soon realized that the guide was not at all in "Brand New" condition. The spine corner is rough and there is even a prominent crease on the corner. All things considered the damage is not terrible, but it is more than the "Brand New" description would have me believe. Part of the description for "Brand New" is that the book has neither been read nor are any pages missing or damaged.

What would you do in such a situation, or in any situation where the item was not as described, but not terrible either? The seller doesn't accept refunds either, and I am not sure it would be worth even contacting them. Would you send a brief message? Would you leave a negative? Would you give them a positive and leave them a low star rating on "item as described?"

[ryborg]

It all depends what you want out of the transaction. Do you want to return it for a full refund? File a dispute and you'll get ALL of your money back, including shipping, if you return the item. Whether or not he "accepts" refunds is irrelevant. Do you just want a few bucks back because the item was not as described? Email the seller and explain the problem. Do you feel fine with the transaction but still want to ding the seller for being extremely lazy with his descriptions? Leave him a neutral feedback with all 1s and 2s for DSRs.

This is exactly why I try to stay away from auctions like this. Stock photo, awful item description. Unless the price is amazing, it's usually not worth the risk.

[GameNinja]

I don't think the condition discrepancy is so huge that it merits the hassle of a full refund, but I don't feel like I should do nothing. They haven't left feedback at all yet, and I don't exactly want to get a negative comment either on my feedback (although I guess it really doesn't matter for buyers anyways).

I think I might email them, just mentioning that the item wasn't brand new as described, and see how they reply.

[ryborg]

Buyers haven't been able to get negged for the last 2-3 years now. Don't worry about retaliatory feedback as a buyer.

[gum_drops]

I would let it slide if it was me. Does it appear otherwise unread or is it clear that its been used, ie the inside pages also. Never go by stock ebay conditions/images.

[Urzu402]

Really depends on the price, and how bad of a discrepancy there is. If its something thats like hundred or so dollars, and it's pretty different or moderately different I would contact the seller first. If that doesn't help then I would go to ebay. But if it was something like say for a couple of dollars, I probably wouldnt give a shit, except leave some slightly bad feedback. Though the bad feed back wouldn't be a neg it would be a neutral or positive depending on how the service is.

[Zing]

The problem with making a paypal claim for a refund is that you must ship the item back with a tracking number. For an item like this, it may not be worth it.

If the condition difference is significant, and the seller didn't use delivery confirmation, the easiest thing to do is file a paypal claim for "item not received". They have no proof that the item was delivered and paypal will refund you completely. Note that I am only suggesting this when it is clear that the seller knew the item was not in the condition stated and the total price of the item is small. Things like this can be a major waste of time and money for you as a buyer.

In your specific case, you made the mistake of buying an item with a stock photo. I'd suggest that you send a message to the seller explaining the situation. Ask the seller for a partial refund or you will be forced to file a claim for the full amount. They will usually, but not always, throw a few dollars your way to prevent a full loss.