ugh... What happens when return shipping is more than the (DOA) item cost

[Cornelius]

So here's the deal... I bought a PS2 laser from a Hong Kong seller for $12.50 shipped (7.50 shipping charge). I got it installed and it worked for PS1 discs, but not PS2. So I have a dead laser. I'm outside their DOA exchange period as listed in the auction, though they do have a 3 month warranty if I send it back. Now, I could send it back for the 7.20 first class postage and hope for the best, but I'd lose any option for a paypal claim then (right?). To send it back with DC, I have to use EMS (right?), which costs $25.

What should I do? I know if I made a paypal claim, they normally require the item be returned, but is that true in this case? I guess I'm assuming that I would have to provide delivery confirmation on the return, and obviously that is unrealistic in this case.

Obviously this isn't the end of the world, since I'm out 12.50 at most, but it still sucks. Thanks for any advice.

[Fuyukaze]

Contact the seller and see if there's anything they would be willing to do. If they wont because it's the DoA has passed, then perhaps they can advise you how you should go about it. They may be willing to replace it even.

[Cornelius]

Contact the seller and see if there's anything they would be willing to do. If they wont because it's the DoA has passed, then perhaps they can advise you how you should go about it. They may be willing to replace it even.
I should have said that this is what I've initiated... basically I laid out what I said above and asked how they'd like to proceed. Sent that this morning, I'm just trying to look ahead to the next step in case they don't try to make good or get back to me in a reasonable time.

My problem is that my paranoid side is telling me that they are selling shoddy stuff and hiding behind the high return cost to avoid refund/replacement.

[Fuyukaze]

I should have said that this is what I've initiated... basically I laid out what I said above and asked how they'd like to proceed. Sent that this morning, I'm just trying to look ahead to the next step in case they don't try to make good or get back to me in a reasonable time.

My problem is that my paranoid side is telling me that they are selling shoddy stuff and hiding behind the high return cost to avoid refund/replacement.


Getting paranoid at this point may be a bit too early. I'm not going to say it's just $12 as it's not my money but yours. I'd recomend giving them atleast a week to respond. If they dont respond in that amount, give them a second message. If they still dont respond to that, your paranoia wins out and your out your money. In that, all you could do is let everyone on DP know about the seller and their lack of comunications. All this is worst case scenerio though. Warning fellow DPers wont get you your money back and it wont prevent them from getting any buisness from any of your fellow boardies but at the very least you'll know you sent the word out and tried warning people of the follies of dealing with this particular seller. Some people I'm afraid will always be willing to risk their money reguardless of how bad a seller is.

[Cornelius]

Getting paranoid at this point may be a bit too early. I'm not going to say it's just $12 as it's not my money but yours. I'd recomend giving them atleast a week to respond. If they dont respond in that amount, give them a second message. If they still dont respond to that, your paranoia wins out and your out your money. In that, all you could do is let everyone on DP know about the seller and their lack of comunications. All this is worst case scenerio though. Warning fellow DPers wont get you your money back and it wont prevent them from getting any buisness from any of your fellow boardies but at the very least you'll know you sent the word out and tried warning people of the follies of dealing with this particular seller. Some people I'm afraid will always be willing to risk their money reguardless of how bad a seller is.
So it sounds like you don't think I'll have a recourse with Paypal? (i.e. dispute/claim won't do me any good because of the shipping costs)

[Fuyukaze]

So it sounds like you don't think I'll have a recourse with Paypal? (i.e. dispute/claim won't do me any good because of the shipping costs)

I didnt say that. Just give the seller some time to respond and your worst case scenario, you get nothing for the truble. You can try your luck with paypal if you want. I've so far been lucky and had no real problems with it beyond the usual issues.

[jb143]

Also, look through their feedbacks and see if other people had similar problems. I won a laser from China once and it broke durring shipping. Looking through their feedback I saw a few "seller fixed problem, sent replacement" or similar things that led me to trust them. I sent the broken one back and got a new one shortly afterwards. It didn't cost me more than $3.00 to ship though and it was a $40 laser...so you'll still want to judge if it's worth it to you.