Guys... I need some advice on how to handle this eBay seller...

[FortunesPlatinum]

I ordered The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link from and eBay user with relatively high positive feedback. They were listed as being in "very good" condition, however when I recieved them in the mail yesterday I noticed that the front casing on The Adventure of Link had a crack (right toward the bottum under the label). My total expense was $23.99 including shipping.

I contacted the seller today explaining the situation and he said this:

"i guess i could offer a partial refund but it isnt really my fault once the item leaves my hands how the post office hadles it"


Is there any thing I can do? Or anything I can say? How do I know it wasn't cracked from the beginning? If he expects me to send the one game back for this "partial refund" I'd rather not. I'd probably end up getting $2 to $5 back once shipping was all said and done. They were crammed into a bubble-envelope, so the packaging was okay but not great.

What do I do?!

[Zing]

You can file a "not as described" claim with Paypal, but you will have to return the games with a trackable method. Paypal would refund you the entire amount you originally paid, but not your return shipping costs.

Your best move is to press for a partial refund and just keep the games. Most sellers will do this to prevent negative feedback or a possible Paypal refund (which ultimately costs them time and Ebay fees). Get your partial refund, re-buy the games from someone else, and sell your cracked one for whatever you can get.

[carlcarlson]

Chances are it got busted in shipping. It's not really his fault but since he's the seller it is his responsibility. If I were the seller I would offer a partial refund without requiring you to send anything back. You should probably shoot for the same.

[Gentlegamer]

That is why I never buy anything without a photo of the actual item.

[aaron7]

Does the game work? Are you collecting only mint copies?

aka, does it matter? It sucks, yes, but instead of all the hassle I'd just keep it and chock it up to experience.

[Cornelius]

I contacted the seller today explaining the situation and he said this:

"i guess i could offer a partial refund but it isnt really my fault once the item leaves my hands how the post office hadles it"


They were crammed into a bubble-envelope, so the packaging was okay but not great.

What do I do?!

First off, there is an 'Everything Auctions' forum to post stuff like this in the future. This thread will be moved there shortly, I'm sure.

For this partial refund he is offering, you sound like you think you will have to return the item to get it. More likely I think is that he's willing to kick a few bucks back your way to keep you happy. If that's the case, I think taking a reasonable amount (say, $5, no more I would think) ought to make you happy and deserve positive feedback. You have no idea when it got damaged, and he has no obligation to do this.

Your other option is to return the item at your expense for a refund. This basically means you'll be spending 2-3 bucks and getting nothing for it. You also will probably have to go through Paypal's Item significantly not as described claim process.

Shipping cartridges in a bubble mailer is very standard, I put foam between them when there's more than one. I do it all the time and have never had a problem. I never have to cram anything though, except for double wide jewel cases because I wrap them in foam first, and the extra padding makes it harder to get them in.

Does the game work? Frankly, if he is just outright offering you a few bucks back, I think you'd be nuts not to take it and move on. If it were me (caveat: I describe my stuff accurately), I would very likely stick with my return policy, and hope you just decide it isn't worth it. Buyers having to pay return shipping is about the only thing sellers have going for them on eBay anymore.

Lastly, that is a common game, so you are likely to find a nicer condition copy sooner or later and can replace this one.

edit: mis-read something, fixed my reply.

[FortunesPlatinum]

That is why I never buy anything without a photo of the actual item.

There was a photo of the actual item. The crack, as long as it isn't disturbed is hard to notice due to the gold paint. It's not visible in the photo... or any flaws for that matter.

I do sort of collect. They don't need to be CIB but they do need to look decent.

Meh, no big thing. Although if he expects me to send it back for a partial refund it probably wouldn't be worth my time and energy. Drive to the post office, pay shipping costs, etc. In the end I'd maybe get a few dollars back.

Bleh. We'll see.

[gum_drops]

I doubt he wants you to sent it back. Usually partial refund means you keep the item and the seller sends a little back to fix the situation.

[Draven]

Since the pic looked good you're lucky he's offering a partial refund. Most sellers would tell you that you're out of luck, in my experience. Was it an as-is auction, with no refunds listed? If so, you should be happy that he's at least making an attempt to resolve this. Besides, "very good", to some may mean it has an okay label and it works. 23.99 is ALOT to pay for that game, though (unless the price has sky-rocketed since I bought mine a few years ago).

[aaron7]

Oh wait I was thinking Link for the SNES... you paid $23 for the NES one?? ow.

[Diosoth]

Legally, the seller owes you nothing for damage done by the USPS if you didn't purchase postal insurance. Take the partial refund as a courtesy.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Is this it? I opened the photo with Photo Editor and zoomed, but it does not look like there is a crack anywhere. However, I have trouble believing that the hard sturdy plastic cracked in the mailing process. It would have to be stepped on.

[Rickstilwell1]

Is the crack horizontal? If it is, I think I see a black horizontal line right below the label without even zooming in. Look inside the area I circled in green closely without zooming in.

It moves with the cartridge when I scroll up and down so I know it's not a smudge on my computer screen.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Is the crack horizontal? If it is, I think I see a black horizontal line right below the label without even zooming in.
It moves with the cartridge when I scroll up and down so I know it's not a smudge on my computer screen.

Well, I'm not sure if that is even the auction he is talking about. I think that line you mention is the edge of the dip where the label goes on, and you can kind of see it on the other cartridge.

[Rickstilwell1]

Well, I'm not sure if that is even the auction he is talking about. I think that line you mention is the edge of the dip where the label goes on, and you can kind of see it on the other cartridge.

It's not a straight line and there seem to be two lines. It's kind of curved. and there is a point where the two lines touch each other

[FortunesPlatinum]

Since the pic looked good you're lucky he's offering a partial refund. Most sellers would tell you that you're out of luck, in my experience. Was it an as-is auction, with no refunds listed? If so, you should be happy that he's at least making an attempt to resolve this. Besides, "very good", to some may mean it has an okay label and it works. 23.99 is ALOT to pay for that game, though (unless the price has sky-rocketed since I bought mine a few years ago).

If he didn't at least make an attempt to resolve the issue I'd have left him bad feedback, simple as that. I'm can't give the guy the benefit of the doubt and simply accept "well, it's the post office's fault." How do I know whether or not he was telling the truth; hell, the picture was small, making it difficult to discern any amount of detail. I mean, we're cool now; he kicked me back a few dollars, I thanked him and left him glowing feedback. But I don't like the idea of just taking my loss up the tailpipe because it might've not been his fault I paid him for damaged goods. But yeah, he's a good seller and made an effort and to me that's what counts.

Also, the games (Zelda 1 & Zelda 2) were being sold together for 19.99 (plus $4.00 shipping), so Zelda 2 was really $12.00.

[FortunesPlatinum]

Is this it? I opened the photo with Photo Editor and zoomed, but it does not look like there is a crack anywhere. However, I have trouble believing that the hard sturdy plastic cracked in the mailing process. It would have to be stepped on.

Holy crap! How did you know?

[FortunesPlatinum]

Legally, the seller owes you nothing for damage done by the USPS if you didn't purchase postal insurance. Take the partial refund as a courtesy.

Maybe so, but how do I know it wasn't damaged prior to ship? The seller should take my positive feedback as a courtesy.

[Rickstilwell1]

Is the crack horizontal? If it is, I think I see a black horizontal line right below the label without even zooming in. Look inside the area I circled in green closely without zooming in.

It moves with the cartridge when I scroll up and down so I know it's not a smudge on my computer screen.

Well it is true that if I was buying this on ebay I wouldn't have looked closely enough to see those cracks myself. I just would have went "ooh, shiny" and clicked buy it now. Good thing he gave partial refund. But really myself I'm not picky about cracks as long as the game doesn't fall apart by putting it in the system and taking it out.

I got Dragon Warrior IV for $20 instead of the usual $40 just because it had a crack on it. I was happy with my purchase on that one as DW4 is hard enough to find that cheap as it is. Some people including the sellers at
Atari2600.com call these cracked games "wounded warriors". Well this was literally a wounded Warrior. The 4th Dragon Warrior to be exact.

[FortunesPlatinum]

Is this it? I opened the photo with Photo Editor and zoomed, but it does not look like there is a crack anywhere. However, I have trouble believing that the hard sturdy plastic cracked in the mailing process. It would have to be stepped on.

And yeah, you actually kinda have to hold the case in person to see/feel the crack. It's barely visible thanks to the gold paint. It's not so much a cosmetic thing as it is a functionality thing.

Again though, how did you know that was the auction? Pretty sharp...