Ebay protocol

The CD could well be retail stock. The seller has done nothing wrong.

You should of asked if the CD was a cutout before bidding. I do. Every time.

Not that there's anything wrong with cutouts. My best copy of Rumours is an original USA pressing, which is a cutout.

From the seller's item description as you have reported it, it was misleading of him not to mention the punched barcode. Therefore I think you have a right to expect a full refund on return of the item, including postage in both directions (redress by any other arrangement however would be entirely at his discretion).

Furthermore I would personally be suspicious of any seller who would argue against this stance, and in your position I would feel obliged to make the facts public in an appropriate fashion so that other potential buyers could be made aware of the possible risks of doing business with the supplier in question. eBay is nothing without the confidence of its participants, which in turn rests on the feedback system, which everyone thereby has a duty to make use of.

I'd be inclined to post neutral feedback consisting of a clear, simple statement of the relevant facts constituting your grievance eg 'Refused the full refund I requested because punched barcode not mentioned in item description'

The key is to avoid any insulting or emotive language, however pissed off you actually feel. By sticking to the facts you force the seller to deal exclusively with the facts in any response he might come back with - anything else and the fact that he's an arsehole will be obvious to anyone.

The one time I have ever left anything but positive feedback on eBay related to a very similar situation. The CD was described as 'New and factory sealed'. When it arrived I had no trouble in believing that it was new but sealed it most certainly was not. I emailed the seller, expecting to receive an apology and (probably) to leave it at that. There was no response, nor any to a couple of follow-ups. In the end I posted neutral feedback (which I hadn't even thought of originally) stating that the only problem I had was that the CD had been described as sealed when in fact it was not. There has been no reply - and I don't anticipate dealing with the seller again.

Enough already
Jim

I'm not sure why this is an issue with you.

Years ago I worked for a sub-contractor at a CD pressing plant. Despite the fact that I was only indirectly employed, I still could avail myself of purchasing CD's through the internal program like the regular employees.

Every single CD I purchased had the bar codes punched, and they were indeed factory fresh and sealed. Hell, they literally were made there.

I figured you wanted the music, isn't that why you bought the disc?

I think it's an issue because you can pick up promo copies at record fairs (at least the one in Brighton) for next to nothing. For example, last on I went to had Arrthymia by APC for 2 quid. It happens on Ebay too. I picked up the very hard to get first album by Mike Ladd for a few dollars because it had a promo stamp, and a punched barcode.

AFAIC, you get promos for less. My guess is that he avoided mentioning it in the description because that's the common perception.

What does the disc sound like? How has its quality been influenced by a hole in the bar code?

Not sure I understand!

David

Well, I am not aware of the seller's texts to you , but based on what you report, the seller admits that the punched bar codes may impact the final selling price?

IF the prices on goods will be lower in the future because of the punched codes, then perhaps they should offer a partial refund.

However, if the seller is going to make the punched codes a part of full disclosure simply because it is pertinent to some, but still expecting the price, I'm not so sure.

My tactic when something bothers me is to pursue it as far as reasonable. Catharsis! Nothing may change but at least I feel better because I did something.

I think the issue of feedback on ebay is important, and I'd wait to post until after I'd contacted ebay first

quote:

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Originally posted by David Sutton:
What does the disc sound like? How has its quality been influenced by a hole in the bar code?

Not sure I understand!

David

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David, it sounds the same, obviously.

Are you saying you'd pay the same for a record, regardless of whether the sleeve was marked on not?

If so, dealers must love you at record fairs. I have a ton of hip hop and electronica in promo sleeves you can have for full price too.

Sorry Mekon,

For me, the condition of the sleeve is not critical in comparison with the software.

Would be delighted to buy mint records in unmint sleeves. In particular, I would like any wide band Solti if you have any amongst the results of your visits to record fairs.

Thanks in anticipation
David

It was Rux Revue by Carl Hancock Rux. It's not super hard to get s/h, but you don't see it everyday in the UK.

What annoyed me was that I paid full price for it, and got what I consider a damaged copy. I could have paid half the amount I did for a 'mint' s/h copy (seen 2 go on ebay in the last couple of months for <$5). It might have been different if it was something hard to get.

FWIW, the seller hasn't got back to me since he said he would 'look into it'.

[edit]

Result! Got an email from Paypal this morning notifying me that I had a refund. He went with my initial suggestion, and gave me half the money back.

[This message was edited by Mekon on THURSDAY 12 December 2002 at 10:24.]