DOES IT WORK?

 

Most of what I sell is sold AS IS, and any testing of the item that I have done would be described in the listing.  Please do not email me at the end of the auction and ask “this thing works, doesn’t it?”  If it works you can be sure that the listing will clearly state just that.  If it doesn’t the listing will clearly state that too.

 

In the majority of my auctions I either lack the expertise or the proper facilities to test the item completely, in which case I have described my observations.  Powers up means just that, that when the power switch is flipped on there is some signs of life, either a display or a fan or something to indicate that there is hope that the unit will be functional.

 

On the other hand, if I can test something without spending a lifetime doing it I will.  I am constantly amazed at sellers that slap something up and say that it powers up but is otherwise untested when it is something that anyone could operate.  Even things that I don’t have a clue about I will still play with the keypad and try to navigate menus if possible, because it is usually pretty easy to tell if something has severe personal problems without necessarily being certain of it.  I will never hide an obviously malfunctioning machine behind a “powers up” description.

 

But DO NOT read a warranty into anything!  On some units that I have a high degree of confidence in I will allow for a seven days from date of receipt return period. IF that is not clearly stated it is NOT offered in that auction.  Untested, as is means exactly that- you are buying it as described with no recourse if there is a problem when you receive it.

 

If I am going to warrantee something it will be clearly stated in the auction listing, and I would expect it to command a higher price when the bidding ends.  Keep in mind when you are bidding whether this is an acceptable risk.  If it is not PLEASE DO NOT BID or BUY!

 

I have had buyers ignore all this and then want a refund when something has a problem.  A refund at that point is the same thing as a warranty.  I have had these same buyers complain that it’s all about the money.  Well, to an extent, but really it’s about the buyer reading and understanding what is offered.  I try to live up to my side of the bargain and expect the buyer to do the same.  The reason I don’t offer return privileges on most items is that I simply do not have the time to deal with returns.

 

SHIPPING CHARGES:

 

Ebay has been pushing sellers recently to offer “FREE” shipping, offering enhanced search results as a reward.  But I also find that buyers seem to have less patience for a reasonable shipping charge as a result.  First, please note that the only one that benefits from free shipping is ebay.  If I build the cost of shipping into the cost of the product, ebay gets a percentage of the whole thing including the shipping cost.  Until fedex ground offers to ship things for me no charge I refuse to play ebay’s new game.  It simply adds to my cost of doing business, which is already high enough, and does not get the item to you at lower cost.

 

Also note that actual shipping costs have skyrocketed over the last few years.  It is almost impossible to ship a package to a residence regardless of distance or weight for less than $10.  And it used to be that a dollar a pound would get a package cross country no problem.  Now in some instances it can actually approach $2/pound.

 

Currently I do not actually weigh the items, and they are never packaged prior to sale.  So I don’t really know how much the finished package will weigh, making a fixed rate shipping cost a guesstimate at best.  Sometimes I guess a bit high, sometimes I guess a bit low, but the shipping charge (except for freight shipments) is always clearly stated in the listing.  I never hide behind small print or use some other paragraph to hide a handling charge.  You know what it will cost before you buy, just factor it in to your delivered cost and either it’s worth it or it isn’t.  So before you complain about shipping costs, ask yourself if you have any idea what the actual shipping charges will be.

 

SHIPPING TIME:

 

Ebay has added a new requirement that I specify a “Handling Time”.  I assume that means how long after payment it will take to get something out the door and on its way.  I try to ship as soon as possible if for no other reason than to get the item out of my way.  I rent warehouse space for more than I pay for my home mortgage; it tends to be full, and I cannot afford to sit on anything.

 

Never-the-less, there are times when immediate shipment is simply not possible.  I am a one man operation at this point, so if I have to spend all day at an auction or at the warehouse to make a freight shipment then it may be a day or two before I can get you packed and shipped.

 

I would say that 80% of my auctions are shipped within 24 hours of payment if they are shipping fedex ground (my primary carrier).  That number is lower than it used to be, but I have been forced to put a higher percentage of what I am offering in storage.  It is an hour and a half roundtrip to drive to the warehouse, so if you buy a $10 item and that is the only thing sold that day I will probably hold off on picking it up just because I can’t justify the time spent and the gas burned to get there.  As the price goes up so does my inclination to make the trip to pick it up.

 

Never assume that I can ship the same day or even the next day without emailing me about it first.  I have elected “5 business days handling time” not because I have any intention of letting it take that long, but there are occasions when it does.  That said there are also occasions that require prompt shipping.  Not long ago I had a buyer that needed something shipped ASAP.  I left the beach early, drove 250 miles directly to the warehouse, and had his shipment back to the fedex terminal the same evening.  In that particular instance it worked out, but not everyone will be that lucky.

 

I reserve the right to hold off shipping something if, for whatever reason, I deem immediate shipment impractical.  Some items that are a difficult size may be delayed while I search for an appropriate box.  That might sound silly, but all of my packing material is recycled and sometimes I simply don’t have an appropriate box on hand.  New packing materials are a luxury that I cannot afford without charging a packing fee, and I doubt you want me to go that route.

 

Items that are particularly vulnerable to shipping damage may sit for a day or two until I have the time to spend on packing them to make the trip.  As that may take several hours I can only ask for your patience as I assume you would rather have it a few days later and in one piece than immediately and busted all to hell.  Please do not offer packaging hints unless there is something specific on the item that is not immediately apparent that needs extra attention.

 

Everything I ship gets packed to get where it is going in one piece.  The only time this might be an issue is on an item that went cheap because you were the only bidder.  If you buy something for $10 or $20 because nobody else recognized it for the gem that it was and it is worth much more than that to you then you need to make that clear and perhaps volunteer something extra for packaging.  Otherwise you can assume that I will not want to spend an hour or two packing a ten dollar item if I can avoid it.  Do not ask me to over-insure an item because fedex is only going to refund what you paid for it, not what it is insured for, assuming they pay the claim at all.

 

As a general rule I do not ship charged to another account, the only exceptions being international.  Yes, I’m sure you get a better rate but if I am fortunate enough to have a few bucks left over from the shipping charges after I pay for the shipment it helps offset the time spent packing the item (typically an hour), scavenging for boxes and packing material, driving to the terminal, etc.

 

Oversized items that have to be shipped freight rather than fedex are shipped from my warehouse.  I don’t go out there every day and I like to get something accomplished when I am there, and just waiting for the pickup may take several hours so I have to have that much time available on any given day to schedule a pickup.  That means that something shipping freight is likely to take several days minimum after receipt of payment before it ships.  Logistically it requires more than fedex and if you need immediate shipment that needs to be coordinated with me prior to bidding and certainly prior to the end of the auction.

 

INTERNATIONAL:

 

I don mind international bidders in most auctions, in fact I encourage them.  HOWEVER, you need to ask BEFORE you bid.  If the item can go via the US Mail then most likely we can come to terms on shipping the item.  USPS has some ridiculously small physical size limits to packages going to many countries.  And the cheaper Parcel Post and Airmail rates have been eliminated, so the least expensive shipping option is typically International Priority Mail.  For certain items I may require Express Mail instead because Priority cannot be shipped.  You can check out the cost and shipping restrictions to your country by going to www.usps.com.

 

International shipments via USPS, the cost is whatever my actual cost is plus $5 for making a trip to the post office and filling out the customs form.  Please note that I DO NOT under-declare the value of the shipment for customs purposes, nor will I mark the shipment as a Gift.  Doing so is a form of fraud and exposes me to possible criminal prosecution.  Not likely but not worth it either, so please don’t ask.

 

INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT:

 

For larger items I can potentially ship via BAX Global if they offer direct service to your country, feel free to email me for a quote.  That may require you to pick it up from their terminal near a large airport instead of having it delivered to your door.  If you have a fedex account I can ship it charged to you if that works better.

 

FEEDBACK:

 

One of the most frequent after the sale emails I get is one that says something to the effect of I’ve posted positive feedback for you, please do the same for me.  Please understand that it is a lot more efficient for me to go to the feedback section and post twenty at a time than it is to do each one individually. You can expedite getting feedback by providing me with either A) positive feedback or B) an email indicating receipt of the goods in satisfactory condition.  After that it just a question of time before I do the next batch, and you will get yours.

 

I do not solicit feedback because I don think the difference between 2000 and 2001 is worth spending any time on.  It does not mean that I don think the transaction is important or that I don’t care about what you think of your purchase. I try to describe the items as best I can, warts and all.  If I have missed something pertinent please let me know.

 

Ebay now offers 5 different categories for you to rate the transaction, and generally speaking I do pretty well in these.  But the way ebay sees things, anything less than a 5 is pretty much a failing grade, rewarded with lowered search status, making it harder for potential buyers to find my stuff.  So if you had a generally acceptable transaction but can’t bring yourself to rate one of the categories at least a 4, I would ask that you either leave that category blank or at least send me an email first letting me know what you thought was a problem.  Maybe we can still work it out.

 

Change of Ownership:

 

Virtually everything that I sell ships FOB Charlottesville, VA or in the case of some freight shipments, FOB Greenwood, VA.  Legally that means that the shipment belongs to you at the point where it is handed over to the shipper.  It does not belong to you at the close of the sale or even after you have paid.  Yes, the auction or sale theoretically creates a legally binding contract, and at the time of the listing I have every intention of following through on the sale.

 

However, if I find that I cannot fulfill the terms of the listing, your sole remedy will be a complete refund of any and all payments made.  An example of this would be that I drop and break the item when I go to pack it for shipment.  At that point I refund your money and we call it a wash.  We will NOT be going to court because I can’t deliver the widget you bought in the condition stated in the listing.

 

Venue:

 

Should you wish to pursue any claim, the only recognizable jurisdiction would be Albemarle County, Virginia.

 

I felt compelled to add these last two not because they are much of an issue, but the one time it was an issue it was a big issue.  On that occasion I sold an Electron Microscope still installed at the University of Virginia Medical Center.  After the sale the woman in charge decided that they (the University) were keeping several key components as spares that had not been brought to my attention.  My buyer, instead of just saying these things happen (and they do) decided to bombard both myself and the university with legal mumbo jumbo about suing us for breach of contract.  The lady relented and agreed to part with the items in question.

 

End of story?  No, he still wanted to sue.  According to him he owned the thing even though he hadn’t even paid for it.  I think he had been watching too many episodes of Law and Order.  Then I found out from a good customer that the same guy had pulled something similar on him.  At that point I told him to bring it on and never heard another peep out of him.

 

Moral of the story, if I cannot in good faith deliver the goods, and a full and prompt refund is provided, there is no breach of contract.  Not too long ago one of my store listings sold and I couldn’t find the things in the warehouse anywhere, and believe me I looked all over.  I’m sure they are there somewhere but I had to bust the deal.  Should our transaction come to the same unfortunate conclusion we will not be discussing it in court, nor will I be responsible for any “damages” related to non-delivery.