I just finished reading this thread and I agree with what everyone has been saying, Greg. It is unfortunate that you had to endure such a nasty ordeal, but there are very important principles involved--those of trust, truth, honesty, and what is proper in business. It seems that these concepts are becoming endangered, only to be replaced by the practices of greed, selfishness, and a certain lack of compassion and sense of what is right. Unfortunately, sometimes it is the responsibility of the injured party to right the wrong. Seems unfair in and of itself, doesn't it?
Really give it some thought, Greg, for if this seller sought fit to bully you away and speak of our board (which have a number of
former customers/buyers of her cards) as though we are inferior and subservient, this seller is bound to repeat against other unsuspecting buyers.
Whatever your final decision, Greg, at least you have the satisfaction of knowing that we agree with you AND we'll be wary of doing business with that seller.
Cindy hit the nail on the head!
Good luck Greg, with whatever you decide.
I do like the card okay, even though the artist did two little things on the card that I do not like as much as the one I thought I was getting. It seems that some artists have running changes that occur within a particular group, and the one I received is the more common version (not worth the "buy it now" price I paid). It may be nitpicky, but like someone else pointed out, since when did we have to start worrying about sketch cards not being represented correctly?
I decided to keep it and not pursue PayPal. I have the sketch sitting here (right in front of me at the computer) to remind me every day to be careful when dealing with anyone new. I now know to ask the seller about sketch cards being the actual one pictured before bidding, just as I have done with auto cards.
The way I look at this: it was an expensive lesson to learn, seeing as how I paid more than the going rate for the inferior version. After the seller told me to "go away" and that they didn't have any more time for "these childish games", I decided to leave negative feedback. Lucky for me, they had left me positive feedback soon after I paid (so they are now not able to use retaliatory feedback tactics). I am glad this happened, because in the negative feedback description, I mention how they used a "bait and switch" tactic and only offered a partial refund for THEIR mistake! I am hoping others will see this and think twice before buying cards from them. If any good can come from this, that would be it. I am not a vindictive person, and I haven't left negative feedback for anyone in absolute years. Things have to get really nasty before I will even consider it.
I think I said this before, but I believe they thought they could push a "newbie" around. Suspecting this, I warned them that I was not new to eBay and the reason why I only had a rating of 4 is because I just started a new account for cards ONLY. I wanted them to know that they are not dealing with a novice, and that I knew full well that they could get refunded from both eBay and PayPal if they issue me a refund (as I said before, they tried to deduct these charges/fees from my refund as well as postage). They then turn this whole thing around and say (in regards to the negative I left) "now I know why he keeps switching his Ebay name". This is so lame. Check out their feedback if you want a good laugh and you will see what I mean. The eBay name I have been using for years is " keyser_soze! " and I even told them about it (if anyone wants to check me out for themselves). If they had taken the time to investigate my feedback, they would see that there was no reason for me to "keep switching my name". I have good feedback and always give people what they expect - and with good service. Most of my feedback is from selling, but I guess this really doesn't matter. I'm just trying to get things off my chest by venting, I guess.
Nienna had asked me where I was from, and I forgot to reply. I am a US resident and so is the seller " djdurk2 ". To put things into contrast, here's an example of a problem that was much better solved by a recent UK seller. I have bought some cards over a period of time from " yscott38 " and most everything has come through fine. However, a George Weasley auto I bought from her arrived badly bent. She didn't have a top loader to put it in, so it was just sent between two pieces of cardboard (thinking that would do the trick, no doubt). From my experience, cards in top loaders (and between two pieces of cardboard as well) are one of the most important things to send cards in - it really can save the day! Well, the cardboard was bent, and subsequently, so was the auto card. Not only did she refund me for the full amount I paid (including postage), she also reimbursed me for the money it cost to send it back! She was apologetic and explained she didn't have any more top loaders or she would have used them. She even sent me the refund before the card was back in her hands. What a contrast of sellers, eh? One uncaring schmuck, and another with an apologetic heart of gold. Needless to say, I WILL be dealing with her again.
This hobby is so close-knit that a seller would be dumb to screw someone (not to mention it's just not ethical anyway)! Their bottom line will be cut way back, but I guess greed in the "here and now" outweighs the future in their feeble minds.
Cheers,
Greg
