A salutary tale......caveat emptor

[peetee]

I wonder if it was the item I am thinking of. It had been advertised a few month previously and the photos, on close inspection, didn’t match the description. When it was advertised again the seller made sure to change the photos so they painted a better picture. I would have posted a comment to that effect but I couldn’t find the original post so couldn’t prove it was the same thing. I was also a bit unsure what I could post within the forum rules either.

[1982john]

what protection would you have through paypal as it was not an ebay item?

[Jdsk]

PayPal Buyer Protection in the UK:
https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security

Jonathan

[MIB2020]

I avoid PayPal at all costs.
A small point to add is that PayPal as a company are dreadful, they certainly do not help you if you are selling, they take high levels of commission, they keep hold of sellers money far too long, make massive profits and employ some very clever people to ensue they pay virtually no tax.
Perhaps this site could set up something to help everyone?

[pigman]

Best to arrange to pay after receiving the goods
If they are not as expected one may just return them without paying

Nice idea, but then the seller runs the risk. Plus, it would be a totally different method to the rest of the thousands of transactions that happen daily.

An ex bike shop owner who used to take in 2nd hand bikes as part exchange once told me you wouldn't believe what some people describe as immaculate when mooting a potential pre- inspection deal

[neilob]

I’m sure that the seller has moved on without any feeling of regret or guilt. If the pictures were indeed chosen selectively then it emphasises that some form of control is a desirable outcome. But the issue is really bigger than me or my purchase, it’s about whether the For Sale forum should be open to anyone who chooses to sign up to get rid of surplus bits or bikes without the sense of camaraderie of a cycling community. I’m sore about my experience of course but I can afford the cost and just want to move on however I have the bank details of the seller and can therefore trace him to force a resolution through small claims if he won’t respond positively with either a full or partial refund. I don’t want forum members to think that I am being pedantic or difficult.....believe me, the actual condition of the item is laughably different from the description against which it was bought. And the evidence for this obviously exists!

[De Sisti]

Perhaps the person whom you bought the item from will read this thread, defend his/her position and make amends to you?

[Sweep]

If you are trying to help folks for the future OP, could you perhaps answer my questions above about the seller's track record on here.

Must say in various dealings on here I have had only good to great experiences.

(well apart from one where I sold something cheap to someone I later suspected of being a trader of some sort).

No bad experiences at all as a buyer.

[Cyril Haearn]

Perhaps for sale threads could be preserved somewhere

My attorney suggests that the other side of the story could be put too

Maybe one could pay half in advance and half after

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
It's called the teashop?

Sorry Probably misunderstood what you were saying.
I'll see now you're suggesting that informative post on buying and selling should be preserved somewhere

[thirdcrank]

There's a set of guidelines in a "sticky" at the top of the classified ads sections of the forum including this

Caveat Emptor.

Not much point in more of the same

[neilob]

If you are trying to help folks for the future OP, could you perhaps answer my questions above about the seller's track record on here.

Must say in various dealings on here I have had only good to great experiences.

(well apart from one where I sold something cheap to someone I later suspected of being a trader of some sort).

No bad experiences at all as a buyer.

I am 100% persuaded that the seller has behaved badly......in the very least by refusing to even discuss the situation. I am completely open to scrutiny in terms of the item itself, the description which sold it to me, and my extensive track record in buying and selling via the form as a very long term CTC member. However by naming the seller publicly I turn a personal dispute into something different and I get the impression that he just could move to another cycling forum and change his user name anyway. As stated above, the question is more whether we need tighter controls around buying and selling. I will pass the seller’s name to moderators as requested and pursue him via the small claims court for misrepresentation.

[mercalia]

name the person

or atleast any original images of the object? if he/she moves to another forum good riddance, if changes the name here then loses any built up credibility, like the Ebay stars if you close an account and make a new one

[Cyril Haearn]

That is a bit tantalising, the unfair seller is among us
Not me, I have only bought

[Cyril Haearn]

There's a set of guidelines in a "sticky" at the top of the classified ads sections of the forum including this

Caveat Emptor.

Not much point in more of the same

Always worth repeating, highlighting, people get too relaxed