The problem of Dishonesty.

[beardown]

I recently bought something off a reputable forum member and the item was quite badly damaged. It was not mentioned to me that there were any damages when i bought it off him but im giving him the benefit of doubt that he did not notice the damages. It would be alright if i could actually get a tailor to fix some of it but from the looks of it most of the damage is pretty much permanent.
Anyone has any advice on this?

I just ended up with the same deal. I too am giving benefit of the doubt that the seller didn't notice there were two fairly large holes up by the shoulder. Depending on the seller, you can contact them...take some photos and PM them...see what they say.
I think it's just the hazard of buying used items. I've bought some items that were pristine and I've bought some with damage that weren't reported (or noticed, possibly). The bad thing is that some items on here sell for big bucks and you can't just turn around and re-sell it if it came damaged.

I'm swallowing my pride on this one....it took me 3 weeks to receive anyway...lesson learned. Won't buy from that seller again and I'll probably just sell it for about half what I paid (disclosing the damage to the next buyer) just to recover some funds.

But as a buyer, everyone has to understand that used clothing isn't without fault. I think a lot of consumers are used to the customer service afforded to them by modern retail where you can take anything back and they'll refund your money and eat the loss.
It's tougher for people like us who are just privately selling a few pieces here and there to offer a fool-proof return policy.

Having said that, PM the seller and see what he has to say. He may be able to offer some kind of solution that is agreeable to both parties. Compromise is the name of the game when it comes to private deals.

[lowrey]

Having said that, PM the seller and see what he has to say. He may be able to offer some kind of solution that is agreeable to both parties. Compromise is the name of the game when it comes to private deals.

word. this actually happened to me once; I sold something and had the buyer contact me saying there was a tear which I hadn't noticed. I offered to take the item back if necessary or alternatively refunding a small amount so the buyer can get it fixed at a tailor. we ended up going with the latter and both of us were happy.

[beardown]

In a small community like this, I always think it's prudent to give the seller the benefit of the doubt. We all know how clothes are...there are a lot of details to them, they hang in the closet, they get worn, washed, etc. It's easy to overlook a lot of details that a new owner would catch when checking out his/her new purchase.

I keep bringing up Ebay but that's the bulk of my selling experience. I mismeasured the outsole on a pair of expensive shoes, the buyer got them and was very unhappy...fuming is more like it.
I put myself in his shoes (no pun intended) and offered to refund the shipping (both ways) and the purchase price.
It was, after all, my fault.

In the end, he calmed down after I apologized, thanked me for the offer and decided to keep them because he felt they would stretch out a bit.

So dialogue is key and understanding goes a long way as a buyer and as a seller.

One thing that might go a long way: On these boards, you can leave a visitor message for each member and anyone can view those publicly.
I just bought something off of Aruva, was really happy with the transaction so I left him a kind of feedback note that said just that.
Potential buyers if they're on the fence can go and see that he's had a really happy customer and, although it can't guarantee no scams, if you see a member with high post numbers and good feedback in their visitor messages (viewable through the member profile) it might establish a nice little feedback vibe for potential buyers who may have some doubt about buying.

[Avantster]

One thing that might go a long way: On these boards, you can leave a visitor message for each member and anyone can view those publicly.
I just bought something off of Aruva, was really happy with the transaction so I left him a kind of feedback note that said just that.

Now that's an idea.

[AKA*NYC]

sorry to hear all these horror stories. if i'm in doubt about a seller i ask for references. when a seller is reluctant to share references with me i categorically stay away even if they have "holy grail" items i'm after. another good way to screen someone is to ask if they have a ebay account and check out their ebay standing. that says a lot about someone.

[loveless]

Sketchy/Unresponsive Seller = TRSltd

another thing that i think sucks are buyers who are all chatty with you before they get their money and then cut all communication the second the funds hit their account.

i've been on this board for a couple years buying and selling to all the main players and have never had issues with purchases or communication

UNTILL NOW

user = TRSltd

this guys new, and i bought an ann dem bag from him. he's in russia. he told me 5 days to get from russia to NYC and its been 3 week.

This is in regards to a transaction off of superfuture (but he's been a bunch on this board lately). He wasn't on their blacklist, so i went ahead and sent him a payment.

He said he'd send me the item (ann dem bag) the day after he got the payment and get back to me with tracking number asap. However, as soon as he got the payment he has stopped correspondence with me (that was three weeks ago). I have been sending him PMs on superfuture, sz and email. NUTHING! i am hoping this post (and on super future will get him to contact me).

Theres seriously something sketchy going on with this guy, he's new on the boards, although he has been posting here and there. He can't do paypal and requires a wired transfer.

I know, sketchy! i wasn't going to do it untill he said that paypal doesn't do business with russian accounts and found no evidence to prove this statement false, so based on that and based on the fact that he's been posting real content here and there i took the chance cause i wanted the bag so bag.

in a week it will be 4 weeks and i'll let you know before escalate category from "sketchy" and "unresponsive" to something more serious.

if he would just get back to me and say it will take a while to send to me i would be ok but he hasn't said anything at all.

has anybody purchased anything from him?

[kunk75]

claiming in 3 pms that you would flip them if they didn't sell and renegging and opening a paypal dispute without correspondence was equally lame; paypal agreed.

also, the measurements were not way off and the same measurements i posted appeared on a pair in the same size on ebay germany. i guess we were both wrong.

your pm's also came the day and the day after i had surgery, so sorry if i was out of action and they weren;t top of mind. was more concerned about not having cancer. i am selfish.

and it took you a week to realize they wouldn't work?

additionally, you have my IM, personal email and the power to private message. told you to reach out and maybe we could work something out. sorry, but i'm not going to seek you out to do you a favor. any other forums on which you want to bitch about this, maybe a church group or town hall meeting. you joined to complain about this?

kunk75 sold me some raf pants for $200 but the measurements he gave me (waist and leg opening in particular) were way off.. to the point that i cannot wear them unless i have them altered significantly. its a shame because as a student id been saving for some nice trousers and was excited to get them.

i told him his measurements were off when the pants finally did arrive. i also said it shouldnt be a prob and id get back to him. a week later, realizing they would NOT work out (due to his careless measuring), i pm'd him several times courteously asking if he'd consider refunding or working out a compromise. he ignored me, but mysterously responded a few hours after I filed a paypal dispute (5 days after the 1st pm asking to work something out).

he claimed to have been offline and that he never saw my msgs, but i saw him logged in many times between my PM's and for extended periods. he has been completely uncooperative despite my efforts to contact him or at least get his side of the story.

for a grown man this shit is lame. its too bad, for him, since i surely wouldve bought more shit from the guy in the future

[kunk75]

no, but he should have been more upfront about shipping. shipping to/from russia (especially if outside of moscow) is painfully slow.

another thing that i think sucks are buyers who are all chatty with you before they get their money and then cut all communication the second the funds hit their account.

i've been on this board for a couple years buying and selling to all the main players and have never had issues with purchases or communication

UNTILL NOW

user = TRSltd

this guys new, and i bought an ann dem bag from him. he's in russia. he told me 5 days to get from russia to NYC and its been 3 week.

This is in regards to a transaction off of superfuture (but he's been a bunch on this board lately). He wasn't on their blacklist, so i went ahead and sent him a payment.

He said he'd send me the item (ann dem bag) the day after he got the payment and get back to me with tracking number asap. However, as soon as he got the payment he has stopped correspondence with me (that was three weeks ago). I have been sending him PMs on superfuture, sz and email. NUTHING! i am hoping this post (and on super future will get him to contact me).

Theres seriously something sketchy going on with this guy, he's new on the boards, although he has been posting here and there. He can't do paypal and requires a wired transfer.

I know, sketchy! i wasn't going to do it untill he said that paypal doesn't do business with russian accounts and found no evidence to prove this statement false, so based on that and based on the fact that he's been posting real content here and there i took the chance cause i wanted the bag so bag.

in a week it will be 4 weeks and i'll let you know before escalate category from "sketchy" and "unresponsive" to something more serious.

if he would just get back to me and say it will take a while to send to me i would be ok but he hasn't said anything at all.

has anybody purchased anything from him?

[loveless]

oh really? before he received my payment he said, 5 days via EMS.

i asked for an estimate, 1/2/3/4 weeks? tracking? when was it shipped? nothing....

thanks for the input, i have never ordered anything from pps in russia.

if its slow, whatever....i can deal but im more upset about the disconnect after he got his cash.

[ardeetee]

just FYI and for future reference, paypal has no problem with russian accounts... I've been able to receive/send paypal payments to ppl in russia in the past.

[beardown]

Yeah, EMS doesn't take 2 weeks, let alone 3 weeks. If it was held at customs, you would have received a notification by now.
Not saying you were scammed but if the seller was legit, he would have contacted you right after it was shipped with tracking info.
Disappearing as a seller for 3 weeks is a scam in its own right.
If you can't ship something out within a few days (barring an emergency), the let someone know.
If you ship it, send them a confirmation PM with any info.
Contact takes under a minute and if you're not hooked to life support, you can do it and need to do it.

Again, I've been very fortunate on here and sufu...but it could happen to anyone. I stick with regulars that are here at least a few times a week and it's been smooth sailing.
Next step is to try to track down his contact info and send him a love letter from the russian mafia.

There's a personal Grail of mine on sufu right now (Grail with a capital G) but it's from overseas and I get a bad vibe so I have to suck it up and keep hunting. It's your right to be suspicious as a buyer.
One thing that always makes me laugh about listings is that sometimes a new seller fails to mention where the item is located and where it will be shipped from and what method and conveniently has no 'location' mentioned in his profile.

Another thing that takes about 2 seconds to do that clears up a shit ton of confusion. There's a big difference between paying $1400 for a leather coat in Denver and one in Singapore if you get my drift.
One can be here in 4 business days easily domestically and the other might take 5 weeks. When you're dropping over a grand on something it's nice to know in advance where it's coming from and how long it's going to take to receive it. That's the least you can expect.

[cjbreed]

I recently bought something off a reputable forum member and the item was quite badly damaged. It was not mentioned to me that there were any damages when i bought it off him but im giving him the benefit of doubt that he did not notice the damages.

I just ended up with the same deal. I too am giving benefit of the doubt that the seller didn't notice there were two fairly large holes up by the shoulder. Depending on the seller, you can contact them...take some photos and PM them...see what they say.

same here but only minor damage so no big deal and easy to fix.

but the same week i got an item that was much much better than i had expected. so things tend to even out...

overall my buying experiences here have been very good and i would continue to buy from all of the sellers i've dealt with.

one suggestion i have is don't sell dirty clothes. we know its used, but its only polite to have the items cleaned prior to selling.

[cjbreed]

user = TRSltd

this guys new, and i bought an ann dem bag from him. he's in russia. he told me 5 days to get from russia to NYC and its been 3 week.

.....

He said he'd send me the item (ann dem bag) the day after he got the payment and get back to me with tracking number asap. However, as soon as he got the payment he has stopped correspondence with me (that was three weeks ago). I have been sending him PMs on superfuture, sz and email. NUTHING! i am hoping this post (and on super future will get him to contact me).

.......

in a week it will be 4 weeks and i'll let you know before escalate category from "sketchy" and "unresponsive" to something more serious.

i must say you are being way more calm than i would be. i don't mind hiccups along the way. but lack of communication is a killer...

no, but he should have been more upfront about shipping. shipping to/from russia (especially if outside of moscow) is painfully slow.

thats fine if he were responding now to PMs etc. even if he doesn't have a "tracking" number he would have a customs ID number. dude needs to communicate man...

[cjbreed]

One thing that might go a long way: On these boards, you can leave a visitor message for each member and anyone can view those publicly.
I just bought something off of Aruva, was really happy with the transaction so I left him a kind of feedback note that said just that.
Potential buyers if they're on the fence can go and see that he's had a really happy customer and, although it can't guarantee no scams, if you see a member with high post numbers and good feedback in their visitor messages (viewable through the member profile) it might establish a nice little feedback vibe for potential buyers who may have some doubt about buying.

this is a good idea. i think i shall go do that...

[kunk75]

i have remember me on my login on sufu, so yes, technically i am always on. i'd pm'd you 3 times about sorting this out. you have my contact info. i did nothing wrong, you said you'd flip them if they didn't work out for you. buyer's remorse is not my fault.

i really don;t know what you expect from me. i sent you measurements, myriad pictures and paypal closed the dispute after i sent them the pms.

and how can you say i disappeared? my life is supposed to be being at your beckoned call because you changes your mind after me doing everything but flying the pants to canada. again, you have my email, you have my IM, you have PM. i'm not chasing you around to do you a favor. you admitted telling me that you said they should still work for you and if they didn;t you would sell them.

you're calling me a shiesty bitch and you're starting to draw my ire which hasn't worked out for anyone since kindergarten.

stylezeitgeist: i apologize in advance for any of your transaction that go wrong. i will refund you in full no matter what you buy or who you buy from.