what would you do in this ebay situation - wheel content

[AngryScientist]

OK, friday morning story time. what would you do in this situation:

Facts:

-saw a set of wheels on ebay with minimal description. the pictures were not great, but they showed a set of CKR45 hubs laced 32 3x to stans rims.

This is a gently used wheel set that was just rebuilt and serviced. Chris King hubs laced to Stan's Alpha 340 rims. Great for gravel or even on the road.

I figured i'd put a lowish bid in and see what happened. I won the bid, for what i consider a decent price for the CK hubs alone, never mind the wheels. i paid through paypal within a few minutes of winning the bid.

few days go by, then a week. messaged the seller through ebay and asked when they would ship and tracking info. nada.

few more messages go by, and about another week. finally got an email response that they are "on a fedex truck", but no tracking number. seller unresponsive again.

so....

wheels show up. what looks like a brand new campy 10-sp cassette attached, and a newish set of tires. i had just assumed these were going to be shimano splined, so this is cool.

the wheels are perfectly round and true, but (as we know with stans rims...) every single eyelet on the drive side rear is cracked. not terribly, but definitely cracking at every DS spoke hole.

now, i got the wheels for a good price, and i had half expected to see this with the stans rims, so it's not a shock to me, or a big deal at all. i'll rebuild with the hub and old spokes, new rim and nipples, and call it good.

however, i did buy these in a competitive bid situation, and only got them cheap because the bid didnt run up. someone could have bid high and got a set of wheels needing rebuilding. also, the description said the wheels were "just rebuilt and serviced" - and this is clearly not true. judging by the sound of the rear hub, it needs some lube - so these havent been apart in a while, and any competent wrench would have condemned the rear wheel - so the seller's description is deceptive.

anyway - i'm going to keep the wheels, because the hubs were what i wanted anyway, and i'm OK with rebuilding them, especially given the good condition of the hubs, the free bonus cassette and spokes in good condition.

i feel like the seller should not get away with this deceptive move without some consequence. what option do i have through ebay to recoup some $$ without having to return the wheels?

i'm confident that emailing the seller to work it out privately will be useless based on his previous unresponsiveness.

maybe just some negative feedback and move on?

[Bentley]

I would open up a case, if they are not as described then the seller has to make it right. But... that might mean he wants the wheels back, so at the end of the day its kind of your call, did you get a "good enough deal" or is the deal really not good and you need to get this fixed.

I don't know what the shipping was, but generally you could make an offer to settle for the shipping, which is not a bad deal for the seller because he ends up paying shipping both ways (I will assume $80) so he is out $80 before he even starts to sell again. Just a thought

Ray

[cdn_bacon]

"now, i got the wheels for a good price, and i had half expected to see this with the stans rims, so it's not a shock to me, or a big deal at all. i'll rebuild with the hub and old spokes, new rim and nipples, and call it good."


just walk away. not worth the effort. because if you leave negative feedback and he hasn't yet, he'll tag you with it. then it just becomes a he said she said, and more effort than is worth.

You've already clarified your point. Happy building

[AngryScientist]

agreed.

it's not about the money, the deal was good enough that i'm fine with rebuilding, but it was just my thought that the seller should not get away clean with the deceptive marketing.

[William]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

agreed.

it's not about the money, the deal was good enough that i'm fine with rebuilding, but it was just my thought that the seller should not get away clean with the deceptive marketing.

I suppose you could let it go on FleaBay but mention who the seller is here as a PSA. At least then there are some people who know to be cautious with this particular seller. Just a thought and my own opinion.





William

[stien]

Ebay is a nightmare.

I bought a frame a week ago, and it showed up with damage from a seatpost floating around in the box. Carbon frame, new in manufacturer's box but the guy didn't even crack it open to make sure it was well packed.

I'm still waiting for $$ back. It's basically worthless with a few paint chips and indent in the carbon. Who would pay for a damaged carbon frame? He offered me $400 back but I declined. You can start the return process and the seller can offer a partial refund instead of taking it back.

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

…but it was just my thought that the seller should not get away clean with the deceptive marketing.

On eBay? Deceptive marketing?
I'm Shocked, shocked!

[sparky33]

If a seller who is too lazy to post a decent photo or description, then I wouldn't be surprised if that seller is also too lazy to inspect (or even understand) the condition of the goods offered. Maybe it wasn't entirely predatory on the part of the seller. I'm not saying that it's right, I'm saying that ebay isn't filled with people who know or care.

It sounds like you are fine with the sketchy goods you got from the sketchy listing because you see some value in the parts, but write an honest review of the goods and the seller.

[Tony T]

Originally Posted by sparky33

… but write an honest review of the goods and the seller.

+1

Seems like the best course of action, as you seem fine with the hubs.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by sparky33

I wouldn't be surprised if that seller is also too lazy to inspect (or even understand) the condition of the goods offered. Maybe it wasn't entirely predatory on the part of the seller. I'm not saying that it's right, I'm saying that ebay isn't filled with people who know or care.

Steve - i totally agree, if it werent for the "just rebuilt and serviced" bit in the description.

believe me, i'm not losing any sleep over this one, just an item for discussion here on a Paceline friday morning. in the end, no big deal

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

OK, friday morning story time. what would you do in this situation:

Facts:

-saw a set of wheels on ebay with minimal description. the pictures were not great, but they showed a set of CKR45 hubs laced 32 3x to stans rims.



I figured i'd put a lowish bid in and see what happened. I won the bid, for what i consider a decent price for the CK hubs alone, never mind the wheels. i paid through paypal within a few minutes of winning the bid.

few days go by, then a week. messaged the seller through ebay and asked when they would ship and tracking info. nada.

few more messages go by, and about another week. finally got an email response that they are "on a fedex truck", but no tracking number. seller unresponsive again.

so....

wheels show up. what looks like a brand new campy 10-sp cassette attached, and a newish set of tires. i had just assumed these were going to be shimano splined, so this is cool.

the wheels are perfectly round and true, but (as we know with stans rims...) every single eyelet on the drive side rear is cracked. not terribly, but definitely cracking at every DS spoke hole.

now, i got the wheels for a good price, and i had half expected to see this with the stans rims, so it's not a shock to me, or a big deal at all. i'll rebuild with the hub and old spokes, new rim and nipples, and call it good.

however, i did buy these in a competitive bid situation, and only got them cheap because the bid didnt run up. someone could have bid high and got a set of wheels needing rebuilding. also, the description said the wheels were "just rebuilt and serviced" - and this is clearly not true. judging by the sound of the rear hub, it needs some lube - so these havent been apart in a while, and any competent wrench would have condemned the rear wheel - so the seller's description is deceptive.

anyway - i'm going to keep the wheels, because the hubs were what i wanted anyway, and i'm OK with rebuilding them, especially given the good condition of the hubs, the free bonus cassette and spokes in good condition.

i feel like the seller should not get away with this deceptive move without some consequence. what option do i have through ebay to recoup some $$ without having to return the wheels?

i'm confident that emailing the seller to work it out privately will be useless based on his previous unresponsiveness.

maybe just some negative feedback and move on?

Email and suggest negative feedback unless some $ is refunded but I doubt that will work. If you open a case, he'll refund and you'll lose the hubs.

I'd say mention negative feedback for the reasons you state and see what he says. If no response(give him a chance)..negative, and enjoy the hubs.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by stien

Ebay is a nightmare.

I bought a frame a week ago, and it showed up with damage from a seatpost floating around in the box. Carbon frame, new in manufacturer's box but the guy didn't even crack it open to make sure it was well packed.

I'm still waiting for $$ back. It's basically worthless with a few paint chips and indent in the carbon. Who would pay for a damaged carbon frame? He offered me $400 back but I declined. You can start the return process and the seller can offer a partial refund instead of taking it back.

It's not ebay, it's dishonest sellers.

[R3awak3n]

I would message him so he at least knows, maybe next time he will pay more attention. He should probably offer you some money back for the problem but if you are fine with it (and trust me, if you got a good deal, I am with you, just let it go, not worth the headache) then just let him know and enjoy the hubs and mint campy cassette.

[chrisroph]

Up to you. You said you really wanted the hubs, 1/2 expected to see the eyelets cracked, not a big deal because you got a good price. So do you want them or not? In any event, I would leave negative feedback.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Email and suggest negative feedback unless some $ is refunded but I doubt that will work. If you open a case, he'll refund and you'll lose the hubs.

I think it's presumptuous to suggest some sort of partial refund as the buyer. I think one should contact the seller and be prepared to send the wheels back at the expense of the seller. There are problems with this "post purchase bartering BS". Sometimes it's a good option, but I think the practice can also be used to shakedown sellers for trivial things. That is not a comment on this particular situation.

Aside from the transaction and on the subject of the wheels themselves, is it really necessary to tear these apart and start over? I understand that the eyelets are cracked and shouldn't be, but you say the wheels are true and round. This isn't likely going to be an issue of an exploding and dangerous wheel causing harm or even leaving you stranded on a gravel road is it? I think if it were me I'd start riding them and keep an eye on them to see how things develop.