Phil L.

From time to time I'll have a DVD or two up for auction on eBay.
One last auction featured a Die Hard DVD that was new and sealed.

Well the buyer sent payment fast, and received the item fine, but I got the following from him in an email:


"Thanks for your prompt shipment, I have played through portions of both disks and the DVD seems to be fine".

Ok, the guy is happy with the item, but what did he mean the discs played fine?
The was a new/sealed DVD, and I'm neither a retailer nor a manufacturer.
So my question is...where does my responsibility begin and end?
AFAIC, if it's a new/seadled disc, it's not my fault if it does not play properly.
If I was selling a PV disc, I could see that I would be responsible for selling a like new, viewable copy.

I suppose, if worse came to worse, I could refund the buyer's money, but I would think that it would almost now be up to the buyer to try to exchange it at a store in his area.

Has this happened to anyone?

What's everybody's feelings on this?

Am I out of line for not thinking a defective, new, DVD is my responsibility?

happypants

All it means is the guy received the DVD and was able to play it without problems in his player.

Sometimes sealed DVDs come loose in the case and get scratched up. Once in a while a new dvd won't play correctly in a DVD player.

If I bought a DVD through ebay and it didn't play, I'd ask the seller if I could get a replacement. If the seller will not provide a replacement, I would then ask where the seller got the DVD in the first place.

Since the above would probably be more hassle than it is worth, I personally prefer doing business with B&M or web DVD retailers who have a stated return policy.

TheBang

That's why you need to state a return policy in all your eBay transactions. I always state "All Sales Final." I also always include a note that says "but if you have any problems, let me know, and I'll try to work it out." But if it ever gets hairy or unreasonable, I'll always be able to fall back on my "all sales final" stated policy.

And especially for PayPal and Billpoint and stuff, it's important to have that stated policy to help protect you against chargebacks. You should put it in the auction terms description, and any correspondence you have with the winner.

Phil L.

Ya thanks Todd B.

That makes sense.

POWERBOMB

Maybe this guy has had a few problems with DVD's in his player. The fact that he mentioned it may lead to that. However, you should note how far you are willing to go to please your customers. State it in your auction and you shouldn't have any problems.

Josh-da-man

So what happens if someone buys a sealed OOP DVD that is defective? This does happen, althought it's rare -- I've received two defective DVDs out of close to two hundred. In each case, I just exchanged them for new copies, which played fine.

I know I'd be pretty POed if I paid upwards of $200.00 for a sealed OOP Criterion that had freeze/pixellation problems.

In such case, should the seller offer a refund?

POWERBOMB

Josh-da-man, in any situation where the product doesn't live up to expectations you should always contact the seller first and try to work something out. However, he is under no obligation to work with you since (and only if) he met all the reguirments of the auction. He sent to you the product that you paid for. In the case you described, the dvd was sealed. So there was no real way for him to test it to make sure it was in working order.

inri222

Another thing you could do is that if you sell a sealed dvd that is not OOP and is defective, if there is not anything you could do , you could tell the buyer to take it up with the manufacturer and get a replacement from them.

serene

In one instance , I sold a sealed Everest DVD and the buyer came back stating that the disc inside was "Father of the Bride " . Since i had 1 more copy , i just exchanged it with him .
If i'm a buyer and if i have the same problem should i just live with it , that sounds crazy . I think the seller should be responsible for any reasonable problems .