Linda Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 While trying to work thru my arm/shoulder injury I'm trying to use lighter equipment. I purchased a monopod with feet on ebay from a seller in China.Cost $59.00. Turns out it's defective. The feet are useless and putting any weight makes the monopod tip over. The screw doesn't fit into the camera very well as it only has 3 threads and then doesn't secure well into the monpod. Piece.of.junk. Seeing it's appx 25x5x5 inches,to return it will cost almost as much as what I paid for it... I've bought small items from ebay sellers in China without incident and I don't know what possessed me to buy this but the seller will not reimburse and portion of the shipping and ebay/Paypal will not either. Well,ebay did offer a $10 coupon for future use. Just wanted to do a friendly reminder so others are careful with things that might malfunction and pointing out the high cost of returning especially if you are in the USA. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I'm already a deer caught in the headlights about selling off my gear, Linda. China and other very far off places? I think not. I'm really sorry you got stung . . . and I hope your shoulder gets better soon. You may have to become a Stockimo lass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 While trying to work thru my arm/shoulder injury I'm trying to use lighter equipment. I purchased a monopod with feet on ebay from a seller in China.Cost $59.00. Turns out it's defective. The feet are useless and putting any weight makes the monopod tip over. The screw doesn't fit into the camera very well as it only has 3 threads and then doesn't secure well into the monpod. Piece.of.junk. Seeing it's appx 25x5x5 inches,to return it will cost almost as much as what I paid for it... I've bought small items from ebay sellers in China without incident and I don't know what possessed me to buy this but the seller will not reimburse and portion of the shipping and ebay/Paypal will not either. Well,ebay did offer a $10 coupon for future use. Just wanted to do a friendly reminder so others are careful with things that might malfunction and pointing out the high cost of returning especially if you are in the USA. L Linda, if you paid with a credit card instead of Paypal funds, you can do a chargeback on the card. They will side with the purchaser 99% of the time. If with Paypal funds, your out of luck on the shipping cost. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 While trying to work thru my arm/shoulder injury I'm trying to use lighter equipment. I purchased a monopod with feet on ebay from a seller in China.Cost $59.00. Turns out it's defective. The feet are useless and putting any weight makes the monopod tip over. The screw doesn't fit into the camera very well as it only has 3 threads and then doesn't secure well into the monpod. Piece.of.junk. Seeing it's appx 25x5x5 inches,to return it will cost almost as much as what I paid for it... I've bought small items from ebay sellers in China without incident and I don't know what possessed me to buy this but the seller will not reimburse and portion of the shipping and ebay/Paypal will not either. Well,ebay did offer a $10 coupon for future use. Just wanted to do a friendly reminder so others are careful with things that might malfunction and pointing out the high cost of returning especially if you are in the USA. L Linda, if you paid with a credit card instead of Paypal funds, you can do a chargeback on the card. They will side with the purchaser 99% of the time. If with Paypal funds, your out of luck on the shipping cost. Jill I paid by credit card thru Paypal.That's the only way ebay accepts payment. I spoke with ebay tonight..52 minute hold time.Thank God for speakerphone! Though ebay 'Guarantees' buyer satisfaction;I think their 'Guarantee can be very suspect...I know it was a 'what was I thinking' moment when I purchased it. And as far as a future as a Stockimo photog...Well I look forward to eventually getting a better iPhone that the 4 I have...But watching what I spend right now.My mom was injured in an accident on 8/6 and is still in the hospital recovering from surgery. :-( So she will be in my care for a few months and I won't be doing many photo shoots. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyn Llun Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Very sorry to hear this, not the service you expect from Ebay. I have bought and sold quite a bit on Ebay and have had good service. Haven't dealt with China though I admit. I bought an Epson A3+ printer that was advertised as 'unused as new' and when it arrived it was appallingly packed, already broken I suspect and useless. After a few exchanges with the seller and he became abusive, I contacted Ebay and they sent me a pdf with a pre-paid return label to the sender which cost me nothing and then Ebay refunded my money immediately I had sent it back. (I suspect Ebay had been tracking the message exchange between me and the seller). Sincerely hope you can resolve this, it leaves a nasty taste and breaks down trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanGibson Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I'm really sorry to hear you got stung. Coincidentally, I received an email from eBay just yesterday. They are improving their returns policy in that all sellers will now have to accept returns. How this will help you return items to China, I don't know. Caveat emptor, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 I think I'd stick to lens hoods and the like from China- how bad can they be? (Pretty good, as it turns out, but of course if I drop the lens, the metal thread on the hood will win the fight with the plastic thread on the lens!) Linda, bad luck, feedbacks on the specific item are your friend. Most sales go well as you know. In the UK we have far better consumer protection for this sort of thing. Business sellers must even accept change-of-mind returns. I don't think ebay UK would make one send an item back to China. None of this helps you though. ps is this it? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Camera-Camcorder-Unipod-Monopod-Uuniversal-Three-Feet-Monopod-Support-Stand-base-/251417694062?pt=UK_Tripods_Monopods&hash=item3a89a98f6e Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Palmer Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 You can report it to Ebay but personally I'd contact PayPal first. I've reported problems with purchases to them on a couple occasions and they are rapid to respond. Also, you can speak with a live representative fairly easily. Another option is to call your credit card company, they may be able/willing to help you with this. In the past mine has helped me with online purchase issues. After several disappointments I never purchase items that originate overseas, I've found the risk to be too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Morgan Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 While trying to work thru my arm/shoulder injury I'm trying to use lighter equipment. I purchased a monopod with feet on ebay from a seller in China.Cost $59.00. Turns out it's defective. The feet are useless and putting any weight makes the monopod tip over. The screw doesn't fit into the camera very well as it only has 3 threads and then doesn't secure well into the monpod. Piece.of.junk. Seeing it's appx 25x5x5 inches,to return it will cost almost as much as what I paid for it... I've bought small items from ebay sellers in China without incident and I don't know what possessed me to buy this but the seller will not reimburse and portion of the shipping and ebay/Paypal will not either. Well,ebay did offer a $10 coupon for future use. Just wanted to do a friendly reminder so others are careful with things that might malfunction and pointing out the high cost of returning especially if you are in the USA. L Linda, if you paid with a credit card instead of Paypal funds, you can do a chargeback on the card. They will side with the purchaser 99% of the time. If with Paypal funds, your out of luck on the shipping cost. Jill I paid by credit card thru Paypal.That's the only way ebay accepts payment. I spoke with ebay tonight..52 minute hold time.Thank God for speakerphone! Though ebay 'Guarantees' buyer satisfaction;I think their 'Guarantee can be very suspect...I know it was a 'what was I thinking' moment when I purchased it. And as far as a future as a Stockimo photog...Well I look forward to eventually getting a better iPhone that the 4 I have...But watching what I spend right now.My mom was injured in an accident on 8/6 and is still in the hospital recovering from surgery. :-( So she will be in my care for a few months and I won't be doing many photo shoots. L Even if you pay through Paypal, and Paypal finds in favour of the seller (for the return shipping) you can still do a chargeback directly through your card and not through Paypal. I buy stuff directly from China for my other business' through Aliexress. I haven't had any issues yet with any of my purchases, but on Aliexpress all monies go into escrow until you confirm delivery and are happy with your purchase. Many of the sellers there offer "either return of item or buyer keeps item and works out a deal with seller". So the seller doesn't get paid until you the buyer are happy. Motivates them a bit more towards customer service. Jill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 I've bought and sold thousands of items on ebay and problems have been rare. I love those China lens shades! But the reality of buying something heavy or more than a few dollars just didn't hit me. I really never expected it to be such a steaming piece of junk and that it could cost almost as much as the item to return it. USA shipping is really expensive for packages now;especially for overseas. It's amazing how something sold on ebay from a seller in China can sell for $2 with shipping included. Can't do that here. L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Hutson Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Linda thats a shame you got a bad product. I have never bought something from China. I have only purchased from north america (US, Canada). Your experience makes me less willing to deal with China except for lens shades. I'm already a deer caught in the headlights about selling off my gear, Linda. China and other very far off places? I think not. I'm really sorry you got stung . . . and I hope your shoulder gets better soon. You may have to become a Stockimo lass. Ed, If selling on ebay gives you heartburn since you are in the city you can find a number of ebay consignment stores. You just drop your items off and they take care of selling/shipping/payment and give you a portion of the proceeds. You can check a combination of there ebay rating and yelp to find a good one. Other options are http://www.fredmiranda.com they have had a very good for sale section of their website for years. The sight is aggressively policed by admins and members. or talk to https://www.keh.com they've been doing used equipment for years (I have never dealt with them I have just seen other people recommend them) -Philip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 While trying to work thru my arm/shoulder injury I'm trying to use lighter equipment. I purchased a monopod with feet on ebay from a seller in China.Cost $59.00. Turns out it's defective. The feet are useless and putting any weight makes the monopod tip over. The screw doesn't fit into the camera very well as it only has 3 threads and then doesn't secure well into the monpod. Piece.of.junk. Seeing it's appx 25x5x5 inches,to return it will cost almost as much as what I paid for it... I've bought small items from ebay sellers in China without incident and I don't know what possessed me to buy this but the seller will not reimburse and portion of the shipping and ebay/Paypal will not either. Well,ebay did offer a $10 coupon for future use. Just wanted to do a friendly reminder so others are careful with things that might malfunction and pointing out the high cost of returning especially if you are in the USA. L Linda, if you paid with a credit card instead of Paypal funds, you can do a chargeback on the card. They will side with the purchaser 99% of the time. If with Paypal funds, your out of luck on the shipping cost. Jill I paid by credit card thru Paypal.That's the only way ebay accepts payment. I spoke with ebay tonight..52 minute hold time.Thank God for speakerphone! Though ebay 'Guarantees' buyer satisfaction;I think their 'Guarantee can be very suspect...I know it was a 'what was I thinking' moment when I purchased it. And as far as a future as a Stockimo photog...Well I look forward to eventually getting a better iPhone that the 4 I have...But watching what I spend right now.My mom was injured in an accident on 8/6 and is still in the hospital recovering from surgery. :-( So she will be in my care for a few months and I won't be doing many photo shoots. L Even if you pay through Paypal, and Paypal finds in favour of the seller (for the return shipping) you can still do a chargeback directly through your card and not through Paypal. I buy stuff directly from China for my other business' through Aliexress. I haven't had any issues yet with any of my purchases, but on Aliexpress all monies go into escrow until you confirm delivery and are happy with your purchase. Many of the sellers there offer "either return of item or buyer keeps item and works out a deal with seller". So the seller doesn't get paid until you the buyer are happy. Motivates them a bit more towards customer service. Jill Jill,I've never heard of that company so it's good to know and I'll open an account there. Ebay was nothing but frustration and I'm not happy with the way this is being handled. I think when I had a dispute over something else years ago they said if I did a chargeback on my credit card that they would close my account.I can't afford to do that seeing many of my clients and agents pay me thru Paypal. I've +1 you L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I just don't use eBay. Buying or selling. Too many land mines, and I'm a babe in the woods ready to be gobbled up. (don't you just love people who mix metaphors?) I'll stick with buying from Amazon and other trusted sellers, and sell on Craigslist, meet the buyers at a neutral and busy site. eBay is only worth checking to see a ballpark of what I should ask for something I want to sell. I've always envied those of you who do well with eBay, but after reading the lists of dos and don'ts on another thread here awhile back, it just scared me off more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 You miss out by avoiding it completely- lens hoods for a pound or two, cheap ink, etc. The US may be a very different market of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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