TonyM
ArboristSite Guru
So long story short, I sold a buyer a perfectly running Poulan 2150 chainsaw with a bottle of oil and two sharp chains and an 16" bar for the whopping grand total of $28. I used and cut wood with the saw, tuned the carb, and reinstalled the limiter caps so they were centered in the adjustment range.
About a week after the buyer receives it I get a return request from eBay because he can't get the saw to start. I return a comment to the buyer with my phone number asking him to call me so I can assist him in getting the saw to start, send him a link to an owner's manual pdf, and describe the procedure for starting the saw. I hear nothing back in return.
Then I receive the saw back with no bar and no mix oil. I try to start the saw and it is badly flooding out. I dump out all the gas and get it to fire, start, and run out of gas. I put gas back in the tank and try to start it and it immediately floods out without being choked. So I pull the top cover to take a look and the first thing I notice is the limiter caps are gone. Then I put a screwdriver on the needles and they are both turned out 3 to 4 turns from closed. After readjusting the carb of course the saw starts and runs great as it did when I shipped it, but now is missing a bar and limiter caps.
I declined to refund the money through eBay because the saw was missing items, was exactly as advertised in the listing, and was tampered with by the buyer which caused the starting issues. eBay opens a case. Within 30 minutes I get an email saying the case is closed and ruled in the buyers favor, the money will be refunded from my PayPal account. I call eBay customer service, and they tell me I have to get the buyer to admit in a communication that he removed the limiters and adjusted the carb improperly. I ask the service rep what incentive the buyer has to admit that when the case has been closed and he has his money back. Basically the service rep tells me tough luck.
I could care less about the $28 saw, and I'm happy to return the cost of the saw as long as I get back all the parts I sent with it, which I didn't, but I have to eat the $35-$40 I have in shipping this saw both ways. eBay obviously is biased in favor of the buyer and has no interest in resolving this fairly. They have an appeals process but from what I read, even if you have evidence they will ignore it for the most part.
Between the seller fees, the PayPal fees, and the risk of a buyer returning an item, it is not worth it to sell items on eBay. I would have been better off to throw that Poulan in the trash, even though it runs and cuts just fine and I thought it would make someone a cheap trim saw or occasional use saw. As soon as my current listings end, I will no longer be doing business with eBay. Anyone else wanting to sell items, especially Outdoor Power Equipment, on eBay, be aware this could happen to you and it appears there is little recourse as a seller.
About a week after the buyer receives it I get a return request from eBay because he can't get the saw to start. I return a comment to the buyer with my phone number asking him to call me so I can assist him in getting the saw to start, send him a link to an owner's manual pdf, and describe the procedure for starting the saw. I hear nothing back in return.
Then I receive the saw back with no bar and no mix oil. I try to start the saw and it is badly flooding out. I dump out all the gas and get it to fire, start, and run out of gas. I put gas back in the tank and try to start it and it immediately floods out without being choked. So I pull the top cover to take a look and the first thing I notice is the limiter caps are gone. Then I put a screwdriver on the needles and they are both turned out 3 to 4 turns from closed. After readjusting the carb of course the saw starts and runs great as it did when I shipped it, but now is missing a bar and limiter caps.
I declined to refund the money through eBay because the saw was missing items, was exactly as advertised in the listing, and was tampered with by the buyer which caused the starting issues. eBay opens a case. Within 30 minutes I get an email saying the case is closed and ruled in the buyers favor, the money will be refunded from my PayPal account. I call eBay customer service, and they tell me I have to get the buyer to admit in a communication that he removed the limiters and adjusted the carb improperly. I ask the service rep what incentive the buyer has to admit that when the case has been closed and he has his money back. Basically the service rep tells me tough luck.
I could care less about the $28 saw, and I'm happy to return the cost of the saw as long as I get back all the parts I sent with it, which I didn't, but I have to eat the $35-$40 I have in shipping this saw both ways. eBay obviously is biased in favor of the buyer and has no interest in resolving this fairly. They have an appeals process but from what I read, even if you have evidence they will ignore it for the most part.
Between the seller fees, the PayPal fees, and the risk of a buyer returning an item, it is not worth it to sell items on eBay. I would have been better off to throw that Poulan in the trash, even though it runs and cuts just fine and I thought it would make someone a cheap trim saw or occasional use saw. As soon as my current listings end, I will no longer be doing business with eBay. Anyone else wanting to sell items, especially Outdoor Power Equipment, on eBay, be aware this could happen to you and it appears there is little recourse as a seller.
