A seller's dilema - please advise
Jul 5, 2011 at 1:37 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 11

Br777

Headphoneus Supremus
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Hi folks.   I am in a situation with someone here on Head-Fi and I just dont know what to do.   I hope to keep the other person anonymous as there are no accusations happening.. I just would like some advice.
 
I recently sold a new Head-Fi'er a set of IEM's  They were in perfect working condition to my knowlege, and had one cosmetic flaw that i pointed out in the original sales thread.
The sale went well.  We both gave each other positive feedback, but after a couple weeks, the person sent me a message saying the IEM's have stopped working.  It is possible that the cosmetic issue may have contributed to the fail, but its impossible to say.  All i know is i never had an issue with them, and certainly would not have sold them if I did. 
 
The person is obviously not thrilled, and feels they did not get their money's worth, and is (albeit politely) asking for either a refund or partial refund.  I dont expect any foul play on their part, though to be realistic about it i cant just rule it out either.
 
Bottom line is I'm not sure what the right thing to do is?  Do i just express my sympathy and say tough luck?  partial refund? full refund?  If a refund is involved do I ask them to send the IEM's back, to me? 
 
 
thanks for your advice.
 
Jul 5, 2011 at 4:25 PM Post #2 of 11
In my opinion, all private party sales are as-is and final.  No warranty implied or otherwise.  As a buyer, you take a chance with used equipment to get a good price, and sometimes bad things happen.  Besides, who knows if it was something the buyer did in those intervening weeks that made the iem fail?  Just my 2c.
 
Jul 7, 2011 at 9:13 PM Post #3 of 11

 
Quote:
In my opinion, all private party sales are as-is and final.  No warranty implied or otherwise.  As a buyer, you take a chance with used equipment to get a good price, and sometimes bad things happen. 


True. 
If he's asking for a refund, tell him to send back the Iem's...and next time, before selling something specify: Im giving the headphones working perfectly, im not responsible for malfunction. 
 
Jul 7, 2011 at 10:44 PM Post #4 of 11
After a couple of weeks, it is hard to say. 
 
Just wondering if you still have warranty on it. If not, you might consider  a partial refund  or  if you do have warranty, you might just refund the buyer and have them return the IEM .
 
 
Good luck in whatever you decide.
 
Jul 8, 2011 at 12:52 AM Post #5 of 11
 
Quote:
In my opinion, all private party sales are as-is and final.  No warranty implied or otherwise.  As a buyer, you take a chance with used equipment to get a good price, and sometimes bad things happen.  Besides, who knows if it was something the buyer did in those intervening weeks that made the iem fail?  Just my 2c. 

 

That's the reality.
 
Politely tell the buyer that they were working perfectly when sold.
 
If you do give a refund (and i personally don't think you should) make sure you have the buyer send them back for damage inspection before you refund the loot.
If they're not in the same physical condition you sold them (no external damage) you are justified refusing a refund.
 
This still doesn't cover the possibility of the drivers in the IEM's being abused by being overloaded by too much volume, or the buyer's equipment having too much DC offset that burnt out the IEM driver.
 
Jul 8, 2011 at 1:20 AM Post #6 of 11
It is not like you did anything wrong. I would just send him your kind words. There is a lot of stuff that breaks in the head-phone world. You didn't sell them because you thought something was wrong. You sold them in working condition in good faith. This is the chance that a person takes buying used equipment. They usually don't pay full price and that is the risk. You don't have to do anything.
 
Let your inner voice be your guide here. If it makes you feel better send some money back. You should do what ever you want here. Just remember too that you will also have equipment failures and that is just part of life. Stuff breaks.
 
Jul 8, 2011 at 6:59 PM Post #7 of 11
well i thought it over, and decided to appologize for the bad luck, and explain that i didnt feel right giving a refund since i had been honest about the transaction.  I havent heard anything back.    I feel like I did the right thing.
 
thanks all.
 
Jul 8, 2011 at 10:46 PM Post #8 of 11
cool
 
Jul 9, 2011 at 5:34 AM Post #10 of 11
As long as you were honest and sold him the IEMs in the condition you specified, you are not responsible for any damages.  If they arrived damaged because of a shipping problem, that is what insurance is for and why I recommend everyone purchase it.  If they died after 3 weeks, it's not your problem unless you knew there were issues with functionality before you sold them.  It sounds though like you might have known because you are suspecting the cosmetic damages could have caused the problem, and in that case it would be reasonable to offer a partial refund.  If not, you're in the clear.
 
Jul 9, 2011 at 8:40 AM Post #11 of 11
How would you feel if you bought some headphones and they fail after two weeks' of normal use? Would you just say bad luck and leave it? Blame yourself for using the wrong equipment with the phones?
Things are not always so one sided and you only to look at the Bilavideo and Grado driver thread to see the other side of the story.
In this case it is true that the seller has the right to refuse any refund but I would feel sorry for the buyer if he didn't do any wrong and the phones only lasted two weeks.
 

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