I thought everyone would like to know about my dealings with a particular eBay user, as he apparently has a large amount of "new" Saturn and Game Gear games and accessories from Turkey.
I purchased a Saturn 6 Player Adaptor from him, sealed new. When it arrived, I would very much debate that it was actually new. Here are some points:
1. Shrink wrap not of Sega quality, poorly wrapped.
2. Box misshapen, maybe due to poor sealing, bad storage or shipping.
3. Mould on box!
4. Ends taped, tape clearly cut on one end (under shrink-wrap!).
5. Big tear out of back of box, like sticker damage - torn part missing (again, under the shrink-wrap!).
I told the seller about this. He apologised. He said that he has nothing to do with the resealing, and suggested that Sega shipped them unsealed. The distributor then put a hologram sticker on the product, saying they are authorized imports to Turkey, and then shrink wrapped. This is plausible, I guess. However, he suggests that the tear occured during this process of wrapping. I don't see how you can tear a box whilst shrink-wrapping, let alone not have the torn bit in the sealed product!
The seller offered me two options:
1. Return the item for a refund on the end price, but not shipping.
2. Return the item for a replacement, possibly sealed.
The item cost £13. Postage cost £6. This means I lose my £6, plus I have to pay £6 to return the item. I am essentially paying £12 to get £13 back!!!
I pointed out that UK parcels are normally insured for up to £25 including postage costs. He said Turkish parcels aren't, and he has PayPal fees (well, PayPal offer the facility to refund!).
I asked him if he could check his stock, tell me if he has a sealed one left in good condition. He refused, and said it may or may not be sealed.
Looking at the seller's other items, I found some other dubious items:
1. Nights box set with 3D pad - again, box in a poor shape.
2. Christmas Nights, sealed in jewel case. Well, the only jewel cased Christmas Nights I've seen so far turn out to be the cardboard slip version, with the slip cut to fit the case (usually noticably!). I have never seen a shrink-wrapped Christmas Nights, and am very worried about the authenticity of this item.
The seller was called swissmurat when I dealt with him, but he has since changed his name (legally) to perfect-auctions. Although this move is legal, and he has 100% positive feedback, it means that at a glance, he is a different seller. He is from Istanbul, Turkey.
Anyway, I'm not saying he's trying to rip us off or anything. He seems a nice guy. It may well have been the middleman that he obtained the items from that resealed the games - from what I gather, that was a store. Still, if you are looking for perfect condition games, unfortunately I don't think he appreciates that these aren't. I will post some pictures of my adaptor when I get home later.
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Originally Posted by retro
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