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#9,361
Ugh, once you start you can't stop! I haven't even gotten my latest purchase and I'm already looking around on eBay and etsy at Bonnie Cashin bags, which is what I want to get next! I think one of the small kisslock crossbody or clutch styles, or the open totes (was it called the lunch tote?) would work well for my bag needs!

Anyone have a favorite Bonnie design, or a favorite place to shop her bags?
 
#9,362
Hello everyone. I need some advice... I recently purchased a brown 9953 from a US seller on eBay. Even though the seller said the bag was in excellent condition with little to no wear... the bag definitely was not. However, the biggest issue I have is that it has a huge ink spot (?) on the side of the bag! It was not disclosed on the description nor was it shown in the photos.

So I've contacted the seller. She said she didn't see the stain - honestly I'm not sure I believe that. She is offering a 20% ish discount for me to keep the bag or I can ship the bag back but she would only refund what she received - so I'm guessing that doesn't include shipping? I've also had to pay customs so obviously I'm very disappointed.

My questions are: 1) Is it reasonable for me to ask for a refund of the shipping cost and return shipping as well? And 2) if I have to keep it, is it possible to remove this stain? I'd have to wash the bag if I were to keep it since it smells musty (a fact that was also not disclosed).

The oddest part is that the stain is hard to the touch and it didn't come from inside the bag... anyway if anyone has any suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

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#9,363
qwertie said:
Hello everyone. I need some advice... I recently purchased a brown 9953 from a US seller on eBay. Even though the seller said the bag was in excellent condition with little to no wear... the bag definitely was not. However, the biggest issue I have is that it has a huge ink spot (?) on the side of the bag! It was not disclosed on the description nor was it shown in the photos.

So I've contacted the seller. She said she didn't see the stain - honestly I'm not sure I believe that. She is offering a 20% ish discount for me to keep the bag or I can ship the bag back but she would only refund what she received - so I'm guessing that doesn't include shipping? I've also had to pay customs so obviously I'm very disappointed.

My questions are: 1) Is it reasonable for me to ask for a refund of the shipping cost and return shipping as well? And 2) if I have to keep it, is it possible to remove this stain? I'd have to wash the bag if I were to keep it since it smells musty (a fact that was also not disclosed).

The oddest part is that the stain is hard to the touch and it didn't come from inside the bag... anyway if anyone has any suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

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You are entitled to a complete refund of the purchase price plus shipping, and you shouldn't have to pay to ship it back. That is part of the ebay protection guarantee. The seller didn't describe the bag correctly, and she has to eat the cost. However, I don't think you'll be able to get your customs fees back.

If you open a return request, you will win and the seller will be forced to do the right thing. It probably would make more economic sense for her to give you a healthy refund and allow you keep the bag. I don't consider 20% enough to cover that bad of a problem.

There is a very good chance that the bag will remain stiff there even after a bath, and I doubt the stain will come out. You might be able to paint over it so it will be less noticeable.
 
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#9,364
whateve said:
You are entitled to a complete refund of the purchase price plus shipping, and you shouldn't have to pay to ship it back. That is part of the ebay protection guarantee. The seller didn't describe the bag correctly, and she has to eat the cost. However, I don't think you'll be able to get your customs fees back.

If you open a return request, you will win and the seller will be forced to do the right thing. It probably would make more economic sense for her to give you a healthy refund and allow you keep the bag. I don't consider 20% enough to cover that bad of a problem.

There is a very good chance that the bag will remain stiff there even after a bath, and I doubt the stain will come out. You might be able to paint over it so it will be less noticeable.
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Thanks a lot whateve! I'm ok with not getting the customs fees back if I can get both sets of shipping charges covered. It's a lesson learned... I'll try contacting the seller again. Thanks!!
 
#9,366
qwertie said:
Hello everyone. I need some advice... I recently purchased a brown 9953 from a US seller on eBay. Even though the seller said the bag was in excellent condition with little to no wear... the bag definitely was not. However, the biggest issue I have is that it has a huge ink spot (?) on the side of the bag! It was not disclosed on the description nor was it shown in the photos.

So I've contacted the seller. She said she didn't see the stain - honestly I'm not sure I believe that. She is offering a 20% ish discount for me to keep the bag or I can ship the bag back but she would only refund what she received - so I'm guessing that doesn't include shipping? I've also had to pay customs so obviously I'm very disappointed.

My questions are: 1) Is it reasonable for me to ask for a refund of the shipping cost and return shipping as well? And 2) if I have to keep it, is it possible to remove this stain? I'd have to wash the bag if I were to keep it since it smells musty (a fact that was also not disclosed).

The oddest part is that the stain is hard to the touch and it didn't come from inside the bag... anyway if anyone has any suggestions I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

View attachment 4061946
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I have a BT sling bag with a few stains that sound similiar. Very little went through to the inside. Like it was caustic, for lack of a better way to describe it. It didn't simply stain the leather, it changed the texture, like a burn. I gave my bag full immersion soaking and deep conditioning that did not change the stains at all. Since I got my bag at what I thought was a bargain ($30 shipped) and the stains are toward the bottom, I was okay with them. Of course, they were fully disclosed!
 
#9,367
Lake Effect said:
I have a BT sling bag with a few stains that sound similiar. Very little went through to the inside. Like it was caustic, for lack of a better way to describe it. It didn't simply stain the leather, it changed the texture, like a burn. I gave my bag full immersion soaking and deep conditioning that did not change the stains at all. Since I got my bag at what I thought was a bargain ($30 shipped) and the stains are toward the bottom, I was okay with them. Of course, they were fully disclosed!
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That's good to know, Lake Effect.

In my case I wouldn't have bought the bag if I had known about the spot because it certainly isn't small. I sent a message to the seller but she said the listing stated that she is only responsible for domestic postage... however she is also asking if I would keep the bag at a discount to avoid the hassle of a return. What would be considered a reasonable discount in this case? Realistically I'm not that interested in keeping the bag because ink stains are a deal breaker for me, but if I can't get the shipping charges back then I'd be out 60% of the cost of the bag anyway (2 x shipping + customs)...
 
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#9,368
qwertie said:
That's good to know, Lake Effect.

In my case I wouldn't have bought the bag if I had known about the spot because it certainly isn't small. I sent a message to the seller but she said the listing stated that she is only responsible for domestic postage... however she is also asking if I would keep the bag at a discount to avoid the hassle of a return. What would be considered a reasonable discount in this case? Realistically I'm not that interested in keeping the bag because ink stains are a deal breaker for me, but if I can't get the shipping charges back then I'd be out 60% of the cost of the bag anyway (2 x shipping + customs)...
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First of all, if you filed a return for not as described, the seller would be forced to pay your shipping both ways and give you a complete refund. All you would be out would be the customs fees. If it were me, I would expect a substantial discount, more than 50%. Here are recent sales of the same style: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=coach+9953&_sacat=0&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1 Compare your bag to those to determine what it is really worth. Then ask for your discount based on that. But remember, you hold all the cards here. The seller will lose shipping both ways if she is forced to take the return. So if she is left with enough money to cover her costs, she is better off giving you a discount. Don't feel like you have to keep the bag. You can force her to take the return, and all you would be out would be your customs fees.
 
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#9,371
whateve said:
Exactly. She doesn't have any pictures of the sides of the bags in the listing. It is almost like she knew it was there but avoided showing it.
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Whateve, thank you so much for taking the time to give me your advice! I'm a complete noob to eBay so your advice has been very helpful and is much appreciated!!

Whateve, Lake Effect - I am inclined to agree with you - I had asked the seller for additional photos of the buckles on the bag (which were added to the listing), which if she had panned the camera down a bit the stain would have been obvious. The bag really isn't big! I want to believe that it was an honest mistake but at the same time the stain was the first thing I noticed when I pulled the bag out of the box....

After sleeping on it I've decided that I won't be keeping the bag. I can tolerate the visible wear on the bag but the ink spot is a deal breaker. There is just no amount of discount the seller could give me to make me want to keep it - i would have purchased any one of the other bags available on eBay at the time if i didn't mind the stain and those other bags certainly were a whole lot cheaper. I do feel bad for the seller because of the shipping charges but maybe she could sell the bag again to recoup some of that.

The lesson learned here (at least for me I think), is to look for listings with flash photography! I don't think I've ever had any issue with/or been disappointed in a bag where the seller had shown photos of the bag taken with flash - even though they may not be the most attractive listings.
(ETA: I'm mentioning this because the bag, while listed as being in "excellent" condition showing "little to no wear," definitely shows much much more wear than I'd expect for a bag with that kind of description. It still would not have shown the stain in this case though.)

Sorry for the long-winded response. Time to head over to eBay to sort this out! Thanks again!!!
 
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#9,372
qwertie said:
Whateve, thank you so much for taking the time to give me your advice! I'm a complete noob to eBay so your advice has been very helpful and is much appreciated!!

Whateve, Lake Effect - I am inclined to agree with you - I had asked the seller for additional photos of the buckles on the bag (which were added to the listing), which if she had panned the camera down a bit the stain would have been obvious. The bag really isn't big! I want to believe that it was an honest mistake but at the same time the stain was the first thing I noticed when I pulled the bag out of the box....

After sleeping on it I've decided that I won't be keeping the bag. I can tolerate the visible wear on the bag but the ink spot is a deal breaker. There is just no amount of discount the seller could give me to make me want to keep it - i would have purchased any one of the other bags available on eBay at the time if i didn't mind the stain and those other bags certainly were a whole lot cheaper. I do feel bad for the seller because of the shipping charges but maybe she could sell the bag again to recoup some of that.

The lesson learned here (at least for me I think), is to look for listings with flash photography! I don't think I've ever had any issue with/or been disappointed in a bag where the seller had shown photos of the bag taken with flash - even though they may not be the most attractive listings.
(ETA: I'm mentioning this because the bag, while listed as being in "excellent" condition showing "little to no wear," definitely shows much much more wear than I'd expect for a bag with that kind of description. It still would not have shown the stain in this case though.)

Sorry for the long-winded response. Time to head over to eBay to sort this out! Thanks again!!!
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Update: I phoned eBay about initiating a return request - because I was worried I'd muck up the process - the CSR confirmed that I would be entitled to a full refund, and that the seller will have to provide a shipping label. Not that i ever doubted whateve's info, but i'm glad to hear it from eBay as well.

Has anyone ever had issue with a seller disputing such a request? I am just a bit concerned because in my latest correspondence with the seller, she is now claiming that there was no stain on the bag. I just don't want this to become a "she said-she said" fiasco. I will take lots of pictures prior to sending the bag back, but I really hope it won't come to that...
 
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#9,373
qwertie said:
Update: I phoned eBay about initiating a return request - because I was worried I'd muck up the process - the CSR confirmed that I would be entitled to a full refund, and that the seller will have to provide a shipping label. Not that i ever doubted whateve's info, but i'm glad to hear it from eBay as well.

Has anyone ever had issue with a seller disputing such a request? I am just a bit concerned because in my latest correspondence with the seller, she is now claiming that there was no stain on the bag. I just don't want this to become a "she said-she said" fiasco. I will take lots of pictures prior to sending the bag back, but I really hope it won't come to that...
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Don't worry about a she said, she said problem. When that happens, ebay always sides with the buyer. If she doesn't accept the return, then you will be able to escalate the request and ebay will make the final decision. Upload pictures of the stain, and mention how there were no photographs of the sides of the bag in the listing, and that the seller described the bag as pristine. If you are worried, you could ask @BeenBurned for exactly how you should word your request, and what additional information you should add.
 
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#9,374
whateve said:
Don't worry about a she said, she said problem. When that happens, ebay always sides with the buyer. If she doesn't accept the return, then you will be able to escalate the request and ebay will make the final decision. Upload pictures of the stain, and mention how there were no photographs of the sides of the bag in the listing, and that the seller described the bag as pristine. If you are worried, you could ask @BeenBurned for exactly how you should word your request, and what additional information you should add.
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Whateve, what would I do without you? You have been just so helpful every step of the way. I actually feel guilty taking up so much of your time with my troubles... please know that your input is much appreciated!!

I submitted the request a few hours ago but I didn't mention the descriptions in the listing. I thought the condition description might be considered subjective... But I did state that I had asked for additional photos and the seller still didn't disclose the stain. Hopefully that's enough for now. Fingers crossed! (Otherwise I'll have to definitely bug BeenBurned...)

Also the CSR at eBay says I would get my import charges back because the bag was shipped under the global shipping program or something. That was good to know but I wonder how that works? Does it come from the seller (I hope not..) or does it come out of some kind of insurance that eBay has??
 
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#9,375
qwertie said:
Whateve, what would I do without you? You have been just so helpful every step of the way. I actually feel guilty taking up so much of your time with my troubles... please know that your input is much appreciated!!

I submitted the request a few hours ago but I didn't mention the descriptions in the listing. I thought the condition description might be considered subjective... But I did state that I had asked for additional photos and the seller still didn't disclose the stain. Hopefully that's enough for now. Fingers crossed! (Otherwise I'll have to definitely bug BeenBurned...)

Also the CSR at eBay says I would get my import charges back because the bag was shipped under the global shipping program or something. That was good to know but I wonder how that works? Does it come from the seller (I hope not..) or does it come out of some kind of insurance that eBay has??
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I don't know if the seller or ebay pays for the import charges. Hopefully ebay does, since I think they charge you more than your country would actually collect. You can continue to add to your claim so if you haven't already, upload the picture of the stain and mention that the listing says there were no defects. Ebay generally considers anything preowned to potentially have stains, so you need to stress that the seller's description said it was in excellent condition and the stain wasn't mentioned or shown.
 
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