Re: question about collectible Sony ICF-2010


<jfeng@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1188571766.085931.76120@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Aug 31, 5:55 am, Jeff Nye <jpn...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello,

I recently sold a complete original Sony ICF-2010 set to a person in
Japan for $260 via eBay. You can see the item here: http://tinyurl.com/32438q
.

The buyer is a collector, and I didn't realize that putting packing
tape on the box and scotch tape on the interior foam slipcase would
diminish the value of the set as a collector's item.

To compensate for my mistake, I am going to refund part of the
purchase price.

My question to the group is: How much should I refund? That is, how
much value does the tape take away from the set as a collector's item?

Thank you,

Jeff

Did you post those pictures before his last bid? It looks like you
fully disclosed the presence of tape on the box.

The bid was placed Aug-13-07 20:32:45 PDT. The pictures showing the tape on the box
were added 4 days later, On Aug-17-07 at 12:30:44 PDT.

Yes, the value of the item to a collector is definitely decreased by the damage to
the box, perhaps 25-33%. Many collectors value the complete unit (item, box, and all
accessories) and the condition of each and every bit of it is critical. A collector
wants something as close to brand new condition as possible. If someone were only
purchasing the radio for it's use and performance, it wouldn't matter how
cosmetically beat up it may be.

That said, the change was made to the listing with two days remaining in the auction.
Any smart bidder would have checked the auction again before it closed, and seen the
changes. The bidder could have then retracted their bid, permissible under eBay
rules, by claiming the seller changed the description of the item.

I would offer the seller a compromised 50% of the potential lost value, somewhere in
the neighborhood of $32.50-$43.00. I would also leave him the option of receiving a
full refund of the purchase price, minus shipping, if he returns the radio to you in
"as sent" condition. You could then relist the radio. The third option is to offer
him no refund, based on his negligence of not checking back later in the auction to
see the changes and retract his bid. This may result in your receiving a negative
feedback from him.

This auction again brings up the principle of waiting until the end of the auction to
place a bid. Had the bidder waited until the end, the tape on the box would not be
an issue. It also shows what can happen if all the vital information (in this case
the added pictures) is not included in the original listing.


.

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