eBay disputes and record grading

Hi. I sold record on eBay an described the condition as "good". There was some light scratching to the disk and a little wear to the sleeve. It was pressed in 1969, and was pretty good for it's age.

The buyer has asked for a refund because they can hear crackling on the disk (I can't say that this isn't so, but the scratching was very light), and because there is a small split in the top of the sleeve, maybe an inch. The split wasn't there when I listed the item (I guess it has happened in transit), so wasn't specifically mentioned, although I did say the sleeve had "signs of wear".

To my mind, the buyer has paid for an item in "good" condition and that's what they got. But will eBay see it that way, or will they just look at the split in the sleeve at say it's returnable as damaged?

Iow, should I dispute the return request or just accept it and chalk it up to experience or whatever?

Thanks.

 

I would tend to agree with you but it's doubtful eBay will, so I would suggest you suck it up.

 

I’ve found that listing items for sale below vg+ isn’t worth the time and expense. A record labeled good is likely to have some noise and if a record isn’t factory sealed it makes sense to remover it from the sleeve to avoid splits happening in shipment.

To protect yourself against unscrupulous buyers, mention in your listing that all LPs are photographed and play tested before packing. Even 20-30 seconds should be enough to determine any groove noise.

 

“Good” condition records are actually generally in pretty bad condition. The buyer should be the one sucking it up here. Send them a link to the goldmine grading scale.

 

If selling as good I feel like you could copy and paste several descriptions of good and perhaps highlight their own comments about the condition to compare.

I’m having the opposite problem, I ordered a NM- record and it’s playing like it’s VG at best (cracks/pops throughout.) Not sure what the best verbiage to use would be, and shipping back would be an expensive endeavor as it’s from Australia

 

By any broadly accepted grading guide, your album sounds as if it would meet or exceed the criteria for "good".

That said, you'll lose any dispute if it escalates to eBay.

Also, seam splits should always be noted in the description, and even if it wasn't there when you sent it, the condition when the customer gets it is the condition that counts. Again, a small seem split is consistent with "good", but not noting it is bad form, if nothing else, and simply opens you up to a return.

Bottom line: It's not that you necessarily did something wrong. But you won't win this. Accept the request and, yes, chalk it up to experience. At least if you do that you may avoid negative feedback and a defect on your eBay seller record.

 

I might be controversial but if the sleeve was not advertised or pictured with a seem split then you should refund. It’s the sellers responsibility to ensure the item arrives in as described condition. I have sent good records back that have seem splits as I hate seem splits

 

You'll probably lose this one. Keep in mind that even if eBay agrees with you, if they used PayPal, they can claim via PayPal as well.