What does "new" mean to you - or I'm about done with Ebay

I bought a box set off of ebay that was listed as "new." Ebay now allows the seller to pick a description of a cd from a drop down menu. "New" is one of the choices. "New" to me means in the wrapper. "Like New" is also one of the choices. This to me means there is no wrapper, but that is all that separates it from "new."
Needless to say, my "new" item was not new (to me). When I questioned the seller why he listed it as "new"? He responded by telling me that "new" does not mean in the wrapper.
The box also had a couple of dings that did not happen during shipping as the packaging was not damaged, and the item was well packaged.
The seller told me that he was not responsible for items damaged in shipping.
I think I am going to stick with a few sellers that I have bought many items from.
Thanks for letting me rant.

 

"New", to me, means unused and sealed in the original shrinkwrap. I've found out the hard way that this doesn't always mean the same thing to every seller.

I interpret "Like New" to mean that the item has been used, but very gently.


Before bidding, I now contact the seller and ask if the item is still sealed. It saves everyone from hassles in the long run.

 

Lot's of new items are not wrapped, the seller should have disclosed this.

 

Aren't a lot of imports not shrinkwrapped?

 

SEALED is the only word that should apply to a piece that is just that: sealed in the original shrink, bag, whatever. NEW means: presumably unplayed but not sealed, and there are many items that come this way. Nothing wrong with that, as long as everything's mint (which is the only term one can apply to 'new'--can't be anything less than that). LIKE NEW means what it says, but one can presume some kind of minor packaging/disc imperfection.

If you buy something new, the disc should in no way have any markings at all; otherwise, it's used, regardless of whether it's been played or not. Just like vinyl, mint is obvious (at least visually), and used is obvious, too, but there, 'how used' is the trick of grading. CD's, to me, should be easy to grade visually. If it ain't new or sealed, it's used, plain'n'simple.

 

If TV is a measure, I have seen two mentions of ebay in sitcoms to the tune of "I have this damaged item so I will sell it on ebay as new".

I used to do hundreds of ebay purchases per year, now I do a handful. Too many crooks.

 

The dubious sellers I've encountered through the years don't tend to be 'crooks,' as you put it, but also don't really give a damn if something's new or not, because they're not collectors, they're just out to make a buck (with price guide in hand), rather than those who want to make a buck but also know and understand the collector mentality (many are collectors, natch). Truth is, eBay, like the world, is loaded with arses and fools, and also some pretty smart and decent folk who know what they're doing. But it's always pot luck when dealing with any seller you're not familiar with, regardless of whether it's eBay or any vinyl emporiums that might be left.

 

True. Shrink wrapping is NOT the norm outside of the United States.
New means something like unused and maybe unopened. As New has been opened but you'd hardly know it.

 

Whenever I list items for sale on ebay, the highest grade I'll give is
"like new".
It doesn't get to be called new unless it is sealed.
It doesn't matter to me if it was originally sealed or not.
If it is originalled sealed, then I can call it new.
If it is opened, I have to call it "like new" as people's perceptions of new can differ.

Darryl

 

I agree with you Darryl.
The seller did email me and apologized - he did not intend to mislead me.
I will have to ask in the future if it is that big of a deal to me.

 

I've bought over 2000 items through eBay in ten years and have never had one problem.

 

I think you're contradicting yourself, Ed. When I buy something NEW, I don't presume any kind of imperfections at all. When something is "LIKE NEW", that description implies it is used, but indistinguishable from a NEW item (without the seal, of course). If it is in the same condition as it was seconds before the shrinkwrap was removed (or seconds after it rolled off the assembly line), it is "LIKE NEW". If it has "minor imperfections", it is not "LIKE NEW."

The interpretation of "LIKE NEW" should not be subjective. People who describe items with imperfections as "LIKE NEW" are misrepresenting their wares.

EDIT: I may have misrepresented what you said. If you are hinting that buyers should not expect like-new items for items listed as "LIKE NEW", then I guess I agree.

 

To me New means unopened in original shrink wrap....

I've been burned several times on Ebay buying like new/new items... Unless factory sealed I will bid much lower.

 

There is no shrink wrap on cds and dvds unless imported from USA.

Most shops even take out the disc and put it back in once you have paid (to avoid theft). So there can easily be fingerprints on new items.

If this creeps you out, you can be thankful you are living in the USA and never import any non-US discs.

 

You are exceedingly fortunate.

 

Or extremely non-discriminating (a virtue, in my book).

 

Whenever I sell CDs, I try to call it a letter grade lower than what I really think it is, hoping that way I won't ever disappoint a buyer. So if I believe something is rated at about NM-, I'll call it "VG+." So far, I haven't had a single complaint, even with CDs selling for over $200.

But I also offer a 100% money-back guarantee if the item isn't in the exact condition I say it is. So far, I've only had one dispute in 10 years on eBay, and that was a guy who bought an old laptop from me who complained that the DVD drive didn't read his CD-Rs very well. I bought him a replacement drive for $60, shipped it to him at no charge, and he installed the new one and was happy. To me, it was worth it to make the guy happy, even though we were only looking at a $1000 laptop.

I've had far more trouble buying items on eBay. I've had several dealers sell me obvious CD-R copies of original discs, and had even worse luck with vinyl. One expensive set of LPs came in, and I swear to god, they were so bowl-shaped you could pour milk in them and have a Cheerios breakfast. They had obviously been stored in a very hot garage for 20 years, and just warped all to hell. The guy refused to refund my money, and swore they played "fine" on his turntable. He had called them "in virtually perfect condition" in his ad, and to me, warped and bowl-shaped is far from that. Even after I flattened them, they were incredibly noisy, indicating the grooves themselves had been misshaped over time.

 

The seller should have at least spelled it out in the auction that there was no shrinkwrap.

"Opened, but otherwise new" or something like that.

 

new doesn't neccessarily mean shrinkwrapped, nor does shrinkwrap necessarily imply new, these days...a lack of shrinkwrap would not bother me like, say, writing on the inserts, which has occured with 2 cd's I've bought off Ebay, neither was revealed, and both described as new

 

Hi Guys!

I have sold some brand new discs that were not shrinkwrapped on Ebay. Everytime I sell such items I declare in the title that they are unsealed and also explain in auction that this is due to bought from European retailers/Internetshops.

This gives the buyer a chance to choose if he really wants to buy the discs.

Of course the discs are new and unplayed. Not testplayed in any way because then they are not new.

As a collector I understand that some people want a sealed version. But then we have the problem with resealed stuff.

 

I usually buy repeatedly from the same sellers,
so they know what condition means to me.
I never have as problem with my regular sellers.
If it's from someone on ebay that I don't deal with on a regular basis,
then I ask questions.
If they don't want to take the time to answer me, then they don't weant my money.

 

Lots of good responses.
It's nice to see that I was not completely out of it.

 

I've sold a few items which were new but not necessarily wrapped. These would be CDs but they'd also be unplayed, never taken out the tray by me and hence deserve the description "new". "Like New" to me means used but well cared for. Big difference to me and to a few buyers too I suspect.

Either way, you should get a decent product, but for some, the difference counts, subtle or otherwise.

Sorry to hear of your bad experience, but that seller ought to have been crystal clear to let potential buyers make an informed choice.

 

So when you list opened items as "new" do you make the distinction in the item description?
Maybe ebay should change their canned descriptions to "sealed" as opposed to "new."

 

I've bought a lot of items in stores that were not second hand and were in only VG or even worse condition. I think they can still be called New.