02-02-2015, 08:32 PM
So recently (within the last week or so) I placed my first ever bid for an autographed jersey at an online auction site that receives fairly good reviews within the community. I ended up winning the auction and decided to place a second bid on a similar item at this same time. I paid for the first item and it was shipped to me, the second auction ended six days after the first one ended and I ended up winning that one too. I was happy. For the record they were for two Jose Canseco autographed Oakland A's jerseys. On the last day of the second auction, however, I noticed while checking the website that the second jersey, which had roughly 8 hours left in the auction, had a stain or mark on the back of the right hand sleeve. I honestly hadn't noticed this prior. I immediately e-mailed the auction house and asked them to check the jersey itself, as I wanted to be certain what I was seeing was actually a mark on the jersey itself and not just poor lighting in the photo, and if it was in fact stained how I would go about withdrawing my bid. They replied with:
"We provide multiple photos of the item to showcase it (and it's condition) as well as we possibly can. If you have anymore questions feel free to contact us."
This upset me a bit as they didn't answer my question nor take the time to check the item as I had requested. I'm the one paying for it after all. All this was done before the auction was over and they had five other bids on the item in question, so it wasn't like they had no other offers to fall back on. But I also understood that I was partly in the wrong for not spotting the marking on the jersey before placing my bid, and therefore was liable to some extent. They clearly state on their site that if items won aren't paid for in full within 14 days a 30% fee of the items final selling price could be charged to the winning bidder. I offered this to them straight up as well as an apology. I heard nothing for three days. Then I received an e-mail today stating the following:
"The jersey in the picture was a stock image. The jersey you will receive has no stain on it. Let us know if you need anything else. Thank you for your business."
What? Is that something that happens often? I'm here bidding, on what I believe to be the actual item in the photo, only to find out it isn't. Is using a "stock image" something that's done frequently during these types of auctions? And this also contradicts their earlier e-mail to be saying the items are photographed to illustrate their condition. That makes no sense if the item in the photo isn't the actual item I'm bidding on. At this point I don't really want to do business with these guys. I've had the first shipment rerouted via UPS to be returned to them. It was due to arrive tomorrow. What are my rights here and has anyone encountered a similar problem? If so, how'd you handle it? Thanks for any help offered.
"We provide multiple photos of the item to showcase it (and it's condition) as well as we possibly can. If you have anymore questions feel free to contact us."
This upset me a bit as they didn't answer my question nor take the time to check the item as I had requested. I'm the one paying for it after all. All this was done before the auction was over and they had five other bids on the item in question, so it wasn't like they had no other offers to fall back on. But I also understood that I was partly in the wrong for not spotting the marking on the jersey before placing my bid, and therefore was liable to some extent. They clearly state on their site that if items won aren't paid for in full within 14 days a 30% fee of the items final selling price could be charged to the winning bidder. I offered this to them straight up as well as an apology. I heard nothing for three days. Then I received an e-mail today stating the following:
"The jersey in the picture was a stock image. The jersey you will receive has no stain on it. Let us know if you need anything else. Thank you for your business."
What? Is that something that happens often? I'm here bidding, on what I believe to be the actual item in the photo, only to find out it isn't. Is using a "stock image" something that's done frequently during these types of auctions? And this also contradicts their earlier e-mail to be saying the items are photographed to illustrate their condition. That makes no sense if the item in the photo isn't the actual item I'm bidding on. At this point I don't really want to do business with these guys. I've had the first shipment rerouted via UPS to be returned to them. It was due to arrive tomorrow. What are my rights here and has anyone encountered a similar problem? If so, how'd you handle it? Thanks for any help offered.