Q: Tanner, I am new to eBay, and the first item I bought was a collectable comic book. I recieved the comic book today and was shocked to find that it looks nothing like the description. The pages are bent, the cover is scratched and scuffed, and their is a greasy stain on several of the pages.

The items description said the comic was in good condition with only minor wear. If this is minor wear I’ll be a monkeys uncle.

I am not sure how to proceed in this matter. I feel that I have been cheated. I paid a large amount of money for a highly collectable comic that is destroyed. What can I do?

Awaiting your reply,

Mike D.

A: I am sorry to hear about that, unfortunatly every once in a while something like this happens on eBay. The good news is there are several things you can do about it.

The first thing you should do is re-read the ad from the item you won, eBay keeps it available to you for 30 days after the auction close. Compare the comic you recieved to the ad and picture (if there was one) and make sure that you did not misread the ad.

Your next step should be to contact the seller. Take several deep breaths before you do this. Give the seller a chance before you bite their head off. calmly write them an e.mail stating that you recieved the comic book, but that it is not in the same condition as it was described in the ad. Clearly state the condition of the comic book (be specific) and then copy and paste the sellers description of the book into the email, so that they can compare it.

Then ask for a refund, or whatever terms you want.

Also include your e.mail address, and a p.h.o.n.e number where the seller can reach you, in case they want to talk directly with you.

Chances are that after sending this email the seller will allow you to return the comic book and refund your money.

If however you cannot come to an agreement or they do not reply to you, then it is time to involve eBay in the matter.

Since you purchased your item through eBay, you are covered by the Buyer Protection Program and there are several options available to you. If eBay cannot help you reconcile the problem you may be recieve a partial or full r.e.f.u.n.d.

You will need to contact ebay and fill them in on the situation. It is a good idea to have copies of your corespondence with the seller handy, so you can either fax or forward it to eBay if requested.

eBay will them walk you through the process of solving this dispute.

You can read about the Buyer Protection Program and what to do in this situation at:
pages.ebay.com/help/confidence/isgw-fraud-protection.html

Mike, I hope the above information answers your question and helps you solve your problem.

Tanner

P.S. I got a kick out of the “monkeys Uncle” phrase, I havent heard that in a long time.