So, I ordered some SRAM Power Links off eBay the other day……we have 4 9 speed bikes in the household currently so I was stocking up!
You tell me……what would you expect to turn up??
I ordered three lots of "Power Link x 2" - so expected 6 links, right?
Sadly no…I only got three.
I tackled the guy and here's his response:
"Hi Mike, The chain links come as two pieces that go together to connect a chain. One set, or pair, is made up of two pieces. I'm sorry if you thought that you'd get multiple pairs for each purchase, but the listing does clearly say you get two pieces.
It's worth noting that with a RRP of £9.99 per pair, these links are exceptional value, and just about the cheapest on eBay for original brand products."
Is this the bollocks I think it is?
SRAM Power Link Gold Chain Connector 9-speed
2 pieces
No tools necessary to install
Allows for quick and easy maintenance
From his ad, he has been very careful to factually describe what he is selling...
Feedback saying you are very disappointed as they are only ever sold as 1 link (2 parts together)
Or just send them back telling him he sent you all right hand ones 😉
It's misleading at best. 'x2' and then 'two pieces' suggests you're buying 2 items. I see he doesn't accept returns so raise an eBay claim or a PayPal not as expected if you feel strongly.
TBH is don't expect anything when it comes to buying powerlinks. Truthfully they should *NEVER* be sold singularly as they're completely useless on their own- you would buy a single glove, or a single knee pad, or a single pedal for some reason or other they sell those in singles, even CRC used to do it.
Last time I ordered 2 to be sure, 2 pairs turned up.
Oh yeah the add says x2 he's taking the piss.
Order three then compainthat the third one is faulty.
From an ebay (they know nothing about bikes) standpoint he may be taking the piss but he has done it very well - double money even!
Pic shows them separate, ad says Link (singular), description says 2 pieces so I could see them being very happy he was selling 2x link as shown in the pic.
Shitty technique but dancing the fine line there.
A link is made of 2 halves, 2 pieces even.
1 link = 2 halves.
1 link x 2 = 4 halves
raise a case with PP/ebay.
then go to decathlon and get some from them.
1 set of powerlinks (2 halves) does not have an RRP of 9.99.
Having said that, I would be surprised to get two genuine whole links for 2.49, even on Ebay.
Yup, it's a misleading advert, although suspiciously too cheap to have been anything other than "one pair of links for £2.50" tbh.
The price isn't so bad, so either suck it up or make a point and send them back.
Yeah, ambiguous wording from a fairly inexperienced seller.
Personally if I were him I would change description *straight off* and issue you a partial refund so you have only paid for what you got rather than what you thought you had bought.
Some sellers amaze me though and just don't seem to realise how important 100% feedback is when you haven't had gazillions of sales. 🙁
I bought 2 bottomless tokens from a seller. He just put a first class stamp on a normal envelope and posted them in a letterbox! He genuinely thought that Royal mail would treat them as a conventional letter..... With 2, inch wide "lumps" sticking up in it.
Obviously I had to pay the RM extra money as he hadn't paid the postage for parcel post.
Didn't cost that much extra but made him dearer than some other sellers and made me have to make a run to the PO in town unnecessarily.
I politely contacted him to ask that he just refund the postage I had to pay and was told "that's how he usually posts them and to take it up with the post office."
It's the only time in over 700 eBay transactions I've ever left -ve feedback!
I'd say that is a bit sneaky and he knows exactly what he is doing!
The seller is being sneaky AF and if they're a 'business' seller (in ebay's parlance, something to do with volume of sales) they have to accept returns.
I don't see how that is anything but misleading.
He has a pic of multiple links, plus one showing two halves together.
The title description says x2 and the description says 2 pieces.
I would expect to get a 2 halves (one complete link) based on his description.
I would leave -ve feedback stating the facts that you only get one link for £2.49 & that the description is deliberately misleading.
Oh, and I'd also report to ebay telling them you believe it is misleading.
I'm tempted to e-mail him the direct question asking if you get a complete link or half a link for a purchase quantity of 1 and see what he says.
£2.98 for two whole links at Halfords (KMC, not Sram though)
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/gears-drivetrain-cables/kmc-9x-chain-links-card-of-2
Raise a dispute anyway - it'll piss him off, cos eBay freeze seller's Paypal until disputes are resolved (or they used to when some tit tried to send a coat back to me cos it was too big!)
2nd of his pics shows 2 links, description says x2, so dispute!
He has feedback from seller Laxzo, who just so happens to sell powerlinks quite cheap (in pairs, I presume!)
The other question is whether they're genuine - I vaguely remember some stories about 'fake' powerlinks floating around on Ebay a while back.
Is feel cheated but probably wouldn't complain at £2.49each - as long as that's still cheaper than elsewhere on eBay.id mark down on description and give informative feed back though.
I had exactly this issue with Wiggle a few years ago 🙂
Order another 3 sets, which never turn up...
So "[i]the listing does clearly say you get two pieces.[/i]"... is the seller confused or what?
2 pieces = 1 link.
Therefore 1 link x 2 = 2 links.
IMO the seller is being deliberately dishonest and I'd applaud any attempts to annoy him/her and make life difficult.
Surely two pieces is only half a chain link?
I also wonder what you'd get if you ordered a bicycle fork.
[img] 
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This is 1x link.
2x link is this:
[img] ?w=900&h=900&a=7[/img]
[img] ?w=900&h=900&a=7[/img]
I had similar from Wiggle years ago, ordered one quick link and got one plate. Why woulde you want (or be able to use) 1 plate?
I'd interpret his description as 2 pieces making up 1 quick link. But his description is ambiguous.
Raise a complaint on e-bay just to piss him off.
I'm sorry if you thought that you'd get multiple pairs for each purchase
Not so sorry that he's updated the description to eliminate the doubt.
I bought some pedals off a shop on ebay once.
Described as new. SO I assumed they were, you know, new, in a box, unopened.
They'd opened the packaging and taken the bloody cleats out and were selling them separately!
Yeah, that totally is bobbins. Open a dispute as hes taking the P.
I had similar recently when I ordered some ear plugs for camping trips. Half the amount arrived but having checked the ebay listing the seller had been extremely careful in his listing to cause confusion and mean I had no basis to complain. I'm not really sure what idiot only wants to stop sound into one ear for christs sake!
they have to accept returns.
Noticed a fair few sellers not accepting returns even though they should be. Pretty sure when selling an item as "New" returns were mandatory on listing whereas "New Other" allowed the seller to not take returns. That seems to have changed now.
Many years ago I saw a really well written eBay auction. He was selling Xtr boxes with crappy sub-suntour brakes, mech, shifters etc in them. People were falling over themselves to buy junk. Technically his description was correct and he had the magic 'selling them for a friend' get out of jail card.
But in this case, think you've got a case for complaining to eBay, even just to annoy them.
Well it's a bit confusing as the advert is for Sram Powerlink but in the item description it says KMC but underneath that it clearly says
SRAM Power Link Gold Chain Connector 9-speed
2 pieces
No tools necessary to install
Allows for quick and easy maintenance
I would be less than happy .
I'm not really sure what idiot only wants to stop sound into one ear for christs sake!
As I'm profoundly deaf in one ear that would be me 😆
Raise a dispute, on principle if nothing else.
The seller is deliberately trying to word it so he gets sales knowing that what people expect is different, and is trying to be clever to wriggle out.
I hate things like this (most of eBay to be fair)