I recently sold a l ava lamp on a certain auction site. It worked fine when I posted it. I took meticulous care with packaging and sent the morning after the auction finished. The buyer claims that when it was plugged in it shorted the electrics in the house and they had to call an electrician out to swap the fuse. He then claimed he ‘fixed’ it but after 20-30 minutes the lamp stops working as it should (all the wax dropped to the bottom) and he has to leave it to cool down. Basically I don’t believe him about the electrics but I explained I would have refunded it if he’d sent it back immediately and it was faulty – but now he’s bodged it I won’t guarantee his ‘repair’ so the lamp is effectively worthless to me.

I’m also hugely sceptical about the wax dropping to the bottom (I ran it for an hour and it was fine). I sent him some info that I obtained from Google about positioning lamps. He’s still not happy and is now claiming that there are bubbles in it and I’ve opened it and swapped the liquid! (I haven’t obviously). The guy is a total charlatan. I was hoping and expecting £20 and he bid nearly £30. Basically I think he overbid and chancing his luck.

He’s threatened negative feedback but hasn’t mentioned raising a claim through eBay/Paypal (hopefully he’s not on STW! – call me paranoid but I’ve deliberately misspelled ‘l ava’ so it doesn’t appear on a Google search). I’ve got an 80+ 100% positive feedback so would rather not lose my 100% but I point blank refuse to refund this guy and be out of pocket with postage and now have a worthless lamp that some muppet has being fiddling with the electrics (allegedly). I’ve offered a partial refund as a goodwill gesture (so I will only received £20 which is what I wanted) on the condition he doesn’t leave negative feedback. I made it clear this is not an admission that the lamp is faulty, I just can’t be arsed entering into more correspondence him as he comes across as a complete nob (though if I’m being honest my initial response might be construed as a bit patronising).

If he leaves negative feedback I’ll just deal with it (I’ve had a purge and have nothing I want to sell anyway).

If he leaves positive/neutral feedback can he still raise a claim, or is that it over and done with? What is the mechanism for offering a partial refund? Is it done through Paypal or eBay?

Can he claim after leaving positive feedback?
Yes had this happen two weeks after leaving positive feedback made a claim 🙁
All ended well as he was not prepared to return for a refund 😀
PayPal for partial refund.
Hope it ends well.

I’d just refund him if I was that worried about keeping my feedback good, £30 for a Lava lamp they’re bloody awful.

If he called out an electrician to “change a fuse” then I very much doubt he could fix a faulty lava lamp.

Just tell him to Do One

let him leave negative feedback. It’s not the end of the world.

You can either ask ebay to remove it and state your case, or leave a comment on the feedback that discredits his argument.

If I were you I’d just ask for the lamp back and give a full refund. He may be trying to squeeze a partial refund out of you. If he has to send it back to you he may back down. It’s clearly rattled you if you are spelling l ava lamp wrong. For the sake of a few quid it’s not worth the stress now or in the future dealing with the guy. Im an ebay seller and these things happen from time to time. just be polite to him and move on. Add him to your blocked sellers list. Breath in and out & relax ….

lol lava lamp. Do people still want those things?

Thanks guys. I found the lamp in a cupboard, it hadn’t been used for ages (It was a present. I agree they’re naff, hence the sale). I think his issue is he paid nearly £40 inc. P&P and for less than a tenner more he could have bought a new one, or for about £15 an unbranded one. Typical eBay muppet.
If there’s a risk he can still claim I’ll take the hit on the feedback and tell him to do one. Return postage would be >£10 to send recorded (he’d have to pay) plus the time to package it up – I doubt he’ll bother.

I’ve pretty much cleared all the eBay junk out so don’t plan to sell anything else (could always build up the wife’s feedback if I need to!)

Yeah get him to post the lava lamp back for a refund, that said I bought something off Ebay recently which didn’t work. The seller insisted I return it when I asked if he’d then refund my P&P they just said they’d send a replacement or a refund and that I can need not return it.

I’ve had negative feedback that wasn’t deserved in the past.
I put a comment below to explain my side and left it at that.

I still sell plenty and get good prices for the stuff I sell.

100% is nice, but it isn’t the end of the world, if its explained why you got a neg. people seem not to care.

(Oddly enough, I now have 100% again somehow ?)

Ross – just in case this fella googles lava lamp: lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp lava lamp.

😉

Oh and is that really how much they’re selling for? I’ve still got one in the attic (the good make ones – can’t remember the brand now). Expect to see it on eBay at the weekend!

lol lava lamp. Do people still want those things?

my kids have one – they love it

Cheers Dave. Working as hard as me I see! Dig out yours and list it (don’t let the little one see it though!)
Mathmos is the brand (now I’m really screwed if he Googles it!)

lol lava lamp. Do people still want those things?

I think they’re groovy

Is that pronounced ‘grooooooooooovy’ in an Austin Powers style?

Is that pronounced ‘grooooooooooovy’ in an Austin Powers style?

yeh man

Return postage would be >£10 to send recorded (he’d have to pay) plus the time to package it up – I doubt he’ll bother.

Why would he have to pay? Me with the baying STW on my side (after posting about a dangerous lamp I bough on eBay) = I’d be wanting to kick up a fuss and be asking for the cost of return postage plus a refund – it’s faulty goods and all that. 👿

Suppose options:
a) Ignore and get neg feedback.
b) Partial refund. Though still expect negative feedback possibly…
c) Full refund (and don’t forget to cancel the auction, at least you’ll get your fees back)

Why would he have to pay? Me with the baying STW on my side (after posting about a dangerous lamp I bough on eBay) = I’d be wanting to kick up a fuss and be asking for the cost of return postage plus a refund – it’s faulty goods and all that.

You may have an axe to grind if you’ve been sold a faulty/dangerous lamp, I would too. But that’s the point, A- I don’t believe him that it was faulty (it now works ok his own admission) B- more importantly he didn’t ask for a refund once he discovered it was ‘faulty’, he decided to mend it instead (but only after the electrician had been round to ‘fix the faulty fuse’. I said that if it were me, I’d have requested a refund straight away. I think he was just after more leverage, when I refuted what he said he came back accusing me of changing the liquid…
Agree with it or not, eBay policy states buyer pays for return postage (though from experience professional sellers generally just send out replacements).. If I felt I had a moral obligation I’d pay, but this guy is a chancer so on principle I am not going to be out of pocket.

Think Ebay frowns on threats of negative feedback unless actions are taken, might be worth looking into that aspect further?

It sounds as though he is trying to return a different lamp that he has broken/ messed with and using neg feedback as a threat is frowned upon by Ebay.

Stick with the tenner offer, or nothing.

Fact he has ‘fixed’ it means any SNAD claim will not even get debated, eBAy come down on your side straight away (personal exp as a seller).

oh scary negative feedback and you such a big user of ebay as well 80+ transactions.. if ever there were a 1st world problem this is it.. man up threaten violence and sleep soundly..

£40 for a 2nd hand lava lamp hahaha what a grade A mug. Good to see you’re rolling with the times Jota. Guhroooowvy Baybeee