This seller had some things I really wanted, and the prices looked OK.  In fact after the auction they were very fair.

Problem 1:  S&H was double the actual postage costs on the packages  ( I asked the seller to reconfirm before paying ).

Problem 2: out of 11 items two were not the ones in the pictures.  Fortunately I didn't have one of them.  So only one duplicate to worry about.

An auction link would be helpful.

Was it the condition that did not correspond with what he had listed in the auctions? Both appear to be "NM" stock photos of both items.

Very Good Condition + (which I am assuming he meant by VGC+) can be pretty subjective. Very good to some people I've bought from means lots of wear but complete, while "excellent" to them means in great shape. I know I normally use "very good" to describe something that's a 6 or 6.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 - but then again, I try to describe all of an item's flaws, too.

I'm confused. You're upset enough about the transaction to post details here, yet you've already left him positive feedback?



http://feedback.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dl ... 0125340881



 



Well, skipping over that for a minute, it goes without saying that Cougie is trying to bully you and confuse the issue. It is not the buyer's responsibility to make sure the seller gets the item right, of course, it is the seller's.



I'd go straight to PayPal, open a dispute, and check the box labeled (paraphrasing) "incorrect item or item misrepresented." That begins the dispute process, throws the ball back in Cougie's court, and makes any reponse he posts part of an official record.



+++++



Soapbox time: I can't believe anyone here would actually deal with Cougar, though. Is it just to try to save a couple of bucks? There's a good reason his prices are so low lately: hundreds of collectors are ignoring his listings.



Acaeum members, if you want to deal with CougarRinard, you get exactly what you pay for and the level of service you deserve.



+++++



I don't understand this thread's title, either. What is so "new" about this?

OK so lesson learned!

I suppose I thought that it wasn't the same rip-off artist as he'd changed his name.  silly me!

and yes, I've already opened up a dispute.

in answering the qustion about condition.  Yes, both the condition and item did not match the description or picture.  Its mostly the picture I'm annoyed about.

And about the feed back.  Silly me again.  I did that before I started adding things to the database.  Shan't do that again.  Think I'd know better after collectiong 672 items (and counting).

Anyway, I'm not looking for sympathy - my own fault.

Mars wrote:Paypal won't do anything about it.

Sorry, but that's just not true. I've had great success with their "Dispute Resolution" process, both as a buyer and a seller. Either the problem has been fixed or I've gotten my money back every single time ... although, granted, it can be a long process. Much longer than it needs to be.

Switching gears for a second, here's something I find pretty interesting from a collector's standpoint:

A 7,000-plus Diamond-Encrusted Powerseller posts a listing for a very popular item, uses a stock photo of said item in much better condition than it usually is (not to mention the one he's actually selling) ... and still only gets 20 bucks for it?

Cougar is doomed. The word is getting out there, both through the Acaeum and through other grassroots sources: "Avoid Cougar." He's just bleeding money every single day he stays on eBay ...  

Doesn't matter if he's bleeding money. He'll stay on eBay just so he can laugh at people who oppose him.

Besides, he can always sell two of his three houses when the budget gets too tight.

Mars wrote:Really?  I find that difficult to believe.

I'm not sure why.

Mars wrote:In a dispute between a buyer and seller, all a seller has to do is prove that they sent the package and paypal is satisfied.

A gross over-statement. And one that's been repeated enough times (including here) that many people are taking it as gospel truth.

An "item not as described" case can be difficult to win, as things can obviously degenerate pretty quickly into a he-said, she-said sort of situation. But it's certainly worth at least opening a dispute, as this forces some sort of official response from the other party. If no response is forthcoming (and I've actually seen this happen), then it's the buyer who automatically wins the dispute.

In this particular case, I'm not too optimistic, but I'd still open the dispute. The problem is that the seller is a known liar and thief who will do or say anything to put an extra dollar in his pocket. So Cougie will obviously just deny, deny, deny. If I were the buyer here, though, I'd be pointing directly at the stock photo, as eBay has some specific rules regarding this. Clearly, the item was misrepresented.

+++++

For the record, I just checked my PayPal dispute-resolution history. Of my last four cases, two were complaints I filed as a buyer for misrepresented items. I won both disputes.