Enjoysrandom:
G’day CDO,
I have recently had an issue making a relatively expensive purchase on CDO and figured I would make a thread detailing my experience and listing some things for both buyers and sellers to keep in mind.
I recently purchased a Chaos Dwarf Centerpiece from within the community listed with this photo:
The item was known to me as I had seen old photos of it and seen it listed previously on eBay over a year ago and regretted not purchasing it then. Although my memory of the listing is hazy at best I assumed what I was buying was undamaged. I messaged the seller an offer for the statue and we discussed postage over several messages with making sure the statue was packed extremely well as to arrive with no damage.
Although the seller sent the statue in great packing, the item was wrapped in bubble wrap and excess space was filled with bubble wrap and the box was double lined with a firm padding. Great packing keeping the item exactly as it was packed. The Centerpiece had extensive damage, the hand holding the axe snapped in half and re-glued visibly poor, the weapon re-glued poorly with damage from the original glue marks left visible and glue running down the axe handle, arm holding the shield had 3 total breakages and was misaligned, shield had glue blob on the top of it and the top of the axe was smashed with a large piece missing.
I messaged the seller asking why he didn’t tell me about the damage and he responded saying they forgot to mention it as it was mentioned in a previous thread (that I can’t find) and it was not his intention to hide it but was willing to fix it, I assume in the way of a partial refund.
I decided that the best “fix” to my situation was to let it be known to the forum and to make a list of things I think are important for people to keep in mind when doing business on CDO. I believe this was a simple expensive misunderstanding but one that should have been easily avoidable.
I think the listing should looked like this:
EXAMPLE
Hi I am from Australia and looking to sell my Dwarf Statue Centerpiece.
It has noticeable damage and hastily repaired marks in the form of:
Right hand snapped off and glued back on, Axe tip broken with part missing, Axe handle has come free and has had plenty of glue to stick it back on slightly in the wrong place leaving noticeable damage, left arm snapped in 3 places but glued back together with noticeable gaps, large blob of glue on the shield, check photos.
Any offers, questions or additional photos please ask.
(Open images in new tab for larger photos)
END
As Buyers:
Ask Postage Costs and an E.T.A. (Estimated Time of Arrival) for Delivery Time if dong business internationally, Don’t panic if it takes a week or so longer than the estimate. Anyone who looks up a postage quote will get a rough E.T.A.
Ask about condition of the item you want to purchase, if its a unique item try to ask about its history and always ask to see photos of the item especially of any damage.
Although it shouldn’t need to be said a reminder never hurts, always remind the seller to use good packing, good packing can be anything that fills a box so there is no movement. If you can shake a box and hear movement its not packed well enough! Remind the seller that newspaper and other soft clean recyclables can be used to save on costs. No one will care about your belongings as much as you do, international postage travels many hands.
Always use Paypal and send money as payment for goods and services, as nice as it might be to consider the whole world as friends and family, business is business and you need to protect your investments. Paypal will cover (in my country/offer? at least) transactions valued at $20,000 or 8 refunds a year. I have only ever had to pursue a refund though Paypal once for a $100 item and with proof of me being ripped off was successful in receiving a full refund without the sellers consent. Protect yourself, it is the seller’s responsibility to be upfront, you are purchasing in good faith.
As Sellers:
Always try to provide good pictures of what you have on offer for sale (My pictures in my thread here are all resized and can be “opened in new tab” for a much larger version) especially listing any known damage and always offer to send additional photos at the buyer’s request.
Always be upfront with details about your item that the buyer might find off putting or decrease the items value. For example like another transaction I had on CDO, if you have 10 two handed warriors with large chucks of metal coming off them all in the same spot and with soft details its best not to sell them as “possible recasts” and be more upfront, your eye can see better than the average small photo posted to the market place. You wont fool anyone and unexpected issues could leave you with a bad reputation and having to refund money.
Always try to overestimate postage costs when dealing internationally. Postage to and from Australia is very expensive and makes almost anything purchased from the wide world jump in cost. You can always give money back its hard to ask for more!
Packing items should be as easy as wrapping the item in something soft, preferably tissue paper or bubble wrap, and filling the excess space in the package with newspaper or bubble wrap sometimes with hard cardboard inserts to keep it rigid. Also write fragile on the box as although it might be a no brainier it could be the difference of your parcel being left on the bottom of the stack or placed on the top.
If a customer is purchasing multiple items I feel its best to offer a deal price or include a freebie if you have access to it. Keeping a customer happy not only gives higher chance for repeat business but will make someones day, and someone that gave you money… good deal I reckon…
Moving Forward:
Always keep in mind that everyone wants to purchase things for as cheap as they can get them and everyone wants to make a profit on their investments.
When doing business within a great community like we have on CDO just remember that being honest, respectful and fair can get you further than a few extra dollars, that goes for buying and selling.
I will add that everything I sell/trade will be well described and be packed to the best of my ability without question, if there is anything you notice otherwise with anything I list please notify and I will modify my oversight.
I am always here to help, if there is anything I can add to this list PM me or leave a comment and I will update when I can.
