Bad Experiences buying DJ gear on ebay? How did you cope with it?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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Bad Experiences buying DJ gear on ebay? How did you cope with it?

Hello fellow DJTechTool’ers…

I have been buying Dj gear for some time now on DJTechTools, DjForums, Craigslist, Kijiji, Ebay, and I have never had a problem doing so… until now.

Long story short, I bought a used VCI-380 (pretty much the best & most flexible 2 channel, backpack portable Serato DJ controller) which was described as in Great Working Condition as I’ve been wanting to get back into the DJ scene. When it arrived I unboxed it and noticed 2 things:

  1. The wrong power adapter was sent
  2. The crossfader was “sticky” / and the faceplate had some crossfader damage marks.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test the unit at that time due to the power adapter not feeding enough power to the unit to make it usable. I notified the seller of this with the following message:

"Hi,
I received the vci last night. however, when testing it, I wasn’t able to use it due to the fact that the power adapter you sent was not the correct one (at least I hope that’s the issue). I can send a video where I can show this.
I would also like to mention that the crossfader is very sticky to the point of being almost unusable. The cross fader is deffinitley not in great working order either. Now, going over what was missing, I have found out that the Power adapter costs about $25 to replace, and the cross fader goes anywhere from $75 to $150.
What to you suggest doing? Do you want me to ship this back to you? can i get a partial refund to replace what doesn’t work?
Please advise as I do not want to open a case. Perhaps the crossfader was bent during shipping? Did you insure it? Please let me know."

The seller asked me to send him pictures of the fader damage (Luckily, I did an unboxing Video, documenting everything), which I sent him. I also bought a power adapter online, and received it a couple days days later.

Tested the unit, and everything worked perfectly except the crossfader. In total, I sent 3 videos to the owner documenting this, and asking if I could get a partial refund of $75 so that I could be compensated to a) replace the power adapter and b) replace the crossfader.

1) Unboxing Video:

https://vimeo.com/140018574

2) Video exploring Crossfader damage:

https://vimeo.com/139616135

3) VCI Test Video:

After 6 days since receiving the unit and opening a case, I was answered 5 days later with this:

I would not refund you because nothing is wrong with the item. You are mishandling it and I won’t pay for unnecessary upgrades. Mail it back in the condition I sent it for a full refund if you like and in any case, please do not bid on my items again or publish my personal information online in video format, this is a breach of privacy and you don’t have my permission to do so. Thanks.

How did I mishandle the VCI:scream::confused::confused::confused::confused:???

I have a feeling that he sent me a damaged unit and because I documented it so well, he is trying to minimize his loss instead of making me take up the loss… However, giving him the benefit of the doubt, the seller has 100% feedback on over 142 transactions… so could’ve it been damaged while shipped? After all, it was only shipped with hard brown paper…

I am planning on answering his request with the following:

Hi, I will gladly mail it back to you. However, instead of ACCUSING me of “Mishandling” the item you sent me, Why have you NOT replied the following Questions?:
1) Why was the Wrong Power Adapter sent to me?
2) Did the Vestax VCI-380 Have the crossfader damage BEFORE You sent it to me?
3) Do You Realize that the problem was REVEALED the moment I did the UNBOXING? There’s a reason why I do this type of unboxing Videos. To protect Myself, and prove that I haven’t Mishandled anything.
4) Why have you Not answered anything about the Shipping Insurance? Assuming the item was damaged in transit (unless it was sent to me like that), why aren’t you looking into it? The insurance could cover the amount I am asking for to replace BOTH the Power adapter and the Crossfader, which are things I had NOTHING to do with.
5) Do you realize you will receive a unit with a sticky, useless crossfader?

What are your thoughts, any advice? I honestly don’t wanna shell out $30 to ship the unit back for something that I did Not Do, especially considering that I could get a new cross fader for about 90, or be lucky to get a used inno for $70ish…

2

You should see the headphones I once received - they were advertised as 10/10 function and 9/10 for looks. :angry:
Earcups swiveling on hinges, on one side a wire was pulled out of the earcup and twisted, all pads ready for trash, silver paint on headband changed colour to yellow-ish from sweat, one hinge showing signs of damage (much larger gap between plastic parts),…
Of course, pictures he took were taken from carefully selected angles as to not show the damage. These things happen mate :wink:

I don’t know what would I do in your shoes. Depends on how much you paid for the VCI I guess… 25$ for the power adapter + ?$ for a can of DeoxIT to un-stuck the crossfader might still be a good deal depending on the price and availability of other VCI-380’s.

Wrong power adapter is probably a honest mistake on his part but a sticky crossfader is definitely something he SHOULD HAVE noticed. Also, improper packaging on his part will help you with a eBay claim but I doubt it’s the cause of the sticky crossfader.

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http://vid768.photobucket.com/albums/xx324/Blazin_AzteK/VCI%20Test%202.mp4

Here’s the thing… take a Look at this video starting from 4:30. You can see that the crossfader doesn’t work… it’s not just a thing of it being sticky…

On another note, if I return it, do you think I could have the shipping refunded? It seems to me that the seller doesn’t want to work smtg out, nor is he interested in completing the transaction… I mean, if Im gonna pay $30 to ship it back, I’d rather have him refund me $40 to get a used innofader or smtg…

4

I’m not sure what law covers you in the US but in the UK you are covered for postage costs if the item is faulty - if not you are liable yourself.
How long have you had it?

5

Whelp, if it all doesn’t work out.. You can always leave him negative feedback.

6

Awesome. I have also had excellent “luck” buying used gear on ebay. I NEVER pay more than 2/3 of what I can buy a new one for at a store…regardless of the condition. As a result, I have saved $$,$$$ over the years.

This allows me the “luxury” of handling the occasional “bad” transaction. :smiley:

Awesome! This is the kind of resolution that I like to have.

Buying used is a risk. You risk the return shipping against what you save on the original transaction.

While the overall situation is not “ideal” when considered alone…since you have a long track record of good deals buying used, it is hardly the end of the world. I would send the unit back, and take the refund. YMMV.

EDIT:

When doing your videos get a TRIPOD!!! I can not emphasize this strongly enough. I was getting seasick with the handheld shots, and the extended “table top” view was annoying. I can not see the condition of the unit once you opened the box. I only barely got a view of the box to see if it was largely intact or not. I could not clearly see the whole unwrapping process. Your commentary about “protecting yourself” was unneeded and colors my view of the purpose video.

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I’ve had the is bad transaction but I stick to eBay because I honestly don’t trust anywhere but there and djtechtools… eBay your always covered and if you paid with PayPal your covered…

Of the many transactions only 2 come to mind that I was overall dissatisfied with both resulted in full refunds yeah your out the cash while you go through the dispute process but overall it’s not bad.

I’ve bought the odd thing that description wasn’t accurate but normally not far off.

Discogs I but vinyl from and anytime I’ve had any issues they have always been addressed right away… Key to buying is knowing that you can dispute of needed…

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I had the unit shipped to my office, which is why I didnt have a tripod. At the same time, a coworker asked me, Why are you talking to yourself and filming it? (:laughing:slight_smile: So I explained her what I was doing, hence why I mentioned it in the video.

9

This is one of the reasons why I prefer Craigslist. At least I have nobody but myself to blame if I miss something during testing but I usually paid a better price then eBay to begin with.

10

Your unboxing vids are a complete waste of time in terms of backing up your story. There is no proof that you took the video when you said, video can be doctored etc. Even though you may have a valid complaint, id just drop using the Video as proof. It isnt proof, and I would just ignore it if i was in the sellers position.

I also have no idea why people make unboxing vids, they seriously creep me out, but each to his own.

Id get him to send you the correct adaptor, and just try to clean the crossfader with deoxit. I do this every time I buy any DJ gear and it always works wonders on anything second hand.

11

It doesn’t look like his crossfader is just “sticky” as he previously described it (I failed to look through the entire video), it looks like the entire crossfader is stuck. If the crossfader stem isn’t obviously bend I don’t know what could cause that.

12

Probably a drink spill, since it didn’t get treated in time there is a high chance the whole part got corroded and isn’t really making contact anymore, otherwise he’d have the crossfader jumping all over the place in Serato.

13

THIS guy, been so long are you still in Toronto?

14

Hahaha… Not at all Man! It’s been a year since I left TDot. I am now living in Chicago. Got a Job here working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. :thumbsup: Wtb you? Still at Waterloo Univ? Or you done with that?

15

Exactly. It’s not an issue of a dirty fader. IF it was, I wouldn’t be making a big deal of it. I think that something Heavy was put on top of the crossfader stem, which caused it to F**k up, rendering it useless… I already messaged the seller asking him why he hasn’t responded to any of the questions I asked instead of just accusing me of mishandling the item, and also offered to renogiate some terms as I originally asked for $75 as a refund. We’ll see how that goes!

16

If you remove the fader cap the crossfader shaft and the possible damage should be clearly visible.

17

I’ve bought all of my current gear (except for my S4 mk1 but I’m selling that one) second hand, have never been disappointed so far :smiley:

18

Naa man, been working full-time in Toronto as a Transportation Planner for a private consulting firm for the past two years. Been out of the DJ scene for a while. Actually in the same boat as you and looking to get back into it again :stuck_out_tongue: Glad to see things are going well for you as well!

In terms of your Ebay purchase did you pay through PayPal? and If so can’t you make a claim through PayPal as well in addition to Ebay?

19

Hey! I’ve been buying and selling on Ebay since 2000 and so far I’ve had great experiences minus one buying and one selling. Buying: bought a Shure SM58 but received, I shit you not, an envelope with a pirated copy of MS Office 2007 with the label printed on a BAD color printer (including how the scanner read the hologram. Hint, badly). Since I knew right away I was going to get a refund I LOL’ed pretty hard at this and made a great story. I think I still have that somewhere. Got refunded in about 2 weeks. This was in 2007?

Now having been a seller I just got a bad deal selling a video card where allegedly one of the DVI ports did not work. To make it clear, Ebay will always side with the buyer from the getgo. This means that if you sell something and there is no tracking number there is NOTHING the seller can do to prove the item was sent. Even if you have a tracking number Ebay will tell you to get insurance from the shipping carrier like UPS, DHL, etc. In other words Ebay wont do squat to help buyers.

So the buyer filed a complain and I pretty much had no option since you’ll get a “If there is no action from your part in X amount of time, funds will be taken of your paypal yadda yadda”. So I just told the buyer to return the card, however, once I agreed to return the money, the funds were deducted immediately and the buyer did not returned the card. I filed back a compain about good not returned and Ebay did nothing. So I lost both money and item and Ebay a 15 year customer. :thumbsdown:

Recommendation: just return the thing and get it over with and move on. There will be better deals elsewhere.

Now I sell locally and have had better luck.

Also I’ve both bought and sold stuff here in the DJTT forums and have had some pretty great experiences! I remember I bought my first controller, a VCI-100 back in 2008? with a Presonus Firebox along some other stuff. The seller even explained how to connect everything properly and in no time I was good to go! A few years later I sold it here again (for pretty cheap) and got a used Traktor S4 MK1 pretty close to it’s launch date which is still the same unit I’m using today! The seller had serial unregistered and everything so when I got it I was good to go in minutes :thumbsup:

I highly recommend the forums here since the community is just the best on the net not mentioning that you can get some sick deals as well! Too bad Im broke because RGASing here is serious stuff!

Cheers!:smiley: