eBay item not really as described

[hayfield]

I have just won an Item, which when bidding I had my doubts

 

The title stated

 

DJH KIT BUILD BRASS GWR GRANGE CLASS 4-6-0 TENDER Loco Kit BOXED COMPLETE

 

This is the description

DJH KIT BUILT WELL ASSEMBLED K56 GWR HALL CLASS 4-6-0 TENDER Loco Kit BOXED. MINT BOX WITH FULL INSTRUCTIONS AND PACKAGE D PARTS UNOPENED TO BE BUILT BY KIT BUILDER WHO KNOWS HIS STUFF WILL FIT TRIANG CHASSIS MINT IN THE BOX A TRUE COLLECTORS PIECE BY CD PARISH ENGINEERING WHITBY FOR DJH

 

Photo

 

There were other photos which do not really help

 

On refection the box and its reference number is for a Westdale loco. The box is in the style Chris used in the later part of Perseverance/Westdale production and the photo has a reference number prefix (WK) Westdale used

Now I am happy to have a Westdale kit, which is far superior to my K's kits.

But the title alludes to a brass kit, and the description has so many inconstancies, ranging from it being built, to a kit, waffle about a Triang chassis and continued reference to DJH including Chris designing it for DJH

 

As I said I am very happy having an unbuilt Westdale kit, but what I can only say is trying to make it something it is clearly not. Does our friend G****** run courses model loco description ?

 

I have to wait a week to leave feedback, I will try and be far more accurate with what I leave. 

[Tallpaul69]

I hope you only paid a price that would be reasonable for an unbuilt kit?

Personally, I would have clarified what was on offer before bidding, but that is easy to say, we have all got sucked into bidding for something more in hope than expectation!

 

I await your follow up postings with interest.

Here's hoping you can get the model you want without too much aggravation- no missing/broken parts etc. etc.

 

Cheers

Paul  

[hayfield]

Paul

 

Thanks, I am not disappointed with the kit and what I paid, including £6 for postage just under £66. I never trust anyone and what I can see is an unmade kit looking far more like a Westward Kit than a DJH kit, I paid towards the top end I would for a Westward kit, but as I have said its far better than my Keyser versions

 

I knew Chris Parish as he was a customer of mine back in the days of Puffers of Kenton, and then he was an agent or owned both the Perseverance and Westward ranges

 

What really annoyed is the chap claiming it was a DJH kit which Chris designed for DJH, clearly it was not a brass kit as advertised. I think this was not a case of a genuine mistake, but dishonesty. Especially with the 2 replies 

 

As for the kit it will be built, I now have 5 Westward kits, all in the region(s) I model and as mementoes of times past. If I felt it was not worth what I paid it would have been returned, especially as he charged me £6 for 2nd class post and a Jiffy bag

 

Equally pleased with the item, annoyed at the deception

[Tallpaul69]

Glad you are happy with your purchase!

I remember Puffers of Kenton, I used to visit on my way home to Luton after company meetings in Denham or Uxbridge. It must have been late 70s or early 80s. Unfortunately, I can't remember what I purchased, I think it was mainly "bits" for enhancing wagon kits!

Cheers

Paul

[hayfield]

Paul

 

Up stairs was the ready to run area, down stairs was an Aladdin's cave of kits and parts where John Redrup was the one with all the knowledge, he still is !!

 

Chris was a lovely man like John had time for everyone. What lovely times they were. Thankfully I have a good local model railway shop in Chelmsford, but Ken only gets in SH kits these days, plus there are so much good stuff out there on the web

 

The kit is really good, on reflection I may have had to pay more , but who knows. Its just the chaps attitude. What's wrong with telling a few porkies ?😇

[DCB]

I had this experience,  A Bloke advertised a GWR Prairie Tank Body.  I wanted a white metal GWR Prairie body for a no 4 boiler transplant to make a 3150 Trouble is it was clearly an LMS  Fowler 2-6-2T so I messaged the Bloke 

 

"Its an LMS Fowler 2-6-2 Tank Not GWR Very rare,"

 

He replied

"Thank you so much for putting me right, David.    I will amend this weekend. I take it my price pitch is more than fair?

 

I replied

"Yes its a good price. But buyers are very odd. some years ago a friend of mine couldn't get rid of an old car, he wanted £100 for it. For a laugh he changed the advert to £1000 and it sold straight away.
Airfix, Mainline, Lima, Bachmann, Hornby, K's Wills Farish all made GWR Prairie tanks, I think only K's made the LMS 2-6-2 so the ratio of GW to LMS is probably 1000 to one or might be 10 000 to 1, hence my comment "Rare,"

 

A few days later he replied 

 

 "Thank you, David, for your kind advice. I re-posted the Fowler Tank putting a higher price on it as you suggested. It sold within 48 hours and I will deliver it personally tomorrow.
Thanks again Richard."

 

That's my good turn for the year done.

[hayfield]

4 hours ago, DCB said:

I had this experience,  A Bloke advertised a GWR Prairie Tank Body.  I wanted a white metal GWR Prairie body for a no 4 boiler transplant to make a 3150 Trouble is it was clearly an LMS  Fowler 2-6-2T so I messaged the Bloke 

 

"Its an LMS Fowler 2-6-2 Tank Not GWR Very rare,"

 

He replied

"Thank you so much for putting me right, David.    I will amend this weekend. I take it my price pitch is more than fair?

 

I replied

"Yes its a good price. But buyers are very odd. some years ago a friend of mine couldn't get rid of an old car, he wanted £100 for it. For a laugh he changed the advert to £1000 and it sold straight away.
Airfix, Mainline, Lima, Bachmann, Hornby, K's Wills Farish all made GWR Prairie tanks, I think only K's made the LMS 2-6-2 so the ratio of GW to LMS is probably 1000 to one or might be 10 000 to 1, hence my comment "Rare,"

 

A few days later he replied 

 

 "Thank you, David, for your kind advice. I re-posted the Fowler Tank putting a higher price on it as you suggested. It sold within 48 hours and I will deliver it personally tomorrow.
Thanks again Richard."

 

That's my good turn for the year done.

 

But the thing is this a genuine mistake, the photos were good enough to spot it and the reply what was you expected

 

I do like the thing about the car though

 

I had a similar experience selling on eBay, I put an old whitemetal kit built loco on eBay for £20 (it came with others I wanted) it did not sell and i received a cheeky message offering £10.

 

I bit my tongue and thanked the chap for his kind offer, re-listed it for £25 at the end of 7 days I had had 2 or 3 bids on it 

[Tallpaul69]

Yes, I have had a couple of items like that.

However, these days I always set a minimum for offers I will consider which gets rid of the time wasting (cheeky!) offers, but not unfortunately the "unofficial" offers as a message!

[Hal Nail]

Not quite the same as the topic but to save starting yet another thread, I bought an old 1969 BR system map a couple of weeks back, described along the lines of excellent for its age, which arrived with the original cover and generally very nice, except it was splattered in paint right over Hampshire where i live. As such it is of no use to me even though it was exactly what I was after!

 

I e mailed saying I didn't regard it as described and they offered a full refund and I could keep it, if I provided positive feedback, which posed a moral dilemma. In the end I settled for this rather than escalate and commented along the lines of problem resolved by seller, which in fairness is true.

 

It did make me wonder how reliable feedback ratings are if you are effecitvely buying praise, although I suppose if its just the odd problem resolved with a no quibble refund, that's good service rather than iffy practice?!

 

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Hal Nail
clarification

[hayfield]

57 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

Not quite the same as the topic but to save starting yet another thread, I bought an old 1969 BR system map a couple of weeks back, described along the lines of excellent for its age, which arrived with the original cover and generally very nice, except it was splattered in paint right over Hampshire where i live. As such it is of no use to me even though it was exactly what I was after!

 

I e mailed saying I didn't regard it as described and they offered a full refund and I could keep it, if I provided positive feedback, which posed a moral dilemma. In the end I settled for this rather than escalate and commented along the lines of problem resolved by seller, which in fairness is true.

 

It did make me wonder how reliable feedback ratings are if you are effecitvely buying praise, although I suppose if its just the odd problem resolved with a no quibble refund, that's good service rather than iffy practice?!

 

 

 

I always think the quality of the company should be judged on how they perform when an issue arises, though some very good companies seem rarely to have issues

 

eBay sellers are much the same, how do they perform when an issue arises, I think your sellers actions deserve positive feedback and is a sad state of affairs when they have to ask for something that should be automatic. I am not saying you would give them adverse feedback, others might do. Forget that request just leave the feedback you think the gesture deserves

 

There are sadly some buyers who either ungrateful or never satisfied. Is it buying praise or protecting themselves from vengeful customers ?

 

I have just had the opposite, I bought a couple of etchings for two 7mm scale locos  (SR G6 & GWR 1366)  The seller sent me photos of some castings, which I suggested he put on eBay. I won the lot with smaller castings, he then offered to add the other lot for free. There are plenty of nice sellers out there 

[Hal Nail]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

Is it buying praise or protecting themselves from vengeful customers ?

 

Yes I think this neatly sums it up. At the time they asked my immediate reaction was it felt it was dishonest but on reflection, they have probably acted reasonably in the past only to then get negative feedback anyway.

 

Notwithstanding that, whilst we all make mistakes, I dont think there's anyway i would send something with paint on and claim it was excellent! I had another purchase this week of an old Southern Region map purportedly from a railway carriage again supposedly in excellent condition. Its generally nice but has been trimmed on an angle with a pair of scissors in a way i can't correct without slicing through the lizard, and I very much doubt that is an original feature! 

 

I noticed today I'm on 1111 transactions. Maybe I should be standing on one leg?!

Edited March 31, 2023 by Hal Nail

[hayfield]

1 minute ago, Hal Nail said:

 

Yes I think this neatly sums it up. At the time they asked my immediate reaction was it felt it was dishonest but on reflection, they have probably acted reasonably in the past only to then get negative feedback anyway.

 

Notwithstanding that, whilst we all make mistakes, I dont think there's anyway i would send something with paint on and claim it was excellent! I had another purchase this week of an old Southern Region map purportedly from a railway carriage again supposedly in excellent condition. Its generally nice but has been trimmed on an angle with a pair of scissors in a way i can't correct without slicing through the lizard, and I very much doubt that is an original feature! 

 

Unfortunate that after 1111 pretty good transactions, I have 2 less successful ones in a row. Maybe I should be standing on one leg?!

 

 

I think the statement "excellent for its age" can mean different things to everyone you ask.  Certainly not mint or perfect, but I would also expect there would be no splashes of paint, which I would expect a decent photo would show it up

 

But as you say we all make mistakes

 

As for feedback, I try and leave feedback once I have inspected the item(s), It both confirms I have received the it and there are no issues

On the other hand I as a seller I only leave feedback once I receive it, Why should I bother if the buyer cannot be bothered

[The Johnster]

My two penn'orth on the unneccessary porkie-telling issue; some five years ago now I bought a Baccy 56xx off the Bay at a price that was at the time the lowest for one in the livery I wanted, unlined BR black unicycling lion.  The loco was advertised as 'as new, no box'.  It arrived and on inspection I noticed that the cab spectacle plate windows had been spraypainted over matt black, the loco had no red route availability spots, and the lions were in a slightly 'off' position.  Taking the bodyshell off showed that it had originally been in a green livery, and there was evidence of the printed number plate being masked for a respray, as well as some overspray on the rear buffer beam.  As the buffer beams did not have numbers and there was a smokebox number, I assumed the loco had been originally in lined green later BR livery.

 

Given the pricing, I decided I could live with the problems and didn't complain or do anything about it, as I intended to put my own number plates on anyway.  I removed the Bachmann cab glazing and tried to clean the spray paint off it, unsuccessfully, eventually using 'liquid glazing' for these windows.  Bit of a touch up around the lions and new transfers, and spray coat of matt varnish followed by a bit of weathering, and this loco, 6624 now, is still in service and performing impeccably; it owes me nothing. 

 

But I cannot understand why the seller lied in the description.  He was asking a fair and reasonably price and must surely have been fully aware that he would be found out as soon as any buyer recieved the model.  Careful inspection of the photos revealed the anomalies.  I am happy with the loco, but have noted this seller's identity and have not been tempted to buy anything from him again; I don't trust him.  There may have been a perfectly good reason for the respray, but why not remove the cab glazing?

 

Of course, caveat emptor.

[Michael Hodgson]

4 hours ago, The Johnster said:

I am happy with the loco, but have noted this seller's identity and have not been tempted to buy anything from him again; I don't trust him. 

I do sympathise, but Ebay sellers easily can change their name, and some do just that when they realise they've earned too much of a reputation.  So it won't necessarily protect you from a similar  trascation with him in future.  But the real problem is that there's so many shifty types out there, you just as likely to be swindled by another one.

[The Johnster]

This may well be the case, as I have not seen anything from him for some time.  To be fair, 'swindled' is overstating it, I paid a reasonable price for an item in the condition it was actually in, but it was not 'as described'.