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| Photo from the consignment shop |
Saddle status
The saddle repair person examined the tree -- the saddle tree is fine, and the rippling on the seat turned out to be repairable. The "slits" in the saddle reported by the buyer were not damage, but the ports used for flocking, so no repairs there. The rippling was repaired for $365.
After the repair, the saddle was sent to consignment at a shop that is a distributor of Black Country saddles. The show manager was wowed by the condition of the saddle, and he set the price well above what I was asking for it on Ebay. If it sells for the asking price (which is a big if!), I'll more than match my asking price on Ebay, even with the commission.
Once I learned that my saddle was not damaged beyond repair, this whole incident really felt "over" for me -- in a good way. But there's more!
Squeaky wheel work
I had filed in small claims and contacted numerous consumer protection organizations about this incident. The Better Business Bureau came through for me, contacting Paypal's Office of Executive Escalations. About 24 hours after the BBB alerted me that they'd contacted Paypal, Paypal called me about my complaint. This time, it was a guy named Aaron, and he was waving an olive branch.
I updated Aaron on the status of my saddle -- the damage and the repair. He offered to adjust my negative Paypal balance with a credit of $425--the cost of the repair plus all shipping charges involved in the sale and repair. He also said that I could take my time resolving the negative balance, paying when my saddle sold. No collections! I accepted this solution happily.
Although it was a long time to resolution, it was worth it. I'm thankful to the BBB for their help, and to Paypal for offering me this fair solution. In my heart I wish that I'd had my day in court with the buyers -- but they'll get their karmic payback, one way or another...
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Did the repair shop have any idea why or how the saddle was damaged?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear the saddle was not ruined. While the settlement with PayPal is fair since you got all your extra expenses back, it would have been nice for them to absorb a bit more of the money you owe, as a further gesture of good faith. Still, once the saddle is sold from the saddle shop you should have enough money to get the rest of the debt settled.
ReplyDeleteThis has certainly been a cautionary tale. It's made me think twice about selling anything expensive on Ebay. I only had one dealing with a problem there when I bought a VCR/DVD player that was advertised as "new" and proved to be refurbished. I finally won the case, but did pay return shipping. That was a bit of a bummer. I haven't sold much but I will be quite wary if I do.
Hope your saddle sells quickly. It's great you had an outlet that specializes in that brand. That way you have a really good chance of a good, fast sale.
Thats great! I don't comment often, but I read your blog a lot, love it! Believe me, I was very, very angry for you over your saddle selling experience. I'm glad you got a resolution that you are happy with!
ReplyDeleteI have used the BBB before as well, and they came through wonderfully! I'm so happy to hear that this is resolved (almost). :)
ReplyDeleteGlad it's working out for you, but it just further cements my resolve to never use eBay as a seller. I like buying through there, but it's not worth the headache to sell.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you get eBay's assurances about not taking you to collections and paying off the negative balance in writing. I'm glad your perseverance paid off.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I am impressed with your diligence, and very relieved that the saddle was not severely damaged. That's cool that the consignment shop thought it is worth more than you thought, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that you at least break even.
ReplyDeleteI am blown away that the BBB went to bat for you AND that PayPal finally, finally did the right thing. I never would have thought of contacting BBB but you can bet I'll be keeping that in mind. Very good to know!
And yeah, I really hope that #@*&!^ buyer gets their karmic comeuppance. I don't know what they thought they were trying to pull - a free saddle?? - but man, did they ever mess with the wrong person! :-)
Good for you for keeping on them. I honestly didn't think you'd get such a good result. Now I hope that your saddle sells very soon and for top dollar!
ReplyDeleteYour experience led me to recommend to a barn mate to send her saddle to the fitter to consign, not to put on Ebay. I think she's going to be pretty happy she took that route.
ReplyDeleteBut GOOD FOR YOU.
and yes, karma...too bad you can't be the instrument of. :)