EBay is. predatory forum regarding sellers. “Minimal SNAD†rejection
I sold. Watch after a week long auction. It went to authentication. And I got the most convoluted explanation why they declined to authentic the watch.
it was advertised as new with tags. And it was. I never wore it, the tags were clear in the picture. They said there were some small marks on the watch and rejected it as having “minor SNAD†issues.
now have you ever heard of such a internally contradictory description. Minor substantially not as described.
by definition, if it’s minor its not substantial. The watch was never worn, had all its box and paper and was actually re-shipped in the manufacturer’s box.
and there’s no way to communicate with them!!!!!
they’ve gone out of their way to eliminate public facing email addresses. No way to respond to them. Everything is buyer friendly - they can hit a seller with negative feedback. But you can’t hit bad buyer with negative feedback.
why don’t they want to speak or correspond with aggrieved customers?
corrupt.
fab_finds4u
·3 years agoIf the positive feedbacks with the negative comments about your buyers are reported you'll get a defect for each one. You're not allowed to leave the buyer a negative rating or a negative comment when leaving them a positive rating.
luckythewinner
·3 years agoSNAD stands for "Significantly not as described", not "Substantially not as described".
Even minor damage can significantly affect the desirability and value of a collectible.
Did you disclose the marks on the watch in your description? If not, the description would not match the item making it "not as described".
joquin_5543
·3 years agoWell it just happened to me with same watch twice. A Tudor Black Bay 58, it fell authentication for same reason of SNAD on bezel. Second time was taking 3 days and I had to call Ebay to find out what was going on, they stated that I would get a notification from Authentication center, but the Customer Service Agent told me that seems that watch bezel is rotating biorational , I went What???? I'm the original owner, worn it occasionally and purchased from my AD, just waiting for them to return it to take it back to my AD to verify that is my watch. Now wonder their store has so many bad reviews.
the-hook-and-the-loop
·3 years agoAnother happy customer. I mean seller.
cooleodad15
OP3 years agoHere’s the deal….
The watch was NEW. It was in the box that Seiko shipped it in. I never took it out of the box, so I didn’t see any scratches on the side. It was in my office that I hadn’t visited in 2 years due to Covid and I lost my taste for it since then.
So I didn’t think twice about just putting in head on shots. It never occurred to me that MINOR scratches - which is what the authentication people said were present on the SIDE - not on the crystal - were there. I suppose every so often a minor scratch passes QA from time to time.
be that as it may, it is the job of authentication to AUTHENTICATE the watch as genuine rather than some knockoff. For all I know, EBay scratched the watch in handling it. Perhaps they open it to ensure that the guts are real?
All I know is that they sent a message that absolutely made zero sense. It was inherently illogical. They said it it was real (I.e., they “authenticated itâ€, they agreed it was new with tags. It had not only been shipped for authentication in the box with papers, but actually in the original shipping box from Seiko with all of Seiko’s bubble wrap. I had just opened the shipping box, taken the watch box out and positioned the tags and shot the photos for the listing and then closed everything back up.
But here’s the payoff crazy illogical statement. They declined to authenticate it because due to “minor SNADâ€.
SNAD = significantly not as described. How can there be minor significant not as described issues with any item???? If it’s minor it’s not significant. If it’s significant it’s not minor!!!!
I went back and forth with them on this illogical reasoning and they said there were minor scratches that weren’t disclosed. But the authentication process isn’t about finding minor issues. It’s about authentication.
And on its face, the watch met the EBay definition of new. I called using a number that I had from back in the day that still works. All I got was a buyer friendly run around.
They kept going around in circles acknowledging the illogical nature of the wording for rejecting it, while saying I should have disclosed the minor scratches. Essentially they said that minor = signifcant but without saying it. They stuck to the stupidity that there’s nothing contradictory in saying minor significant differences is a logical word construction.
What I am getting at is that I’ve been on EBay since 1999 I’ve have seen it degenerate into a one sided operation. Every major change is in favor of buyers. They want buyers to comfortable to buy stuff - sometimes even essentially buy it to see what it is and then return it if they don’t like it. It’s almost like showrooming. The no questions asked return is **bleep**. There’s a button on listings for no returns. Why is it there if they have a no questions asked return policy? One time I sold a brand new phone in shrink wrap. The guy said it was SNAD because where he lived he didn’t get good reception. And that’s my problem because why? Well EBay allowed the return and while I send a brand new wrapped phone, what was returned was a used phone. The buyer had sent me back something different than what I sent him - because he had buyer’s remorse, I now had a used phone that I ended up having to sell for $150 less.
And to top things off, on top of the crazy no questions asked return policy, they changed the feedback rules. Where a buyer who pulls fast ones can hit a seller with negative feedback, a seller who is defrauded can’t do a thing regarding feedback. The only seller feedback option is positive. I refuse to give buyers feedback if things are going to be one sided. The feedback ratings for those who buy and sell have become meaningless.
Then look at the “contact us†They don’t list their phone numbers for customer service, (for those of you who don’t have it it’s +1 (866) 540-3229) they don’t even have a customer service email address. They don’t care a whit if you have a legitimate complaint or need to get in touch with them. When you go to help, it takes you to broadly worded articles that don’t help you at all.
The place has turned to a place where sellers can get gypped with impunity. These people,are,creeps.
ittybitnot
·3 years agoBut the authentication process isn’t about finding minor issues. It’s about authentication.
@cooleodad15
That is incorrect. It is about authentication AND determining that the item matches the description.
"Once the authenticator confirms the item is consistent with the listing title, description, and images, they perform a physical authentication inspection. If the inspector cannot determine that the product is authentic, or if the product is not as described in the listing, the item will be returned to you and the buyer will receive their money back. If the item passes inspection, it will be shipped to the buyer with 2 day secure delivery. Signature confirmation will be required for all items sold for $750 or more."
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling-tools/ebay-authenticity-guarantee?id=4644&st=3&pos=3&query=eBay%20Authenticity%20Guarantee&intent=Authentication&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1344#watches
cooleodad15
OP3 years agoAh, but they didn’t deny that the product was as described in the listing. The acknowledged it was new with tags. The only noted minor issues which by definition ought not to rise t9 the level of signifcant,y not as described.
itscalledapostingid
·3 years agoIt would not be "new with tags" if it has any cosmetic imperfections.
You can see the definition of "new with tags" "New with defects" etc. on this policy page...
Item condition by category:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/item-conditions-category?id=4765
cooleodad15
OP3 years agoI must say - the item was EXACTLY as described in the listing. It was new with tags. Yes, there were MINIMAL scratches that I did not see on the side BECAUSE I NEVER TOOK IT OUT OF THE BOX. It was still under warranty, it came with all the papers and the minimal scratches could easily have been polished off.
And through all of these pro-EBay postings, which makes no sense to me unless you are buyers (because sellers tend to get screwed as described in several ways in my various posts) not a single person has explained the following:
How is it possible to have a "minimal significant not as described condition". Either it is minimal, or it is significant. It CANNOT BE BOTH.
What's more, at no point did EBay give me an opportunity to be heard before they rejected the watch. They contacted the buyer, asked him what he wanted to do and then rejected things.
At the end of the day, I don't make the watch, I just sell it. If a new item came in with a scratch and it's still under warranty, it can be addressed by the buyer.
itscalledapostingid
·3 years agoEven if the scratches are minor the item does not meet the definition of "new with tags."
5starwatches
·3 years agoI have multiple (7) watches were damaged during the "authenticity " process.
They even pay me for one of my watches repair $450.00.
Perfectly genuine watches were sent back as "fake" because aftermarket buckle that was mentioned in the description.
This authenticity people are sabotaging our business focusing on finding anything they can use to return the watch.
1920's Rolex with perfect original dial came back as refinished dial.
Are they even professional? I doubt it.
45 years in the vintage watch business.
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoYou misunderstood the full scope of eBay's authentication program;
1 - to confirm the watch is legitimate
2 - to confirm that the watch condition matches the listing description
3 - to provide sellers with protection from potential payment or return fraud
ckimodog
·3 years ago@cooleodad15
Wow...lots of beautiful watches. One negative isn't going to hurt you. Just relist the item with the flaws and make sure to close up on them. You may want to rethink a lot of your photos too. Lots of distractions in the background. Just photograph the watch.
Happy Selling!
farmalljr
·3 years agoIt's not really "new" if it's damaged. Maybe "ne, other" or similar description, but not new.
Scratches are damage.
dhbookds
·3 years agoI can see what looks like a scratch on the face.......just below the 31..... (3rd picture).......
carlmarxx
·3 years agoIt is hard to tell to see that scratch in the photo . But I see something there . Just wished the photo was a closeup . .
cooleodad15
OP3 years agoNope. They said the scratches were on the side and sent ,e a picture. Very hard to see without significant enlargement
3lilyankeefans
·3 years agoWhy would you neg the buyer if your watch failed authentication?
cooleodad15
OP3 years agoNot the point. eBay is one sided is the point with the scales in favor of buyers. Why is it that a buyer can give negative feedback and a seller can’t? And the watch WAS authenticated. They didn’t deny it was new in box with tags as described. What does minor significant not as described mean logically????
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoIn your description, did you write that it had minor scratches or marks? It does NOT matter if the watch was brand new and never worn, if there were little imperfections, you needed to describe them. If you do not mention them, the buyer is expecting a brand new watch without imperfections. Ebay was correct to not approve it. You needed to be honest. Perhaps you can try selling it again on ebay with the correct description that it has minor imperfections or marks. Make sure that you take a closeup of the area. Goodluck.