New / Old - Correct way to describe ?
Obviously I am new here. Currently selling New / Old slot car tracks and accessories which a majority of them are brand new & tested by me. (I will be selling in small bulk 5-10 boxed items per shipment)
If I describe the bulk sale items as "Tested and Working", (which they have been tested and are working).
"Tested and Working" means I can and most likely will earn a little more money on the sale.
That description would also leave me wide open for a "Not as described" claim against me.
To describe it as "Untested / Buy at your own risk -Please see photos" is almost admitting the bulk items are junk which they are not. All this listing will do is somewhat cover my behind and quite possibly not even make a sale.
Most of this stuff is brand new still in their original boxes.. Not sure how to correctly describe it.
tobaccocardyahoo
·11 months agoYour question borders on "wrongthink".
Your descriptions and the way you present your items should present a buyer expectation which you will meet or exceed, without creating any additional burden.
Although you might use the term "new old stock" your older product should not be presented as new condition. As new or like new is acceptable if it is appropriate.
Your products are not essentials, Emphasizing fast delivery is only creating an expectation your chosen carrier might interfere with. If it ships today or tomorrow that will be the deciding factor for only a few sales.
CYA is usually not possible on Ebay because the buyer is guaranteed an advantage in most disputes with sellers. Taking obvious actions to CYA will cost you some sales and offer little to no protection.
py_2132
OP11 months agoA lot of great advice here and I thank you all. I am simply trying to avoid any problems which when selling is going to be a virtual impossibility.
That is why I test things prior to listing / shipping. Some of this stuff has been laying around for over 30 years. You are correct.. some do not bother to read the description and that's why I actually write on the images themselves describing exactly the product so there are no misunderstandings.
I just listed the bulk slot car track / Described it like this.
=============================================================
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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Here is the actual description :
susanb1872
·11 months agoI agree with a couple of statements mentioned here. @soh.maryl mentioned "to not sell anything that is not working". Agree-mainly because some buyers do not read the description and may buy it thinking it does work-then you have to deal with returns etc. I agree with @bashort about testing it and later the buyer says it doesn't work. Be aware that when you ship an item like this, it gets jostled, thrown, dropped etc. So maybe it worked when you packed it but it might not work when it arrives to the buyer.
soh.maryl
·11 months agoI believe my statement was more like: Don't sell anything that you don't positively KNOW is working . . .
natoman777
·11 months agoI think you are correct about the bulk sales "tested and working"
As for the New in original boxes... well NOS (New Old Stock) or NEW Deadstock will work. NIB (New In Box) also could be used. Just make sure to explain in the item description and you should be good!
Some have said if you take out of the box and test it, it is not longer new. If I am assuming correctly you are selling vintage slot car items, most of which were NEVER sealed, just new in box. Collectors will know this as well, so if it is New unused, list it that way.
bashort
·11 months agoIf it were me I would sell them new other and put New Old Stock in the condition notes.
As far as testing I probably would if I thought there was a chance that the item was not going to work, this is not for the buyers protection, new other is guaranteed by the seller backed by ebay to work this is to avoid snad returns.
As far as no longer being new after a test I do not thing that is a issue on items like this but in the end what matters is if the buyer agrees with the item condition you sold it as.
caldreamer
·11 months agoOnce you open the box item is no longer "new". You would have to list a used. On your description page you can explain that item was "new old stock" but you opened the box to test it.
No such thing as "no refunds". EBAY 30-Day Money Back Guarantee (supersedes "no returns") and allows customer to return item by claiming "not as described, defective, counterfeit, missing parts". EBAY will force you to refund (purchase price + shipping BOTH ways). EBAY does NOT require the customer to prove their claims. EBAY always rules in favor of the customer.
Always better to give customer "low expectations and over deliver" that way you will have a happy customer.
gator08041971
·11 months ago@py_2132
Personally I would:
Never post a listing and try to make it sound like you won't accept returns. There is no such thing here at eBay.
I do listings where I don't offer returns, however I also state that if the item doesn't match the listing or description it can be returned (which is in line with eBay's policies) but the item will have to be returned to be refunded.
I would review all the Money Back Guarantee info that the buyer has and just list your item so that it will comply with the MBG.
As for condition:
As these are older and have been tested, I would list them as Used. But you can make a note that they are in excellent condition and have been tested. You can also note they have not been run more than was needed to verify functionality and look new, that sort of thing.
Condition is subjective, and you are going to know more than I would about the item's condition. But don't over sell it. Its better to be honest and point out flaws, take plenty of photos and don't try to hide issues.
Good luck.
soh.maryl
·11 months agoAnything that you don't positively know is working shouldn't be listed at all.
Save yourself some grief down the road.
bashort
·11 months agoI do not agree with this at all. I have sold many items that I have absolutely no way of testing, I just look the item over carefully using years of experience in my niches and take the chance, occasionally you have to take a return.
And testing only means that the item worked when tested, my last neg was from a used motor I tested and it worked for the buyer for a short time and failed. The neg was because all I offered the buyer was a return shipping label and full refund
dirk12955
·11 months agoNew old stock.
mustang707
·11 months agoJust a piece of advice on your descriptions in general. I would recommend removing the part about shipping within the hour. It's best not to overpromise in case you can't ship in that time frame-like if there is a weather event. Also, on the boxing bag, I would remove the reference to how you did some research about the prices. It sounds like something I hear at garage sales. Buyers can and will do their own price research. I do applaud you for not using AI descriptions that many new sellers use.
youn2240
·11 months agoI don't think you're going to find a lot of issue with slot car buyers. And based on the items of yours I can see being older Aurora track parts if you have those old slot cars you may want to list those out individually because they do sell very well anytime I have come across them. If you tested them and they are working you'll have next to 0 issues telling them that about the condition. They just aren't in the sort of market that is heavy in scammers.
a_c_green
·11 months agoI agree. Now I'm having flashbacks to my old childhood Aurora slot car sets... not just AFX but Model Motoring, which was even older and had track segments needing 3 hands to assemble: two hands to press the pieces of track together and a third hand to press the little U-shaped joiner into the center holes. (I did eventually figure out how to sit the parts in place, then press the tracks together and nudge the joiner into position with my index finger. My hands would be aching after assembling a big layout...)
Gawd, even us kids knew that was a stupid design, so it was a relief when AFX came along and the track segments just snapped together with no fiddly bits required, plus they offered an adapter track with the old-style connector at one end and the new one at the other. Kid Heaven, at least until your little sister stomped on it, but that is a story for another time.
a_c_green
·11 months agoNot at all. Stating that the items are tested and working will improve your standing with honest buyers; it will have no effect on the dishonest ones. Okay, it would make the listing more appealing to a bad buyer as well, because anyone can claim Not As Described, but adding a disclaimer of Untested (or Use At Your Own Risk or similar) will have no effect as a defense if a claim is filed.
So just write up your description as accurately as you can. Testing and Working will put your listing ahead of other sellers who just show a random pile of stuff with no stated idea of whether any of it works. If the buyer does file a Not As Described claim for any reason, you have the option to send a Return label and require them to return the item(s) before refunding.
toysaver
·11 months agoNot new if you tested them.
eburtonlab
·11 months agoA "not as described" return is always a risk, no matter what description you choose.
Making sure your description is as accurate as possible and any flaws are disclosed is a way to minimize that risk, but the risk can never be totally eliminated.
glorybells
·11 months agoSaying “buy at your own risk†does not absolve you of the responsibility of refunding if the buyer opens an item not as described case. There is no such thing as buying at your own risk on eBay. The eBay money back guarantee will overrule anything you as a seller state.
Saying “buy at your own risk†actually would make you look like a shady seller to buyers.