Buyer leaves a note for an item asking a question about it that I cant answer with certainty

[awesomish_finds]

Buyers notes are usually to the attune of "please do not include marketing or pricing info in the box" i.e. a gift or dropsell, but this is the first time we have had a buyers note that asks a question about functionality on item, and i definitely cannot guarantee anything with it, being a vintage projector. 

We do our due diligence with items and do what testing we can and make note of everything we experience during testing, but after purchase we got the buyer's note is "does this projector overheat?"  

There's no way we can guarantee anything, and i just replied back with "as you see our listing, all items are from storage units, estate sales, etc, and the limited testing is noted, but there is no way i can answer your question with any certainty as this is a vintage electronic and our testing is limited. please feel free to request a cancel if you would like, and we will accept it right away"

It doesn't look like the user has much experience in ebay with under 10 feedback, so i am genuinely afraid that they did not know that a buyers note wasn't exactly the best way to ask a semi important question like this.  I am also not confident they will see my reply. Is it better just to cancel the purchase at buyers request, and make a note that it was in reference to not being able to answer their "buyers note"?   

If not for the newer status of the buyer, i would probably cancel this outright because it feels like a way to circumvent normal communication to try and set the seller up for something.  maybe just me thinking that, hahaha.   

Thank you for any seller's help, i very much appreciate any thoughts or consensus on this one.

Cheers. 

[mtgraves7984 · Accepted solution]

C. Also, Please note that the metal area above the light source does get hot, please be careful when handling these machines.

@awesomish_finds

I pulled that ^^^ bullet point from your description, so I think that's what generated the question. And I think your reply was great. I'd wait for the buyer to respond (until the day you have to ship), because a cancellation might be best here.

I'd not cancel until I got that response, but I'd ship it within my handling time if I heard nothing back. Good luck.

[luckythewinner]

d i definitely cannot guarantee anything with it, being a vintage projector

Is this the Argus projector for which you selected 'Used' as the condition? If so, you did guarantee something - you guaranteed that it is "fully operational and functions as intended"

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Used

An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.

You are responsible for meeting this standard for any used item in a category which does not have a For Parts condition.

You have other situations where you do not understand the implicit Ebay requirements. You have a reel to reel tape being offered which is a copyright infringement. Homemade recorded tapes are illegal. You could lose your account for copyright violations.

[inhawaii]

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@awesomish_finds wrote:

There's no way we can guarantee anything, and i just replied back with "as you see our listing, all items are from storage units, estate sales, etc, and the limited testing is noted, but there is no way i can answer your question with any certainty as this is a vintage electronic and our testing is limited. please feel free to request a cancel if you would like, and we will accept it right away"

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Be prepared for lots of INAD returns.

These are returns that you can't fight, dispute or challenge.

You will lose.

You will have to refund the buyer.

[nyr134]

Your  listing description definitely covered the hazard.  The bulbs in all slide and movie projectors from that era definitely got very hot and the machines often had a fan embedded.  If there is a manual included in your sale, tell your buyer to read it.  If not, have them seek out a manual so they know the safety precautions to take.  We never left the bulb on when we weren’t viewing slides, we never left film near the hot bulb for too long (it could burn) and the manual suggested a cool-down period before the projector was stored away for next time.

Don’t cancel - the question is not a deal breaker - but write out the precautions and put it in the box where the buyer is sure to see it.  These things didn’t catch fire but the users are in close proximity to a very hot bulb and need some awareness of that.

[awesomish_finds]

Thank you for the helpful response. I appreciate the reply back on this question :). I definitely want to be right by the customer, and after reading other replies, I realize that there may have been a mistake in the way I listed it In the first place. I will wait for a response but I may also go ahead and take this as a learning experience, refund the buyer, and take a knock from eBay and just avoid shipping it all the together. I was wary in posting it in the first place after we tested it, I realize some things are just better to sell as parts or not at all.cheers, and thank again:(

[awesomish_finds]

Thank you for the response, I realize that sometimes we all make mistakes. And I mistake was made when we listed it. Probably best to correct it now before it goes any further.

 Cheers and thank you for the response.

[awesomish_finds]

I dont want to feel discouraged for asking for help in these forums, but I appreciate your response nonetheless. I will definitely take a look at what else is listed and make corrections where I can. Cheers, and thank you for the response.

[awesomish_finds]

Thank you for the response, I appreciate all responses, as it is all a learning experience, and I am happy to hear from others.  I will learn from this and make it right, hopefully, cheers and thank you again 🙂

[awesomish_finds]

Thank you for the response, it was very informative and it really helps me realize this may have been an item to avoid when finding it. It was really quite a cool discovery tucked away, I hope I can right by the customer and avoid any issues. Thanks again for all the information, it makes me happy to read these responses that have a very detailed breakdown of what to think about and how to move forward right now and in the future. I am definitely saving this one , cheers and thanks again 🙂

[sin-n-dex]

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@awesomish_finds wrote:

Thank you for the response, I appreciate all responses, as it is all a learning experience, and I am happy to hear from others.  I will learn from this and make it right, hopefully, cheers and thank you again 🙂

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You will get better at descriptions and stuff as time goes on.

The era of what you're listing could be a fire hazard by how it was made at the time. I used to have one of those slide projectors (like 20 years ago) and it wasn't something you'd want to leave unattended for long periods of time. It's a valid question by the buyer, but not one you can answer if it wasn't something you were using yourself for a period of time. I think you did OK answering since you didn't know the answer.

I might be one of few people who still has slides... they were a big thing when I was growing up. I bought a special scanner (that I don't think they make anymore) which scanned 35mm negatives and slides into digital images.

C.