Selling Collectables

[curlys_house]

Hi all. If I can, I like to find collectables and one of a kind items to sell. I recently found something that I feel would sell but here is my issue. The item is in the box and has been unopened. Many people like that and I do not want to open it. I want to list it as unopened. What if the buyer opens it? What if the item happens to have some damage that you could not see without removing it from the box or, because it is battery operated, does not function correctly? Am I still responsible for a return if the buyer complains? Do I have the right to say that, since it is unopened, I can not be responsible for damage I can not see? The box is perfect so there is no reason to think there would be anything wrong. But I know how people are and I know how EBay is these days.  

[sam9876]

You are responsible. 

[ymeagainlord]

If it's battery operated and actually comes with a battery (especially a replaceable one) depending on age it's possible the battery/ies have leaked so no way I'd sell it without checking.

[*coins]

Hi, @curlys_house.

If a buyer files a SNAD and knows what they are doing, you basically will be forced to accept.

You may want to add in that the batteries may have to be replaced.

[curlys_house]

It has a test function that produces sound and this works. But the item has a rechargeable battery pack that it uses.

[retrose1]

You should check and see the value of opened vs unopened.  If it is only maybe 10 years old or less, you should not have a problem.  If it is an older collectable, then opening it up might be prudent.

And if a buyer wants to scam off your ebay listing, there is nothing you can do to stop them from trying.  That is the risk of selling on ebay.

[ed8108]

Hopefully your item will get into the hands of a good buyer.

Risk of a SNAD doesn't appear to be

entirely avoidable.

[tiramisu41]

@curlys_house

Is this box wrapped in cellophane or is there some sort of seal on the box? How would anyone know if it had been opened or not?

If it were me, I'd want to know what shape an item I was putting up for sale is in. You can't do that if you can't inspect it and in this case, it sounds like this item "does something" when powered by a battery.   f there's a battery already in it, most likely at the best, it's dead; at the worst, as another poster mentioned, it's leaked and damaged the item.  You need to know that, and so does a prospective buyer.

As a buyer, even if you told me the box had not been opened, I'd still be ticked if I received the item and it was damaged/defective, missing parts/pieces, etc. and I would be returning it for a refund -- just as I would do had I purchased it anywhere else.    

What is this thing?   If you could provide additional info, there may be different or better advice.  But as it stands now, no, eBay will not stand behind you even if you never opened the box.  "I didn't know" the item wasn't in pristine condition" simply won't fly and you'll be out the money and possibly your item as well plus more than likely negative feedback from the buyer on your account.

[curlys_house]

It's a huge HD remote control motorcycle. They aren't made anymore. When I say huge it's about 26" long, very highly detailed.
As far as unopened, it still has the tape on the end covers so I assume it's not been opened.

[a_c_green]

Does that even have rechargeable batteries in it? Are you sure the rechargeable pack wasn't sold separately? I recall seeing those in the past, and they came with single-use batteries to power the lights and such that could be demonstrated within the package, but required a removeable/rechargeable battery pack for actually operating the bike via remote control. 

I would say that since the demonstration batteries still have power, the rest of it is probably fine, but scour the fine print on the box to see if a rechargeable battery pack is actually included. If it isn't, you will need to make that very clear in your description, and maybe in a closeup photo of the box notice (if any) as well.

[curlys_house]

Battery and charging stand included.

[tunicaslot]

Just wanted to say I love your avatar and ID - boy does that bring back memories!

[curlys_house]

Thank you! They were my idols growing up. LOL

[totoro470]

I would honestly check the difference in price between New and one that's open/like-new. A lot of times there's no real difference in price.

To answer your question, yes you will have to deal with returns if there's damage. You can put a disclaimer that you're unsure if there's any damage inside and that you're selling it "as-is" but I'm not sure that will fly as a "new" item.

-I personally would pull the tape off one end, pull everything out and check it to see if it works, then tape it back up. I've done this several times with electronic items, I just list the item as used and disclose that the tape was merely opened to make sure everything was alright. 90% of the time I get the same price as if the item was brand new. -Many buyers are just as afraid as you are that things may be leaking/broken inside if it's electronic . I've had several cases where I opened "new" items and found battery acid leaked out or the motors were seized up. The only time I don't check is if the item is only a few years old.

[curlys_house]

Thanks. I guess opening it up is the proper thing to do. I doubt that anything I say in my listing would matter much. It's not that I feel as though it's okay to sell someone a defective item. Not at all. It's just that this isn't Wal-Mart where you can return something within 30 days. It's an auction sight. If I attend an auction in person and buy something that isn't quite what I thought it was, it's too bad for me.