Grant Erwin wrote:

Jim Stewart wrote:

Ok, here's an ebay dilema that keeps coming up.
An item is described as in "good condition" and
also "as is". I interpret that to mean that the
seller is sending me something in "good condition",
not a piece of junk. I acknowledge that I can't
be picky about minor issues that don't impair the
functionality of the unit and that I don't have
any warranty. On the other hand, I would expect
the unit to be useable.

Specifically, I recieved an HP logic analyser
a couple of days ago. Listed as "good condition"
and "as-is". I get the unit and the screen is
so dim I can't read it. I tell the seller and
he says send it back and I'll send you another one.

Ok, but shipping is a big percentage of the cost
of the item. What should I do? What do you do?
This seems to be happening more and more on ebay.


You pay for it with a credit card, first off. That shifts the leverage
from the seller to you. Then all you'd have had to do is to email the
seller and explain why you are about to initiate a chargeback and ask
him whether he wants the piece of garbage to go into the trash or the
recycle bin. Let him salvage the situation.

I wasn't looking for advice on handling this transaction,
I was interested in peoples' opinions about the contra-
diction of "as-is" and "good condition". In this deal, after
I posted this message I got an email from the buyer with
a good-faith offer to resolve the situation.

People who fall for Paypal's crapola and don't pay with a credit card
learn a tough lesson. I strongly suggest you learn from this experience
and don't ever fail to pay this way again.

I *always* use a credit card and Paypal. OTOH, I try
not to escalate situations until I have a clear understanding
of what my expectations should be.