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When does seller's responsibility end?

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but a search could not find it.
I sold a Naim DAC (mentioning this because Naim is notoriously reliable) to someone on November 26, shipped on November 27, 2012.
Did not hear anything one way or another until December 19, when seller emailed to say one USB input would not work with his ipod. Well the input worked for me when I had it. I asked him to be sure he was doing everything correctly, including checking for bad cable. I am not sure the input really does not work.
No word again until December 25, when he asked if I would pay for repair. I answered no, because I felt the time period had been too long and my responsibility was over.
Now he has initiated a dispute/claim against me on Paypal. They have put my account in the negative for the amount of DAC until they resolve it.
Sorry for the long post, I just wonder if there is a consensus on how long a seller should be responsible for "sold" gear. I say a week, maximum.
What say ye?
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bifwynne
2,206 posts
 
Kinda agree with Pdsecl. Just to be Devil's Advcate, suppose your Buyer submitted positive feedback and later surfaced his complaint. Seems to me that a good best practice is that the terms of all sales should be that Buyer must raise any complaints within "n" days of receipt or else the problem is on Buyer. Thanks for the post. I'll keep this in mind next time I sell something.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
Once an item is received undamaged, the recipient should be given a reasonable length of time, i.e., 3-4 days to ensure proper functioning. He should then submit feedback indicating his satisfaction with the transaction, at which point the seller should no longer be responsible. We are buying and selling used equipment at a substantial discount over new prices. Now, many of us of us go well beyond this standard, but it should never be expected that we do so.
I attempt to do everything possible to accurately represent the equipment I am selling both in terms of condition but also in making sure the equipment will meet their needs and expectations. I think that avoids a lot of unhappy buyers and buyers remorse type situations.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
+1 Brownsfan
abucktwoeighty's avatar
abucktwoeighty
1,079 posts
 
I had a fellow email me about a month after he received the pair of speakers I sold him asking what was going to be done about the damaged speakers. I asked him why he waited so long to say anything. I also told him that FedEx would probably tell him that he should have been a little quicker to say something also. How are we supposed to know whether the damages were made during transit or through poor handling when he was moving them yesterday? Just a lack of common sense.

I recently purchased a preamp which I immediately hooked up to put through the functions, and found it to be faulty. I emailed the seller who gave me the option of a full refund, or to send it to the manufacturer to be repaired, with him covering shipping both ways, and the repair cost. I opted for the latter and am anxiously awaiting its return.
A most excellent seller.
I feel a week would suffice to examine a piece of equipment, unless the buyer was going to be out of town and let me know.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I agree with most of the replies here, though this subject has been brought up before. If I recall correctly, the previous thread sided mostly with the buyer. Many said they thought at least a couple of weeks was approriate, since many are busy and it takes them time to try out the new toys.

I don't really agree with that, I feel the buyer has to put some effort into the transaction as well, and has an obligation to test the gear and to contact the seller with any issues within a reasonable time with any issue. I think a week is more than enough time for any issue to be raised.

I once had a buyer contact me 6 weeks after delivery with an issue, because he did not set it up until then (says he). I mean 6 weeks??? At what point do these buyers understand that they are buying used equipment from hobbyists and not new equipment from dealers???
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