Dissapointed buyer, item malfunctions experience?

I know I would be terribly dissapointed if I paid good money and the item arrived D.O.A. My buyer paid good money for a product described as:
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1186435577

" In near perfect condition" well that's not what he got so it is up to me to make it right.
I don't think my buyer should have to spend a dime to resolve the problem, after all he has to go through the worry and hassle and put up with my emails and phone calls.

You never cash check till item is recieved and works with no problems?....that is risky if the check doesnt clear, tho I know most with good feedback dont leave those concerns, still a gamble.

it happened to me twice as a buyer with two very different experience. one item was obviously damaged during shipping. it was supposed to be insured but wasn't. the seller in this case stood behind the item 100%. the item was sent to an authorized service center and the seller paid the quoted price for repair. the sad thing is, after everything was settled, the item sat in the repair shop for 3 months before i was told that the damaged part is no longer available. the center returned the item and refunded the money. it still is not fixed...

the second item was advertised as "perfect" and arrived with a noisy volume control. contacted the seller immediately and requested to return item for a refund. seller said he already spent the money and can't give a refund. he also insisted that it was perfect when he shipped it so he's not responsible and refused to take it back or pay for any repair. i was stuck with it...

i do think most of the a'goners are responsible and honest though...

there is another way to deal with this problem.

let the buyer audition the product in the seller's stereo system. of course this restricts the customer base of buyers, but it reduces the risk of d.o.a .

Auditions kind of defeat the purpose of www. That being said, I won't purchase speakers that aren't within driving distance.