That old auction business of "disclosure"

[bill platt]

You know all the humorous threads, like "Mint" equals "my kid spilled jelly on it this morning" and "runs great" means "dirtier than sack of %^%2" etc.

Here's my latest auction win. See if you think the description meets with the concept of "disclosure":

Description was:

This is Vintage Hewlett Packard 27S Scientific Calculator. Used and

shows some wear but seems to be working just fine and still in good 

usable condition. Comes with batteries.

You will receive actual item shown in the pictures, thank you.

And the picture was:

In reality, the bezel has both deep dents, as well as sharp dents that look like a mechanical pencil injury, and the screen has two deep mechanical pencil impalements.

And of course the batteries were completely dead. Voltage was at 1.0 per cell.

Here's a scan I made. Even this doesn't really show the extent of the dents.

Most of my online auction experiences have been good. But there have been a handful that are not good. Makes me skittish...

[Bruce Bergman]

Leave the seller a negative rating, and bit.ly this page as evidence. It will at least make them think twice before advertising like that again...

I agree -- this kind of thing hurts, especially for those who are being above board on everything.

thanks,
bruce

[Bart (UK)]

Isn't there also something about not trusting fuzzy pictures?

That said, I have a near mint 48GX (I think it has only seen batteries in it to run self tests), sold from a less than perfect picture. Which probably helped me as I got it for a reasonable price.

Sometimes you're lucky - sometimes not :(.

Now for you to find a dead donor with a perfect case & faceplate.

[Frank Boehm (Germany)]

At least that's what I think. Scratches are visible, and that dull area would have stopped me to bid more than a handful of $$$.


I don't think the seller cheated you with a "better than real" picture, and the definition of "some wear" differs a lot 8)

dead batteries sold as "good" are a no-no though, but personally I always hope that *no* batteries are included, as I would have to bring them to the hazardous waste collection point...

[DavidShenk]

It looks like the initials scratched into the top have been blurred out of the auction photo.

My most obvious issue with an auction item was for a 42s and case. The case was shown in several photos and looked fine, however, when I received it, it had a big chunk torn out of one side. By sheer coincidence, all of the photos happen to be taken of the good side. I gave the seller a little email feedback, if you know what I mean. Not a huge deal, but that was deliberate.

Dave

[Walter B]

I second most of the previous posts. After all, that's what eBay feedback is for. There are 3 alternatives you may click, not just one. And in the detailed feedback, there are even 5. Please use them. The seller may cry, but it's refecting your feelings.

[DaveJ]

The reality of it is that the average consumer does not collect calculators and they do not fuss over the visual appearance to the extent that those on this forum would.

Therefore I believe the description is fairly accurate and adequate for the average buyer. Yes, they could have mentioned the engraving.

Sorry to say, but if you cared about the visual appearance that much, you should have asked for more hires photos. The photo they provided clearly shows some scratches and a big scuff mark on the top.

You paid your money and took your chances without asking questions. Buyer beware.

Dave.