Originally Posted by
plonz
I remember buying a new replacement thumb shifter that had the exact same replacement part number as the original one that broke. The original one had a black face and the replacement was sliver. LBS told me they stopped making the black one. Had the same thing happen recently on a lamp lense for an automobile.
Given the buyer is aware of different variations of this lever, I think seeing the actual item is a perfectly reasonable request. Of course, the seller is entitled to keep the box sealed.
I'm not on board with the advice to just buy it and return it if it's not right. It might not be the precise variation the buyer is looking for even though it is accurately listed. If everything in the listing is accurate, the seller does not have to accept this return (listing states no returns accepted). If the seller were to accept the return, the buyer would likely have to pay for the shipping.
As a buyer wondering if this is the exact item I'm looking for, I'd move on.
plonz , thanks for your response. I believe that future readers of this thread may find it particularly helpful. Indeed, I had already moved on when I started this thread, which might not have been clear from my OP. Frank knows this from our interaction through eBay messaging.
I confess I gave the thread a click-baity title. I wanted to start a thread for posterity, since I'm sure this situation, which was new to me, would be familiar to some of the more experienced folks here. This forum attracts a lot of new fans of the bicycle looking for expert answers to questions. I decided to become a paying member because I perceived value in the advice I was getting for "free."
I think your post sums up what I'll personally consider in the future, and maybe other folks may find this discussion helpful. I also want to add something which others have noted: The auction includes "sealed" in the description. Asking the seller to open the box would require the seller to change the terms of the auction, which is a big thing to ask (setting aside the matter that it's not a big dollar auction). Most of you said it wasn't necessarily bad manners to ask the question, but nearly everyone here agrees that the seller can do as he pleases. It's
his auction, after all. As I said in my original post, I knew that, but I'm glad to know that most of you wouldn't consider it improper to ask.
I thought
bark_eater makes a great point about the experienced seller's perspective:
"The seller may be trying to make a small profit selling an item at fair market value. To do that he may well be considering the value of his own time and efficiently processing the items for sale. So the item you are interested may already be packed in a sealed mailing carton. So if you are asking him to undo work and change the condition of the item resulting in more work for him in repacking and having to revise the listing. Why don't you offer him $5 to open the box?"
Last ride 76 makes a similar point.
This helped answer something that originally baffled me. Knowing this was not a high-dollar item, I imagined that the "sealed box" aspect might not be as valuable as it would with top value vintage parts. So, I thought that the seller could actually
gain by opening the box, rather than lose. You point out that he loses time: he has to open the box and shoot more photos. I'm sure a lot of busy eBay retailers have to streamline their process. Still, on this occasion, Frank took the time to respond to my question, which some of you say you would have ignored (
thinktubes and
onyerleft , for example). I appreciate that he responded, so I decided to move on.
I want say, again, that I make no negative observations here about FTW! If you're reading this thread, Frank, I hope you're grinning.
I also decided to post about this because I thought it might be a lively discussion...I'm only an active member for about a year, but I'm already aware that we love to...uh...discuss.
Cheers,
Oliver H.