Caveat Emptor...

That's a bad experience for sure.  I've been selling on eBay for 30 years.  I maintain a 100% feedback rating because I am meticulous about describing even insignificant flaws in an item.  I treat buyers like I expected to be treated when I buy something. 

We could discuss, at great length, the "integrity"  of eBay sellers to the point of nausea & exhaustion.   

Using stock  photos and/or copying & pasting entire descriptions & pics is certainly nothing new.    Mistakes (intentional or not ) deception, lies, ignorance, and trickery are ALL part of "eBay's charm."

As with all tangibles in life, this old but virtuous adage still has merit and should be utilized always - never more so than on eBay:  "Buyer Beware!"      😬 😵 😬 

@whodeytink Right!   BS-sellers have been around since the dawn of mankind.  Few, however, realize that much of the responsibility lies with the buyer.  If they would simply "inspect what they expect"  many disputes could be avoided.

As a seller/buyer myself for more than 25 years (also with 100% feedback ) I've discovered many buyers "assume"  sellers are "experts"  on all items they have listed.  In reality of course, many sellers, for a host of reasons, are merely trying to "unload"  unwanted "crap"  that they may or may not know anything about.

Certainly, there are reputable sellers whom you can trust, but there are many more you cannot.

Again: "Buyer Beware!" 

@chris I agree about uninformed buyers.  You wouldn't believe how many inquiries I receive about an item I'm selling when it's clearly described in the listing and in the pictures.  Some buyers are too lazy to read. 

I had a forced return from a buyer last year who couldn't be bothered to read the description which plainly identified a small issue.  As a seller I'm sure you know that eBay NEVER backs up a seller.  The buyer lied about the reason for return even though in his communication with me he admitted he didn't read the description. So, naturally eBay forced me to eat the outgoing and return postage, which was quite expensive.  Then he had the nerve to return the item in a broken state. I had to trash the item.  Still, eBay would not back me up.

Are there bad sellers on eBay?  For sure.  But there are many scam buyers also. 

Posted by: @whodeytink

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"I'm sure you know that eBay NEVER backs up a seller AND there are many scam buyers."

Correct.  As you know, it wasn't always that way, but decades ago, eBay realized that without buyers, there'd be no eBay.  So.....eBay will, MOST often, support seller claims regardless the idiocy involved.

- For years now, I've taken AND SENT pics of the buyer's item(s) as they're being packed, and I pack to "survive a trainwreck."      This practice, so far, has eliminated all disputes, bogus allegations, and unscrupulous intentions.       

I started buying and selling on eBay.com in the early stages of the company and continued buying and selling when I relocated to Europe.  As a one-time business owner, I have always wanted my customers to know exactly what they were buying, warts and all.  Before I moved my partner, who is German, warned me that the atmosphere on eBay.de was substantially different than that of eBay.com and I soon learned how true this statement was.  From cameras, to every other conceivable product, I have had many challenges with eBay.de and I shake my head when I remember buying and selling vintage cars and other items in the US with nary a hiccup.  Yes, there were charlatans on that side of the pond, but nothing like what I have experienced over here.

Footnote: I received a refund this morning, accompanied by a note from the seller which when translated read as 'You may not have noticed but we are a company and do you expect us to open every item and photograph it?'

My response: 'Yes, I do expect you to at the very least photograph the item in its original packaging, as many sellers do on eBay.  To do what you did is dishonest, at the very least.'  I went on to say more, but this was the gist of what I wanted to convey.

I will buy the model from another seller, in the near future, but for today I went in another direction and when they arrive I will share.

@chris   DHL has a policy of only reimbursing for packages whose contents can survive a three-meter (9 foot) drop on concrete.  I have always packed everything with the mindset of one who is paranoid that the gods are just waiting to throw him a curve-ball, or a lightening bolt. 

In the USA, I received a multiple-original of 'Candor,' a work on hand-made paper with threads and other special features, with a large hole through the middle of the wooden crate.  Apparently, some forklift jockey had punctured a hole through the entire case, including this delicate work.  The artist, and my friend, Orlando Agudelo-Botero was shocked, but I had a great art restorer to whom I could turn, Jim Pennuto, in Northern California.  If you have ever watched a conservator restore a work of art, you have experienced magic at the highest level.  It was perfectly restored, to Orlando's satisfaction, and went on to a private customer for whom I had purchased the work.  For full transparency, I invited the potential customer to join me at each stage of the restoration, so she would fully understand what work had been undertaken.  All of this effort culminated in a very happy customer - as well as a relieved broker and the artist.

@whodeytink @chris What are your seller names? I will add them to my list.

@paul-rouffa Hey Paul.  My seller name on eBay is "whodeytink"

Yes, it definitely sucks. I've heard many horror stories. I will only buy from sellers with a 99-100% positive feedback. In all the years I've been buying,  I've not had an issue.  Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself.😟

@geno  Unfortunately, all five sellers with whom I have had an issue, recently, have all had 99-100% feedback.  One sent me a model so small no one could have reasonably thought it to be 1:43, another sent a model that fell apart in my hand upon opening the box, and other rather unbelievable scenarios.  I am not one to nitpick so I only take issue with severe grievances, such as my recent issue with the Bentley Countryman, which was also being sold by a seller with 99% positive feedback.  He does have a significant number of negative complaints, though, and I should have read every one of them, before bidding.  This is now my new process: reading every negative comment about a seller with whom I might wish to do business and weigh up the legitimacy of those complaints.  As we know, some are frivolous and I dismiss those.

@gdh WOW, some people just have no morals. That's sad. I pray you get it squared away.😟

@geno  So far, eBay has seen fit to do the right thing in this instance and a refund is on its way.

@gdh Great to hear buddy.💯😊