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I'm new to this site and would greatly appreciate any advice/help/suggestions with a purchase I made recently through Audiogon. I made an offer on a Pro-ject turntable, the offer was accepted. I was mildly concerned because of a couple factors. First, the seller didn't accept PayPal. He did have 21 positive and no negative remarks. The other thing that bothered me a little bit was the fact that rather than post an actual picture of the turntable, he used a stock photo. In hindsight, the fact that the seller is a professional photographer, and runs websites that prove that, should have prompted me to ask more questions.
The ad promised a mint RPM 1.3 turntable with an upgraded cartridge, all inclusive, ready to set up and play in two minutes time. The seller would ship $20 UPS, insured from Surprise, AZ to my home in Northern Minnesota. Given the fact that the seller was pretty easy to find on the internet and came off as knowledgable and friendly, I let my concerns about the jpeg and PayPal go. I sent a postal money order to him. A few days after the money order was received--I verified through the post office, I emailed the seller because I hadn't heard from him. He quickly emailed back that he had to go out of the country (Europe) to join a popular recording artist and take photos of the tour, but that he had a friend send the package and I should have it by the next day. It did arrive the next day. However, upon opening the box and beginning to remove the contents, I quickly saw that the base of the turntable was broken. The extending, circular piece that surrounds the table's motor was broken into three pieces, and the pieces had been placed in a bag. The box was not complete as advertised. Missing were the turntable belt, the necessary connecting cable, and the manual.
I immediately emailed the seller who did not respond. I emailed two more times before I got a response the next day, that he had been in Europe and had no email access but that if the table was broken, it wasn't anything he did because it was in perfect condition. No acknowledgement of the missing items other than to say that it wasn't likely anything was missing because "he packed it himself." He said to return it and he'd send me a money order.
I told him I wanted the money first, that I was uncomfortable with his reaction, coupled with the fact that the broken pieces were actually placed in a bag, and that he refused to acknowledge the missing items. I advised him that if he wouldn't go that way I'd open a dispute through Audiogon so there would be some sort of mediation/moderation. He emailed back that I must have dropped the turntable, and that I was scamming him. I asked continually about his promise to insure, which he completely ignored.
I opened the dispute with Audigon, his only response was that I was lying and trying to scam him, without addressing the insurance issue, the bait and switch of carriers, or the missing items. Audiogon quickly decided that he must mail me a complete refund plus postage, and that I would return the table, insured once I had been refunded.
Several days went by-I waited at the advice of Audiogon. They then advised me to that they would email both of us about the progress of the refund. He, of course didn't respond. Audiogon then advised me to leave accurate feedback--since given his strong rating to that point, it would surely jar him into action. It didn't. I emailed him 2 days later and asked about the insurance claim he should be filing over a damaged turntable. He emailed back that I was trying to scam him, that now, because of the feedback I left for him, he would never refund me. I already knew that because by now, I knew that he intentionally sold a broken and incomplete turntable and had every intention of dumping it onto the first person he could. And that was me. Once the broken piece was brought to his attention he became rude, defensive, vague and avoidant. He never did send the missing items. And obviously, he won't. I emailed his final response to me to Audiogn and they suspended his priveleges, but that isn't enough. He will simply end up on this site or one like it in order to sell the pieces he posted to Audiogon during the dispute. Those items did not include any jpegs, either. And they were very expensive, over $12,000 for two items. My loss is $300, so maybe I got lucky in that respect. But in my mind this is something he has done, continues to do, and will do more of---his name is known in many circles and he is very literate and conversant, and he does a great job making a person comfortable when the deal is in process.
I live in Bemidji, MN and he lives in Surprise, AZ. Obviously, small claims court is not a practical option. But I think a claim with the USPS for fraud is very valid. I just am not certain what the USPS will feel. Does anybody have experience with postal fraud, uncooperative sellers, etc.? I would appreicate any advice or suggestions you can give me. I've bought records, books, lots of things over the internet and through the mail for well over 35 years. This is the first time I've been ripped off, so in that respect I'm on the lucky side.
Thanks for enduring my lengthy explanation. As I stated, any advice or suggestions you all have based on experience or your knowledge is welcome and very much appreciated.
Follow Ups:
I have extensive experience on Audiogon under the same user name, viridian. Obviously, we all assume a degree of calculated risk when purchasing used gear. That risk is increased because the gear must often be shipped and, in some cases, without it's original packing and double boxing. When you assume risk, by nature, there will sometimes be an adverse result.
The seller may, or may not, have sent you a broken turntable on purpose. It is unclear if he intentionally shipped defective gear or if the shipping company messed it up. A guy selling 12K pieces of gear is rarely interested enough in your $300.00 to go through the hassle on purpose. But stranger things have happened. Turntables and large speakers are the two objects most likely to get broken in shipping. All audio gear should ALWAYS be double boxed with the inner box being the original shipping carton. ALWAYS! In the future, insist on it and pay for the extra couple of pounds. How amazing it is that buyers cheap out and shippers are too lazy to take the time to do the best packing job that they can. It will save you a world of grief. On the other hand, in some sense, it does not matter. Audiogon requires that the piece get to the buyer in the condition specified in the ad. If it does not - and did not in this case - then the onus is on the seller. The seller did not accept responsiblity and Audiogon acted responsibly and appropriately by banning him. Though as you surmise, he will probably turn up on the site again with a different IP address, if he has not already done so. I suppose that it may be fraud and you could contact the State Attourney General in Arizona if you wish to pursue the issue. A positive outcome seems remote and that is the chance that we all take when buying used gear. It has happened to me on several occasions, but that's the cost of doing business. At this point, your best bet may be to see if you can purchase a new plinth, belt, manual and interconnects. The importer may just help you out a bit. Why not contact them?
I'm sorry for your loss. To me this sounds like the USPS did the damage and they repacked it (Note the missing items, and broken parts in a bag) In my opnion a guy with 100 good feedback for a number of items wouldnt take broken parts and put it in a plastic bag and ship it.
The real problem is the sellers lack of making a claim against USPS.
You are entiled to a refund, but I would put more blame on USPS than the Seller
And his name is?
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