Item condition and eBay money back guarantee description.

[mongoose_no.1]

I'm currently looking at buying an item on eBay that is described in the listing as being in 'Good working order' however, the title for the listing describes it as being for 'Spares or Repair' and the condition of the item is 'for parts or not working'. The seller has sent me an offer, which is £360. I've tried contacting the seller twice to clarify it's condition over the last couple of days, but frustratingly not received a reply. The seller has a 100% feedback score and plenty of great feedback.

My question is, if I purchase the item and it is faulty, will the fact that it was listed as above mean that it will be covered by the eBay moneyback guarantee?

Thank you for your time and help.

[plum993]

So is the item for collection?

Look to read up here as parts are covered but with certain clause exclusions,ie being collected by a third party/or by a courier etc does not offer buyer protection. eBay Money Back Guarantee policy

[papso22]

I wouldn't risk it.  There are two markers for not working and one for working.  While the MBG would probably cover you, you will have sent your money on a holiday while waiting for the refund.

[*vyolla*]

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@mongoose_no.1 wrote:

I'm currently looking at buying an item on eBay that is described in the listing as being in 'Good working order' however, the title for the listing describes it as being for 'Spares or Repair' and the condition of the item is 'for parts or not working'. The seller has sent me an offer, which is £360. I've tried contacting the seller twice to clarify it's condition over the last couple of days, but frustratingly not received a reply. 

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This would all be a red flag me, £360 is a lot to risk. 

If the seller is ignoring you and the listing mentions that its not working and for spares and repairs then I'd assume that you're getting an item that doesn't work.

There's an element of risk there, I'd say.

[mongoose_no.1]

Thanks everyone. It is because of the element of risk that I'm asking about the eBay moneyback guarantee. I've checked the money back guarantee small print, but really not sure if it covers me as it's an unusual situation. The item is for collection only and I intend to go and collect it in person and check it's condition. It is quite a lot of money, but I've been looking for the very same item for 12 months with no success.

[tobiasd4]

You still need to pay via ebay before seller can give you his address.

If on inspection, you don't want item, you ask seller to cancel.

Do not hand over collection code until you are happy.

[red_magpie]

will the fact that it was listed as above mean that it will be covered by the eBay moneyback guarantee?

Only eBay can decide that. Remember that eBays description is what counts. eBay defines "for parts or not workng" as "An item that does not function as intended or is not fully operational. This includes items that are defective in ways that render them difficult to use, items that require service or repair, or items missing essential components. See the seller’s listing for full details".

You might be lucky, and eBay might accept that the seller's description was confusing. Or they might point out that their own definition means that you can't expect it to be fully working, so it's pointless to complain that it doesn’t work.

Don't count on collection in person to get around this. eBay now requires all purchases to be paid for through checkout, before the collection address can be provided. You can ask the seller to cancel, but they don't have to agree. You would then be back to square one. You would either have to take the item home, and then try to return it through a money back guarantee case, or refuse to divulge the collection code and hope to claim your money back because it wasn't collected.

IMO to do either would be unwise. Why not just challenge the seller to remove the claim that it's in good working order? He could possibly still edit the listing if there are no bids yet, or end it and relist the item with a less contradictory description.