I Bought Reflex Paper on eBay for $144.55 (Compared to $49.90 from Officeworks)

HugoHugo on 11/12/2017 - 22:49
Last edited 12/12/2017 - 10:45 by 1 other user

Hey,

I'm just after some advice and feedback from the OzBargain community because this matter has gotten me quite peeved.
A couple of weeks ago on Black Friday, I was looking for stuff to buy on EBAY and it occurred to me to get some Reflex brand copy paper.

After typing in "Reflex paper" in the search bar, there were about 149 results and as I scrolled through, I clicked on
a listing, thinking that it was actually for a carton of 5. I suppose it is because Officeworks are selling the single ream for $6.25, while these guys were charging $11 + $8 postage.

So I made the mistake of thinking I was getting a carton of 5 reams for $19 from these vendors (versus $24.95 from Officeworks).
And I went ahead and changed the quantity to 10, thinking I was going to get 10 cartons. Enough to last me maybe a couple of years.

Anyway, I discovered on the Monday morning that it was for the single ream and requested a cancellation and got the following reply:

Thank you for contacting us, unfortunately this order has been dispatched which prevents us from cancelling the order.
Please note that as per our Terms and Conditions we do not accept returns for change of mind, accidental purchases or incorrect choice of product if the item is
already dispatched. We do apologise if this is an inconvenience for you, in this instance we would love to work with you to resolve this issue and would be >willing to accept a
return which will have a restocking fee applied of $25 as this is to cover for the courier service pickup. If you would like us to arrange this return, please
let us know and upon the return of the goods, we will refund you the cost less the restocking fee.**

At first I suggested that they would refund the difference between what the items would cost at Officeworks plus their $25 restocking fee.
After this was denied, I accepted the offer to return the paper minus the $25 fee. I hadn't heard anything from them until today.

Our warehouse has informed us that due to the fact that this item is a change of mind not a faulty Item. They are unable to organise the courier in this
instance, and sending via Australia Post is not an option as it would be too expensive.
We do apologise for any inconvenience caused, but this leaves us with no option to return this item.
As per our terms and conditions we do not offer returns for change of mind and we have tried to work with you in resolving this matter as we do value you as a
customer

So now I'm feeling supremely pissed off that I've OVERPAID $94.65 for a couple cartons of Reflex paper. Is there any recourse at all for me at this point, or do I just have to suck it up?

General Discussion

Comments

  • KaTst3R on 11/12/2017 - 23:07
    +10

    After you made the order, they probably went to officeworks to buy 2 cartons of 5 reams and shipped it out asap.

    You would probably pay a lot for shipping fee to send it back to the store. A mistake was made, maybe just take the loss and move on.

    • Gareth on 12/12/2017 - 02:49
      +2

      If they were even smarter, they'd have just drop shipped it from Officeworks! :-)

  • jasonlah on 11/12/2017 - 23:08
    +3

    basically your own mistake, but ebay has a money back guarantee where you have to pay the postage yourself and provide a tracking number. Once they receive the return you get the money back

  • NotJustChickenDinner on 11/12/2017 - 23:13
    +3

    paypal covers return postage ( upto $45 ) which ( might ) cover the return of the item VIC- NSW ?

    then just take the $25 return hit ( or less since they dont have to pay for the courier )

    • HeavenlyHammocks on 12/12/2017 - 20:03

      If you use Temando to get the cheapest courier, it's more likely to be under $45.

  • currentfad on 11/12/2017 - 23:28

    I'm sure they're willing to negotiate. You cover the return (Paypal) and negotiate a restocking fee. You'd be happier with say, only $25-$50 out of pocket, and they can make some money for the hassle.

    • HugoHugo on 12/12/2017 - 22:11

      You would think so, but no. :(

  • AngieT on 11/12/2017 - 23:35
    +1

    I reckon that they probably are not allowed to change their mind once they have stated something in writing to you: 'If you would like us to arrange this return, please let us know and upon the return of the goods, we will refund you the cost less the restocking fee.'
    Maybe check consumer laws about that.

    • MrFrugalSpend on 12/12/2017 - 02:15
      +2

      Whilst its not ideal, I doubt the law will help on this unless you want to get into a fight that will take more effort than it is worth (but it might help). The transaction was already done, so the purchase decision was not made relying on a false representation they made from consumer protection law perspective. Therefore they've not really done wrong in terms of misleading and deceptive conduct etc.

      From a contractual perspective its debateable, they offered to take their goods back plus $25, so arguably this is the beginnings of a new transaction that has the 3 key elements (offer, acceptance, and consideration). The offer is them offering to refund if you give them back the paper plus $25 (consideration), the key is whether you formally accepted it before they retracted it, they are free to do so at any time until you do. The other key aspects mentioned in their email also imply terms of the contract, for example telling you that it is to cover the courier fee, it may open the door for them to let you know they intended for this to be cost recovery, so that when they found out it is too expensive then they can't proceed… It would have been better had they been silent on this. Furthermore, there are a couple of asterisks at the end that may have refered to further terms. Were they in the email or otherwise accessible? If so, they also need to be considered.

      • HugoHugo on 12/12/2017 - 22:10

        The asterisks were actually me unsuccessfully attempting to put what the vendor wrote in bold using this site's formatting code.

        I did one semester of business law at uni and with my limited knowledge I had a feeling I was on shaky ground.
        Thanks for clarifying it so succinctly.

  • D C on 12/12/2017 - 00:32
    +5

    Suck it up.

    From my own experiences it won't be the last time you make an assumption that turns out to be wrong, the list doesn't mention you get 5 packs.

    I've done a few "WTF, I didn't order that!" where it turned out I did in fact order what was sent. Occasionally sellers will put up a misleading photo (eg show the box but sell only a ream) but that's not what happened here.

    You'll get over it, consider it character building.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/12/2017 - 03:48
    +4

    Just count yourself lucky that no one has told you to hand in your ozbargain licence.

  • 2jzzzz on 12/12/2017 - 05:34
    -4

    Reject the delivery! Do not allow it to be dropped without signature.

    • zonra on 12/12/2017 - 10:25
      +3

      Great advice.
      OP rejects delivery.
      Item goes back to sender, still paid for and belong to OP.
      OP then has to pay postage again to recieve item, or let the seller keep it.
      And no, the seller doesn't have to send it the second time for free.
      And no, I'm not the seller, but I wouldn't either.

      • 2jzzzz on 12/12/2017 - 12:46
        -5

        No proof of delivery, can't charge. Refund possible.

        • zonra on 12/12/2017 - 13:37
          +4

          It's this sort of thinking that gives sellers so much headache, and not because sellers will lose money (they won't, systems are in place to protect both buyers and sellers).
          You do realise parcels have tracking right?
          And if it shows buyer refused delivery then that's that, no money back.
          Once the seller posts the package, it belongs to the buyer, it's up to the buyer what to do with it, eg accept it and use it, throw it in the bin, leave it on the street, refuse it and have it shipped back to the seller etc.
          But rather than taking my words for it, how about taking eBay's words?

          Generally, the buyer is responsible for accepting the item when it arrives. If the buyer refuses delivery, their claim is not eligible for eBay Money Back Guarantee.
          Exceptions:
          The buyer can provide, via written proof from the carrier, that they refused the package because it arrived empty or was damaged in transit.
          The item arrived COD because it didn't have enough postage on it.

          OP made the mistake and should move on, it'd be nice if the seller offer refunds, but in this case they don't.
          From here

          If you stated in your listing that you don't accept returns when a buyer changes their mind, you're not obliged to accept their return request.

        • HugoHugo on 12/12/2017 - 22:04

          @zonra: I'm really glad to hear that, I was worried I made a mistake by accepting delivery.

  • theclearout on 12/12/2017 - 07:51
    +2

    Maybe I'm just tired but you could argue that their listing is deceptive. It clearly states a 500 Ream Pack.
    Would you not be expecting a delivery of 500 packs of 500 sheets of paper, and in your case multiply that by 10.
    They should probably change their listing to read 'a 500 sheet ream' and not 500 ream pack.
    I'd tell them you are raising a case with eBay/PayPal based on their misleading listing. Hopefully you paid with PayPal.

    • ThithLord on 12/12/2017 - 08:59
      +3

      lul what? No. No.

    • Baysew on 12/12/2017 - 10:15

      The description is accurate

      Definition of ream

      1 : a quantity of paper being 20 quires or variously 480, 500, or 516 sheets
      2 : a great amount —usually used in plural reams of information

      merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ream

      • theclearout on 12/12/2017 - 11:14
        +1

        Thanks, I understand what a ream is. In the case of this paper a ream is 500 sheets based on the paper weight of 80gsm.
        The ad says '500 ream pack', it doesn't say 500 sheet ream.
        I'm just trying to help the OP here.

        • Baysew on 12/12/2017 - 11:36

          So a reasonable person, such as yourself, knows what a ream is, then there is no deception.

        • D C on 12/12/2017 - 13:47
          +1

          A 'pack of paper' and a 'ream of paper' are interchangeable, the only difference is a ream is always 500 sheets.

          This being eBay, and thus needing to cater for the lower common denominator (aka the idiots) you need to stuff all of the words (paper, 500, white, ream, pack, sheets, etc) into your title. People will search for 'a pack of 500 sheets of paper'.

          @OP's problem is because he's dealt with OfficeWorks before, their terminology for 'a pack' means '5 reams'. That's not a universal descriptor.

          @OP has now discovered he read more into the listing than was actually stated, and well that's what happens when you think you've cleverly discovered a bargain.

          The listing will probably get updated to include "THIS IS ONLY ONE REAM OF 500 SHEETS!!!!!". Usually we think these sorts of warning come from dealing with idiots, and it's true. Everyone is an idiot. @OP made an assumption, and was wrong.

  • thechemist on 12/12/2017 - 08:26

    Didn't know the daigou's were doing reflex paper trade? Reflex paper is the new baby formula (I am first to call it)

    • HugoHugo on 12/12/2017 - 22:03

      Yeah nah.

  • bobbified on 12/12/2017 - 09:28
    +2

    Pretty much you've screwed up. The seller has no fault in this whatsoever.
    Take responsibility for it and take is as a lesson for next time.

  • zonra on 12/12/2017 - 10:20
    +2

    It's $94.65, hardly worth the stress any recouse action might bring.
    I'd chalk it up to a cheap lesson learnt and you'd make sure to be thorough with items' descriptions in the future.
    I'm sure it cost some of us much more than $94 to learn that lesson (eg me)

    • Michaelz101 on 12/12/2017 - 21:35
      +2

      litecoin was $100 on 24/11/2017. It is now $338. oh the opportunity costs.

  • HardQuiz on 12/12/2017 - 17:53

    I was going to get 10 cartons. Enough to last me maybe a couple of years.

    Everything is now heading to be electronic (tickets, vouchers, receipts…etc) so why would you buy that much paper ?

  • hawkeye on 12/12/2017 - 17:54
    +1

    If it's controversial "item described" then the buyer should get his money back in full and this thread has clearly proven that.

  • HugoHugo on 12/12/2017 - 22:02
    +1

    Thank you all for the thoughtful and informed replies. The vendor hasn't responded to my requests for some sort of negotiation
    so it's pretty clear that I'm going to have to take this one on the chin.
    This site has saved me thousands of bucks over the years, so I suppose I'm still ahead in the greater scheme of things.

    • Lysander on 16/12/2017 - 15:14

      You could sendle it back at your own cost (which is $26 for 25kg). Then they can refund you and do not have to charge a restocking costs as they did not pay the courier.

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