Another Great Seller!

[yadan]

I recently started a thread about a metal pipe I had won on Ebay, but which turned out to have an obstructed airway. I contacted the seller about this and she not only sent me another pipe, but insisted I keep the first one even after I had succeeded in fully restoring it.
It turns out that I've 'found' another such seller. She had posted a BIN which I really wanted, but could not purchase since my credit card has been 'deactivated' until May. I contacted this seller, and lo and behold, she agreed to remove the pipe from posting till May - and even arranged with me the exact time for reposting so that I could purchase it immediately and not be sniped.
May all you brothers and sisters be lucky enough to deal with sellers like these! ::

 

[spartan]

The pipe had an obstruction, which it seems fixed, and she sent you a new pipe for your trouble.
Sounds like sellers on Ebay act more out of fear of bad ratings than the goodness of their hearts.
How hard was clearing the obstruction?

 

[eibhir]

Sounds like sellers on Ebay act more out of fear of bad ratings than the goodness of their hearts.

The first one maybe, but not the second.

They both seem like good sellers, good for you!

 

[yadan]

"How hard was clearing the obstruction?"
It was quite a bit of work, actually. Boiling in alcohol and vinegar didn't help; what finally did the trick was Tony Pringle's suggestion to freeze the metal frame and then immerse it in boiling water.
"Sounds like sellers on Ebay act more out of fear of bad ratings than the goodness of their hearts. The first one maybe, but not the second."
Sounds right. The second could have gotten a rating by anyone who snatched up the pipe.
"It's obvious (and wise) for the seller to let you keep the "problem" pipe. She obviously did not want to deal with or "fix" a pipe she can't sell. You won out on this, Yadan, but so did she. The seller cannot "buy" the lofty positive comment I am sure you posted for her and that, I am certain, is worth a lot more than the cost of a pipe she didn't want anyway."
All of this is a bit cynical, but probably correct. She didn't seem to know much about pipes, and probably wouldn't have known how to repair it if she wanted to.

 

[kcghost]

The seller has an ulterior motive to their largesse and we want to think poorly of them?? Good grief, what a horrible world outlook you have. When somebody does right by you you thank them, you don't make cynical remarks.

 

[radio807]

When somebody does right by you you thank them, you don't make cynical remarks.

+1

 

[numbersix]

The seller has an ulterior motive to their largesse and we want to think poorly of them?? Good grief, what a horrible world outlook you have. When somebody does right by you you thank them, you don't make cynical remarks.

I kind of agree with you. I tend to be a pessimist by nature, so I chuckled at Spartan's comment (because I think there's some truth to it); but my wife always berates me for seeing the worst in situations and I often think she's right.
Lets face it, sellers on ebay are people too - no different than anywhere else. Some are nice, some rotten, some honest, some thieves; so it can't hurt to look at the positive side in situations like this since the positive side may be the correct one.

 

[yadan]

"When somebody does right by you you thank them, you don't make cynical remarks."
Well, naturally, I thanked both sellers and awarded them high ratings, and I doubt either one of them is reading this thread!

Life experience shows that quite often there are ulterior motives behind good deeds, but in the end, the results are what really matters - especially when you are dealing in a relatively impersonal framework like Ebay.

 

[mkelaw]

There's another current thread about good service from pipe sellers. What you got is good service. It's an old saw but should be the mantra of everyone who sells anything to the public: "The customer is always right." Good will in the age of the internet and boards like this one is paramount. "Ulterior motive" connotes someone doing a good thing to accomplish something else that's not so good. It really doesn't fit this situation.