View Full Version : Advice required Re Fidelity Research FRT-3 SUT/Ebay
Hi guys, I'm unsure if this is the right place for this, if not then can a kindly mod please move it?
I sold my Fidelity Research FR3-T SUT on Ebay to a guy in Poland (comments below from the buyer) who claims the SUT is defective and wants a refund however the SUT worked perfectly when it was posted to him and it was posted and packaged very well (I've sold loads of stuff and sent it abroad).
I suspect he's at it and has bought the SUT to try with his cartridge which probably doesn't suit the SUT in terms of output, I'm presuming that he is using a Dynavector cart no idea which one though but my advert specifically made reference to the SUT working with Denon 103 carts and it's variants (orginal advert below).
What should I do guys, just take it back and resell or stand my ground? (I've 100% feedback on ebay going back over 10 years).
To compound things he's asking me to pay for the postage so that he can to send it back to me, I'm a bit annoyed here to say the least.
I never offered returns on this item BTW.
Thanks
Tony
"Reason:it's defective or doesn't work
Comments: Hello! I would like to return the just purchased item. I tried it in my hifi system. It has a very weak amplification. I have tested other similar product of dynavector which had much stronger sound. I did also different configurations with different preamps, all made up conclusion - the received fidelity reseach is not acceptable product. Please let me know, where can I ship it back to get my money back."
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fidelity-Research-FRT-3-Toroidal-Step-up-transformer-Made-In-Japan-/301670900982?ssPageName=ADME%3AX%3ARINTS%3AUS%3A31 60&nma=true&si=7EK%252BWI2QkwpPnmiPzpuxEu%252FuTAU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Just sent this message to the buyer
"Hi there, this item worked perfectly before it was dispatched to you and I tested it before packaging.
I can only assume that your cartridge is not compatible with the SUT as it's suitable for all Denon 103 Moving Coil Cartridges and it's variants (variants of Denon 103 cartridge).
Which cartridge are you using with the SUT and are you connecting the SUT properly to your hi-fi?
The SUT has to be connected to a moving magnet phono stage, are you connecting it to a moving magnet phono stage in your amplifier?
Thanks
Tony"
Hi Tony,
I suspect you may be correct & the buyer is connecting it at line level or using a completely mismatched cart. Unfortunately as a long term user of evilbay I can tell you that 99.9% of the time eBay will side with the buyer regardless.
No matter how preposterous their claims the seller will always be the one to get shafted.
Given that the item has a value considerably higher than the cost of return postage I would keep calm and polite, ask him to post it back to you and keep your fingers crossed that he hasn't damaged it!!
At least if it comes back to you in one piece you can re-sell and get some money back.
HTH
Hi Tony,
I suspect you may be correct & the buyer is connecting it at line level or using a completely mismatched cart. Unfortunately as a long term user of evilbay I can tell you that 99.9% of the time eBay will side with the buyer regardless.
No matter how preposterous their claims the seller will always be the one to get shafted.
Given that the item has a value considerably higher than the cost of return postage I would keep calm and polite, ask him to post it back to you and keep your fingers crossed that he hasn't damaged it!!
At least if it comes back to you in one piece you can re-sell and get some money back.
HTH
Thanks Adam, I actually think that he's bought it to try with his cart cause these things are so expensive for what they are and the matching thing is really difficult so the easiest thing to do is just buy one and then say that it's faulty when it doesn't suit.
Hopefully he's not damaged it.
Tony
walpurgis
15-07-2015, 20:08
eBay will probably take the buyer's word about it not being as described, but under eBay rules he is responsible for return carriage. If he threatens to leave negative feedback over this, notify eBay immediately. He agreed to pay returns due to accepting to buy under eBay terms. If he does leave negative feedback, complain to eBay.
eBay will probably take the buyer's word about it not being as described, but under eBay rules he is responsible for return carriage. If he threatens to leave negative feedback over this, notify eBay immediately. He agreed to pay returns due to accepting to buy under eBay terms. If he does leave negative feedback, complain to eBay.
Hi Geoff, looks as though ebay have changed things in that regard.
Next steps:
See the request details. Be sure to resolve the buyer's request by Jul 16, 2015. After that date, the buyer could ask us to open a case, and this can affect your seller performance level.
Note that if you accept a return, you'll be charged for return shipping because the buyer mentioned that something's wrong with the item.
See request details
The funds for this transaction will be unavailable until this return has been closed. You can also use these funds to issue a refund. You must issue a refund within 6 business days of the item being delivered.
You can ask us to step in and help if there's a problem with the buyer's request.
walpurgis
15-07-2015, 20:16
So it seems. I didn't know. They're always tinkering with their terms. Looks like you have to decide what to do promptly. Me, I'd just pay the return to get the unit back and flog it in the UK. Not worth a big argument with an idiot.
I never sell outside the UK by the way. Too much aggro.
Hope you put a security mark on it Tony ...whats his buyer rating?
Hope you put a security mark on it Tony ...whats his buyer rating?
Just noticed Grant, a big fat zero:doh:
So it seems. I didn't know. They're always tinkering with their terms. Looks like you have to decide what to do promptly. Me, I'd just pay the return to get the unit back and flog it in the UK. Not worth a big argument with an idiot.
I never sell outside the UK by the way. Too much aggro.
Aye think your right Geoff, problem is I'm off on holiday from Friday for two weeks but I suppose he'll just have to wait if I decide to take it back and pay for the postage.
Messes up the bank account big time though cause paypal just take the money back, I waited until it was delivered then withdrew the money from my paypal account to my bank account.
walpurgis
15-07-2015, 20:53
But you need to let him know by tomorrow according to the eBay quote. If you miss that deadline you may have bigger problems.
But you need to let him know by tomorrow according to the eBay quote. If you miss that deadline you may have bigger problems.
I've sent him a message Geoff.
walpurgis
15-07-2015, 22:02
I've sent him a message Geoff.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Bit of an update for anyone interested.
I've been on holiday for the past two weeks so this has been on hold since and to be fair the guy was decent enough to wait for a reply.
He sent me this two weeks ago but he's still not told me what equipment he's using, still think that his cartridge isn't suitable with my SUT whatever cartridge he's using that is.
"Dear Tony, I have tested this item on a good equipment that I have. It works, but it is just to weak when it comes to power, which influences quality. Sorry, but I would like to send it back. Please let me know, when to send the item. Enjoy your vacation! Best regards, P****"
I replied to the buyer today with this
'Hi there, thanks for being patient while I was on holiday. I am now home and have internet access. I firmly reject your assertion that my SUT is faulty, it worked perfectly well with my Denon 103 Moving Coil cartridge connected to the moving magnet (phono) inpout of my Quad 34 pre-amp before posting it to you. I can only presume that your equipment isn't suitable for the SUT and that you haven't sufficently researched your purchase therefore I am not prepared to accept the item back to me and refund your money. I advise you to sell the item on in order to recover your expenses. I sold the item to you in good faith and with no returns accepted. Thanks Tony'
However Marco said this about the Fidelity SUT in an old thread when it was being discussed in relation to a Denon 103 MC cart.
"In general, yes, but nothing is written in stone. Since you're dipping your toes into the water for the first time, with this sort of stuff, my inclination would be that, with your set up, you should go for a good MC head amp, as opposed to an SUT. I'll have a look for you on ebay and post a link to something suitable.
I wouldn't go for the FR SUT you linked to, because if you look, you'll see that it's only giving you loading options of 10 and 30ohms, which is way too low for the 103. That SUT will have been primarily designed for use with very low-impedance cartridges, such as the Ortofon SPU and FR's own designs, which have similar electrical requirements.
Marco."
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showt...709#post638709
Well this saga is finally drawing to a close, today I received the SUT back from the guy in Poland after having paid him £15 by paypal to send it to me.
The SUT works perfectly, I have it playing right now through the MM phono stage module of my Quad 34 pre-amp, John Coltrane is playing Coltrane and he sounds sublime, it's a Japanese re-issue, before that I played Blue Train and that too sounded wonderful.
I now have to refund a guy £180 who bought something that he clearly knew nothing about and was likely hooking it up to the line inputs of his amplifier which more than likely doesn't have a MM phono stage on-board and to compound matters he told eBay that the SUT was faulty which has resulted in me having to refund him and pay for his postage.
Now I have to get on to Ebay to return my selling fee of £19 and hopefully paypal will follow suit.
An absolute waste of time and so far, once I issue a refund, this whole thing will have cost me £30 in postage fees plus the opportunity to sell this to one of the other 12 watchers who were watching the sale at the time this guy bought it.
Tony
Thats a shame tony. At least it's working and not been buggered about.
Leave it a month and try again on forum.not much selling
walpurgis
20-08-2015, 19:38
This is why I won't accept overseas bidders on eBay. To much hassle. You were luckier than many. It's not unheard of for an item to be paid for via PayPal and once received by a foreign buyer, they reverse the payment and say the item was faulty or was not received. Try sorting that out.
Keep the SUT. It's better than most MC stages.
Thanks guys, I was actually pretty impressed listening to the SUT tonight, I've no idea however what the guy was connecting it up to or what cart he was using with it. I did ask him but he hever actually replied to those sorts of questions, only clue is that he was using the 10 ohms setting.
I use the 30 ohms setting with the Denon 103.
Tony
orbscure
20-08-2015, 21:27
Well this saga is finally drawing to a close, today I received the SUT back from the guy in Poland after having paid him £15 by paypal to send it to me. The SUT works perfectly, I have it playing right now through the MM phono stage module of my Quad 34 pre-amp, John Coltrane is playing Coltrane and he sounds sublime, it's a Japanese re-issue, before that I played Blue Train and that too sounded wonderful.
Sorry to hear that Tony... I had a similar issue with a soundcard I listed and sold via eBay, only for the buyer to claimed that it didn't work so I had to shell out postage to get it back. On its return, I tested it and found nothing wrong, so I advised the buyer of my findings and he freely admitted that his PC was to blame and not the card :steam: When I brought this to the attention of eBay, I never heard anything back. The only consolation was that I relisted and sold the card a week later and the new buyer was over the moon with his purchase... so lets hope you have a similar result :)
Sorry to hear that Tony... I had a similar issue with a soundcard I listed and sold via eBay, only for the buyer to claimed that it didn't work so I had to shell out postage to get it back. On its return, I tested it and found nothing wrong, so I advised the buyer of my findings and he freely admitted that his PC was to blame and not the card :steam: When I brought this to the attention of eBay, I never heard anything back. The only consolation was that I relisted and sold the card a week later and the new buyer was over the moon with his purchase... so lets hope you have a similar result :)
Thanks Pete, I've just refunded the buyer and sent him a strongly worded e-mail regarding him being a complete time waster.
Doubt it will make a blind bit of difference but it might prick his conscience and make him send me £30 for my postage costs but I won't be holding my breath.
Tony
And the moral of this story is: Stop Using eBay!
With just a tiny bit of luck it will perish, die, and disappear up it's own arse. It used to be great, now it's anything but.
And the moral of this story is: Stop Using eBay!
With just a tiny bit of luck it will perish, die, and disappear up it's own arse. It used to be great, now it's anything but.
Hard to live without it though Rick, I run my own business and regularly buy bits from there that are literally hundreds of pounds cheaper than local suppliers.
It has its place but now its not anything like it was intended and loved for. Ive been a member for a long time and have to say it is good for buying but unless your a powerseller with a large turnover or a chancer then its role for folk who remember the good days is now being taken up by places like this. I was a member of a watch forum...still am i suppose. and it also has this facility for members.
walpurgis
22-08-2015, 13:48
Not directly related. Just received a delivery from a UK eBay seller. They sent a tube of builders clear silicone sealant. I paid for brown mastic sealant. Dozy buggers!! :steam:
It has its place but now its not anything like it was intended and loved for. Ive been a member for a long time and have to say it is good for buying but unless your a powerseller with a large turnover or a chancer then its role for folk who remember the good days is now being taken up by places like this. I was a member of a watch forum...still am i suppose. and it also has this facility for members.
I am on a few forums Grant, the three main HI-FI forums and The Leica Forum and they all have classified sections but stuff just doesn't sell, I sold an entire Leica M3 collection on Ebay with no problem whatsoever, the 50mm Summicron lens went to a guy in Hong Kong, it sold for over £750, another 135mm lens to a guy in Greece, the 90mm lens to a guy in California and the camera went to a girl in London, I couldn't give the collection away on PFM or The Leica Forum.
Sometimes you have just no other option than to use Ebay.
I've had one lowball offer from one of the forums for my TT so have put it on Ebay at the same price as the price on the forums, I doubt very much that it will sell at the price but there really isn't any option at the minute, I'll likely have to break the TT up and sell all of the bits separately.
Tony
Hard to live without it though Rick, I run my own business and regularly buy bits from there that are literally hundreds of pounds cheaper than local suppliers.
Yeah, I have the same problem Tony. Fact is, there's so little choice around here for my own work stuff needs I have to use it too.
I find it ok buying new stuff from the big sellers, but my days of selling used bits of hifi on there ended about 6 years ago when they changed too much and put sellers on a cliff edge.
Well guys this saga just never ends, this morning I received an email from Ebay saying that they had charged my credit card to pay the refund to the buyer who I refunded via Ebay & Paypal on 21st August.
Turns out that I sent an 'e-cheque'? (no, me neither) which takes seven days to clear so in the meantime Ebay decided to send the refund themselves but then my 'e-cheque' cleared and was paid into the buyer's Paypal account and so too was the E-bay payment so this buyer managed to buy a SUT, said it was faulty, Ebay forced me to refund him and because my payment was taking a bit of time decided to give the guy his money before my payment cleared so he got £390 for doing a bit of packing and posting an item back to me.
Apparently E-bay are taking a hit of £195 because of a 'flaw in the system', seems that they can't claim the additional £195 back from the buyer.
Tony
walpurgis
08-09-2015, 17:22
Well if eBay get stung and not you for the second refund, it serves them right for using such stupid arrangements. eBay just keep complicating things. It has now reached the point where I avoid using it as much as possible. I reckon many feel the same. I certainly refuse to sell to overseas bidders. My listings say so.
Well if eBay get stung and not you for the second refund, it serves them right for using such stupid arrangements. eBay just keep complicating things. It has now reached the point where I avoid using it as much as possible. I reckon many feel the same. I certainly refuse to sell to overseas bidders. My listings say so.
I'm the same now Geoff, I'm just going to use it to buy stuff and maybe sell the odd small item.
Do you know that whenever I call Ebay regarding this I have to go through E-bays becuase the buyer bought via Ebay.com I have to contact Ebay UK by phone then they put me through to a 'specialist dept' who then put me through to Ebay.com in the US.
Don't get me wrong the customer service is very very good but my God what a carry on.
Tony
walpurgis
08-09-2015, 17:57
Don't get me wrong the customer service is very very good but my God what a carry on.
Tony
Yes. I know Tony. I've had to contact them now and then.
Fortunately, not often.
It's just too big. Too complex and too rambling. Just try and find a necessary facility, such as the 'excluded bidders list' for instance, which I add to as and when.
Yes. I know Tony. I've had to contact them now and then.
Fortunately, not often.
It's just too big. Too complex and too rambling. Just try and find a necessary facility, such as the 'excluded bidders list' for instance, which I add to as and when.
Tonight I received an e-mail from Ebay saying that they will refund me £195 on Friday. I am to have the refund paid back into the paypal account that I used to refund the buyer (first refund) but Ebay have taken the second refund from my credit card.
I'm even more confused than ever now, I can only presume that the first refund is gone and so too has the second one however they (Ebay) are paying me back for one of them to cover the one coming out of my credit card.
Anyone understand any of that above, cause I don't
Leaving you the credit card charges...bassas. The company lost the plot some years ago and it seems to be getting worse. they are paying it into your bank... they took it fronm the CC as the bank wouldnt give them it
Leaving you the credit card charges...bassas. The company lost the plot some years ago and it seems to be getting worse. they are paying it into your bank... they took it fronm the CC as the bank wouldnt give them it
Thanks Grant that makes sense, cnuts!
For a moment I thought that I might be getting refund one back (the paypal one) and that hopefully they would be cancelling the CC refund or refund two.
They are stupid enough to do that ;)
They are stupid enough to do that ;)
Oh I know Grant, the Polish guy must be wondering what the f u ck is going on, he's never bought or sold on Ebay so his first contact with them results in him obtaining a SUT to try, stupid seller pays him his £30 postal fees then said seller pays him back his purchase price and then ebay give him £195 for his troubles.
You really couldn't make this up:doh:
walpurgis
08-09-2015, 19:53
Anyone understand any of that above, cause I don't
Nope.
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