Ebay lens full of fungus

Philoslothical · 08-29-2011, 12:11 AM

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Originally posted by JeffJS

and I believe it's strictly against Ebay's policies for this reason.

Yep, and that's exactly why I suggested that OP should report it. They do ban sellers for this, even when they aren't scamming anything more than the Ebay fees, but one like this who is ripping off both Ebay and the buyer... it burns me up, and Ebay wouldn't be pleased either.

JeffJS · 08-29-2011, 12:35 AM

Originally posted by Philoslothical

Yep, and that's exactly why I suggested that OP should report it. They do ban sellers for this, even when they aren't scamming anything more than the Ebay fees, but one like this who is ripping off both Ebay and the buyer... it burns me up, and Ebay wouldn't be pleased either.

That may very well be. After ebay changed their policy, I hadn't learned of it yet and tried to state (as I always had) 'Paper payment must clear', they cancelled the auction and informed me of their 'new' policy. Actually that was part of the auction form I used within Turbo Lister when I was selling dozens of items per week. I Would still report it but I don't think there is anything financial that can be done on the buyers behalf in this case. I may be wrong about that however.

I've had people Offer to use a bank transfer to pay for an item but I've always refused due to concern of funny business from the other end.

Philoslothical · 08-29-2011, 12:57 AM

Yeah, I think he's SOL from a financial standpoint. Now it's more a case of trying to prevent this seller from doing the same thing in future.

Wheatfield · 08-29-2011, 09:23 AM

Originally posted by heasley

Thank you very much for advice everyone1

Unfortunately the seller requested that I pay via direct bank transfer (many ebayers prefer this to avoid paypal fees). It looks like being nice has back fired on me.

Leave extremely bad feedback if she won't refund. Be concise because you don't get many words, and if you don't have enough space in the feedback column, use that line to link to a web page describing in great detail (include a screenshot of the auction description).
Basically, do whatever you can to despoil the seller's reputation.
And file a complaint with eBay.

exislegirl · 08-29-2011, 11:29 PM - **1 Like**

Okay, so you didn't pay with PayPal, but you can still open a case against the seller as a 'non-performing seller' via ebay Resolution Centre:

Resolution Centre - eBay

Doing this will alert ebay to this seller's behaviour, and at the worst will put the seller on watch... and at best - you may receive a discretionary reimbursement payment from ebay, if they can't get the seller to refund.

Bear in mind, that the processes on ebay AU often differ from those on ebay US. You can only open a dispute via the ebay site on which you made the purchase.

Oh... and leaving feedback is the very last action you should take. Get through the dispute first - then leave factual feedback.

Good luck.

**interested_observer** · 08-30-2011, 03:29 AM

I do not know if this will work, but you might look in to filling in small claims court.

Common questions : Queensland Courts

Make her travel to Brisbane and defend herself. When she does not show up, you win by default.

Getting a summons would probably ruin her day.....

heasley · 08-30-2011, 03:43 AM

Thank you for all the recent comments and advice.

I'll put this down to experience. Hopefully others will learn from my mistake too.

I opened a case with ebay the seller accused me of making 'threats'. I have maintained very polite language with her the entire time. I was perhaps a little direct in saying that I felt there were two outcomes: (1) return or (2) partial refund - but I don't think this is a threat. She then said "hopefully you'll learn a lesson and in future ask whether there is fungus before you bid like everyone else".

This experience is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth so I decided to end it. I left her the following negative feedback: "Failed to describe large amount of fungus in lens. Refused return. Aggressive."

I have lodged a complaint with ebay and will be interested to see if her account is suspended.

Hopefully other ebayers will not get stung by this dodgy vendor (I think she is genuinely confused).

heasley · 08-30-2011, 03:46 AM

Originally posted by interested_observer

I do not know if this will work, but you might look in to filling in small claims court.

Common questions : Queensland Courts

Make her travel to Brisbane and defend herself. When she does not show up, you win by default.

Getting a summons would probably ruin her day.....

Very clever advise.

Very tempting but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt - I think she confused rather than fraudulent. Hopefully going from 100% to 93% will give her pause for thought.

Clavius · 08-30-2011, 04:04 AM

Originally posted by heasley

It looks like being nice has back fired on me.

Sadly, that's what it usually does.

I noticed in your starting post, that you mounted the fungal lens to you DSLR. But I would advise you not to do that. On numerous accounts I've read that fungus can easily spread to any other equipment.

Of course, it's just better-safe-then-sorry-advice. I have no experience with this myself.

Philoslothical · 08-30-2011, 04:07 AM

It sounds like you handled the situation well. And yeah, sellers get penalized in their rates and such if their rating falls below 95%, so even if Ebay doesn't discipline the seller, you've driven your point home that this kind of conduct is unacceptable.

Also, try exposing the lens optics to direct sunlight for a few days. This should kill off some of it, but I still wouldn't keep it anywhere near my other equipment. Maybe treat it as an experiment and strip it down and clean it? Just be sure to document each step so you can get it put back together again.

twitch · 08-30-2011, 04:22 AM

I'm amazed that for the sake of clearing $35 the seller would be willing to trash their reputation. The listing is unacceptable, "used" does not mean not fit for purpose.

xjjohnno · 08-30-2011, 04:43 AM

Maybe because I buy more then I sell I get rather fussy with listing items for sale to the point of using a magnifying glass to find every last flaw in an item up for sale, but not mentioning fungus is pretty much unacceptable. Just be a right proper pain, even if you don't get the desired result of a refund for return, and quite frankly I'd settle for nothing less, the seller might at least consider providing better descriptions of their goods.
There have been the occassions I've bought poorly described lenses and gone into dispute with return/refund the outcome. There's other times descriptions have been sorely lacking, like excellent condition means vice grips needed to turn the focus ring but due to the buy still being a win for me I satisfied myself with leaving appropriate feedback to warn off future buyers.
In the end it's up to you how you deal with the matter but I'd personally advice going for the short and curlies as we don't need dodgy sellers.

Fl_Gulfer · 08-30-2011, 05:43 AM

The same thing happened to me in this forum, then the guy never posted again.
But you should have known not to buy the lens after seeing the mold on the lens case. It looks like it is stored in a wet basement.
Hope everything turns out ok, I'm sure karma will bite her in the you know what.

heasley · 08-30-2011, 06:05 AM

I suspect she was a crazy woman.

I almost feel sorry for her. She won't have much happiness in life with that sort of attitude.

I'm going to attempt and dismantle and clean on the weekend.

I've found these instructions: http://www.wiratama.net/2/post/2009/12/pentax-m-2004-repair.html

**Just1MoreDave** · 08-30-2011, 12:47 PM

Those photos show a lot more disassembly than you should need. You'll regret unscrewing the focusing helix (14th photo, large silver-colored threads). If the fungus is visible from the front, in front of the aperture blades, slide the hood forward. Focus to the minimum distance, 6 or 7 feet I think. Then grab the barrel just above the focus ring grip and unscrew it, counter-clockwise. The front group of elements comes off after a lot of turns. The inner surfaces on the camera side of the aperture blades are now somewhat accessible if the aperture ring is set to f4.

If the fungus is further back, you can use a lens spanner or improvised tool on the slots around the rear lens element. Sometimes the whole group is in one threaded carrier, and sometimes each element comes out individually.

08-29-2011, 11:29 PM - 1 Like	#20
exislegirl Inactive Account Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Magnetic Island Photos: Gallery Posts: 8	Okay, so you didn't pay with PayPal, but you can still open a case against the seller as a 'non-performing seller' via ebay Resolution Centre: Resolution Centre - eBay Doing this will alert ebay to this seller's behaviour, and at the worst will put the seller on watch... and at best - you may receive a discretionary reimbursement payment from ebay, if they can't get the seller to refund. Bear in mind, that the processes on ebay AU often differ from those on ebay US. You can only open a dispute via the ebay site on which you made the purchase. Oh... and leaving feedback is the very last action you should take. Get through the dispute first - then leave factual feedback. Good luck. Last edited by exislegirl; 08-29-2011 at 11:30 PM. Reason: Forgot something important

08-30-2011, 03:29 AM	#21
interested_observer Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Tumbleweed, Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,707	I do not know if this will work, but you might look in to filling in small claims court. Common questions : Queensland Courts Make her travel to Brisbane and defend herself. When she does not show up, you win by default. Getting a summons would probably ruin her day.....

08-30-2011, 03:46 AM	#23
heasley Forum Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Brisbane Posts: 99 Original Poster	Originally posted by interested_observer I do not know if this will work, but you might look in to filling in small claims court. Common questions : Queensland Courts Make her travel to Brisbane and defend herself. When she does not show up, you win by default. Getting a summons would probably ruin her day..... Very clever advise. Very tempting but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt - I think she confused rather than fraudulent. Hopefully going from 100% to 93% will give her pause for thought.

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08-29-2011, 12:11 AM	#16
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. Originally posted by JeffJS and I believe it's strictly against Ebay's policies for this reason. Yep, and that's exactly why I suggested that OP should report it. They do ban sellers for this, even when they aren't scamming anything more than the Ebay fees, but one like this who is ripping off both Ebay and the buyer... it burns me up, and Ebay wouldn't be pleased either.

08-29-2011, 12:35 AM	#17
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by Philoslothical Yep, and that's exactly why I suggested that OP should report it. They do ban sellers for this, even when they aren't scamming anything more than the Ebay fees, but one like this who is ripping off both Ebay and the buyer... it burns me up, and Ebay wouldn't be pleased either. That may very well be. After ebay changed their policy, I hadn't learned of it yet and tried to state (as I always had) 'Paper payment must clear', they cancelled the auction and informed me of their 'new' policy. Actually that was part of the auction form I used within Turbo Lister when I was selling dozens of items per week. I Would still report it but I don't think there is anything financial that can be done on the buyers behalf in this case. I may be wrong about that however. I've had people Offer to use a bank transfer to pay for an item but I've always refused due to concern of funny business from the other end.

08-29-2011, 12:57 AM	#18
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	Yeah, I think he's SOL from a financial standpoint. Now it's more a case of trying to prevent this seller from doing the same thing in future.

08-29-2011, 09:23 AM	#19
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,986	Originally posted by heasley Thank you very much for advice everyone1 Unfortunately the seller requested that I pay via direct bank transfer (many ebayers prefer this to avoid paypal fees). It looks like being nice has back fired on me. Leave extremely bad feedback if she won't refund. Be concise because you don't get many words, and if you don't have enough space in the feedback column, use that line to link to a web page describing in great detail (include a screenshot of the auction description). Basically, do whatever you can to despoil the seller's reputation. And file a complaint with eBay.

08-30-2011, 03:43 AM	#22
heasley Forum Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Brisbane Posts: 99 Original Poster	Thank you for all the recent comments and advice. I'll put this down to experience. Hopefully others will learn from my mistake too. I opened a case with ebay the seller accused me of making 'threats'. I have maintained very polite language with her the entire time. I was perhaps a little direct in saying that I felt there were two outcomes: (1) return or (2) partial refund - but I don't think this is a threat. She then said "hopefully you'll learn a lesson and in future ask whether there is fungus before you bid like everyone else". This experience is leaving a very bad taste in my mouth so I decided to end it. I left her the following negative feedback: "Failed to describe large amount of fungus in lens. Refused return. Aggressive." I have lodged a complaint with ebay and will be interested to see if her account is suspended. Hopefully other ebayers will not get stung by this dodgy vendor (I think she is genuinely confused).

08-30-2011, 04:04 AM	#24
Clavius Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: De Klundert Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,150	Originally posted by heasley It looks like being nice has back fired on me. Sadly, that's what it usually does. I noticed in your starting post, that you mounted the fungal lens to you DSLR. But I would advise you not to do that. On numerous accounts I've read that fungus can easily spread to any other equipment. Of course, it's just better-safe-then-sorry-advice. I have no experience with this myself.

08-30-2011, 04:07 AM	#25
Philoslothical Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,889	It sounds like you handled the situation well. And yeah, sellers get penalized in their rates and such if their rating falls below 95%, so even if Ebay doesn't discipline the seller, you've driven your point home that this kind of conduct is unacceptable. Also, try exposing the lens optics to direct sunlight for a few days. This should kill off some of it, but I still wouldn't keep it anywhere near my other equipment. Maybe treat it as an experiment and strip it down and clean it? Just be sure to document each step so you can get it put back together again.

08-30-2011, 04:22 AM	#26
twitch Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,571	I'm amazed that for the sake of clearing $35 the seller would be willing to trash their reputation. The listing is unacceptable, "used" does not mean not fit for purpose.

08-30-2011, 04:43 AM	#27
xjjohnno Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,115	Maybe because I buy more then I sell I get rather fussy with listing items for sale to the point of using a magnifying glass to find every last flaw in an item up for sale, but not mentioning fungus is pretty much unacceptable. Just be a right proper pain, even if you don't get the desired result of a refund for return, and quite frankly I'd settle for nothing less, the seller might at least consider providing better descriptions of their goods. There have been the occassions I've bought poorly described lenses and gone into dispute with return/refund the outcome. There's other times descriptions have been sorely lacking, like excellent condition means vice grips needed to turn the focus ring but due to the buy still being a win for me I satisfied myself with leaving appropriate feedback to warn off future buyers. In the end it's up to you how you deal with the matter but I'd personally advice going for the short and curlies as we don't need dodgy sellers.

08-30-2011, 05:43 AM	#28
Fl_Gulfer Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Gulfer Photos: Albums Posts: 3,054	The same thing happened to me in this forum, then the guy never posted again. But you should have known not to buy the lens after seeing the mold on the lens case. It looks like it is stored in a wet basement. Hope everything turns out ok, I'm sure karma will bite her in the you know what.

08-30-2011, 06:05 AM	#29
heasley Forum Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Brisbane Posts: 99 Original Poster	I suspect she was a crazy woman. I almost feel sorry for her. She won't have much happiness in life with that sort of attitude. I'm going to attempt and dismantle and clean on the weekend. I've found these instructions: http://www.wiratama.net/2/post/2009/12/pentax-m-2004-repair.html

08-30-2011, 12:47 PM	#30
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	Those photos show a lot more disassembly than you should need. You'll regret unscrewing the focusing helix (14th photo, large silver-colored threads). If the fungus is visible from the front, in front of the aperture blades, slide the hood forward. Focus to the minimum distance, 6 or 7 feet I think. Then grab the barrel just above the focus ring grip and unscrew it, counter-clockwise. The front group of elements comes off after a lot of turns. The inner surfaces on the camera side of the aperture blades are now somewhat accessible if the aperture ring is set to f4. If the fungus is further back, you can use a lens spanner or improvised tool on the slots around the rear lens element. Sometimes the whole group is in one threaded carrier, and sometimes each element comes out individually.