2nd ebay problem in 10 years

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KenHash

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I recently sold a knife (Knife A) which I have had in my collection for about 20 years. Naturally as a collection piece it was never used and in mint condition, unsharpened, uncarried. No scratches on blade anywhere and factory edge. No damage or blemishes at all on rubber handle as well. The photos below represent the condition in which it was sent.
BptBXt.jpg
. The knife I sold looks like this-


Sz9JMF.jpg
a1jORV.jpg


More photos if needed:
https://vgy.me/rogTs8.jpg
https://vgy.me/6ySIkM.jpg
https://vgy.me/hkR9dv.jpg

KNIFE B-The Buyer immediately on receiving the knife accused me of selling him a knife not as described or in my photos. He is claiming that the knife was used, sharpened poorly with edge rolling. First he sent me 2 blade photos, and on my request sent me 2 more showing the whole knife

4xIzQl.jpg

EtIh3s.jpg

fpW3co.jpg

DHxu7d.jpg


To me, this does not look like the same knife I shipped. It is the same model and the markings match. And the hamon is a bead blasted factory one so it would be identical.
However, besides the fact that the blade photos show the condition of a different "used" knife, the handle when blown up shows a number of scratches and blemishes consistent with carry and use. If the handle of Knife A is blown up, on both sides, those blemishes do not exist.
Friends who have seen these photos have suggested that it looks like an attempt at a classic "buy and switch".
I would appreciate the opinions from BF members - are Knife A and Knife B one and the same?
 
This happens all the time on eBay. I believe you can change account settings to sell only to those with 100% buying feedback.
 
There's the same black line / spot on the Japan side- about 1/3rd of the way up on both images? The scuffs are the same on the japan side. They look the same to me.
 
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If so, he probably did significant “testing” of the knife. Have him ship it back and give him a lousy rating.
 
There's a dent where guard meets handle on "both" knives on the side that reads "TANTO."
 
"There's the same black line / spot on the Japan side- about 1/3rd of the way up on both images? The scuffs are the same on the japan side. They look the same to me."


I see that too and well, because I can enlarge the OP's 1st photo where I also see what appears to be a double stamp of the word JAPAN. On the eBay photo I can see the same dark line(s) one smaller just to the back of the 1st longer line, in the exact same place but as I can't enlarge that photo I can't see the quality of the JAPAN. Also can see that the blade in the first photos has faint scratches though the description is "no scratches".

Would need to be able to see close ups of both blades but those 2 exact black marks are pretty compelling.
Sorry KenHash :( - is what I see.

Ray
 
Thanks all. So it seems unanimous that it is the same knife based on the spot.
Is there an explanation for the difference in the photos?
 
It looks like the buyer took his photos with a flash. This will make the tiniest scratches appear. A brand new knife will show micro scratches when bright light hits the blade at the right angle. Though it looks like buyer may have used or "polished" the knife.

Whatever you do, don't fight the return. Ebay is buyer-biased and you will lose and be out the final value fee. If you accept the return, Ebay will reimburse you for that fee (upon request). I know this from experience and have been basically called a liar by Ebay and the brand new
knife I shipped out came back used and scratched. I took pics, but Ebay didn't care and reimbursed the buyer.
 
Ken, I know from analyzing and polishing stainless knives, that some light sources, combined with certain angles and close up photos, can show off aspects of normal patterns, that one doesn’t usually see without magnification.
I certainly wouldn’t refund a buyer that I didn’t know, until I got the knife back, in order to confirm that the condition was the same as what I sent out. I hope that you can work out a solution that is to your satisfaction.
 
hermit dave said:
It looks like the buyer took his photos with a flash. This will make the tiniest scratches appear. A brand new knife will show micro scratches when bright light hits the blade at the right angle. Though it looks like buyer may have used or "polished" the knife.

Whatever you do, don't fight the return. Ebay is buyer-biased and you will lose and be out the final value fee. If you accept the return, Ebay will reimburse you for that fee (upon request). I know this from experience and have been basically called a liar by Ebay and the brand new
knife I shipped out came back used and scratched. I took pics, but Ebay didn't care and reimbursed the buyer.
Click to expand...
This is what I have found to be correct, it really sucks but in the end it more of a pain to fight with the powers to be, they have the final say.
 
I wonder whats the best way to deal with dishonest buyers on e-bay. They take full advantage of the buyer oriented policy of that particular selling place. And ebay sides with them in most cases.

So my 2 cents: stay away form ebay.
 
eBay will side with the seller.


You will receive something else when he makes a claim against you.
 
Wow, I should be more cautious when using eBay, and selling my barely touched with gloves once-new knives. I might end up giving a refund for a once new, now battered up/non-resellable-as new knife...what a shame, there just has to be crooks hiding in every shadow..
 
Well thanks to everyone. All my friends tell me to accept the return and examine the knife to be sure it is what I sent out and in the same condition as when sent out. If so, then there is no problem. If it isn't - then there would be an issue to deal with. Either way, everyone and even ebay says not to refund the money until AFTER the item has been returned.

The silly thing is that although officially it's a "no returns" policy, I would never refuse a return for any reason provided the knife comes back the same way I sent it out. This is true on ebay and certainly on BF. Of course I can't back this as I have never had a return request for ANY knife I've sold anywhere.
If this particular buyer had just asked for a return because he "changed his mind" I would have agreed based on his feedback records. But having received photos that don't match mine and allegations of "poorly sharpened with rolled edge" he is charging me with misrepresentation. Which rubs me the wrong way.
Anyways, again thanks all. we'll see what happens.
 
AF said:
There's a dent where guard meets handle on "both" knives on the side that reads "TANTO."
Click to expand...

This is the only post I didn't quite get. What "dent" are you describing. Is on the handle? Is it on the guard? Can anyone else who can see this "dent" explain it to me? Thanks very much.
 
KenHash said:
This is the only post I didn't quite get. What "dent" are you describing. Is on the handle? Is it on the guard? Can anyone else who can see this "dent" explain it to me? Thanks very much.
Click to expand...
It looks like the slightest pinhead-sized negative space in center bottom of metal guard, where you can see the black handle color fill this slight space-look at rubber meeting guard; the pin-straight meeting of the two appears interrupted in what looks like dead middle?
I still think buyer could have possibly used said knife for a minute, then decided he didn't really want it in the first place-could be any handful of explanations I guess...
 
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Not taking sides on this
But I also see the same scratches although its very difficult in the OPs pics. This to me shows that everyones idea/concept of "Mint" condition is biased and really subject to personal opinion. I hate the use of the term "Mint" and whenever I see that or LNIB I immediately become skeptical and a bit more cautious. I would rather see something like "typical storage or unsheathing marks" or something like that. very very difficult to keep something "Mint" "new" condition unless its never touched or drawn from sheath or whatever and kept in original packaging box like a sealed action figure or something.

oh yeah and Ebay sucks
 
ponykid said:
Not taking sides on this
But I also see the same scratches although its very difficult in the OPs pics. This to me shows that everyones idea/concept of "Mint" condition is biased and really subject to personal opinion. I hate the use of the term "Mint" and whenever I see that or LNIB I immediately become skeptical and a bit more cautious. I would rather see something like "typical storage or unsheathing marks" or something like that. very very difficult to keep something "Mint" "new" condition unless its never touched or drawn from sheath or whatever and kept in original packaging box like a sealed action figure or something.

oh yeah and Ebay sucks
Click to expand...

It is so much easier to describe a fixed blade knife as NIB, when it’s never been in the sheath. I agree that it’s safer to give a detailed description, if there are some minor sheath marks present.
From using magnification, I’ve found that the edge on some new knives, still has the original burr. The edge isn’t rolled, and a few passes on a leather strop will normally take that off.
 
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