Or let me explain this with an example. I once bough a laser from Infinitus and knew he also would lable it as a flashlight that only costs about $15. I knew the risks and in case it would be confiscated or stolen I even wouldn´t bother him for a refund, because this would just mean a lot of trouble for him and me. Finally he could just refund me $15 that he got from the company who was sipping it to me.
But even if he would be willing to refund me more, this would only mean we both lost a lot of cash.
I myself would feel bad in such a case to ask him for a refund because he would loose his laser and the money it was worth.
I'm certainly glad that worked out well:beer:
Now that you mention it though, the package was insured for $100 since I sent it EMS, but even if it was lost or confiscated, or whatever, I wouldn't have been able to claim more than the $15 marked on the actual shipping slip. It's not beyond reason at all, that the same situation happened here.
If there was an issue, I would have felt bad and offered to split the difference 50/50 with you, but at the same time, if anything, I would have been on the hook for the full amount, since via tracking you would have been able to show PP that you didn't get the package.
Since then I decided that if I do sell any lasers internationally, I will only offer tracked shipping, and request payment as gift, which means the buyer accepts the risk in terms of confiscation or any other problem.
When I do sell lasers occasionally now, they are always offered as is, and the only thing I'm willing to offer is that they will arrive, and working.
If someone comes to me weeks after I know the laser is delivered and says there is a problem... well, that's too bad.
Actually had that happen, one guy said his laser stopped working.... after three weeks of use, and it being dropped... funny thing is it turned out to be the battery.
Edit: Ebay is FAR from perfect. There is some added protection, but there are still problems all the time. When it comes to handheld lasers, ebay is actually one of the worst places to buy from imo.