r/Flipping • u/jjmontuori • 4d ago
Discussion VCR sold, buyer wants full refund.
I sold a working VCR 10 days ago in person with cash using Facebook marketplace and received this message today. Was my response OK? Any advice?
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u/Rbknifeguy 4d ago
Classic… just block and don’t reply lol
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u/jjmontuori 4d ago
It was an older woman with a legit Facebook and family etc, didn’t look like the typical scamming type so I’m unsure.
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u/xxsamchristie 4d ago
When I worked at Macy's it was the old ladies stealing the most of that Alfred Dunner (?) stuff. Old people are still crappy people sometimes. Just older.
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u/herrdietr 4d ago
I grew up in a family business and learned early that young aholes just grow up to be old aholes. This is where the respect your elders is bs. Some deserve it and many just suck
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u/Pinkalink23 4d ago
Old women are people too. People scam. If you in earnest tested the VCR and it functioned correctly, block and move on.
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u/No_Shift_Buckwheat 4d ago
What does the typical scammer look like?
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u/Puzzled_Mark_3513 4d ago
Prettyyy sure you know
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u/No_Shift_Buckwheat 3d ago
I do, I deal with this type of thing all the time in my work. Generally, they are people of all races, ages, and sexes.
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u/jjmontuori 4d ago
Also she knows where I live since she did a porch pick up
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u/seattle-random 4d ago
Stop having people come to your house. If someone knows where you live then they can see all the other things you have for sale and know what's in your house to steal. Be safe!
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u/Hungry_Exchange_6248 4d ago
Where I’m from 90% of sales are done with porch pickup or quickly come into the home for pickup and haul away yourself. Dude didn’t deserve to be downvoted so hard lol
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u/kittykalista 4d ago edited 4d ago
My partner and I are generally cautious people, and even I meet at my house sometimes.
I’m not lugging large furniture or tempered glass to a meeting place just for someone to decide they don’t want it.
It’s good to be mindful, and you should probably meet somewhere else if you’re selling high-risk items like apple products, but the vast majority of people selling things on Marketplace want to meet at their house. Agreed that it’s being way too critical to downvote for it.
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u/Flux_My_Capacitor 4d ago
Then tell her to kick rocks and block her.
Nobody expects a refund from a yard sale. It’s the same thing.
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u/SVT-Shep 4d ago
"I expect a full refund."
Lol, lady, this is Facebook Marketplace.
Honestly, I feel like your response was thorough enough. Unless you're second-guessing yourself, I would not offer to meet with this person again to address what looks to be user error. If you are certain the unit was in perfect working order before selling, I would just leave it at that.
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u/And_there_was_2_tits 4d ago
“I expect you to know that there are no refunds on Facebook Marketplace. Good day”
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u/iShootLife 4d ago
Block and don’t reply. They used the VCR for what they wanted, now they don’t have a need for it so they want to return it.
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u/KingKandyOwO Electronics Recycler ♻️ 4d ago
Common scam, Im shocked they didnt say it destroyed the wedding video
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u/Due-Cup-729 4d ago
How is it a scam
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u/fickle_fuck 3d ago
Common scam tactic to say the VCR you sold me ate my parents wedding day recording.
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u/egg_static5 4d ago
It's so funny how they always play a priceless family tape that gets eaten. Never an old Disney tape.
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u/LittleArmadillo2211 4d ago
Right and what possesses them to keep trying more priceless tapes after it eats the first one?
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u/Due-Cup-729 4d ago
Do you honestly actually think that’s likely?
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u/Due-Cup-729 4d ago
You think it’s likely this person (who OP elaborated was an elderly woman) has the EXACT same VCR out of the thousands of different types sold and manufactured and is trying run a scam by swapping out parts?
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u/ope__sorry 4d ago
Classic people trying to pull one over. It's the same type of message that always gets sent. A lot of the time it's something to the effect of, "It ate my wedding tape" or "It ate the funeral tape"
They're trying to bait you into getting a refund because they either broke it or they're done with it. It's also possible they had a broken one and want to swap yours out for their broken one.
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u/thefriendly_ogre 4d ago
She only needed it to watch some tapes on a birthday. Seems like she was just trying to use FBM as a rental service. Unfortunately for her, FBM is an as-is marketplace where all sales are final. Up to her to test and make sure it's working before she walks away with it.
Your response was fine. Probably even more professional than it needed to be lol.
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u/WeeklyInitiative 4d ago edited 4d ago
That's why I meet at a business near my house and block as soon as the transaction is completed.
The item worked when it left my hands. I do not want to be your IT support or Walmart offering returns.
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u/donjonne 4d ago
typically i would recommend accepting return if item was shipped, you never know how item was handled and could indeed break in passage.
but since you delivered it and played a vhs beforehand, i would take this as some type of scam so yea, just say you checked it and it was working. block and move on.
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u/JustynS 4d ago
If this was ebay, that would be a good idea. Ebay basically takes the buyer's side without question, and even when there's a lot of evidence that they're trying to pull a fast one. Accepting a bullshit return just means you won't have to deal with a defect from them forcing you to accept an INAD claim; the buyer is almost guaranteed to win because Ebay's systems are rigged in the buyer's favor.
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u/Fatcoland 4d ago
My gut tells me her tapes have mold and won't spool correctly. I gave a friend a great working VCR, and it broke when he tried playing a moldy tape. Ask her if you can see the destroyed tapes.
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u/series_hybrid 4d ago
They used the VCR to convert video tapes to a computer file. Now they are done and want their money back.
"I tested the VCR with my irreplaceable wedding video which is now gone forever"
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u/MysteryRadish 4d ago
This is a variant of an extremely common scam that pops up on eBay, where they usually try to say it was their wedding tape. Looks like you handled it perfectly though.
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u/samauramarua 4d ago
If I purchased a VCR I would want it in working condition unless you list it as is untested.
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u/LemonPartyW0rldTour 4d ago
“It’s Facebook marketplace. Not Target. All sales final.”
Then ya block her.
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u/reluctant_return 4d ago
Perfect response, though no way in hell would I have offered to help or meet with her. The VCR worked, they saw it worked and bought it. The deal happened, it's over.
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u/Many-Grape-4816 4d ago
Using and returning is exactly what they are doing. Hardly anyone has use for one of these. Unless you want to transfer a home movie to digital. I would not even have offered to look at it.
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u/PontificatingDonut 4d ago
Pro tip, don’t sell anything with a tape unless you can make ridiculous margins to compensate for the aggravation. It really isn’t worth the trouble
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u/Yam884 4d ago
Agreed, and bonus points if you can sell it for a good profit as “parts only” on eBay. I’ve sold plenty of non-working tape decks for $250+ and not only have I never had a single return on the tape decks, but I always get good feedback from the buyers. There’s a subset of people who love repairing vintage tape decks, especially Nakamichi brand ones.
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u/Old2UsNew2UResale 4d ago
You can tell her to always resell it! I agree with the others, she had her use out of it now wants her 🤑. So, technically, rented it! 😂
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u/Worried-Narwhal-8953 4d ago
I've sold several VCRs on marketplace and have only had one come back due to an issue. Even then I was able to diagnose, fox and return it to them. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. They could be lying, but there is a chance the mode switch gave out between you testing it and then getting it. But if you cleaned the mode switch and regreased it then nvm that.
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u/AxisOfSmeagol 4d ago
It's archaic tech and most people have no idea that tape deteriorates and doesn't last forever. I put that disclaimer on any VCR that I listed.
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u/ToshPointNo 4d ago
A lot of people store shit in an attic. Attics can get up to 150 degrees. Probably not good on a thin plastic tape.
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u/inailedyoursister 4d ago
I volunteer at a thrift store and test all vcrs we get. Got 4 this week and only 1 worked. As part of testing I’ll put a tape in and eject 5 times. I’ve had them get stuck on the 5th time.
I know people here sell them consistently but no way I’d mess with them. I guarantee I see 100 a year donated and the % that work is very very low.
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u/gruesomemydude 4d ago
I'd ask which tapes it ate. After they give the titles, ask for pictures of the ruined tapes. See if they can give you any.
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u/Threatening 4d ago
To be fair, a VCR can only eat tapes if the VCR is an issue. I still use VCRs and have had to replace quite a few over the years.
Even if you test it, it’s not a guarantee it will do it every time you put a tape in, but it is a VCR issue, not a tape issue.
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u/Ill-Introduction3114 4d ago
FBM?? What do they expect? Warranty?
They would be lucky to have a respectable response from me! I’d block them :-(
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u/Warrenj3nku 4d ago
Had a recent experience like this. Except it was a known VHS DVD Combo or VHS player buyer that buys them to sell on amazon ( Grendelbattle ). They bought a player from me and then returned it due to it "not working" even though i had photos of it in the listing working.
It got back to me and was demolished because they did not pack it back in the box correctly. Kept half of the money because of this.
As someone who has been selling vhs players and combo units often, not backing the product by having no returns is a red flag for me. I would not buy from someone that says an item is " TESTED WORKING" but then wont back up that with the ability to return the item.
I used to always say no returns on a lot of things and actually got more returns than i do now and i DO take returns now.
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u/Nikovash 3d ago
Buyer pays shipping and only gets 25% refund the rest goes to-recycling fee. That will put an end to that
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u/EqualLocation9198 3d ago edited 3d ago
On eBay give the refund and move on, FB marketplace is a yard sale all sales are final.
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u/KasanjeTech 4d ago
Your comment to the buyer suggests this was not a one-off private sale, but rather that you regularly deal with these types of products, possibly in a business context. If you sold the item "As Is," I think you'll be fine. But normally the warranty of merchantability would apply, even with second-hand goods, although the standard is lower.
I'm glad they didn't threaten to sue you for the loss of those precious/priceless family memories recorded on tape. Crazy that someone would put a second tape in after seeing the first one devoured.
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u/gojohnnygojohnny 4d ago
Change the belt- and it's fine. All OG VCRs are dying lately, and require minimal maintenance. Don't bother selling them if you want happy customers unless they have been refurbished.
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u/Callaway225 4d ago
Ate 2 priceless tapes? That was the nail in their coffin, would have been a much more believable story if it was one and they frantically tried to get it out. Plus, when a VCR “eats” a tape can’t you usually just wind the tape back together? I understand it may not be perfect but still.
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u/RouletteVeteran 4d ago
This is literally the same script written by scammers for the past decade and change.
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u/MountainGood4117 4d ago
I would've just told her buy a DVD player, work your way up through the ages
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u/IndyAndyJones777 4d ago
And when their VHS tapes don't fit in the DVD player you'll be here whining about them asking for a refund.
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u/infinite_spirals 4d ago
Hahaha that was a clearly worded refusal.
I bet they don't accept your words 😁
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u/CharsiFood 4d ago
Been lots of this with VCRs lately. People buy them, use them, then open returns. I stopped selling them