The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I would like to pass on a lesson learned, and I hope that no one else suffers the same fate.

Before I begin, I would like to state that I have had a lot of great success with Ebay sellers, PayPal transactions and shipping by postal corporations in the USA, Canada and across Europe.

On this one occasion, however, things did not go so well and it was made worse by an Ebay seller who does not understand basic principles of good business.

In June 2012, I purchased a Pathé phonograph from Patrick LERAY, Ebay user name pantone41, [email protected], of France, for 150 Euros. Patrick under-estimated the cost of shipping and asked for an extra 45 Euros to ship the Pathé, which I thought was fair, so I forwarded this amount to assist him.

I also purchased two Pathé horns in separate auctions at the same time from the same seller.

The seller shipped all three items, and two arrived in good time and in great shape. Unfortunately the phonograph did not arrive, as Canada Post made some sort of delivery error and returned it to France. The seller refused to follow up with Canada Post to regain his lost shipping costs and blamed me for the problem. This was after months of negotiating with the seller to share the costs and have the phonograph resent. In the end he has refused and has offered to return only 15 Euros (after deducting his expenses).

I contacted Ebay and as I was past their 45 day coverage period, they referred me to PayPal. PayPal also has a 45 day limit period, so their only efforts to assist me was to email the seller, but he has refused to move.

The lesson I have learned is that even though there are many ethical sellers and buyers on Ebay, be very careful and if it looks like there is any issue with delivery of your purchase in 100 % condition file a complaint with both Ebay and PayPal before the 45 days are up. You can always withdraw your complaint if things work out.

I had a slightly different issue with a buyer in France. He bought a Pathé Recorder from me. I also sold an Edison Model -H reproducer to someone on the west coast. By mistake I switched the two labels. The person on the west coast returned the Pathé recorder immediately an I sent him another Edison Model -H. The person in France said he returned the reproducer also, but after 2 or 3 weeks it never showed up. Because it was my screw up in the first place I Express Mailed him the Pathé recorder and wrote off the missing Model-H reproducer as a cost of doing business.

Three months later a package arrived from the USPS DVD Mail Processing Center in Jersey City, NJ with a letter stating that my Edison reproducer had been found in a damaged box in their Dead Letter Section. Inside the box was the beautiful Model-H reproducer with the nice green coating just the way I had mailed.

Sometimes, Good things happen, also.

Rich Gordon

Dealing with the post office I have had several things destroyed literally. One I got back a piece of the return label from a carton of records.. The note that came with it said "Equipment Malfunction". I didn't even get the postage back from them and it had not been insured so that was out as well. I will say that in probably 8 years or more of shipping though the post office that is the only thing I have totally lost though them.

On the other had an auctioneer sent me a crank he has mislaid to the J-19 I purchased at his sale.. All I got was a empty envelope with a hole torn out of the end. My post office put out a message to the post offices it would have gone though but no one ever seemed to find the missing crank..

As to seller, I have almost always had good results with anything that arrived that was not up to the standard of the listing. I did have one record seller to put me on his ban list however when a box of albums he mailed me came with no more than some loose pieces of hard foam scattered about the carton. The records not restrained as they should have been were all broken.. When I had written him prior to shipping with a few suggestions as to how to get them safely though the post wrote that he sold lots of 78s and never had problems with his packing.. I probably should have given him a negative but I to this date have never given a seller one even if they deserved it.. I guess its because I as a sometimes seller don't relish the thought of getting one my self..

Larry