High Eng Audio Auctions on Ebay does not honor their deals
Purchased a pair of Eminent Technology LFT-VI speakers from them off Ebay and they delayed shipping for a week saying that their staff had contracted COVID. Yesterday they said that they cannot ship the speakers because the shipping was too low and asked for money to ship them to me. Very disappointed with the way they conduct their business.
Very odd. Ive bought a few things from them, only one that I would consider a ’major’ purchase, and have never had a problem. Easy to work with and always ship out quickly.
I would attempt to contact Adam directly and see if you can work it out. It seems to me if you purchased an item with the shipping cost plainly stated and included, they should honor that, regardless, or, return you payment. Where they additional fees associated with the shipping cost?
They have a Facebook page with their number listed.
The listed postage fee was $800 shipped to Australia. $600 for the USA. They did not honor the $800 fee which is not insignificant. Yet they wanted more money to ship it to me.
New message from: highendaudioauctions(12,115)We just got back into the office today. Do you have an address in the United States by any chance you can have these shipped too? Our international freight company does limited shipment to Australia and the cost is extremely high from what they are quoting. If you are okay with paying additional shipping cost we can still ship them if not we would have to cancel the transaction.
This was the previous email after I asked them why they were taking so long to ship. Obviously they were stalling - probably someone offered them a high price post-auction.
New message from: highendaudioauctions(12,085)Shannon, the speakers are packed up but have not shipped out yet. Since Monday we are closed down due to covid and awaiting test results on some of our staff.
I would contact Ebay directly. They have been very receptive to my inquiries when I had issues with sellers. Highendaudio listed the item and it's shipping price. You paid, so if the costs of shipping are too high, that is their problem, not yours. IMHO B
The vendor entered into a contract as I see it, and they must honor it. Don't make it easy for them and allow them to cancel the order. Contact ebay and complain. That's dirty business. It's their mistake, and they have to pay for it.
Too late. I have already asked them for a refund and they have cancelled the transaction. I wouldn't trust them to do a good job of shipping it anyway if I force them to (via Ebay) to honor the deal. I don't want to deal with any hassle.
Adam is a respected reseller of audio equipment who has been in this business for a long time, and is no ‘fly by night’ company. The issue here seems to be shipping to your particular location in Australia, and the additional costs they would incur. My feeling is they do not have these issues when shipping within the USA.
If you look in their ‘Store Policies’ they do have ‘wiggle room’ when shipping abroad as there could be additional costs, fees, etc. which they may not be able to control or identify during the standard eBay check-out process. They verified the cost to your particular location after the sale, and unfortunately requested more. Keep in mind, they state they do not make any additional money off the shipping costs. But they also were agreeable to cancel the order when the actual shipping costs became unacceptable to you, the potential buyer.
It’s unfortunate, yes. But this might be one of those sales of a large item that just doesn’t work well via the standard eBay check-out process, especially when shipping a large item abroad.
All that said, I would not disparage Adam and his company by this one instance.
The shipping costs were advertised as such and were not cheap. If they made a mistake, they should have kept their side of the deal or informed me immediately after I paid. Instead they delayed shipping and gave the excuse that they were closed for COVID and then only yesterday (a week later) say that it would cost more. So they were not transparent from the beginning. I suspect someone offered them a higher amount after I had made the purchase and that is whom the speakers will go to now. I don't think it will be advertised again on Ebay.
I suspect someone offered them a higher amount after I had made the purchase and that is whom the speakers will go to now
Adam? I find that extremely doubtful. If they were only after the highest dollar, they would have never accepted the offer I made on the amp I purchased, significantly under their asking price (or make offer). I expected them to counter, but they did not. No doubt, I’m sure they could have sold it for more. But, to my surprise, accepted my offer, and shipped the amp out promptly, and professionally packaged and boxed.
Overall, a great amp, and a great transaction.
And they do not have a large staff, so the COVID thing was probably legit, not an excuse.
I bought two items from them. Both transactions were "wonky". I bought a pair of Snell speakers. I picked them up. They were advertised as in excellent working condition. When I hooked them up something was off. I then noticed that all mid woofers were delaminated. The seller said they had no idea where to get replacement drivers. (odd them being in the business). They did offer a refund. I would have had to drive them back. I decided to keep them as I did get a steal of a deal. Highendaudioactions canceled the sale on EBay so I couldn't leave feedback. Second item was an Esoteric CD player. They advertised it as in perfect working order. It wasn't. I returned it. They balked at EBay that the problem was with me. The player went back on their site. It sold again. It turned up again for sale one month later For Sale As IS! My experience. Joe
I have sold hundreds of items on Ebay. Occasionally, I price the shipping too low. In every instance I eat the loss since it's my fault. What the seller did to you is not a good way to do business.
At least they could have told you how much the additional shipping would be so you could make a decision or negotiate (split the difference) not that you legally needed to. Let’s say it was $200 more. For another $100 I’d probably say wtf.
I have some experience with ebay auctions - not for audio equipment but for items of various values. In every case the seller either quoted a flat rate for shipping to various locations or stated explicitly that shipping costs would depend on location and could be quoted privately. In every case, the seller did in fact ship and charged the quoted rate - occasionally less. I have never had a seller behave as this one apparently did. As Op describes it, this seller did not behave very honestly.
i think this is what happened, the shipping was $800 when they quoted it but due to covid and the week wait the shipping company increased their rates and the seller did not want to eat the increase.
Personally, I'd contact him by phone and work it out. And take it off eBay, but pay with PayPal or your credit card where you have protection from damage, etc. They should be fully insured, shipped on a well-strapped palate. Together I'm sure you can find a better shipper or freight-forwarder in terms of cost. International shipping of larger, heavy equipment can be a bit tricky. And by all means, check FedEx Freight. It would behoove you to open an account with them and get a discount. If, of course, you do want these speakers. Best of luck!
Seller made a mistake when quoting a shipping cost to a specific location. Buyer accepted the price quoted. Seller is bound by Ebay rules to fulfill the sale. Instead the seller wanted the buyer to absorb the cost of the seller's mistake. I am glad the buyer received a full refund.
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