A firm bargain and right reckoning make long friends
--Thomas Paine, in Common Sense
First off, know that much of what you see below is standard practice among professional brokers in the US. Alright then, here's the dilemma; you're a seller and you're worried about sending gear to a buyer before you have a check. Or, you are a buyer but you are worried about sending a check before you get the gear. Guido and Luigi to the rescue! Here's a quick overview of how it works here at The Greene Sheet:
Now of course you have to trust us but with names like Guido and Luigi how can you go wrong! Plus we've been in business for almost ten years now on the internet so we can get you references if you need ‘em.
The buyer gets 48hrs to check things out. We will send the seller a check (minus our paltry profit) once the item is either approved or the approval period is over (unless the buyer tells us there is a problem within that time.) We do NOT wait to send you a check; once the 48 hrs is over we usually cut a check within days. Very Important!! If you, as a seller decide to ship before word from us that the check has cleared it's your problem, not ours.
Buyers get 48 hours to accept or reject an item. Rejection is valid ONLY if the unit was substantially misrepresented or damaged in shipment to the buyer (read about damage below!). Buyers, you should not even attempt to return an item because you've simply changed your mind about buying it in the first place or you discover you bought the wrong kind of thing. You need to know that the item is what you need before you buy it. If an item is OK'd by The Greene Sheet for return, it must be sent immediately (within 48 hours) after the 48 hour checkout period or you may end up keeping it. Seller pays return trip (insured) if it comes back due to misrepresentation or the gear is damaged. Both Sellers and Buyers must honor this agreement.
Now obviously there are sometimes problems. Most can be solved with the seller agreeing to pay for a repair. It should also be a well known fact the simply shipping and item can often create a service problem. It should not be automatically assumed that a Seller has sent a broken item. Since we are holding the money, sellers have little incentive to send bad gear. In our experience problems are rare and we are almost always able to craft a fair solution.
Buyers should not expect an item to perform beyond its original specifications. Sounds silly, but here's a real example; virtually all cameras have missing or weak pixels. Broadcast cams have fewer defects and often have sophisticated circuitry to hide or compensate for these. So called “Industrial” cameras almost always have missing pixels and don't hide them as well. Missing pixels are expected and within manufacturer spec on most cameras.
Buyers customarily pay shipping! We recommend FedEx. Items can be tracked from the moment they are shipped (we will call the buyer with the tracking number). In our experience FedEx doesn't seem to destroy or lose items as skillfully as UPS. Three day FedEx Express Saver is a cost effective but safe way to go. You can save a bit with "Ground Saver" which is a FedEx Ground (formerly RPS) -3 to 5 days- but this should only be used for items that do not damage easily. If you choose UPS Ground you lose your 48hr inspection period, i.e. no returns.
Everything ships insured –no excuses.Pack the stuff really well! Consider that, as a Seller, you own it until it is accepted. As a Buyer, if you return it and a damage claim is rejected by the carrier (or you forgot to insure it) –YOU own it! The original carton is not the best shipping box –they were designed to sit on a palette with other boxes.It is best to either double box with corners or remove the item and have a new box and foam made. “Foam-to-fit” or foam-in-place” methods are best and stand up in damage claims. The Packaging Store (or Navis Logistics) has locations in most states and does the best job. They double insure if you let them ship it on their form.
Follow FedEx guidelines for packaging! They are good enough to support a claim on just about any carrier. One note of caution: Neither UPS stores nor Kinkos not pack to their own specs, in fact they often do a very poor job on heavy electronics. They will cover your claim, but what we really want is the item to arrive safely. Plus, dealing with claims takes mnonths and you do not want that monkey on your back!
If you dare to pack it yourself, keep in mind that packing peanuts, even those biodegradable Cheeto kind, get inside equipment, carry static electricity that can wreck gear and are just inherently evil. Many receiving departments will not accept a package packed in them.
Failure to do any of the above means you now own a huge problem. And this also applies to buyers if an item is returned to a seller damaged. Again, if an item is not packed to carrier specs then the packer owns the problem -be it seller or buyer.
Do we look like tax accountants? Here's the straight poop as we understand it. As a buyer you are responsible for remitting a use tax (generally equal to any sales tax rate) to your state unless we, The Greene Sheet,Inc., has an office in your state which we don't, unless you happen to live in Minnesota. If you do live in Minnesota you gotta pay it and we gotta collect it.
Most preowned gear is sold as is and without warranty. There is a 48hr inspection period as outlined above. It is incumbent on the buyer to check out the gear within 48hrs. Once again, for the record, neither I (George Greene, aka Uncle Geo) or this ethereal construct called The Greene Sheet, Inc. accept any liability or offer any warranty for any gear we sell unless otherwise specified.
Luigi tells me I need to mention some important items. Read the boilerplate that appears on all our invoices and POs, which will look much like this:
TERMS: Items sold as is; no warranty. Seller represents that items are free of liens and encumbrances and guarantees transfer of clear title. Buyer waives all rights to the dispute provisions of PayPal or credit cards used for payment. Equipment can ONLY be rejected by Buyer within 48hours of delivery and only if misrepresented (if misrepresented Seller pays all shipping.) Seller owns the equipment until the buyer accepts it. Sellers and Buyers will always ship insured and packed to carrier specifications. Damage claims are the responsibility of the Shipper whether Buyer or Seller. Buyer and Seller agree to use the Greene Sheet Inc. to arbitrate and decide any disputes. The Greene Sheet and/or it's agents are not responsible for shipping, taxes, uncollected payment from the Buyer, or loss or damage of items.
So, how'd I do Luigi?
You did good, ya moonk!