Do you think this mandola has top sink?

[mrmando]

I don't really think it was avarice on the part of the seller, in this case. It's not like he was asking $3K for it...

I was trying to call out his determination to hold on to the $850 once he had obtained it. Perhaps "avarice" isn't the best word. It's more like jealousy or possessiveness.

it was priced according to condition.

Not really ... he wasn't aware that there was anything wrong with it, thought it was a mandolin, and said the tone was wonderful. It was priced according to ignorance.

I thought it was a fair price for a mandola whose top had settled somewhat. It wasn't a fair price for a mandola with a settled top, an extra soundpost, a loose transverse brace, a neck hump, a side crack, other cosmetic damage, and too-high action.

The fact that he didn't pack it properly is unfortunate, but does not void your agreement with him, IMHO.

Let me stop you right there. I exchanged email with the seller in which I agreed to buy the mandola as is with no returns, on the condition that he follow my explicit shipping instructions, which included putting the instrument in a box. Our email exchange amounted to a written contract, and he signaled his acceptance of my conditions when he accepted my payment and transferred it to his bank account. When he didn't pack the instrument properly, he committed breach of contract, and the contract was therefore null and void. He was not entitled to try to enforce his conditions after he violated my conditions.

I'm guessing the seller has a different take on this story.

I'm sure he does. What I did get out of him before he clammed up was that he thought if I wasn't satisfied with the packing, I should have rejected the shipment and had the Postal Service return it to him. But:

[a] I suspected there might be shipping damage to the instrument, and I wanted to inspect it and document any such damage. If I sent it back unopened and it turned out to have shipping damage, there would be no way to prove when the damage happened, and it would be harder to establish liability.

[b] Sending it back while he still had my money would have put all the cards into his hand, and considering the type of guy he turned out to be, that would have been a foolish decision. It was nearly three weeks before I was able to get my PayPal account up to date and remove the block that prevented me from filing a claim. That would have been an awfully long time for him to hold both the mandola and my money. Having the instrument in my possession until my claim was filed gave me a little peace of mind.

[Jeff Mando]

PayPal will work with you even if it’s not an eBay purchase.

I'm almost afraid to ask.......was this a Craigslist purchase?

[mrmando]

Indeed it was a Craigslist purchase. Long-distance shopping on Craigslist is always a bit hair-raising. But all's well that ends well.

[Jeff Mando]

Indeed it was a Craigslist purchase. Long-distance shopping on Craigslist is always a bit hair-raising. But all's well that ends well.

Glad it worked out. I'm not a believer in Craigslist, although the potential is there. As, I've said many times on this forum Craigslist is for people who find eBay "too complicated" with too many rules and don't want to pay the fees. Well, Craigslist is free and you get what you pay for! Great for selling lawn mowers locally. I'm amazed you talked the guy into shipping in the first place. THEN talked him into setting up a Paypal account -- if I am reading your summary correctly! At this point, I've lost track of all the red flags.....wow! Good to know Paypal stands behind the buyer. Now, you just have to hope he doesn't knock on your door sometime in the next 30 years..........................

[mrmando]

I think it was his family members, not me, who talked him into using PayPal. He can take out his wrath on them. It's true he has my address and I have his, but he's all the way across the country and would have to spend a good chunk of the $850 just to get here.

[ollaimh]

Yikes. Some people. You'd think since they're already spending $47.05 on shipping, they could afford an extra few bucks to buy a box to put the thing in. Just hard to imagine what goes through people's minds when they ship stuff.

Glad it wasn't damaged - must be some sort of minor miracle.



Soundpost, eh... guess that kinda goes along with the top sink idea?

awfull. i am a true believer that most shipping troubles are avoided by great packing

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but congratulations, i hope it is a cannon. i'd love a nice mandola

[mrmando]

awfull. i am a true believer that most shipping troubles are avoided by great packing

The case itself had a couple of bumps, but we couldn't confirm that any of the problems with the instrument were due to shipping.