ebay nightmare Help! need some information about the Dooku LE

[wallcrawler]

Hi guys,

As some of you know i bought a Dooku LE off ebay the other day, This did not come with the packaging or certificate but just the hilt in the black felt lined case (no display case). For this reason i was only willing to part with £230 which in the u.k is a good deal. The photo was of the hilt in the box and described the item as "in very good condition". When i finally got it after well over a week several things jumped out at me:

The faux gold button on top was no longer gold and had been worn away so that it was a dull bronze colour - am i right in thinking this should be a nice shiny gold colour and would only be like that had it been touched a lot, as opposed to simply displayed?

The metal on the hilt has a lot of very tiny bumps, like bits of dirt had got under the chrome or something, is this an effect of the hilt being in a bad environment or should it be like that? none of my other LE's have this.

The hilt itself feels loose, i know its made up of several parts but these literally move about and make a noise when you pick it up, is this normal or agin has it been handled far too much?

Finally the rubber grips are coming away from the metal with one having a space of about 1cm, i know this isn't right but just setting the picture.

The guy refused a refund and has said he listed it as good condition and not mint, i think this is unnactable for this type of collectors piece and am trying to log a complaint with paypal, but just need my facts straight about what the condition would normally be for this normally beautiful hilt.

any info or advice is appreciated as i know im in the right but paypal might not agree





The photos dont really show the worn gold button too well so i compared it to my anakin's gold accent, but it looks terrible and on closer expection you can see the silver coloured metal coming through from underneath as well

also the rubber grip looks much worse when you have it in your hand, and the tiny bumps wouldn't show up on my camera


and the photos used on ebay - notice the avoidance of close up on these areas

[darth_call]

Pictures would help.

The tiny bumps are usually slight oxidation, .....there was a post around here about removing that.

Im not too familiar with SEs, LEs and MR static props, .....but I would say it is safe to say that if the button is no longer shiny, it is in "played with" condition.

Again, ...post some pictures, ......start the paypal notification process.

What picture was on the ebay add?

[wallcrawler]

Photos added!

[LUMINARA UNDULI]

It is hard to tell about the gold from the photos, but the grips are definitely coming loose.  I would not have listed a collectible in "VERY GOOD" condition with those flaws.  I would have stated that it was not a case queen and had been actively played with and listed the flaws.  I would contact the seller and request a full refund.  If you get any arguement, report it to ebay and PayPal.

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

The seller must FULLY disclose the condition of the item - especially a limited, collector's item such as this.  So unless these flaws were mentioned in the listing, and I take it they weren't, this should indeed be reported to ebay.

I'm actually a big LE/SE collector myself, and I have this saber, so this really hits home for me.

[Hamill82]

230£  that is like 345 U.S dollars  :o. I'm LE & SE collector and I honestly have to say you paid too much for this particular saber, since it's missing the numbered plaque, the certificate of authenticity, the acrylic diplay case and what's most important the condition of the saber itself is bad. In order for the seller to make this saber sold, he went and used "good condition", to me this is bad condition saber the way you described and the way pics show. Some MR items may feel loose, it's common for some items, but I don't know about this Dooku saber. If you won't get refund you could always try to fix it. Some MR lightsabers seem to loosen rubber grips by time, has happened to many many collectors, including me, my Vader Rots LE started to loosen one black grip, but I fixed it with glue and it's looks great now

[wallcrawler]

yeah i feel a little robbed to be honest  :-[ , generally Dookus go for around £270+ in u.k with all the packaging and certification. So i wouldn't be too bothered about the price i paid if it wasn't for the damage. I mean i'm only collecting for myself not for the future value of the item but like you said its a lot of money for a ruined hilt.

anyway i am logging a complaint with paypal and so hopefully ill get it refunded if not try and get a partial refund and repair it somehow.

Obi-wan does yours feel loose? not sure whether to put that as a fault when claiming from paypal

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

Wallcrawler, mine isn't loose at all.  The saber should feel solid and together when you hold it, with no looseness or rattling sounds felt or heard.

[wallcrawler]

okay thats good i'll put that in the dispute as well, what about the tiny bumps that Darth call mentioned could be oxidation? I take it that the hilt should not have these?

[OBI-WAN KENOBI]

Correct, a mint (or even a good) condition LE should not have these oxidation blemishes.  The metal is supposed to be very smooth and shiney.

[wallcrawler]

Amazing thanks for your help, i'll let you know if i eventually score one for true lightsaber enthusiasts!!

[Hamill82]

I would recommend to get display cases for all sabers generally, especially for the chromed ones, those seem to get exposed to oxidation.

[WEDGE ANTILLES]

depending on the climate you might also want to toss a packet of silica gel in the case.  I keep my helmets in a locked display case and there's a packet of silica gel on each shelf, accompanying each helmet. (tucked out of sight where you can't see them).   if you live in a humid climate then you probably want these packets in with your sabers too.

[wallcrawler]

Thanks guys for all your help and advice, I have officially won the good fight with this guy.

Despite his constant arguing about everything under the sun (including accusing me of not knowing anything about collecting and the finer points of collector jargon) Paypal have awarded me the refund!

Serious star wars fans and collectors: 1 - Ebay rip off merchants: 0   ;D

But in all seriousness this guy probably wasn't an evil seller, he just didn't have a clue what he was selling, and this can probably act as a warning to anyone else who is a little naive like me when it comes to thinking you have a good deal off ebay, always ask lots of questions, ask for more photos and i guess just be wary of how an ebay merchant words their listing

cheers again

[LUMINARA UNDULI]

Thanks guys for all your help and advice, I have officially won the good fight with this guy.

Despite his constant arguing about everything under the sun (including accusing me of not knowing anything about collecting and the finer points of collector jargon) Paypal have awarded me the refund!

Serious star wars fans and collectors: 1 - Ebay rip off merchants: 0   ;D

But in all seriousness this guy probably wasn't an evil seller, he just didn't have a clue what he was selling, and this can probably act as a warning to anyone else who is a little naive like me when it comes to thinking you have a good deal off ebay, always ask lots of questions, ask for more photos and i guess just be wary of how an ebay merchant words their listing

cheers again

Glad to hear it wallcrawler58!  It is unfortunate you had that experience, there are a lot of great ebay sellers for every one bad apple.  However, all's well that ends well ;)