As-Is
We are in the on-going business of selling unique, one-of-a-kind, used, non-replaceable items that have an "as-is" designation in the ebay listing. We are NOT an authorized manufactures' reseller of anything at this time. This is an Ebay used/surplus item sale, not a new, current-from-the-manufacturer, store-front/distributor warranty/guaranteed sale. (If you have to be sure that something will work when/after you start playing with it, go spend whatever you have to get it from a manufacturer's authorized seller. Never assume anything that is not listed or shown (if you don't see a power cord, it probably does not come with one--if you don't see software or a manual listed--it does come with such).
We strive to be very careful in accurately representing the condition of items we list. However, we seldom know the absolute true condition and status of items. Thus, we are usually limited to our best judgment based on surface appearance. We are also limited to our own subjective interpretation of appearance which may be different than someone else's. In many cases, we don't even know for sure what the item is or what it does, let alone having ever used it. Just because we can power something up, does not mean we have any idea how to operate it or test it for actual functionality. In many cases, we either can't or don't have the time to even try powering an item up--so don't assume we have unless the images show it or the condition statement says we have.
Most of the items we put on ebay are surplus to our needs. Most often these things are used. More often, we have never used them ourselves. They may not work. In some cases, they may be obviously broken or incomplete. In general, we have not used or tested the item. We try to appraise you of our best guess as to the condition of the item. However, this is often limited to what the exterior appearance looks like to us. We may have no expertise or familiarity with many of the items we list and we may not recognize something that is missing or what distinguishes a "good one" from a "bad one". When practical, we try to plug things in and power them up. When we say it "powers up", we mean that something non-disastrous appeared to happen when power was applied but this does not necessarily mean it operated properly (If we know it didn't work properly we will tell you but we often don't know what proper response is under these conditions). We don't have the time, expertise or equipment to actually test overall functionality of most items.
When an item looks to us like it is new, we will say something like "looks new". This means that, to our cursory inspection, and limited by our knowledge of the item, it does not appear to have actually been used. Someone who is expert with the item might conclude otherwise. Even items that look new and are in an original box/container are listed "as-is". Again, this is because, although unlikely, we don't know if it might be a returned item or the possibility that it might be defective from the manufacturer--and we are not in a position to warranty/guarantee the item. We may indicate some items appear to be unused but they may have scuffs or scratches from storage and handling, having been "kicking around" for a long time. Items that look to be new and in their original container, may, nevertheless, be of significantly dated manufacture, having sat around unused for years. (Under some conditions, we will guarantee not DOA but this is by exception--case-by-case only where the buyer has made arrangement in advance. This may entail additional cost and is limited to situations that make sense for us to do this.)
We often state in a listing something like "looks used/good/functional." This means that, within the limitations of our experience, the item appears to have been used but there is no obvious (to us) reason that the item is not still useable. Again, this is by no means a guarantee that it is actually usable as there maybe some internal defect we can't see or we may not have the experience with the item to recognize a condition that would render it non-functional.
When it is obvious to us that something is missing or broken, we will attempt to call this out. If it appears that this condition would significantly impact the overall functionality of the item, we will attempt to indicate this, often by suggesting that the item would probably best be used as a "parts machine".
The bottom line is that, while we attempt to accurately portray items to the best of our ability, "as-is" means a number of classic clichés apply--"buyer beware", "what you see is what you get", "once you buy it, its yours", "no guarantees", "no returns". etc.
The obvious exception to the above is the case where we made some blatant error such as putting the wrong picture with a listing or listing the wrong information for an item, stating something that was not true about an item, etc. In such a case, our liability (the buyers compensation) is limited refunding the amount paid to us by the buyer.
Under very limited conditions, we will accept a return but the buyer will have to pay the cost of shipping in each direction. This is limited to situations where we agree in advance on a case-by-case basis and he buyer gets from us, and includes with the return, an RMA number. Even then, the item must come back to us in the condition it was when we shipped it in order for the buyer to get a refund.
Again, if you need the type of service that Wal-Mart claims to offer where you can return anything for any reason (or no reason) for a refund, go buy from Wal-Mart.
If you have any questions, be sure to ask us before bidding. cavlon@nmia.com