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I bought a  finished dollhouse off e bay a couple of days ago with free shipping. I have just had an email from the seller to say he is partially dismantling it  this weekend   to keep the shipping   cost down. I can't see how this is possible . I am very worried as it was not cheap but I don't know what to do, does anyone have any ideas please. I am getting myself quite distressed about it.

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Jenn it is a Beacon Hill, fully finished with a glass panel at the back .

 

The message I got said" :I will be packaging the doll hose this weekend. I'm trying to keep the shipping under $100. Will try to disassemble strategically to accommodate packaging and be straight forward enough for you to reassemble."

It was advertised as in  excellent condition , like new with  $1200 invested in it

His ad said free shipping is included but outside local area but may require some assembly once received.

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I took this to mean he would remove and pack separately the glass doors and maybe remove some of the lights so they didn'swing etc.  and pack all the fixtures and furniture.It never entered my head he would take it to pieces. I can't see how it could be taken apart once glued without wrecking it.  If it arrives and it is ruined then what.

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54 minutes ago, Jeannine said:

If it arrives and it is ruined then what.

If it doesn't go back together as per the picture on the listing, then you should be covered by Ebay's buyer protection I would think. You purchased what was in the picture. He may dismantle it but he has an obligation to provide you with what you purchased. Did you pay with Paypal? 

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Yes I did $469.00,  He had it in auction mine was the only bid but before that he had in on a buy it now for 1500.00 I think I am wondering if he would argue that he said it in his ad. I  did not say he would disassemble it and I didn't get that impression, actually I would not have bought it had I thought he would do so.

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10 minutes ago, Jeannine said:

Yes I did $469.00,  He had it in auction mine was the only bid but before that he had in on a buy it now for 1500.00 I think I am wondering if he would argue that he said it in his ad. I  did not say he would disassemble it and I didn't get that impression, actually I would not have bought it had I thought he would do so.

I would send him a message just saying what you've said here. That you took some assembly to mean lights and perhaps some breakable trim and the glass doors. Tell him you wouldn't have bought it if you thought he would disassemble the house. 

Try to get him to cancel the sale if he won't ship it whole and you are that worried. He did mention assembly so it's not entirely his fault. No vendor wants bad feedback so he may cancel the sale give you a refund and relist it. The you can move on.

For future reference, if there is anything that is not clear in the listing email the vendor before buying.. I have been caught badly by not questioning ambiguous information in listings before. It's best to be safe than sorry. 

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I did send him an e mail saying just what you said about what I took assembly to mean eg the lights and the glass door and the furniture if it was secured with museum wax etc. I don't think I said I wouldn't have bought it if I had known he was taking it apart I did say I didn't think it could be done as it is a complex house that is  dressed as it goes up and I did say I was vey nervous about what he was planning and asked him to give me more details , he has not yet replied, Samantha can you see anyway it can be done and go back as he said. surely the siding etc would have to be taken off to get at the main shell for dismantling and I think the wood would split of he tried to break the glue seal I also think that putting it back together won't get it back to excellent . like new no matter how carefully done it is. even the paint might chip. I think it should be carefully saran wrapped  to keep everything snug like the movers do , then bubble wrapped double in extra large bubbles , the furniture bubble wrapped and left secure in the rooms, then it should be packed  in peanuts in a very large  double walled suitable sized carton. It weighs less than 50 ibs so I think it would travel OK like that. I could pack it safely. I really want the house but I don't want it in pieces.

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1 hour ago, Jeannine said:

I did send him an e mail saying just what you said about what I took assembly to mean eg the lights and the glass door and the furniture if it was secured with museum wax etc. I don't think I said I wouldn't have bought it if I had known he was taking it apart I did say I didn't think it could be done as it is a complex house that is  dressed as it goes up and I did say I was vey nervous about what he was planning and asked him to give me more details , he has not yet replied, Samantha can you see anyway it can be done and go back as he said. surely the siding etc would have to be taken off to get at the main shell for dismantling and I think the wood would split of he tried to break the glue seal I also think that putting it back together won't get it back to excellent . like new no matter how carefully done it is. even the paint might chip. I think it should be carefully saran wrapped  to keep everything snug like the movers do , then bubble wrapped double in extra large bubbles , the furniture bubble wrapped and left secure in the rooms, then it should be packed  in peanuts in a very large  double walled suitable sized carton. It weighs less than 50 ibs so I think it would travel OK like that. I could pack it safely. I really want the house but I don't want it in pieces.

I don't see anyway he could take it apart but, I've not built a Beacon Hill so I can't say for sure. I guess it depends on how it was constructed by the builder. At the very least there will be paint loss and how would you match the colours?

Having said that, I don't know how much shipping such an item costs in the USA but I suspect he is not going to want to spend the entire amount you paid on shipping so getting him to ship it whole might be a struggle. Perhaps you could find out the built dimensions and try to get a rough estimate of what it would cost on someone like UPS ground to get a realistic idea of if it's plausible.

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The only thing that can come off without damage in my BH is the tower.   It's heavy for sure.   In packing mine we had to use an appliance box.   Tell the seller to keep it while, or forget it.  Save his message. Send it to eBay to see if they will intervene.   Do NOT  leave feedback until the issue is solved . Also save a copy of the description.  Do a screen shot if you can from your phone

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You might ask him to send you photos of the "disassembled" doll house before he packs it up for shipping so you can determine if you can easily reassemble it on arrival. It's possible the adjustments may be minor.

I can see how removing the tower cap would reduce the height considerably. On my BH, I purposely left the tower cap unattached for easy removal when moving the house.

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I am finding major fault in the sellers argument.  You might take it apart, but unless you remove  pieces from shipping,  it's still going to weigh the same.   If the seller couldn't ship it as a whole unit, the description should state local pickup only.   I would get eBay involved NOW.   From my past history with eBay, they only side with sellers.  Especially after the item has been delivered.

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2 hours ago, L Swearengin said:

I am finding major fault in the sellers argument.  You might take it apart, but unless you remove  pieces from shipping,  it's still going to weigh the same.  

The dimensions of the box contribute to the shipping cost, so if removing the tower roof allows him to put the same pieces in a smaller or differently shaped box, that could help reduce the shipping cost.

I agree with Kathie about asking for a photo. I'd hope that someone who carefully put a dollhouse together would be equally careful about shipping it. Let us know how it works out!

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Just a tip: If you are buying through eBay, you have 60 days to file a "return" under the Buyer Protection program. After that period, if you paid via PayPal and are still not satisfied, you have their guarantee program to protect you. Then, if you are still not able to find a resolution with the seller (rare), and you have paid with a credit card, you can dispute with the credit card company directly. It's harder with a debit card. It can be a major hassle, but your credid card company usually sides with you. Good luck.

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I bought 4 furniture kits from a seller because they said they combined shipping. i even emailed them before bidding to check. I was trying to get my money's worth on the international shipping. When I won the auctions they said they didn't know I was international and therefore wouldn't combine because they use the global shipping program which doesn't allow combined shipping. eBay sided with them.. I paid about 15usd for the kits and 94usd for the shipping.:eek: Most expensive NOS I've ever bought

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1 hour ago, Samusa said:

I bought 4 furniture kits from a seller because they said they combined shipping. i even emailed them before bidding to check. I was trying to get my money's worth on the international shipping. When I won the auctions they said they didn't know I was international and therefore wouldn't combine because they use the global shipping program which doesn't allow combined shipping. eBay sided with them.. I paid about 15usd for the kits and 94usd for the shipping.:eek: Most expensive NOS I've ever bought

Yup that's the problem with living on the other side of the world!  Since Ebay bought in the global shipping programme its made buying stuff off ebay much less affordable for us.  The amount you're paying for shipping makes the items just as expensive as buying them from here - if you can get them here that is.  I'm just glad I got my Pierce kit from Ebay before the Global Shipping programme started!

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jeannine, we have alot of success in our area where people use the local news media to investigate claims like yours. they should want to take your case on and contact e-bay and the seller for you since its E-BAY!  i deal with a very small local bank and have had accounts with large banks like chase and bank of america and the like. i have had smaller scale (maybe 200.00 the most) disputes with companies with both size banks. everytime i contact my bank dispute department and tell them about my dispute with a seller and that  i have done everything within my power to resolve the issue, regardless, if i used my debit card or used it as a credit card.  its your bank and they want you to be happy and stay with them.  as far as i know, most banks have a dispute department that will assist you with fraudulent issues.  and this guy is comitting fraud from what i can gather from the post.  the banks will help intervene and will return your funds to you almost immediately.  then, their legal department, will go to work on your behalf and i have NEVER NOT GOTTEN MY ISSUES RESOLVED when i contacted my bank.  i had issues with amazon, i had issues with ordering old lady cremes off tv info-mercials and a lost debit card with fraudulent charge on it.  i have always been very happy with the big banks and my small bank. i hope this helps in some way.. i will be praying that you get this resolved and get your money back if that is what you want. or the seller does everything he promised so you get what you really wanted and why you spent the money!   im sorry your going through this! its not fun to be to trust people and then thinkgs like this happen! hang in there, something good is about to happen for you even if you cant see the light for the darkness right now.  

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