Lesson Learned...

After my success with the Celts, I couldn't resist when an opportunity arose to purchase some more painted figures. Well, a cardboard package arrived today. Rather worryingly the box had an unnerving rattle so was very carefully opened...

Unfortunately the contents looked like they'd been used in a game of football. The cavalry figures are completely smashed and will need a significant amount of time to repair. Even then I'm not sure they can be repaired to anything approaching an acceptable state.

I'm currently in discussion with the vendor and I've asked for a full refund. I'll not post photos or further details until the vendor has had an opportunity to resolve the situation. Suffice to say I am bitterly disappointed. The figures looked excellent in photos on the vendor's blog.

But... Here's the important lesson I learned. When I made the purchase I had the option of paying as if receiving goods/service from a trader or I could have transferred money using the family/friends option. In the past when I've purchased figures privately, I've been asked to use the family/friends option. I believe that this means the vendor does not have to pay any service charge to PayPal. Indeed if you use this option you'll find that PayPal will charge you a small fee. Perhaps when purchasing the odd unpainted Oldhammer figure, the risk here is low. But larger purchases? Hmm.

This time around the vendor did not specify either option. Although the purchase was not massively exorbitant, it was still significant - to me at least. I therefore decided to pay using the correct goods/services option. Very pleased I made this decision. I apparently have buyer's protection so have opened a dispute with the vendor through PayPal and if this is not satisfactorily resolved within 20 days, PayPal claim they will refund. We'll wait and see what the outcome is. But take my experience as a warning. If you use PayPal to purchase stuff don't try to save a few quid by sending money directly. This is especially true if the vendor isn't personally known to you. If the vendor has anything resembling a clue, they'll have already added a small surcharge to cover their PayPal fees. Ask them to send you an invoice with all fees clearly stated. If they're not happy? Walk away...

Oh, one last thing. Don't think I'll be buying any pre-painted figures again anytime soon.