You know you are old when you see this on a survey site.
I tried to buy a sink on eBay the other day. We have a tiny sink in the camper in the corner of the "wet bath." It is made of plastic, and is about 8" by 12" in size and cracked.
Our sad little plastic sink.
I had replaced the faucet but still it looked like crap. We had a similar sink in the Casita that cracked and I recall finding an oblong corner sink in stainless at the time (online) but never got around to ordering it. So I searched online for "RV corner sink stainless" and got dozens of listings for this sink below. I went on eBay and there were literally hundreds of identical listings for the same sink.
Nice sink, but it wouldn't fit in our camper!
Problem is, it is a symmetrical corner sink, and I need an oblong one. What was weird to me was that eBay was flooded with listings for this sink, and it was all I could find on Google. Google thinks that once you click on one thing, that is all you ever want. So you click on one "MAGA" site and that's all you hear forever and ever, amen! Ditto for the Democrats - I am still getting texts and e-mails, several a day, pleading for money from a candidate running for dogcatcher in South Dakota - who has zero chance of winning, by the way.
But I digress.
I kept searching and searching, setting eBay to load 100 listings at a time and scrolling through hundreds of listings of this stainless steel sink before I found anything different. I saw this nice sink on eBay made of ceramic and bought it. It came in two sizes, one 8x14 and another 10x18. The listing showed them in left-hand and right-hand options, so I selected the smaller size, right-hand option.
Classy sink!
Once again, I find hundreds of listings for this same sink, mostly in the larger size. Why are there so many listings for the same item? Are they trying to SPAM the system so you buy their product - by drowning out other listings? I see this a lot on eBay - a listing for an item with the notation "only two left!" but dozens of listings elsewhere with the same item, similarly notated.
The right-hand model as selected.
So I ordered it and it arrived by FedEx in three days! But when I opened the box, my heart sank. The sink was left-handed, not right-handed as shown in the listing and there was no faucet. I re-read the listing and it said "includes faucet drain" which I thought meant faucet, but they meant the drain pipe.
The seller had contacted me when I ordered, with a long-winded e-mail addressed to "Dearest" so you know it was from China (well, that and all the stray Chinese characters in the listing). All the listings for all these sinks are poorly worded and full of stray characters. The language is often vague ("This is best sink!") and short on details ("See photos!").
So I contacted the seller and asked about the faucet and told them it was reversed. They replied they didn't sell faucets and the "faucet drain" language was an error. They also admitted that the smaller size sink was not available in the right-hand configuration and that was also an error in the listing. They offered me a $14 refund if I would keep the sink.
But of course, I don't need a left-hand sink, I need a right one. So I told them that, and over the period of a few days (their messages always coming at 11:00 PM EST) the offers of refunds increased to $20, then $28, and so on until they reached $50. They begged me not to return the item as it would cost them "eBay points" or something. I filed a return request and told them I would rather return the item for a full refund and they could re-sell it. They refunded my money and told me to keep the sink!
I found another sink, right-hand orientation, open box, from a surplus seller, minus all the mounting hardware. I found the faucet online for $25. So I ordered both. I left positive feedback for the original seller on eBay as I thought they were very decent to me, even though their listing was poorly done and they sent me the wrong sink.
But here's where it gets weird.
I e-mailed the original seller and told them I was not comfortable keeping the sink and asked if they wanted it back and that I would pay for the postage. They refused but asked me for my e-mail address (we had been communicating through eBay), which I ignored. They asked again and again and said they wanted to send me a "free gift" for being such a nice person. The free gift was a MIG welder worth over $100! I got very suspicious about this!
Free MIG welder? What does this have to do with sinks?
Why does he need my e-mail address to mail me a MIG welder anyway? Why, after giving a full refund of $58 does he want to throw over $100 worth of merchandise at me? I don't get it, but it sounds too-good-to-be-true and we know how that works.
Perhaps just selling my e-mail address? Trying to debit my PayPal account? (good luck with that, there is only $14 in it and no credit card or bank linked to it). Trying to debit Zelle? I don't know. Maybe it is legit and the shipper wants an e-mail address? Sounds implausible.
Years ago, I would have loved to have a MIG welder, but my days of welding things (or wanting to) are far behind me. It just struck me as weird.
Then eBay sent me a "survey" request about the transaction and I filled it out, noting that the seller was communicating well and offered refunds and gave a full refund. At the end of the survey were a series of demographic questions, including asking which of five genders I was, and my age....
.....the latter of which stopped me in my tracks. I am now the "65+" box and there ain't no box after that. So long as I was in the "50-65" I could kid myself that death was a long way off. And the "26-49" range? I will live forever! But such is not the case.
65+
Boy does that sting!
* * *
Here is the actual conversation with the seller. I cut and pasted this and for some reason the text was rotated 180 degrees (???) So I had to go in and manually edit 30 different formatting commands from "rotate -180" to "rotate 0". Still the messages are in reverse order - scroll down to the end and read upwards, sort of like Twitter BlueSky.
That is too generous! But thank you for the kind gesture!
8:00 PM
May I know your email? I would like to give you a free set of this product as a gift
7:03 PM
You are very kind. I left positive feedback on ebay. I finally found the right hand sink as an open box item from another seller. I really really like the sink!https://www.ebay.com/itm/296504515293
6:59 PM
No need, I'll give you the sink as a gift. Can you do me a favor? I would like to know your email address
6:00 PM
Mar 23, 2025
Thank you for the full refund! I will gladly send you back the sink and even pay the postage. Let me know what address to send it to! You have been very nice!
2:48 PM
I will refund you $40 and keep the product. Do you think it's okay?
7:57 PM
Mar 19, 2025
Here is a picture of the sad little sink I have in my camper. Your sink would have been so much better but it's not the right kind cuz it doesn't have the holes on the right side. I will do a return through eBay.
9:26 AM
OK， This can also be doneWould you be willing to keep him for a refund of half for you? You can sell or use it in the second-hand market, which is a very cost-effective price. We only have one stock of this product, and if it's sold out, we won't sell the sink anymore because the shipping cost is expensive and it's prone to damage during transportation. This is our last sink, and we will refund you $28. Would you like to keep it?
8:27 PM
It is very late here and I have to go to bed. I'll send you a photo tomorrow. I was really looking forward to installing the sink! It makes me very sad that it didn't fit and that the correct model is not available.
8:25 PM
Wouldn't it be cheaper to just ship the unit back to you for a full refund? I appreciate your generous offer but I would still be out $40 and stuck with the sink I can't use. I'll send you a picture of where I want to install it and you'll see why it won't work. It's reversed from the way it should be. The only reason I bought it from you was that you were the only Merchant who offered the right hand model with the faucet hole on the right.
8:24 PM
Do you think it's okay to refund you $20? I'm sorry, I understand that you just wanted to buy the right product. It was my fault. Can you forgive me?
8:18 PM
I'm not sure why I should have to pay for an error on your part
8:16 PM
It is a beautiful product, I just want to buy the right one.
8:15 PM
It was an error in our link and graphic display. In reality, we only have the product you received
8:13 PM
Why did your listing show that the right hand hole was available? There was even a selection icon for the two different sizes and left and right orientations. I am very confused by this.
8:12 PM
There are no other styles available, our product only has this one. We apologize for the inconvenience
8:11 PM
Do you have the correct sink in stock? With the faucet hole on the right hand side? I still want to buy the sink but I want to buy the right one. Please advise.
8:10 PM
I know, this is our display error. I will immediately go to the factory to rectify this issue
8:10 PM
Dear my friend,Hello, the return label for this product is USD17.94 . We are willing to refund you USD18 and you do not need to return the items. Do you think this is a feasible solution? You can sell it in the second-hand market. It's difficult to do business now, and we don't have any profit left. Your understanding and support will be appreciated, thank you.Of course if you have other ideas, you can discuss with us and we will try our best to meet your requirement.Please do not open return first, because eBay will deduct our points. Thank you for your understanding and support.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us and we will reply within one working day.Looking forward to your reply.Thank you!
8:09 PM
I mean the faucet hole on the right. I understand you don't sell the faucet.
8:08 PM
Can I just return this and get the one with the correct orientation? I really like the product but it's not going to work if it's reversed
8:06 PM
This model does not include faucets, dear. Our manufacturer does not produce faucets
8:06 PM
Why did the listing ask me to select a left or right orientation? Do you not sell the one in the other orientation? The picture shows it with a faucet on the right. Do you sell one like this?
8:05 PM
Mar 18, 2025
Yes, the graphic designer is not very skilled. I can refund you $14. Would you be willing to keep the product?
8:04 PM
I'm confused. Your listing shows the sink offered in both left and right orientations. Does it not come in both directions?
8:02 PM
Hello, dear buyerSorry for the inconvenience caused. We do not sell faucets, and the orientation of the basin may be a visual issue. We can refund you $10 and you can keep the product. Do you think that's okay?best regardsNICO
8:01 PM
Mar 18, 2025
I received the sink today. There are two problems.But first, let me thank you for your kind communication. Also, the shipping by FedEx was very fast! And the packaging was excellent. Heavy cardboard, lots of Styrofoam, and even a little knit bag for the drain pipe which was a big surprise - heavy bronze with a ceramic head. Very, very nice!But, I thought I ordered the "direction right" model with the faucet on the right. I even checked this twice, as when I clicked on "direction right" it showed the faucet on the right. The one you sent has the faucet hole on the left and that won't work in the confined space of my RV.Also, the listing says "with faucet drain" which I thought meant it came with the faucet shown as well as the drain. This seems to be an error in translation. In English, faucet means faucet and I never heard of the term "faucet drain" before.All that being said, I love the sink, it is just in the wrong direction and I need a faucet.1. Can I return this for the correct model with the faucet hole on the RIGHT as shown in the listing picture, attached?2. If it does not come with a faucet, do you sell one, and if so, can you provide me with a link to the listing? I will gladly pay extra for the faucet.3. I suggest you amend the listing to make it clear the faucet is NOT included, to avoid confusion in the future.You have a great product! It seems we have an error in communication, though.Look forward to hearing from you!
11:57 AM
Dear customer,We're thrilled to hear you're looking forward to receiving the sink. Your enthusiasm means a lot to us! We're confident you'll love it. It's been crafted with the utmost care to offer both functionality and an upscale appearance.If you encounter any issues during installation or have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to assist you every step of the way. And we'd be absolutely delighted if you could share a picture of the installed sink. It not only helps us see the product in use but also serves as great inspiration for other customers.Thank you again for your order, and we hope you enjoy using our sink for years to come.Best regards,NICO
6:48 PM
Mar 12, 2025
Thanks for your e-mail! I look forward to receiving the sink! I will send a picture of it installed if it works out well. It looks very upscale!
11:14 AM
