re: "BNIB" - What does it really cover?

[cacatman]

Hi all,
Recently, I purchased a pair of Oakley matte green grenades. They were described on eBay as "BNIB".

I know that this is urbanspeak for "Brand New In Box", but what does this exactly cover?

Was it a wrong assumption to also assume that this covered the box condition also?

Granted, the sunglasses themselves were immaculate.

But the box was cracked, sticky taped on one part and one of the flaps was completely broken off.

I'd rate the box 3/10 probably. See my picture below.

In fairness, I was in error to not clarify prior to auction end, and also, the first photo of the item actually shows the box "open" at one end.

The description doesn't describe the box condition, although for such a collector's item, I personally would have disclosed it's condition, especially if it was not "up to scratch".

What do you think? Am I being too picky/unreasonable. I genuinely am open to whether it's reasonable to ask for a partial refund or not.

I paid USD$225 for them, which I felt was a good price, considering the sunglasses appeared mint.

Not sure if I'm allowed to post the link, and shall remove if this isn't permitted.

Oakley Olive Grenade Frogskins BNIB

 

[barok0208]

For $225 you should have got the box in perfect shape as well...

 

[oakleyman2424]

Those Frogskins boxes can be very delicate and seem to break pretty easily. I disagree with barok who said "for $225 you should have gotten a mint box as well." Having the original box, in any condition, is still pretty cool and 1000x better than not having it at all.

The important items here are the sunglasses and micro bag, not the plain clear frogskins box that they made 10 million of.

 

[barok0208]

I got the same frog as that for less than $150 with the box in way better condition than that.. i got it a long while after the release.,. It maybe is a steal but that id where i am coming from..

 

[cacatman]

I got the same frog as that for less than $150 with the box in way better condition than that.. i got it a long while after the release.,. It maybe is a steal but that id where i am coming from..

How long ago? When did you buy it?

I'd been looking around for a while and could only find one's either with scratched lenses and box, or with no microfibre and no box. The others seemed to be priced exorbitantly.

 

[barok0208]

Maybe a year or 2 ago... gone are my days where impaid more than $200 for a frog.. i have grown to become cheap and patient.. really patient...

I think i got it from this group.. just dont be afraid to negotiate..

 

[mjt42]

it's one of those 'buyer beware' instances...

'BNIB' as you correctly say, is taken as brand new in box but if the seller is a bit unscrupulous this could mean 'a brand new pair of sunglasses in a box'. a box could be an old shoe box....

i would contact him and request a partial refund - especially if the box was photographed from a strategic angle to hide the condition or not in the auction at all. maybe you can post a link to the auction..?


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[OakleyFrankFMJ]

Those Frogskins boxes can be very delicate and seem to break pretty easily. I disagree with barok who said "for $225 you should have gotten a mint box as well." Having the original box, in any condition, is still pretty cool and 1000x better than not having it at all.

The important items here are the sunglasses and micro bag, not the plain clear frogskins box that they made 10 million of.

I kind of agree with this.

A box can have things happen to it over time but the sunglasses in the box can remain perfect and untouched.

 

[cacatman]

it's one of those 'buyer beware' instances...

'BNIB' as you correctly say, is taken as brand new in box but if the seller is a bit unscrupulous this could mean 'a brand new pair of sunglasses in a box'. a box could be an old shoe box....

i would contact him and request a partial refund - especially if the box was photographed from a strategic angle to hide the condition or not in the auction at all. maybe you can post a link to the auction..?


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This is the link.... Oakley Olive Grenade Frogskins BNIB

What do you think? I couldn't tell it was taped or broken on the end.

 

[mjt42]

i think you could send a polite email to the seller requesting a partial refund. explain that his photos didn't match the description and that 'bnib' is widely accepted as 'brand new in box' - exactly as you would get from an official retailer.

keep us posted as to how you get on...


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