Anyone who buys/sells electronics regularly on eBay

[kim-chee-san]

I recently sold a cellphone on eBay and included two batteries--one was fairly used up and could last only a day or two on a full charge and the other one was brand new.

I got an email from the buyer saying that both batteries were fried. Both batteries worked just fine when I shipped them. Is it possible for a battery to explode/leak while in transit?

I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt because he's got perfect feedback from over 500 users.

Moderator note: I split this off from the eBay Bidding / Buying thread as it's slightly off topic

[rkawakami]

It's possible that if the battery(ies) were packed loosely inside the package and allowed to slide around, that the terminals could contact a piece of metal and short out. Leakage should not be too much of a problem with NiMh or LiIon batteries; high temperatures and fire is the usual result of mishandling.

What is he asking for in the way of compensation and has he provided any documentation (i.e. pictures) of the package and contents as it was opened?

[NorrisCell]

It's possible I suppose, but the conditions would have to be perfect like those mentioned above. It's difficult to fry a battery in a short period of time without some sort of additional player (Water, metal, something like that) but it's not impossible. If the batteries were secure in the package and wrapped decently, I would guess there is some sort of user error. What kind of phone is it?

[kim-chee-san]

The phone is a Samsung SGH-T809--loved it but it had the worst battery life I've ever seen on a cellphone.

Ray: No, he didn't offer any proof/documentation. He said he would be happy with a new battery (even though I had sent him one with the original package).

I didn't think a $5 battery was worth getting negative feedback or doing a return on the entire thing so I bought one and sent it to him.

[NorrisCell]

That was probably the best route to take. It's a shame that there's no way to verify things like that, especially when you know it worked well when it left you.