Sold a tank, 2 weeks later the individual says it's leaking. Need advice.

[Keiki]

I wrote "I think maybe You ruined the tank with putting silicon grease on the seals."
I never suggested that the grease should solve the silicone seams. I suggested it might creep in between the seams and the glass.

What I should have wrote is that it is easy to check. If You can lift the seams the smallest bit with Your finger nails then my fear was correct.

If the seams sits OK then my theory was wrong. Easy to find out.

Why would you even say "I think" when you aren't really sure? Google is always a good way to go first when it comes to saying something like this.

 

[Stigigemla]

If I am certain is not important.
The important thing is that the OP (or the buyer) can check the silicone seams with a finger nail.

 

[daftwazzock]

In the Netherlands the OP would be responsible for the faulty tank. Buyers/customers are given a great deal of protection here, and any liability falls on the seller. If he was here, he'd have to prove the buyer did something to the aquarium that damaged it.

Actually, taking a video of the aquarium prior to selling it and showing there were no leaks might be enough proof. Idk.

Guarantees, cancelling and returning your purchases - Your Europe

How to claim the 2-year guarantee for EU purchases, get a repair, replacement or refund, how to cancel orders made outside shops (online, by phone, mail order).

europa.eu

If the product is defective, who is responsible for putting things right?
The seller, even for purchases made on an internet platform. However, the platform may have agreed to act as an intermediary so read the terms and conditions.

By when must the consumer notify the seller of a defect?
The consumer must act within a reasonable period (2 months) of noticing the defect.

Who has to prove the presence/absence of a defect and how long do they have to do this?
The seller must prove that the item was not defective for the first 6 months after the delivery of the product ("reversal of burden of proof"). After this time the consumer must prove that it was defective

 

[Rolrod39]

Once you sell it your hands are clean. Sold. He can reseal the tank.

 

[therootcause]

You owe the buyer nothing, but if you have the cash...if you’re well off...if you wanna feel better about it...help a neighbor out.

 

[Treefer32]

I sold a 220 Gallon tank and stand from a storage unit. I hauled it 200 miles packed in a uhaul trailer, Asked the buyer to have enough people to assist in unloading and placing it as I wasn't going to throw my back out. They had 1 guy and a lady that must have weighed maybe 100lbs. My first choice words were not appropriate here. I helped the husband and another guy (it took 4 strong guys to unload it from my house...) and man handled the thing into their house onto the stand. I left, with them having everything they bought and the other half of the money in hand.

They had the LFS come plumb the tank and set it up. And it's never leaked. That was a lot of travel, man handling of thick glass. Any seal could have broke anywhere. . . My custom 350 took 5 guys down a U shaped stair case, it stood on end several times. And was man handled to the steal stand where it is now full of water, never leaking. . .

All to say, my bet is the new owners had to have done something wrong. Did they leave it outside in the cold for two weeks? Then bring it in and fill it with warm water? Or Did they drop it somewhere? Either way, it's not your issue. I don't know what I would have done if the 220 leaked when I drove it 200 miles. I explicitly had them sign an agreement stating it's as is. If I was hauling it I was covering my butt. Maybe it's necessary for peace of mind to have some type of agreement for anything over a certain dollar amount. Just for your own conscience.

 

[RJ F.]

Man this got thick quick lol. I truly feel that OP doesnt have any obligation here. You sold the tank as is and did all your testing prior. With that being said it really comes down to the OP and how they would like to proceed. I know for me that the community I hang around look out for each other. We would all help each other to find a solution instead of getting stuck in the details. I'm sure there is enough knowledge among the local community just from what has been posted in this thread to quickly and easily get it fixed. Again I'm not saying the op has any obligation. The way I look at it as that we all have our turn in the bad luck category. We are reefers and we look out for each other. I dont think it always comes down to right or wrong.

 

[Sidvicious]

In the Netherlands the OP would be responsible for the faulty tank. Buyers/customers are given a great deal of protection here, and any liability falls on the seller. If he was here, he'd have to prove the buyer did something to the aquarium that damaged it.

Actually, taking a video of the aquarium prior to selling it and showing there were no leaks might be enough proof. Idk.

Guarantees, cancelling and returning your purchases - Your Europe

How to claim the 2-year guarantee for EU purchases, get a repair, replacement or refund, how to cancel orders made outside shops (online, by phone, mail order).

europa.eu

Well it’s great that the OP lives in the United States then and doesn’t have to follow this ridiculousness.

 

[boostedbeast]

Resealing a tank is probably the easiest thing to do in this hobby. If they cant do that without complaining then theyll never last. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MnFish1]

By the way - Another suggestion - if you sell a high value item - its simple to draw up a small sheet of paper documenting that 'the buyer saw the tank with no leaks' and 'its being sold as is' - and have both of you sign it. If they dont want to do that - they can buy a tank from someone else?

Second - I always wonder about posts like the OP's - Why is he/she asking this? Why does he/she feel 'guilty' about something that nearly everyone here thinks he/she should be fine with (myself included)? To me it gives the SENSE that the OP knew of a potential problem before the sale. Though in this case I'm not suggesting that.

Third about the silicone grease - I read the post differently than some of the more 'angry people here' - and I think there is a valid point - the point being that silicone grease is hard to remove - and after you're gone scraping the old silicone off - its of course going to push that grease into the seams and onto the glass - which MAY produce weak spots in the new slicone. I'm not sure thats completely 'ridiculous' as has been said. I would not think that silicon grease itself CAUSED the leak but that it might cause problems with resealing the glass.

 

[Silent]

I debated even replying to this thread, but I will.
What is the length of time a used item should be warrantied/guaranteed? A day, week, or year?
There is no clear or stated time line so I believe the "reasonable person" theory would apply here. It seems to be that a reasonable person would assume buying a used item on craigslist or R2R selling forum is sold as-is upon completion of the transaction.

 

[MnFish1]

Here is an interesting article that might help the OP - as well as the people that think he could 'do more'. Note - the article is heavily 'anti used tank purchases' - and is anecdotal. But - it does tell a story

 

[Sidvicious]

By the way - Another suggestion - if you sell a high value item - its simple to draw up a small sheet of paper documenting that 'the buyer saw the tank with no leaks' and 'its being sold as is' - and have both of you sign it. If they dont want to do that - they can buy a tank from someone else?

Second - I always wonder about posts like the OP's - Why is he/she asking this? Why does he/she feel 'guilty' about something that nearly everyone here thinks he/she should be fine with (myself included)? To me it gives the SENSE that the OP knew of a potential problem before the sale. Though in this case I'm not suggesting that.

Third about the silicone grease - I read the post differently than some of the more 'angry people here' - and I think there is a valid point - the point being that silicone grease is hard to remove - and after you're gone scraping the old silicone off - its of course going to push that grease into the seams and onto the glass - which MAY produce weak spots in the new slicone. I'm not sure thats completely 'ridiculous' as has been said. I would not think that silicon grease itself CAUSED the leak but that it might cause problems with resealing the glass.

If you’re not suggesting that then why even state it in the first place? Don’t be silly with being passive aggressive and say what you mean. With regards to your other claim, it’s fake news. Grease had absolutely nothing to do with the tank failure and that’s a fact set in stone and can’t be argued with no matter how you’d like to spin it to your liking. I have a BS/MS in Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech. To say I know a thing or two about this topic would be a bit of an understatement. I may not know much (a hint of sarcasm) but this right here is in my wheelhouse of vast knowledge.

 

[Sidvicious]

I think you all know what should be before the MS, it's an abbreviation for Bachelor of Science lol

 

[MnFish1]

If you’re not suggesting that then why even state it in the first place? Don’t be silly with being passive aggressive and say what you mean. With regards to your other claim, it’s fake news. Grease had absolutely nothing to do with the tank failure and that’s a fact set in stone and can’t be argued with no matter how you’d like to spin it to your liking. I have a crap/MS in Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering from Georgia Tech. To say I know a thing or two about this topic would be a bit of an understatement. I may not know much (a hint of sarcasm) but this right here is in my wheelhouse of vast knowledge.

I wasnt being passive aggressive - at all. I suggested if you are selling a tank - or any other high priced item - that putting something in writing before the person leaves is a good idea. Stating that the item is sold 'as is'.

I was suggesting that it seems odd when people do this - I wasnt trying to individually call the guy out.

Lastly - You didnt read what I wrote about the silicone grease. I agreed with you.. The silicone grease had nothing to do with this tank failure. What I said was I read the suggestion about the grease differently - at least one of them. I thought what the person was trying to say was 'when trying to fix the leak, it will be difficult for someone to remove all of the old slilicone from the tank'. Especially when prying under the old silicone to remove it - it means that there MAY be places where silicone grease is left on the aquarium - and when new silicone is applied - it could help cause a faulty seal. I'm not sure what your problem with that logic is......

And yeah - the abbreviation for 'Bachelor of Science' - is automatically changed to another word lol

 

[daftwazzock]

Well it’s great that the OP lives in the United States then and doesn’t have to follow this ridiculousness.

Perhaps, but threads like this are the perfect example of why buying used goods in the US is like playing russian roulette, especially when there's no warranty or other buyer protection. Save the extra money to buy new, and enjoy the security of having a warranty. The headache if something goes wrong is never worth it.

On the other hand, it's also why I never bother trying to sell things secondhand where I live now. I just throw them out or donate them to the secondhand store. So it goes both ways.

 

[Sidvicious]

I wasnt being passive aggressive - at all. I suggested if you are selling a tank - or any other high priced item - that putting something in writing before the person leaves is a good idea. Stating that the item is sold 'as is'.

I was suggesting that it seems odd when people do this - I wasnt trying to individually call the guy out.

Lastly - You didnt read what I wrote about the silicone grease. I agreed with you.. The silicone grease had nothing to do with this tank failure. What I said was I read the suggestion about the grease differently - at least one of them. I thought what the person was trying to say was 'when trying to fix the leak, it will be difficult for someone to remove all of the old slilicone from the tank'. Especially when prying under the old silicone to remove it - it means that there MAY be places where silicone grease is left on the aquarium - and when new silicone is applied - it could help cause a faulty seal. I'm not sure what your problem with that logic is......

And yeah - the abbreviation for 'Bachelor of Science' - is automatically changed to another word lol

A product to remove the grease has already been stated. You make as if removing the grease is nearly impossible, when that’s not the case. With regards to your passive aggressiveness, if you have to reiterate that’s not what you were implying, chances are that’s exactly what you were implying otherwise you wouldn’t have made the statement in the first place. Say it, own it and move along.

 

[Sidvicious]

Perhaps, but threads like this are the perfect example of why buying used goods in the US is like playing russian roulette, especially when there's no warranty or other buyer protection. Save the extra money to buy new, and enjoy the security of having a warranty. The headache if something goes wrong is never worth it.

On the other hand, it's also why I never bother trying to sell things secondhand where I live now. I just throw them out or donate them to the secondhand store. So it goes both ways.

There’s no perhaps about it, it’s great the OP lives in the United States so he doesn’t have to deal with such nonsense. Common sense has seemed to vanish, especially with rules/laws you mentioned..... which by the way have absolutely nothing to do with the OP and I still have no idea why you’d mention it when it serves no purpose here.

 

[Gw2kpro]

By the way - Another suggestion - if you sell a high value item - its simple to draw up a small sheet of paper documenting that 'the buyer saw the tank with no leaks' and 'its being sold as is' - and have both of you sign it.

Not sure what that would have accomplished here. The buyer and seller already agree that the tank was leak detected, inspected, and not leaking when it was sold.

Sometimes stuff happens. It doesn't mean the buyer or the seller did anything wrong. It's a large, heavy, used tank. Moving it is going to cause it some stress which can lead to premature failure. That risk is why things like this are typically sold for a fraction of new price.

 

[daftwazzock]

There’s no perhaps about it, it’s great the OP lives in the United States so he doesn’t have to deal with such nonsense. Common sense has seemed to vanish, especially with rules/laws you mentioned..... which by the way have absolutely nothing to do with the OP and I still have no idea why you’d mention it when it serves no purpose here.

It's not nonsense, it's common sense consumer protection law, and the lack of it in the US is exactly why the phrase 'buyer beware' isn't just some silly latin saying. This thread should serve as a big warning for anyone wanting to buy a large used tank in the US, regardless of how good of a guy the seller is or how many checks they did because if something goes wrong you're totally screwed. The peace of mind of a warranty and insurance is worth way more than saving a few quick bucks on a 'good deal' for something used.