What's a basilisk worth without the right fangs?

mowf

Hi there, I've been a Brickset member for a while but not posted before, so please be gentle! I got a Chamber of Secrets from eBay recently, the pictures showed it as being complete and the seller advertised a 100% parts guarantee. Unfortunately when it arrived, the glow in the dark fangs for the basilisk were nowhere to be found. The vendor has offered to replace them, but only with standard grey ones, so he's not really fulfilling his guarantee. My question is, how much of an impact does this have on the value of the set?
I'd be very interested to hear what you reckon.

binaryeye

mowf said:

My question is, how much of an impact does this have on the value of the set?

Probably quite a bit, considering the glow in the dark daggers used for the fangs were unique to that set. The BrickLink average for a pair is ~$16 (used), which is ~12% of the average cost of the entire set (used).

mountebank

This is the best title of a thread I've seen on here. It is fantastic.

Huw

Fangtastic, surely!

mowf

mountebank said:

This is the best title of a thread I've seen on here. It is fantastic.

Why thank you. I think it's a question we should all be asking ourselves.

SapmiSatan

I have the right fangs, but prefer using those (relatively) new spike pieces in white. They look better, although the glow in the dark daggers are novel.

SapmiSatan

Holy cow, my profile pic is topical! (Right set, at least...)

Pitfall69

How does a basilisk get through life with only one fang? 

He has to grin and bare it.

Pitfall69

So, you are saying there were no glow in the dark fangs in the basilisk's mowf? ;)

oldtodd33

Back on topic, I would tell him to get the correct fangs or take the set back for a full refund including your cost to ship it back.

mowf

Pitfall69 said:

So, you are saying there were no glow in the dark fangs in the basilisk's mowf? ;)

That's right. They are there in the picture on ebay, but obviously never made it into the box. I don't want to make a big deal of it with the vendor, I certainly don't want the hassle of getting e refund and sending the set back, but they are kind of a big feature of the set and it's definitely not worth much without them. I'm thinking maybe I ask him to refund me the price of a pair of correct fangs from Bricklink.

Pitfall69

I had two of these sets at one time. I made darned sure the basilisk was complete and all Minifigures were accounted for. The seller should have done the same, unless he used someone else's ebay photo. It is only fair that you receive the exact replacement or refund the difference.

mowf

Thanks for all your comments guys, they've been really helpful. I will let you know the outcome once I've been in touch with the seller. And then perhaps sell the film rights. But only if they agree to use the title of this thread.

TLG

2015 is already off to a great start. This thread title is priceless:)

monkey

Have you checked and double checked the packaging? Just thinking since the fangs were in the seller's pitcure. Lego pieces especially small ones can act invisible, even in transparent bags after you've emptied it and checked that its empty and then missing a piece, it is not unusual to find it still sitting in the bag somehow!

legomason

Or it could be stuck inside something. I once had two chains stuck in the back side of a 2x6x5 wall on box open.

1265

monkey said:

Have you checked and double checked the packaging? Just thinking since the fangs were in the seller's pitcure. Lego pieces especially small ones can act invisible, even in transparent bags after you've emptied it and checked that its empty and then missing a piece, it is not unusual to find it still sitting in the bag somehow!

Not buying it. The seller would not of offered replacement fangs if they were supposedly included in the original package.

I believe the seller was trying to pull a bait-and-switch. Unfortunately for him.....someone with knowledge purchased the set.

plasmodium

I love the thread title. Sounds like an ancient proverb or riddle or something. :-P
"Confucius he say, 'What's a basilisk worth without the right fangs?'"

mountebank

It's great. It's a line I could imagine reading in Aesop's Fables, reported in the trial of Thomas More, spoken in Philip Marlow's office, or shouted out in the Simpsons. Look at the other thread titles in the forum, how many of them have that kind of potential?

mowf

I seem to have unintentionally started something here. Just not sure what.

mountebank

mowf said:

My question is, how much of an impact does this have on the value of the set?

It's easy to forget there was a request for help too. The fangs are available on Bricklink from a US seller (who has 2) for about £5 each and so in my view the impact would be about £15. I'd ask your ebay seller for that as a partial refund with a passing reference to payment avoiding the need to open a Not As Described case. If you end up with the set and not the fangs you should be looking to buy them sooner rather than later.

There is no need to fang me.

zipsforbananas

Sorry, can't think of a pun to add to the awesomeness, though the title is beyond awesome!
I'd think the simplest solution would be asking for a refund to match the amount replacement fangs will cost, sorting it through Bricklink should be enough to prove to them it's all legitimate and fair.

Pitfall69

Clearly, your favorite holiday must be Fangsgiving.

mowf

Thanks for your comments, they've definitely given me somefang to think about. Sorry. I messaged the guy this morning saying pretty much that. In the meantime I've sorted replacements via Bricklink, for about £15. I'm just waiting to see what the seller comes back with now.

natro220

Hopefully you get the most fang for your buck.... sorry...had to join in the pun, I mean fun.

sidersdd

monkey said:

Have you checked and double checked the packaging? Just thinking since the fangs were in the seller's pitcure. Lego pieces especially small ones can act invisible, even in transparent bags after you've emptied it and checked that its empty and then missing a piece, it is not unusual to find it still sitting in the bag somehow!

Since they are glow in the dark pieces, take everything into a dark area and see if they appear. :)

natro220

Maybe they are under Harry's invisibility cloak?

legomason

Forgot to mention I got this set in a bag from Goodwill before Christmas for $30. Fangs included!

legomason

What's the sound of one hand clapping?

BrickDancer

^The sound a 'like' makes in cyberspace.

mowf

I know you've all had sleepless nights wondering about the outcome of this little episode, so I will put you out of your misery. The seller was good to his word and bought a set of the correct fangs and sent them to me, so it was a happy ending. Doubly so in fact, because I thought he would just take the easy way out and refund me £15, so I bought a set myself. Heigh ho.

Tufted_duck

Great title, whole load of puns, people being helpful and a happy ending. So glad I joined the forum. *goes off to make celebratory cup of tea*