Where the amount in dispute is around 200 euros, the enforcement of justified claims usually founders on the costs: to secure a solicitor for such a case is difficult and uneconomic, and disreputable sellers count on precisely that. Being in the right and obtaining one's right are therefore two different things in online auctions.
The platform's buyer protection programme offers partial compensation: in 2004 purchases up to a goods value of 200 euros were covered, with an excess of 25 euros. In practice the dispute frequently ends with a negotiated reduction in price, which nevertheless costs the buyer money. If the seller is a commercial vendor, the free arbitration board (Schiedsstelle) of the federal association Die Verbraucher Initiative e.V. can additionally be called upon.
Prevention is more effective: one bids by preference with sellers whom one already knows or who have demonstrably sold high-quality writing instruments successfully before. The safest course remains purchase from a specialist dealer.