zeolite
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2008
- Messages
- 619
This Thailand based eBay seller has a 99.1% good feedback, based on 221 reports.
I purchased the very intense “apatite” pictured below, for a bid of $25 + $9 shipping. I purchased it AFTER a purple apatite of somewhat similar color was reported on gemologyonline.com, recently submitted to GIA and confirmed as natural apatite.
I thought the auction photo was greatly intensified in Photoshop. When I received the gem, it was identical in intensity to the photo.
I always test cut gems when I buy them. An effortless 5 minutes of testing proved it was a synthetic cobalt colored spinel.
When I reported to the seller that it was not as represented, I didn’t just give my word. I told him: apatite has a refractive index of 1.642-1.646. This stone has a refractive index of 1.726. Apatite had a density of 3.18. So it would sink in 3.05 heavy liquid, and will float in 3.32 heavy liquid. I sent two very clear pictures, showing it sinking in both liquids. It sinks quite fast in 3.32 liquid, and spinel has a density of about 3.60. I included a scan of my GIA gemology degree. I never accused him of fraud. Like Sgt Friday in Dragnet, “just the facts”.
I gave him 8 days to respond. He refused to reply. That made it more clear to me it was intentional fraud. I sent him a second email, outlining what I could do, about online warnings, report to eBay, and negative feedback. He has refused to reply.
I reported the fraud to eBay, expecting nothing from them except stonewalling, to protect their revenue from his eBay store. From eBay website, the path: home>ebay store>specialnext. Their reporting form allowed about 100 letters to describe the problem, hardly enough to explain a complex situation. In that 100 letters, I did say I was a gemologist.
I got a reply from eBay today, not requesting further explanation, and that Paypal would refund my money for this fraud. This makes me think maybe this isn’t the first report of fraud eBay may have received about him. I then went to his store, and it is still operating, it has not yet been shutdown by eBay. eBay may not shut it down, wanting continued fees from his store.
From a business point of view, I find his non-response absolutely stupid. His store has this comment:
Please do not leave a negative or neutral feedback before contacting us, We will try and resolve any problem you may have.
You would think he would try to protect his 99.1% good feedback. I have bent over backwards to give him a chance to respond, and as of today, 26 days later, I have not yet filed negative feedback. I’ll have to issue it soon.
All he had to do was to appease this gemologist, and then go on, merrily ripping off other consumers, who do not have the knowledge and test equipment to confront him. Stupid.