I know better, I really do.

[Gypsy]

I broke my own ebay rule. I bought from a seller with less than a 99.6 rating, with feedback that sent of warning bells in my head.

But I wanted those swing arm lamps so BAD. And they were so expensive at Pottery Barn. And these were brand new in box for half the price. And she has a 98.6 rating.

First she completely forgot to ship them.
Then once I sent her an email the day I expected to receive them, she mails them.
To the wrong address.
Fortunately DHL was willing to re-deliver to a correct address.


SO they get here today. I tell FI to check them when they arrive before accepting them to make sure they are BRONZE not BRASS. As when I was reviewing the feedback from this seller I notice that NOT ONLY had she received negative feedback for her late shipping, for her sending to incorrect addresses... BUT she also has bad feedback for sending incorrect items.

So I explain to FI that bronze is the color of the candelabra he broke his foot on and brass was the color of the desk lamp the cat broke.

I call him today and ask him which it is. He says... it looks like the desk lamp only dirtier.

I say... "dirty as in DARK?"

He says yes. I assume bronze.

Just got home, brass. Says so right on the box.

I bought these well over two weeks ago. And the seller is NOT known to be good about returning items. And she doesn't (according to her feedback) pay for returns shipping.

SO I'm REALLY ticked at myself right now.

I know better.

Sorry... just had to vent.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, Gypsy, what a major pain! I hate returning anything from ebay, so I only buy things I don''t care about returning even if something is wrong with the item. Can''t you just use the brass? Or maybe you can spray paint them? I''m really sorry!

 

[diamondfan]

Is she completey moronic? How often can one send wrong things to the wrong address? Just cannot understand how some people function. This is why I pretty much will not buy from Ebay since even with a small item it is not worth the gamble of wondering will it come and be right and if not, what do you do about it? I am so sorry though and hope it gets resolved...

 

[Gypsy]

Yeah, I thought about spray painting them... but I wouldn''t have gotten in a bidding war over these. There were three other Brass versions of this lamp for sale.. I could have saved 40 bucks on them if I had just wanted brass... but I wanted the bronze and there was another bidder that kept warring with me for them. So I paid more than I would have (but still less than retail).

I just want my bronze ones. WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. *stomps feet*


LOL.

 

[snlee]

That really sucks! I''m sorry this happened to you. It''s stories like this that make we want to stay away from eBay! And like you said, if I do bid on something, the seller must have a really high rating. I hope you get this issue resolved.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/30/2007 11:23:51 PM
Author: diamondfan
Is she completey moronic? How often can one send wrong things to the wrong address? Just cannot understand how some people function. This is why I pretty much will not buy from Ebay since even with a small item it is not worth the gamble of wondering will it come and be right and if not, what do you do about it? I am so sorry though and hope it gets resolved...

That's the theory I'm operating under.

To make it worse *I* have a 100% rating both as a buyer AND as a seller. SO I'd like to preserve that, and she hasn't left feedback for me yet. Probably because she knows she's a screw up and wants the option of posting retaliatory feedback.


And I've got a pair of antique candleabra my mother gave me I want to sell. Don't match anything in my life... nor are the likely too. But my mother recently re-did her whole house so I inheritted them. Need my credibility to unload them on ebay for anything NEAR what they are worth.

I might just consign them honestly.

 

[diamondfan]

I would, go to a nice antique store and sell them there. Just much less hassle, you never have to interface with anyone, the store deals with it all. I think Ebay really ain''t all it''s cracked up to be!

 

[Gypsy]

thank you snlee! She has the lowest feedback of anyone I''ve bought from. ANd really... it''s my own fault. I talked myself into it saying... well there is a 98% chance it will go off without a hitch.

I''m a good negotiator, but I''ve got to stop negotiating with myself. LOL. Ahh well. This is helping a lot. My mad is draining away. If she doesn''t have DHL pick the item up at her cost AND ship me the bronze ones similtanously I will just spray paint them with a metal paint.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/30/2007 11:32:33 PM
Author: diamondfan
I would, go to a nice antique store and sell them there. Just much less hassle, you never have to interface with anyone, the store deals with it all. I think Ebay really ain''t all it''s cracked up to be!

Gonna have to post and see where PSers suggest I go to do that. I''m sure the Bay Area PSers will know of someplace worth going to.

Thanks for the suggestion DF, much appreciated.

 

[Kaleigh]

Sheesh, she does sound like a moron!! Hoping the metalic spray works as a last resort. I'm hoping she will take them back as they were NOT what you ordered. But I know it's a PITA working these things out. So therefore I am EBAY free!!! Hiding my head and ducking......

 

[Gypsy]

Why ducking? It''s sounding like a better and better idea to me. LOL.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 5/30/2007 11:44:45 PM
Author: Gypsy
Why ducking? It''s sounding like a better and better idea to me. LOL.

Cause I could have said, I told ya so...

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/30/2007 11:36:26 PM
Author: Gypsy
thank you snlee! She has the lowest feedback of anyone I''ve bought from. ANd really... it''s my own fault. I talked myself into it saying... well there is a 98% chance it will go off without a hitch.

I''m a good negotiator, but I''ve got to stop negotiating with myself. LOL. Ahh well. This is helping a lot. My mad is draining away. If she doesn''t have DHL pick the item up at her cost AND ship me the bronze ones similtanously I will just spray paint them with a metal paint.

I have friends who are so crafty and make such beautiful things by just doing little fixes like spraypaint etc. A friend of mine is an interior decorator and she has such a talent for turning average into amazing!

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/30/2007 11:52:19 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 5/30/2007 11:36:26 PM
Author: Gypsy
thank you snlee! She has the lowest feedback of anyone I've bought from. ANd really... it's my own fault. I talked myself into it saying... well there is a 98% chance it will go off without a hitch.

I'm a good negotiator, but I've got to stop negotiating with myself. LOL. Ahh well. This is helping a lot. My mad is draining away. If she doesn't have DHL pick the item up at her cost AND ship me the bronze ones similtanously I will just spray paint them with a metal paint.

I have friends who are so crafty and make such beautiful things by just doing little fixes like spraypaint etc. A friend of mine is an interior decorator and she has such a talent for turning average into amazing!

Cehra, I used to be honestly. I even worked as an interior decorator for a short time. (Don't have the temperment for it. Requires extreme tact). But well... I didn't want to have to deal with it for my bedroom. Still, it is a reasonably inexpensive solution. I can get them both done with two cans of paint. One a bronze and anotter an antigue gold, and a nice sponge. They are nice and sturdy.

Kaliegh... LOL. You could have, but you didn't.

 

[Kaleigh]

This is a funny story to make you feel better I hope Gypsy.
Hubby emails me about a nice grill he found on Ebay for our new house in Nantucket. It was an expensive grill, very good looking. He said we could get it for half the price. I said give me a phone number, I need to check this out, fore you hit the buy it now button.

Turns out a supplier was selling them dirt cheap as there was a fire in the warehouse, and lots of water damage. The grills still work, but are dented. Some badly some not so bad. Think fork lifts removing them in a hurry... I was like I am still not paying such and such for either a broke as* grill or a dented one. The shipping to Nantucket would have been insane, and shipping it back would have been a PITA. I want to block his computer from ebay, hehe.

 

[Gypsy]

LOL Kaliegh. Smart of you to check it out. They didn't disclose the damage in the ad? Bugs the heck out of me.

Reminds me of FI's only foray into ebay shopping:

My fiance bought me a pair of the shoddiest, ugliest garnet earrings off ebay for our first Christmas together. Apparently he had budgeted a nice sum of money for the earrings and was all set to buy them from a local store I had seen them in when a friend of his told him to save his money and buy from ebay. Well he ended up buying me a TON of stuff with the money he saved-- I got 7 presents that year... and the ugly earrings. They didn't match each other in size OR color, were HORRIBLY windowed and the settings and post where like aluminum fol they were so flimsy. But they didn't arrive till Christmas Eve day... and it was too late, the ones I liked were already sold. He was so upset when he saw them and when he explained what happened to me he hasn't used ebay since.

Good thing too.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Gypsy,

I am so sorry I am laughing at your post. Not your situation...but the elementary way you had to describe brass/bronze to your husband. And the fact you had TWO examples...and they were BOTH broken-and one was broken by the cat? As I read your words, I was using the tone you had to have been...and I just laughed so hard. (I really feel bad...as I know you are miserable.)

Hark.... you can take icky old Brass and steel wool it to a dull finish. You are going to want to scuff them anyway before you paint to make the paint stick. When using your steel wool or a scuff pad you will find the brushed look of brass to begin to look not so...ugh...brassy. You can hand rub some paint or stain on the metal...and then wipe away the majority and you will end up with a bronzy finish.

If these lamps are something you are constantly going to touch...I would attempt to veer away from the full solid paint idea. You are going to knick it and scratch it...and you will forever be reminded of this moron and ebay. If she is offering a swap...and you are stuck with return shipping costs...remind yourself of the time and expense of paint and maybe you can convince yourself that the added shipping you have to pay is just a fee to right this knuckleheads slack and ineptitude. (it is not right or fair...but it will restore you-and yet she still remains a

knuckle head).

Sorry I was laughing...really...DKS

 

[Gypsy]

DKS... I''m HAPPY you are laughing. I love my FI but he can''t tell the difference between white, ivory and ecru. It''s white to him. I''ve learned to adjust my communication with him to TRY To tell him what I mean.

Yes, the cat broke the lamp. That would be her 2nd lamp of 6 she''s broken. Which is why I bought WALL MOUNTED swing arm bedside lamps this time.

As for the candelabra... he broke his toe when he accidentally kicked it during the move. I figured both would be memorable enough to bring clear picture to his mind of colors I was referring to.

I wall steel wool them before painting them if it comes to it.

And honestly? I''m not even upset anymore. What happens happens. Either way, I''m getting lamps that HOPEFULLY Hally can''t break and they will be the correct color whether they arrive that way, or are altered by my hand this weekend. It''s such a small thing in the scheme of things, and venting here with you all has just put it all into perspective. I''m NOT leaving her good feedback though if she doesn''t fix this. I''ll leave NO feedback to preserve my own, but I won''t give her anything postive.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 5/31/2007 12:35:51 AM
Author: Gypsy
DKS... I''m HAPPY you are laughing. I love my FI but he can''t tell the difference between white, ivory and ecru. It''s white to him. I''ve learned to adjust my communication with him to TRY To tell him what I mean.

Yes, the cat broke the lamp. That would be her 2nd lamp of 6 she''s broken. Which is why I bought WALL MOUNTED swing arm bedside lamps this time.

As for the candelabra... he broke his toe when he accidentally kicked it during the move. I figured both would be memorable enough to bring clear picture to his mind of colors I was referring to.

I wall steel wool them before painting them if it comes to it.

And honestly? I''m not even upset anymore. What happens happens. Either way, I''m getting lamps that HOPEFULLY Hally can''t break and they will be the correct color whether they arrive that way, or are altered by my hand this weekend. It''s such a small thing in the scheme of things, and venting here with you all has just put it all into perspective. I''m NOT leaving her good feedback though if she doesn''t fix this. I''ll leave NO feedback to preserve my own, but I won''t give her anything postive.

Gypsy, sorry to hear you had a bad experience. The only thing I''ve ever bought off ebay was the SI ultrasonic cleaner and that was from the SI ebay store, so you''re a braver soul than I! Anyway I highlighted the above portion of your post because I think it''s a great sign of your focus on being more positive! Great attitude, girl!

\

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks Monarch! I appreciate the positive feedback a lot!!!

 

[monarch64]

you''re hilarious!

 

[sumbride]

I was cracking up about the two examples too!

Why don''t you turn around and list them yourself on ebay?

 

[lumpkin]

I *might* call the pottery barn and see if you can exchange them without a receipt. They are brand new, never used, so it''s not like you''re trying to get a new lamp for an old one. Call them, see if they''ll exchange them.

I didn''t read through all the replies, so maybe someone has already suggested this.

 

[Pandora II]

Wow, I''ve never used the USA ebay site, but the UK one has been pretty kind to me. I must have bought around 300 items - mainly antique silver, antique jewellery and clothes. In all I''ve had 1 item not turn-up, 1 item not as it should be - slight hassle and complained via PayPal and got all my money and shipping costs back.

I''ve also had some amazing bargains:

Very high quality Carnelian bead necklace with 15k gold spacers between the beads and a 15k clasp for £1.20
Solid sterling tea service in perfect condition for £220
Diamond and Sapphire in gold victorian eternity ring - £25
Lots of brand new cashmere jumpers for £10 each
My mikimoto pearls - £142

I have to hunt quite hard for the bargains but I''m definitely ahead - and it''s such fun, like a treasure hunt!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

That really stinks! I rarely buy from ebay and these kind of stories keep me away. Hopefully you can return them easily.

 

[FireGoddess]

You can file an ''item significantly not as described'' dispute with ebay. She should have to pay for the shipping to return them to her since you likely won''t recover your shipping costs to have them sent to you in the first place...

 

[Gypsy]

Hi FG, I was about to last night but decided to give her 24 hours to respond. She has till 7 tonight.

Funny thing is, before this? She answered all my emails within 3 hours.

 

[Gypsy]

Hi Sunbride: I could do that, but I'm more of a specialty seller. I don't usually sell things that I have to compete with other listings on unless I can undercut their listing and still make a profit. I don't think I can break even on this though since others are selling the BRASS for less than I paid (Bronze is all gone. No wonder they were warring with me).

HI Lumpkin-- I'm just not comfortable enough with doing that. Thank you for the suggestion though! I will probably just paint the things.

Pandora-- that's wonderful!!!! Wow! I have never bought jewelry on ebay! You are very brave, and I'm so happy to hear you've had such great experiences.

Tacori... It's not looking likely. I will file a report to ebay tonight if she hasn't responded though.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE ADVICE and HELP!

 

[Ann]

Ah, Gypsy I''m so sorry to read your story. The only thing I have ever bought off
e-bay was copper sinks! No problems though.

You CAN fix that color. If you don''t like the spray can paint look (test it out first)
then you can always use 3 different paint colors, a wet sea sponge and dab the colors onto the lamp. I do it all the time. I just transformed a silver wall mirror to a bronze one, using my sea sponge method. And it looks just dandy on the wall in a spec house house I just finished. Don''t fret over the lost bronze ones, just make the brass bronze! Good luck!

 

[Gypsy]

Well she replied almost immediately when I filed a complaint through paypal. It''s amazing what people will do when their pocketbooks are threatened.

She doesn''t have any more bronze ones. There aren''t any bronze pairs on auction-- except a couple of damaged ones that I don''t really feel like fussing with. SO I''m going to keep them and paint them.

Home depot and Lowes both have paint that will work on metal. I bought some steel wool and I''m going to set to work on them Saturday morning. I am hoping that they will have an antigue gold (reddish gold) and nice bronze so that I can get a nice finish on them.

Thanks all for the help, advice and commiseration. You''re the best.