Regarding Ginetex care symbols and when they were introduced...

Ruth, I hope she refunded your money and your shipping costs. If it were a genuine error (hey, it can happen to anyone), she certainly would give your money back if you asked.
 
Well, if nothing else, that's a lesson in why you should pay with PayPal. Similar situation happened to me with a wedding gown (not vintage, just used). She said it was in "perfect condition" -- neglected to mention she'd hacked off the train (!) and washed it so the lining had shrunk, and taken in the bodice (cutting) so it was completely crooked! Not quite perfect, hehe. She refused to refund. But PayPal gave my money back. I just had to send them the proof I'd shipped it back to the seller.
 
Ruth, your unfortunate story reminds me of a seller at the antique mall where I have a booth. They have two acetate scarves in there, labeled acetate, and have price tags that say, "vintage silk scarf." Yes, they're vintage, but no, if you'd read the label, you'd see they're NOT silk. And they have a 1970s' woven poly blouse labeled "silk blouse," which it clearly isn't. There is no fabric label, but I can tell by looking at it, and verify it by feeling it. When I pointed this out to a staff member at the mall, she said, "Well, silk's a generic term these days; people just use it to describe a silky feeling fabric." WTH? Not in my world, they don't. It annoys the hell out of me. Your seller, Ruth, should have immediately offered a eturn for full refund. Silk is not polyester, and especially when there was a tag saying it wasn't silk--yeah, I guess maybe she should have looked at the label before listing it.

I love your "steps" of ignorance--you are so right....

I once had, not one, but TWO, sellers on eBay sell me ice skates that they described as leather. Even after taking the time to message them, and ask them were they 100% sure they were real leather, and that I HAD to have leather, both assured me they were. Well, I got the first pair, and it was labeled, "100% Vinyl, made in China." So, when I took it up with the seller, he got mad at ME and was going to give me a hard time until I told him I'd report to eBay that I asked ahead of time and even though there was a label in them stating they were vinyl, he told me they were leather. So, I returned them and got all my money back, including shipping both ways. But he still thought I was being difficult! Then I ordered a second pair, since I had to return the first ones. Ordered from a different seller, explained again that I needed leather, and that I had just gotten a pair that weren't, etc., etc. Guy says, Oh, yes, they're leather. I buy them, they come, and leather they are not! Well, he was contrite and admitted he just didn't know. I told him I expected a full refund, including shipping, and he started to give me a hard time. Next thing I know, he writes me saying that he called eBay to find out what he should do, and they told him the same thing--full refund including shipping both ways.
 
"Well, silk's a generic term these days; people just use it to describe a silky feeling fabric."
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Unbelievable! Not in my world either, and if you think about it, no clothing brand would or could do that - they'd be in breach of trading standards.

I once bought a leather bag on ebay that turned out to be vinyl, and the seller told me "I didn't say it was real leather".

With my nightdress, to be fair, I had bought it from the dark streetcorners of ebay, looking for a bargain, so in a way I also had myself to blame. I knew I could probably get a paypal refund, but she'd been a nightmore already, I'd paid very little for it, and I decided it would be less trouble to cover the costs by selling it on. It was a cute nightdress, and bizarrely, even though I relisted it as polyester, bids flew in and I turned a small profit! There's a moral there somewhere.
 
"I didn't say it was real leather".
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Unbelievable! So, now "leather" means either vinyl or real leather? Crazy.

even though I relisted it as polyester, bids flew in and I turned a small profit! There's a moral there somewhere.
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I hope the moral is that honesty pays! But sometimes I do wonder....
 
I hope the moral is that honesty pays! But sometimes I do wonder....
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Well me too! I think the moral is that it pays in the long run, because you get customer trust. I managed to sell that nightdress for more than she did, at least partly because I was upfront about what it was - her listing didn't inspire confidence. Plus you sleep better at night.
 
Have "Liked" everyone on this thread whose shop I could locate on Etsy and FB, and plan to buy some of Jonathan's fabulous postcards on Zazzle. I know I can't be a member just yet (getting there with the sales, so I'll apply soon!), but if anyone would be kind enough to "Like Us" on FB/Etsy it would be greatly appreciated. Can't put my links here, of course, but you can figure it out easily enough, or email me privately. Thanks, everyone.
 
I'm often surprised when vintage sellers have no clue about historical events. One seller listed a very contemporary looking "1960's dress" with a "Made in Viet Nam" label. I said I didn't think they were exporting a lot of clothing during the war. The seller had no idea what I was talking about.
 
That is most certainly a sadder story than the margarine/butter confusion. And really, one of the most interesting aspects of vintage clothing is the historical context -- political, social, etc. -- that the clothing reflects.
 
Not that I recall, Ruth. But let me double-check...

ETA: no, but I just emailed again and asked. we'll see!

ETA: FYI, got an autoresponse from Mme Pacard stating she'd taken a new position, and that the new contact person (secy gnrl) at GINETEX is Mme Pascale Florant. So I forwarded the email to Ms. Florant.
 
OK, so Ms. Florant wrote back to say that the letters were there all along -- from 1958. So, unfortunately, the letters appearing in the dry-cleaning symbol circle are of no help at all with dating. Still, better to have the information, even if it isn't helpful.
 
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