What would you do if you knew a vintage seller was misleading....

thevintagebungalow

thevintagebungalow

VFG Member
Hi Everyone,
There is a seller out there that gets huge amounts for almost every one of her listings. Her listings really look great and she obviously has a big client base. I watch her auctions to see what she has up. She buys most of her goods off ebay under a different name and sells them on another one. The only reason I know this is I sometimes have things on my watch page that sell and then end up on her auctions a couple of weeks later. Anyways, she bought a dress that I was watching. It is from seller I have bought from before. She is liquidating a bridal store that closed. Everything in the store is mostly 70's and 80's. The person who bought it has now listed it as a 50's dress which it is not! That really bugs me. If she said she wasn't sure that would be one thing, but she doesn't. What would you do, if anything??
Carrie

Here is the original listing:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180049694122

Here is the seller's listing as a 50's dress

http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-HOUR-GLAS...ryZ48868QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
I don't know the "correct" answer. I know for myself that I wouldn't purchase from someone that I knew absolutely was intentionally misleading. I don't think I'd report her, or send her my opinion through email. I think I would simply not support her.

In this world there are way more flagrant violations of ethics and integrity in business than a mere eBay seller could ever muster, however, there is no rationalization for lying. Vintage clothing was made when honesty seemed more prevalent in business and I wish vintage dealers behaved the vintage of their clothing!
 
while i am not going to comment on the actual dress, etc .... as it is not in my own two hands and the point is what does one do if they feel that way...

I will say i agree with Maggie - the old fashioned and most tried and true way to put someone out of business if you are not happy is to put your money back in your wallet and take your business elsewhere.

Also, while I advocate being very understanding with sellers and allowing them to make things right if there is an honest mistake - if you are unhappy and feel that you were misled or something you purchased was misrepresented, don't be afraid to speak your mind and leave a negative if you can't work it out. There are a lot of people out there who feel that "not leaving any feedback speaks louder". Well that only flies if you bought from a friend and then they will sit and stew and wonder why you weren't happy......but for anyone else it will mean nothing. just another person who forgot to leave FB.
 
I often see this seller's auctions and she always presents things very well but I'm not expert on 20th century things but early things (I'm was born two centuries late) so can't really say about the dress except that it would suit my shape! :D

This is why it is important to read all you can about antique and vintage clothing, go to museums, handle as many things as you can (and use your senses too- smell, sound, touch), ask questions so that you can tell the vintage apart from the non vintage more easily in an auction (I'm not saying that your not versed in all things vintage for just as a general tip for everyone). :)

I often come across auctions and even website listings for "authentic Victorian" garments that are obvious repros or there is something questionable about the intregrity of the garment that hasn't been stated (like modern alterations on an antique garment). I just vote with my feet and just don't buy from these sellers.
Likewise, sometimes a seller will mislist something and you can grab a bargain! Once I bought a 1880's silk corset described as a 1920's bodice! This is when your specialized knowledge really pays off :)

Lei
 
Hello,
Thanks for your input. I think it sounded like I bought this dress. I didn't, it is still up for auction. I have never bought from this seller because I couldn't afford to. The thing is, the dress has LA Glo tags, or did, she had to have removed them. That's just so blatantly wrong. I keep thinking about the person who thinks they are buying a 50's bombshell dress (it's already over $130 by the way) and is really getting an 80's dress. That's 3 decades difference. What a shame.
Carrie
 
Carrie, I know many people advise not to report another seller's auction, and often, you see that a seller is not intentionally misprepresenting an item; that is a different situation than here.

I think, personally, that you should do what you feel is the right thing. If that is reporting the auction to eBay, then you should do so. If that is writing the seller and letting her know that the item is most definitely NOT 50s, and you think she should re-categorize it, then you should do so. I don't think it's wrong to not want to sit by and let something go if it is morally reprehensible to you. If we all looked the other way when wrongs are committed, what kind of world would it be? I mean, this isn't murder, but that doesn't make it right, either.... I suppose there are times when minding one's own business is warranted, but there are also times when it is not.

If you want to keep a buyer from paying big bucks for a dress she thinks is 50s and it's not, then do what your gut tells you. Some buyers may love the dress so much they don't/won't care that it's 80s & not 50s. But it may be hard for the buyer of this dress, if she cares about it being 50s, to prove this once she gets it.
 
I highly agree with you Carrie and it really makes me angry, this seller has been getting away with this for a LONG time now and has been called on it many times but she just keeps making new buying ids and keeps plugging along.

She used to be a member of the VFG, I'm not sure if she still is or not because she no longer puts the logo in her auctions.

There have been many threads about her on the VC&A and her unethical ways of selling.

A lot may think that some of us are jealous because she is making tons of money but that's not the case, she is ruining it for everyone when she sells something as 50's when it's really 80's. Once a buyer finds she's been deceived she will never come back to eBay therefore ruining it for all the honest sellers, sad huh?

And it wouldn't be hard to prove it was an 80's dress, all one has to do is to look at the construction on the inside seams to see that it isn't.

~Tori
 
I look at this seller's auctions from time to time (and by her counters' numbers, so do many) and I will say that her presentation is fabulous, as are her photos, and page graphics. I like looking at her listings as they are visually bright and cheery.

If this seller is misrepresenting vintage clothing - a HUGE no-no for any vintage seller, let alone a VFG member - it is a shame, for the reasons stated by others above.

But, I think it's an even bigger shame for her, BECAUSE she does everything else perfectly, from a vintage clothing business standpoint. I think even if she just de-emphsized the era (but still honestly mentioned it) and still did everything else they way she does, she still would get the high prices she gets.

I also noticed that every single item is described as being RARE. People would still buy from her and at high prices, even if she didn't state that.

If she is misrepresenting, and I don't know if she is, she really has no need to do this, as she has perfected every other aspect of selling on eBay. It's a shame. :no:

Janine
 
Her outward presentation is always lovely, images are fun and auctions well done. There have been a number of threads about how she obtains merchandise. It is not illegal or immoral to purchase an item that is poorly presented and market the heck out of it for resale.

If she repairs or cleans these items that were purchased with damage, then she can present them as they are post repair....hopefully she does do the repair and clean. If she does, all the better for her. If she does not, then, well, we can hope Karma bites her in the tush as she could very well be misrepresenting.

As for this particular garment, it does appear that something may be misrepresented. It is between the seller and the buyer to iron out whatever difficulties may arrise from what appears to be misrepresentation. Without evidence contained in her auction (like tag names), there is not much ebay can do. Report it, though, if you like.


As always, my theory on this seller, and others like her, is this, and I ask all of you to take this into consideration:
There has been much argument made over what she does wrong. No need to rehash that.
Let's look at what she does right. Her images, styling, presentation and marketing of her items are superior. Yes, a bit more condition and measurement info might be nice, but the rest is good.
If you can take inspiration just from those things to improve your own auctions, it will give you a leg up in selling.
The more honest and well presented sellers there are, the better, so we can counter the bad ebay experiences that the unscrupulous sellers cause for all of us.

Jenn
 
Hi everyone,
I agree with those of you who have said she does a lot of things right, she really does. She lists over 25 items every Friday at 1:00. She has a great model who can wear different eras perfectly. Every listing is auction syle and starts at the same price. These are all good things to emulate. I ended up contacting her to let her know that I knew the dress was not a 50's dress. I did not say it was 80's though. I noticed that she ended the auction and relisted it with 60's in the title. She is closer (although still off by a decade or two) and I must give her credit for taking the information and putting it to use in some way. Hopefully the buyer of the dress will not be put off by the age difference or not be able to tell. I'm not going to go so far as to report her but hopefully she will know now that eyes are watching....
I've enjoyed reading everyones input...thanks!
Carrie
 
Linda, thank you for sharing that she was no longer a member, I wasn't sure and am glad to see that she isn't.

The topic is not about her presentation, it is about her ethnics and mispresentation of vintage clothing in general, it hurts us all.

And for what it's worth, she did not end her first auction on this dress, eBay did because someone reported her. However, she relisted it saying it was 60's then she ended that auction saying it was no longer available for sale.

I'm glad that she is being watched.
 
Hi,
Thanks for that info. I didn't realize ebay had ended the listing. I didn't report her but I'm kind of glad someone did. That was just an especially blatant misrepresentation. I hope she thinks twice before doing it again. It makes me even more thankful that I have all of you to help me when I'm unsure of a date for an item. It sure makes you feel better when you've double checked and tried your very best to list the item correctly.
Carrie
 
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