Purchased precious metal that failed two independent authenticators' tests

[busines-219]

Before buying the precious metal, I emailed seller (from China)--who has a lot of Ebay sales and their own storefront on Ebay--to ask whether the piece, advertised as "solid 999 fine silver," was plated silver or included any other metal or substance besides silver. Seller responded the piece is pure silver in two layers (like a sheet folded onto itself). On receiving the piece, I noticed it didn't feel like any of our other silver so arranged for an authentication with a reputable jeweler in town. He did a X-ray analysis and found "something else" present besides silver. He also found the mass of the piece significantly exceeded the stamped/advertised mass. He said the piece failed his authentication and sent me to another authenticator for further "non-destructive analysis." The second authenticator concluded the same as the first. He also said that the piece should have arrived with a certificate of authenticity. He said judging by the X-ray analysis, the difference between stamped mass and true mass, and the lack of any certificate, he'd conclude the piece is counterfeit.

I don't want to hurt anyone's business and I don't want to be part of impugning businesses external to the US. But my legal options dealing with sellers outside the US are far fewer. But this seller has more than 10,000 Ebay sales and their own apparently highly-rated Ebay storefront. They've promised me the piece is 999 silver, but after the failed authentications today, I don't feel secure in the purchase (just received item two days ago). Am I unreasonable requesting seller to take the item back for a refund? What should I do?

[silverstatetreasureboxes · Accepted solution]

@busines-219 

Item in question is not what was described so therefore file NAD and get your money back. China is notorious for counterfeit precious metals, jewelry, high-end handbags..the list goes on.

[buyselljack2016]

I did not read past .....................   (from China)

[busines-219]

Thanks for the advice. I thought that with internet advertisements of reputable precious metal authenticators all over the web, no one would try to sell doctored metals anymore. Guess I was wrong.

[krazzykats]

If the price was too good to be true, it probably was. 

I have a bag of counterfeit coins from China.  I had one cut apart for analysis.  Junk, all of it.  Nickel silver maybe.  Anyway, the duplicates coming out of China are being passed off as authentic, and its very hard for an average person to tell.  I had several street dealers (in shops) look at these, and they couldn't tell if it was fake.  One took me to someone who could, a reputable coin shop.

Why would China have tens of thousands of silver dollars for sale, less than 1/2 the going rate?  And the fakes are very good.  The online market is flooded with them.

[krazzykats]

Still have that little puppy right here.  Was not magnetic, the weights varied from coin to coin, and small details like the feathers, etc. were not really fine.  

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@krazzykats 

Wow, just for kicks I found an example of your walking liberty from a USA company. 

 look how clear and precise it is. 999 silver or fine silver is just beautiful to look at as it's so bright, clear and shiny.

Well guys I got a Stanley cup hockey game to watch! Go Knights!!!!

[krazzykats]

Mine was from a few years ago.  I got a refund, but a month later all the coins were returned to me as undeliverable.  This one I had sitting out as a reminder.  It was very bright and pretty before being handled by myself and the coin shop-even though I think he may have used gloves...:) 

Also, the photo isn't in the best lighting...

[krazzykats]

And are you sure that's clear and precise?  The lines in the dress don't appear clear, and what's that flowing mess on the left side of Liberty's head, and no flower detail on the right???

What's the gig?  I wanna know.  😁

[busines-219]

I debated not posting a reply, but in case anyone else is in my boat I want there to be a record of the details. I think most of us know if the price seems too good to be true there's likely a problem. But the price for the item I purchases was on par with prices of local sellers (on a per gram basis + markup for design...), but the design is not something I could find locally. The storefront has over 13,000 positive reviews & I have a record of the seller responding to my explicit questions here on Ebay so felt reassured. I expected to get a certificate of authenticity because the seller mentions all their pieces are authenticated before selling. Maybe there was a language issue. The item sold does contain silver, but it contains something else, too and without knowing how much that other substance is, it's hard to determine if the mass of silver advertised is legitimate. If I could shop locally for everything, I would. But many of us cannot find what we're looking for locally so we take precautions as best we can while shopping internationally. Thanks for commenting.

[buyselljack2016]

Again, all I can say is       ...........................................                            "China"?

[busines-219]

In the very many years I've been shopping online, I've bought a lot of well-priced, quality items from China. I don't think it makes sense to denigrate for-sale items because of where sellers are from. Marketplaces should have in place policies that protect consumers from predators. As should payment portals like Paypal, Visa... It's a global market and we have to figure out how to do cross-border sales safely.

[idealgems1]

A certificate of authenticity is even easier to counterfeit than the silver piece. 

X Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is definitive.

Spot market prices of precious metals are global.  No one in China, India, Russia, or anywhere in the world can legitimately sell for less than spot market price.  I mean, you might find a small seller that has a piece here and there that doesn't know what he or she has or doesn't care and is just liquidating.  But as they will teach you in business school...arbitrage rarely exists in a free, open market!