Bait and switch

[retro_licious]

I sold this necklace  https://ebay.us/m/wkE0Ba and this necklace is what the buyer is returning saying it didn't match description!! Ebay automatically sent him a refund. It is obviously not what i sold him.  There doesn't seem to be any recourse for me to dispute this. How could I lose my necklace and the $88+ and not have any recourse?? Please help this is an obvious bait and switch and he gets away with it. I"m a  respectable seller and don't sell this kind of garbage.  I'm really upset that he gets away with this. Any help would be appreciated 

 

 

 

[orangehound]

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@gurlcat wrote:

Rhodium is far more valuable than sterling silver.  I believe the buyer stripped off both metals and then separated them from each other.  There are kits you can buy to do it.  

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When I read the listing, I thought the sale was for a solid silver necklace that is coated in Rhodium.

Even if I somehow stripped off the rhodium, I wouldn't expect to encounter a thin layer of silver over top of something like copper or an even less precious metal.

[inhawaii]

FYI   "bait and switch" is a term used for dishonest sellers who show/advertise one thing, while selling something of lesser value. 

[retro_licious]

Yeah, I don't believe this is my necklace at all think. Its a very common style and he was searching and found mine. Totally fraudulent.  And the description clearly states silver plated. Couldn't get this beat up in such a short amount of time.  Ty for seeing what I know in my heart is a liar.

[a_c_green]

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@retro_licious wrote:

Yeah, I don't believe this is my necklace at all think. Its a very common style and he was searching and found mine. Totally fraudulent.  And the description clearly states silver plated. Couldn't get this beat up in such a short amount of time.

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Not "beat up" but simply chemically or electrically stripped, which doesn't take very long, and then he was all miffed about the metal that was uncovered. I know the chain design is not uncommon so I was looking at the details of the clasp and the terminating links on either side of it, and it does appear (to me) that we're looking at the same chain in both the original listing and the buyer's photos after he was done messing around with it.

[gurlcat]

I have seen hundreds of jewelry pieces after their precious metal plating was "recovered" and that is what I'm seeing in the buyer's photos.  He knows what he did, I know what he did, sounds like you do too.  As for the OP and anyone else who thinks otherwise, it doesn't really matter, as the refund was already achieved.  I'm not going to get in another 10+ page epic tragedy like I'm already in with the Nefertiti pendant necklace guy.  🤣  If I had known how frustrating his communication style was going to turn out I wouldn't have gotten involved in the first place, but now I have that 'sunk cost' thing where I feel the need to see how it ends.  

[toysaver]

"And the description clearly states silver plated."

It was not clear at all, it was confusing.  You made it sound like it was sterling silver that had been plated with rhodium.  I'm familiar with vermeil jewelry but had never heard of this.  You listed a picture of the 925 mark which complicates matters more.  

[schludershots]

Yup,

We've had similar things happen.  Remove the parts they needed, swap back in the damaged parts and return the item.  Ebay is full of scammers. Thing is it takes 20 sellers being screwed over before the user is booted, then they just create another user ID and start the scam all over again. Ebay doesn't respect sellers, just the buyers.  Look at the state where their headquarters are located.  The run on the principle you can steal less than $900 and its OK.  This is the Ebay mantra.  They are making millions on us being scammed.  We are not.

[redlinear]

Misleading description (whether intentional or not).
"Men's Classic Figaro Silver/Rhodium Plated 10MM  24" Thick Heavy 57g High Shine Rhodium Plated"
     To me, that's a Silver necklace that's Rhodium Plated.
And......
"Rhodium plating is a jewelry process that coats metals like silver, platinum, and white gold with a thin layer of rhodium to improve shine"
    Leading more toward Rhodium covering more expensive metals to protect them and improve shine. Rather than covering Copper to make it look like Silver.
AND.....
   There's a picture of "925" stamped into the necklace.  Leads one to believe that's the purity content of silver.  (yet I see what looks like a gold or copper color under the scratches in the hasp.  As if whoever made that necklace was trying to fool somebody.  (not the seller, but the manufacturer).
 
WHAT a buyer does with an item they bought is irrelevant.  In this case it appears the buyer bought this in order to scrap it for the precious metal.  And in doing so, discovered it was not silver as the listing leads one to believe.  Probably not happy at all and returned it.

THEN:  It's a he said, she said deal with no real proof to back up either side.  And it's eBay, doesn't really matter if there's proof or not.  Buyer wins 

[mtgraves7984]

@retro_licious 

It's sort of off-topic, but if that  was returned to you... why did you not discount the refund? I see you're TRS and offer 30-Day Returns. Heck, it's one of the last seller protections left... why didn't you use it? Confused... 🤔

[powell-collectibles]

Your explanation makes sense., Buyer bought the item for scrap value. Based on the sellers description, he thought that something precious was underneath the plating. In my opinion, buyer did nothing wrong – he did not get what he ordered.

even if that was the item that he sent back to the seller, I don’t see a grounds for reducing a refund or even complaining about him. He didn’t even need to send it back – seller refunded. I think that this was either a mistaken cook of the button or potentially seller settings that provide a refund for return request under a certain value without the need to return the item.

[retro_licious]

Buyer is clearly not returning the item in the condition in which he purchased it. So I can only get refunded 50%? Not sure why it wouldn't be 100%

[retro_licious]

I didn't have an option to deny or anything else for that matter. I only could refund him now before item is sent. Which i did not. Ebay automatically approved his refund

[retro_licious]

I would definitely not have an issue to refund him as long as I was getting back what I sold . I did not sell him the item in the condition in which he wants to return it in. Pictures tell all. 

[retro_licious]

I had no choice to approve or not. Ebay automatically approved.  My beef is that he's returning something disgusting that I did not sell to him and I can no longer sell what he is sending back. So essentially he gets a brand new necklace for free and have to pay for it plus lose shipping costs. Totally wrong. 

[retro_licious]

How are you supposed to describe silver without using the word silver? No where does it state this is sterling. So yes you're reading between the lines and none of what your stating has to do with the fact that he is not returning what I sold him in the same condition. Look at the pictures, is this a legit buyer? C'mon