Is anybody else having trouble with items breaking/tarnishing/not being as advertised,

[erniephilip]

I bid on, and won, several chains advertised as .925 sterling.  In ALL cases I contacted sellers befor bidding to make sure they were not plated.  In all cases, was told that they were solid .925,  not plated.  Wore them a couple of times.  Green line around neck. And finish wearing off.  Too late to get refund.  Some sellers ask you to wait extra time.  You want to be nice, so you do.  Item arrives too late to complain/get refund when item is not as advertised.

Not all sellers, most are honest, but how do we protect against the ones who are not?  I realize that it is often a case of caveat emptor, however, why can't complaints/issues platforms for refunds or replacements be left open a reasonable time?  Especially for resellers who advertise their items as honestly as they can, but find they are out of pocket when THEIR customer demands a refund?

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

 Some sellers ask you to wait extra time.  You want to be nice, so you do.

This is a sure sign of a scam.

Allow 20 days for arrival from North America.

Allow 15 days for arrival from Europe.

Allow 30 days for arrival from Asia.

There is no need to be 'nice'. This is business and your money. Put on your **bleep** face and big girl panties.

Also.

Precious metals and gemstones are an international market.

The bullion price of silver or gold is published daily in the newpapers. It is the same in Canada, in Australia, in China, in Zimbabwe, in the USA.....

The cost of labour may vary from nation to nation, but the cost of materials doesn't.

So if the price sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Learn what gold-filled, German silver , Tibetan silver, white metal , etc mean. Wikipedia is a decent start.

And you can leave a Response indefinitely to any feedback you or your seller has left on a transaction. The most effective FB is calm and factual. "Slow delivery, plated not sterling, turned neck green." for example.

This does not affect his seller rating, unfortunately, but Responses do stand out on a FB page.

[dutchman48 · Accepted solution]

Did they come from China?

[pjcdn2005 · Accepted solution]

You have 30 days after estimated delivery to make a claim on ebay and 180 days after purchase to make a claim on paypal. That should be enough time however,  Paypal does require you to return the item with delivery confirmation at your expense so if the seller wants the item back and they are in China, it is usually too expensive to send it back. 

If a seller advertises that their item is sterling or 14k gold...it's unlikely that they are going to change their story when you message and ask them. If they are willing to lie in the ad, they are likely to continue lying. Unfortunately, there are dishonest sellers out there so keep in mind that if something sounds too good to be true (such as a sterling silver bracelet for $2) it probably isn't really true. 

Often, although not always...feedback comments are a good indicator if the seller is honest. Click on the negative number of feedback on their feedback page to see what other buyers have said about their items before you make a purchase.