topic Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles in Buying

misleading descriptions malachite bottles

carouselfetish — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 11:31:27 GMT

Hello, I need to let people know that there is a heap of listings for 'malachite' (it's not malachite, it's green glass) perfume bottles that are being sold by heaps of sellers and described as unique, antique, art deco, found in estates, found wrapped in old paper blah blah.

They are just mass produced green glass bottles that look nice, but are not the least unique or antique. But the descriptions on many of the sites hosting them are extremely misleading. The average Jo would not know better.

They are new things. They don't deserve to be more than a few dollars each. Eg this listing:

Pair of Jade Malachite Glass Art Deco Perfume Bottles, circa 1920's

Look it up. You will see how it's described.

I say, this is fraudulence.

Why does eBay allow fraudulent, misleading descriptions? Why is there no section where we can report such fraudulent advertising?

When you click on Report Item, it's all just about other aspects. There seems to be nothing we can do. I say, this is WRONG.

Beware, people. Don't believe these 'malachite' 'vintage' bottle listings.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

kopenhagen5 — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 12:16:28 GMT

eBay don't allow it.

But eBay cannot vet millions of listings.

The site is on a trust basis by it's members.

As members all we can do is report items as each listing has a report link.

But it is still very difficult for eBay to prove without having the item in their hands.

Buying anything online will always be - BUYER BEWARE.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

countessalmirena — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 08:55:00 GMT

@carouselfetish

You're right; there is a great deal of fraud when it comes to soi-disant vintage or antique items.

It occurs not just on the internet or on eBay (although I do think that the internet is a major pool of such frauds), but also in person. I remember walking into an antiques shop close to the Blue Mountains (NSW), and eyeing a writing slope supposedly of a particular period and supposedly with the writing surface the original felt. The shop-owner blatantly lied to my face! I didn't bother to point out the various tells that made it obvious the felt had been replaced, and that he'd misdated it to the point of the period being wrong...

I simply thanked him and left the shop.

This is undoubtedly the best thing to do with many items falsely described. The eBay equivalent would be to click onto the "Go back one page" button... and if one's asked the seller a question about the item, and it's clearly not true information, I would again just thank the seller and write a note to myself in my watched items list, something along the lines of "Not genuine."

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

imastawka — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 09:43:42 GMT

The particular pair you refer to have been taken down.

But the only other ones I can find, state that they are from 1991

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

carouselfetish — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 13:50:21 GMT

That is not sufficient kopenhagen5. Are you looking for my posts to attack, or do you do this to everybody? I see you have 17,851 posts. Are they your own posts, or do you just contradict other people's?

Life is busy, for you!

eBay has its regulations, which I quite agree with. But eBay has to police them. Otherwise, eBay is hosting fraud on its site; and is therefore accomplice to it. Buyer Beware is not a real thing, I'm afraid; it's just a fashionable phrase. Legally, fraud is fraud. Calling something antique that isn't, is misleading and against the law.

No, eBay can't vet them all. But when a suspected fraud is reported, eBay can vet those. I've reported it; eBay is examining the issue. It's a process, being taken. eBay's policies forbid the use of misleading titles and descriptions. Customer Service has agreed with me on that, and is examining this situation. I'm doing what I can to help buyers beware in the meantime. And I can't imagine why you would object to that.

Forget Buyer Beware. And if you are a seller, I really wouldn't dare to buy from you, if you think Buyer Beware is actually a thing!

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

carouselfetish — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 13:53:20 GMT

Good. Yes, I've contacted all that I could find; took me ages. I told them what I knew; they all took them down. It was quite a funny process, that I won't go into. But I got some very amusing responses; mostly identical. Nonetheless, they mostly either took them down, or told the truth; that they are reproductions. Which is fine, of course; so long as the description is correct and is not claiming antiquity. After that, it's up to the seller as to the price they'll pay.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

imastawka — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:12:31 GMT

Just so you know, it's not good form to attack board members who are trying to help you understand what ebay really does about these listings.

Kopes is correct. Nothing is what they do.

They can't know that these listings are not what they say. It would be an impossible task.

And as far as CS telling you they are looking into it....well...it's their cut and paste way

of fobbing you off, for now.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

brerrabbit585 — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:23:21 GMT

Don't believe everything ebay tells you because they've proven all too ready to make promises and do nothing. Many people have reported many items and nothing has been done most of the time. kopes was just stating the facts, based on experience. Just check out all the rainbow rose seeds that are still being sold several years after them being reported as fakes/fraudulent.

I don't know how ebay would be expected to know whether a bottle is old or not (they certainly won't take your word for it) but they certainly should know there's no such thing as rainbow roses.

If you buy at a real-life auction, there definitely IS such a thing as buyer beware. I believe the official term is caveat emptor.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

countessalmirena — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:32:51 GMT

@carouselfetish,

Perhaps you have not studied law, even peripherally? Caveat emptor is an applicable concept in contract law. "In the absence of agreement between the parties, or of misrepresentation or fraud on the part of the vendor, the vendor is not liable for defects in quality" - Vivi Tan (Victoria University), property law and contract law expert. The consumer could of course initiate an action in damages for misleading/deceptive misrepresentations (real estate), but it's a costly and tricky undertaking.

Caveat emptor has an application in the sale of second-hand goods - most especially seen in the sale of used cars. That is, if the car breaks down two days after purchase, unless the seller of the used car gave a warranty, the buyer has no redress under the contract. This is why buyers of used cars are wise to have a professional inspection done pre-purchase. RACV offer excellent pre-purchase inspections and there's a 30-day mechanical guarantee included.

Please do not take out your frustration on kopenhagen, who is - from everything I have ever seen him post - a kind, courteous, helpful and very genuine person. He has not posted anything in this thread which a reasonable person would construe as an attack. The number of his posts is not really something to comment upon, other than that you can see how frequently kopenhagen has given helpful advice to eBayers who come to these boards, desperately seeking an answer to some problem or issue.

Re sellers giving misleading information about an item (including its provenance and age) - you're absolutely right. It's fraud. But just as sellers in Paddy's Market are selling very obvious fake "designer" items (and getting away with it!), and the law concerning such frauds (or any sort of fraud) must have an action to police the fraud, sight it, collect the evidence, arrest those involved, charge them, and follow through with the entire lengthy procedure until the perpetrator is facing the judge - so too should eBay identify frauds, shut them down, comply with all appropriate legislation and any police action, etc. But there's a long road between "should" and "do".

Many eBay members here report scams and fraudulent listings far more frequently than you appear to realise. This is in spite of eBay itself frustrating several attempts to make fraud easier to identify and easier to report, and in many cases eBay will simply use soothing words from a pre-written script designed to make eBay members feel that something is being done.

For example, try reporting a Chinese seller for almost any infringement or fraud. Try doing it for a month. Observe what happens. Or just listen to eBay Australia information members that because the seller in question (of a particular report) comes under the jurisdiction of eBay China, eBay Australia neither can nor will act upon any report.

I used the example of Paddy's Market; it's telling that those same "designer" goods are still there. There have been raids and reports for years - police and the court system know that it is not as easy as to implement as, in an ideal world, it should be.

Paddy's Market - Haymarket - raid, 2009

Paddy's Market - raid after woman's death, 2014

Paddy's Market and others - raid, 2014

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

*tippy*toes* — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 23:06:22 GMT

Raids don't stop them. At the main entrance to Paddy's at Haymarket, is a large stall of high end handbags and what not. You can get a "genuine" Prada or LV handback for a whopping $50! At that price, how could anyone say they were fake? Still, the mugs buy them, thinking they are getting a bargain.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

kopenhagen5 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:11:15 GMT

Thanks all for having my back and understanding the post for what it was.

As for the OP's remarks, I have re-read my post and still can't see where the attack lies.

Perhaps a lack of sugar coating it is the problem.

Then again with a name that contains fetish, way too extreme for my liking.

I'll just.......................and see you elsewhere in community.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

padi*0409 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:22:54 GMT

Definitely must have put their nose out of joint Kopes, this wasn't the only thread where you were denigrated...............

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

kopenhagen5 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:27:40 GMT

Oh yes, I realise now.

Appears she wasn't pleased being pulled up for abusing someone unnecessarily.

Hadn't even seen the response over there and didn't remember the other thread.

Maybe got her threads mixed up.

Any rain over yonder ? We often get what you had .

We are having non stop drissle after such a dry spell.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

padi*0409 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 08:31:25 GMT

Had a bit of rain last week Kopes, but we'll need a lot more before it starts flowing into the depleted dams. I may have to sink a bore down the bottom of the property and slot in a 40,000 litre water tank to top up - I'd need to fill the tank before transferring the water up to the top dam.....................more expense, sigh...................

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

davewil1964 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 09:29:43 GMT

The life of a gentleman farmer.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

padi*0409 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 13:06:27 GMT

@davewil1964wrote:
The life of a gentleman farmer.

Yep, gotta reroof a 50 mtr X 30 mtr Gable-roof packing shed soon as well - that'll really cause havoc with the bank balance..............

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

*tippy*toes* — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 17:28:31 GMT

Maybe you could start selling on eBay to help with expenses?

We've got a 20,000L and a 10,000L tank and both are empty. They mainly run the washing machine and water the vege garden. Went back on town water last weekend. I haven't seen it this bad for years. Going into winter in declared drought is not good.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

padi*0409 — Sun, 15 Apr 2018 23:57:39 GMT

@*tippy*toes*wrote:
Maybe you could start selling on eBay to help with expenses?

If the conditions for sellers were what they were 6 - 8 years ago I'd jump in and do it, but with the way the playing field is at the moment I'm really not at all certain if I want to risk it Tippy.

Re: misleading descriptions malachite bottles

melbourneclearance — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 00:16:41 GMT

The word "antique" is a loose word. Saying that an item is antique when it is from, say, 1990 (heck, 2017!), is not a crime whatsoever. In general, the word "antique" refers to items over 100 years old, but I have seen many auction houses putting "antique" in the description of items not older than 30-40 years. And some of these are reputable auction houses.

Putting an actual year or era in the description is another matter, especially if there is no preceding words like "estimate", etc.