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An unpleasant preloved purchase

OP, I agree with you that there were several miscommunications between you as buyer and with the seller.

I do not think seller should have unilaterally decided to insure the parcel and to package it up and mail it out to you (before she actually received your payment) when seller was on notice that you did not want insurance. IMO the seller should have contacted to you to tell you she would be insuring the item for shipment or would not proceed with the transaction.

It was unfair to the purchaser for seller to unilaterally choose key terms of a transaction which inure only to the seller's benefit and which harmed the purchaser.

Since the seller unilaterally decided to insure the parcel and is not inclined to pay $30 for the increased taxes the OP had to bear due to the seller's declared value of $1400 (as opposed to the OP's purchase price of $1150), I suggest the seller reimburse the $40 shipping cost which OP paid.
 
Fair enough @mrs-b ::)

If there’s a feather then there’s a feather. If there’s no feather there’s no feather. Neither seller nor buyer can equitably arbitrate that. Of course with COVID-19 that means noone can equitably arbitrate that. I can say with certainty that had an appraiser/trusted jeweller told me all was well, I too would have simply believed all was well. I can also say that had I made a point to ask if a stone’s girdle was clean and discovered upon receipt that it wasn’t, I too would be unhapp

What are either seller or buyer supposed to do in this situation though? There’s just no solution to make all parties happy here because neither is clearly at fault. Having been on both sides of this sort of thing - I really do think this is just one of those unfortunate “just walk away” scenarios.

I think the rest of us have some critical takeaways though:
1. Establish all aspects of the transaction in writing prior to shipping,
2. Take several close-up photos prior to sale,
3. Realize that when buying preloved sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and weigh risk and reward.
 
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As a Canadian, I have learned the hard way that surprise taxes sometimes come along with my purchases! It’s a tough pill to swallow. I ordered a gold necklace off the real real and then a few months later the Canadian government sent me notice that I owed MORE duty because they reassessed the value. (Remember when the price of gold jumped up? Yeah.) Anyways. So I can relate to how much it sucks to shell out for duty.

That being said...


- Seller, you need to get paid for before you ship! I admire your anti-procrastination, but goodness me oh my, that’s a lot of trust to place in a prospective buyer! Get the money first. This seems like standard advice.

- Buyer, that’s so cool that you’re a GG! I’m on the path myself. If you say there is a feather, I believe you. But I also believe that the seller did their due diligence and was not aware. Let’s assume the best of people :)

Can you still use the stone? I hope so. Sounds like you paid much less than retail so I hope that’s a small consolation.


-

I don’t know what the resolution should be, that’s between the seller and the buyer. I do know that I once sold a much less expensive item on LT, and the buyer informed me that her Goldsmith had discovered some issues with the setting. I had had NO IDEA, and I offered to make it up to her, and for her to tell me how she’d like to proceed. She said, naw, it’s ok. I was very grateful for her flexibility and kindness towards me. That is the PS and LT that I have come to know and love.

Sending you all good vibes.
 
pearaffair said:
I do know that I once sold a much less expensive item on LT, and the buyer informed me that her Goldsmith had discovered some issues with the setting. I had had NO IDEA, and I offered to make it up to her, and for her to tell me how she’d like to proceed. She said, naw, it’s ok. I was very grateful for her flexibility and kindness towards me. That is the PS and LT that I have come to know and love.

Sending you all good vibes.
Click to expand...

That is all well and fine and probably what most of us would do, but there are always some buyers looking to cash in on the "PS" thing and expect above and beyond service even on final sale items. I'm not familiar on what "gg" means. I have read enough posts by the OP to know that they should probably never buy pre-loved ever again.

You said that you believe the buyer that it's a feather. Why? Did she send you the stone or provide an evaluation by an expert? I appreciate the good vibes and all, but I don't really think your previous LT situation applies to this one at all. I'm not at all trying to be rude, just putting myself into the seller's situation and having to refund a great deal of money to someone who is whining over a LT final sale...

I agree about your Canadians customs part of the post. It is what it is. I went through this selling a few things and refused to declare under value unless the buyer took responsibility.
 
It sucks, but sometimes unexpected fees are kind of par for the course when you're buying international. For someone who 1). doesn't live in your country and 2). isn't used to regularly shipping items, I would expect that even moreso. I'd just let it go imo.
 
soxfan said:
That is all well and fine and probably what most of us would do, but there are always some buyers looking to cash in on the "PS" thing and expect above and beyond service even on final sale items. I'm not familiar on what "gg" means. I have read enough posts by the OP to know that they should probably never buy pre-loved ever again.

You said that you believe the buyer that it's a feather. Why? Did she send you the stone or provide an evaluation by an expert? I appreciate the good vibes and all, but I don't really think your previous LT situation applies to this one at all. I'm not at all trying to be rude, just putting myself into the seller's situation and having to refund a great deal of money to someone who is whining over a LT final sale...

I agree about your Canadians customs part of the post. It is what it is. I went through this selling a few things and refused to declare under value unless the buyer took responsibility.
Click to expand...

GG = graduate gemologist.

Woah, I’m not saying anyone should refund anyone. I was just trying to share in this thread a good experience I had, as a reminder (haha probably mostly to myself, as now I’m a bit wary of selling online) that there is an overwhelming number of positive interactions on LT. Sure, some people might take advantage of the PS thing but personally I’ve had very nice experiences.

Apologies if my post was unhelpful.
 
soxfan said:
That is all well and fine and probably what most of us would do, but there are always some buyers looking to cash in on the "PS" thing and expect above and beyond service even on final sale items. I'm not familiar on what "gg" means. I have read enough posts by the OP to know that they should probably never buy pre-loved ever again.

You said that you believe the buyer that it's a feather. Why? Did she send you the stone or provide an evaluation by an expert? I appreciate the good vibes and all, but I don't really think your previous LT situation applies to this one at all. I'm not at all trying to be rude, just putting myself into the seller's situation and having to refund a great deal of money to someone who is whining over a LT final sale...

I agree about your Canadians customs part of the post. It is what it is. I went through this selling a few things and refused to declare under value unless the buyer took responsibility.
Click to expand...

To be fair there isnt anything here to back up either parties claims -- the buyer could be wrong an it could not be a feather, the seller could have not taken it to a jeweler (or could have taken it to a jeweler who did not have training like GIA graduate gemology program and/or GIA gemology certificates in coloured stones, or could really have not been as experienced with inclusions in coloured stones. Lots of jewelers aren't. The seller's jeweler could also be 100% awesome and still simply have missed something. There is clearly something there which probably deserved being pointed out and explained when the seller asked for it to be examined. Actually If I had taken that stone to my jeweler to set he would have made a point of getting me to look at that mark, and agree the inclusion was already present before he accepted custody of it -- he's very old school and almost exclusively sets coloured stones though. On the flip side the issue may have occured in the post -- we really cant know which I think is my main point. Criticising the claims of the buyer and the seller is a bit pointless.)

They both deserve to be taken at their word. I am pretty sure they're both right and have both done the right thing too.

But @yssie hit it on the head when she said there would be no mutually amicable solution as they both want different things, but neither is in the wrong. It was just unfortunate and honestly the best version of salvaging it would be to make some lovely jewelery and try to move on.
 
PrecisionGem said:
Is that from Madagascar, no heat?
I'm surprised the jeweler you took it to didn't offer to buy it.
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Yes. Madagascar unseat. Do you need other face up photo? My face up photo is really horrible That's why I don't post it. I need the natural daylight to shoot the better photo.
 
I still cannot see any feather... :confused:

Either way mate, you got a cracking deal on a gorgeous stone so I'd just let it slide frankly. It's the risk you knowingly took for private sales - no returns.
 
After finishing this long thread, I'm wondering how many PS-ers are wishing they could take that UNHEATED beauty off the disgruntled buyer's hands! I already have a project in the works, but if I didn't -- damn! -- I'd take buy the stone even with TWO feathers! :lol:
 
woweezowee said:
After finishing this long thread, I'm wondering how many PS-ers are wishing they could take that UNHEATED beauty off the disgruntled buyer's hands! I already have a project in the works, but if I didn't -- damn! -- I'd take buy the stone even with TWO feathers! :lol:
Click to expand...

Same here - the stone is gorgeous. I would be utterly thrilled with it if I was the buyer.
 
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