This is naughty

[LD]

I came across this on Ebay. This is the same stone but marketed as different carat weights with altered photos and three different vendor names (I have no idea whether they are connected or not).

Look carefully at the lighting on the facets and you'll see it's the same. The seller in the last photo has tried to (very strangely) disguise it!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BIG-3-45-ct-TOP-LUSTRE-FANTA-ORANGE-SPESSARTITE-GARNET-/120706835611?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1ab0249b

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-55ct-Rare-Fanta-Orange-Spessartite-Garnet-Mozambiq-NR-/380329535415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item588d6827b7

EDIT:

and I've just found a 3rd!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-90ct-CHARMING-GEM-TOP-FANTA-ORANGE-SPESSARTITE-GARNET-/370498563278?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56436f6cce

So beware if you buy from:

Tucsongems
Baselgems
Sothebygems

 

[cellentani]

What about this? Scroll down to see the tweezer shot: http://cgi.ebay.com/CERTIFIED-3-50-CT-HIGHEST-5A-FANTA-ORANGE-SPESSARTITE_W0QQitemZ120538445621QQcategoryZ110808QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3911.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8203280022957257796

 

[LD]

What about this? Scroll down to see the tweezer shot: http://cgi.ebay.com/CERTIFIED-3-50-CT-HIGHEST-5A-FANTA-ORANGE-SPESSARTITE_W0QQitemZ120538445621QQcategoryZ110808QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3911.m7QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D3%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8203280022957257796

Good catch Cell. So that's another to add to the list selling the same stone then!

Tucsongems
Baselgems
Sothebygems
Gemcove

 

[minousbijoux]

So how does that work? When its sells on one site, do they pull the listings on the other sites?

 

[T L]

So how does that work? When its sells on one site, do they pull the listings on the other sites?

I suspect they just sell an oval that is not the same stone in the photo. The color is enhanced in those pictures too.

Thanks for the heads up LD.

 

[JewelFreak]

They all say 99.something positive feedback, one says 100%. Either their customers don't know enough to compare stone w/photo or eBay hasn't caught them yet. Good eyes, LD.

--- Laurie

 

[T L]

They all say 99.something positive feedback, one says 100%. Either their customers don't know enough to compare stone w/photo or eBay hasn't caught them yet. Good eyes, LD.

--- Laurie

If you look on toolhaus.org, much older feedback is retained, and it isn't so lovely. Also, many poor vendors open stores upon stores, and close up shop on bad ones with lots of negative feedback, in order to maintain a good name for themselves.

 

[Indylady]

I just don't get the business model. Wouldn't you want a store that sticks and has a decent rep? Can you really make a lot of money by hide and seeking your way around Ebay?

 

[stylish1]

From past experiences with ebay and bad sellers, they do seem to be there in numbers. As with all business, there are organisums, low life, who know how to scam the system. I know of people who bought items through ebay, gems matter of factly, that were received and tested and proved not to be as sold. items were returned, and later showed up for sale on the same web and resold to someone else. Sometimes ebay catches badguys and gets them off the site. No big deal to them, they get new accounts and company names and reapply-back in business with a clean slate. The good thing for consumers is ebay stands behind more of the sales than they did in the past. A plus for the good guys. So do shop for whatever, just be cautious. From i'm finding out about most pictures of gems on ebay, they do use a photoshop program on almost every picture displayed and the use of high magnification photos to benifit their sale.

 

[JewelFreak]

Thanks for the info, TL & Stylish. Will keep it in mind, a sleazoid tactic I didn't know about. Toolhaus, here we come!

--- Laurie

 

[T L]

I just don't get the business model. Wouldn't you want a store that sticks and has a decent rep? Can you really make a lot of money by hide and seeking your way around Ebay?

You'd be surprised. There are many people that fall prey to 99 cent synthetic stones sold as natural.

 

[LD]

I wouldn't buy from any of these Ebay stores now because there is NO guarantee about what I'll get. Basically a lot of us use photos to assess gemstones and if we're not even being shown the stone we'll receive then there's no way we can trust that seller!

I understand the use of photoshop as some gems just don't photograph well - HOWEVER - if they photoshop then I expect the picture to represent what they see NOT enhance. That's the difference between the good use of photoshop and downright manipulation to achieve a sale.

Like TL says, I always use Toolhaus and it's amazing what you can find.

 

[colorluvr]

I usually don't comment on these types of threads because the messenger is often the one that gets shot, but in this instance, I feel the need to "defend" gem_cove on this particular listing. I have purchased several stones from Rich (owner of gem_cove) and actually purchased an included stone from the same lot as the one that is currently listed on ebay and was linked in this thread. A while back, I asked him if he had any of the Tanzanian spesses and he said that he had purchased a "lot" of spesses from Namibia that were the color I was looking for, but that most of them were quite included and he had listed the cleanest stone on ebay (the one linked above) that he got from the bunch. Rich currently lives in England, but he has a staff in Thailand where he used to live.

This stone is also listed for sale on the RainbowofGems website. http://rainbowofgems.com/cart/certified-fanta-orange-spessartite-garnet-p-118.html The RainbowofGems website is owned and run by a man named Kenny and some of Rich's (gem_cove) BIN stones are also listed for sale on the RoG website. If you read the description you will see that it states that the stone will be shipped from the UK. This stone (and other gem_cove stones) are a bit less money on the RoG site because there aren't any ebay selling fees. . Rich (gem_cove) and Kenny (RofG) are two completely different people and two completely different companies, but they have a "working relationship" as do many suppliers/sellers. If the stone sells from one site, it is removed from the other. I am only mentioning this because another stone that was listed in both locations was mentioned on here a few months ago, so I thought I'd clear that up.

I don't remember my entire conversation with Rich about my stone, as it was a few months ago, but the bottom line was that he had an included stone that was the same color as the one listed on his ebay site that he would sell me for a very reasonable price because he felt it was too included to put on ebay, but that the one eye visual inclusion (you can see it on the vendor photo at the edge at 11:00) could probably be covered by a prong if it was set properly. I told him I was interested and he sent me the stone.

When I saw this thread, I recognized the stone and the listing, so I contacted Rich this morning and he told me that the stone was definitely his and HE had paid the photographer to photograph the stone and those are his photos on his ebay listing. He is going to look into the other sites that are stole his photo.

As far as his photos being enhanced, I am not getting into a back and forth about that because I am not a professional photographer, but I do know that he pays a professional to do his photos AND I do not believe the photo of MY stone was enhanced. Flattering, yes, enhanced, I don't think so. I have put the ebay listing stone vendor photo, next to the vendor photo of my stone to show that they do indeed appear to be from the same lot. I also included some of my lousy but definitley not enhanced photos of my stone next to the vendor photos to show that my stone is indeed the same color as the vendor photo shows it be. I did it in different kinds of lighting to try to show that the stone is indeed a very neony fanta orange. One photo has too much light and one doesn't have enough, but the one in the middle with the two stones (gem_cove stone on the left) is pretty close.

I don't like getting involved in these threads, but I just didn't think it was fair to lump gem_cove and a stone and photos that I feel quite certain do in fact belong to Rich (gem_cove) in with those other vendors that obviously stole the photo for their own use.

 

[T L]

IWhen I saw this thread, I recognized the stone and the listing, so I contacted Rich this morning and he told me that the stone was definitely his and HE had paid the photographer to photograph the stone and those are his photos on his ebay listing. He is going to look into the other sites that are stole his photo.

CL,
I'm glad you posted about this, and brought the suspect photos to the seller's attention. Thanks!

 

[K9]

CL,
I'm glad you posted about this, and brought the suspect photos to the seller's attention. Thanks!

I am also glad as I'd hate to omit a potential seller over stolen photos!

 

[LD]

I've also bought from GemCove and was really disappointed when Arc found the same photo in his listing. If it's the case that the others have "stolen" his photo then that's unforgiveable and I hope Rich reports them to Ebay. In terms of Rich's photography, his photos are most definitely designed to make the stones look better than they are. Not enough to be grossly misleading but certainly a disappointment - but hey ho, that's the same with many vendors not just GemCove.

The unfortunate thing however is that we will never know for sure whether Ebay shops are linked. They are all based in Thailand so who knows if this is one seller or a number of unscrupulous sellers.

 

[stylish1]

Some of these sellers who list the same stones on different listings do so to have their sales overlap during a perticular set of time frames. if a list says for a 7 day session for a buy-it-now price for say $300.00, in just a few lines away you might see the same stone in a slightly different pose offered for, Buy-it-now or Best offer over a period of 25 days. If you look at the specs of both stones, the company name may be different, but the stones are spected identical. Some sellers will admit its a double listing, others you just put 2+2 together and get the same results or same seller. In almost every case I have looked into, the sellers will sell most stones if they are offered between 60% and 90% of their asking price. Nothing is set in cement, but almost every sale is negoshable? to the buyer.

 

[LD]

Some of these sellers who list the same stones on different listings do so to have their sales overlap during a perticular set of time frames. if a list says for a 7 day session for a buy-it-now price for say $300.00, in just a few lines away you might see the same stone in a slightly different pose offered for, Buy-it-now or Best offer over a period of 25 days. If you look at the specs of both stones, the company name may be different, but the stones are spected identical. Some sellers will admit its a double listing, others you just put 2+2 together and get the same results or same seller. In almost every case I have looked into, the sellers will sell most stones if they are offered between 60% and 90% of their asking price. Nothing is set in cement, but almost every sale is negoshable? to the buyer.

I'm sorry Stylish but that's not the point. Each of the listings are for different carat weights - not the same stone - the specs are different. The photo is the of the same gem but altered to appear different. Whilst I appreciate that some genuine Ebay vendors list the same stone in several ways, this is not an example of that as the gemstone details are different in all cases.

 

[chrono]

Colorluvr,
Thank you for speaking up and clarifying what’s going on with the vendor. Sometimes we find some fraudulent activity going on and sometimes we uncover inadvertent errors on the vendors part, and in this case, some photography theft by a third party.