eBay Murano

[TxSilver]

I don't know if other people have this problem. Half the things I buy on eBay are problem pieces with defects that aren't described by the seller. The last two pieces that I bought were disappointing. One Fratelli Toso bowl had what looks like a factory defect in the middle of the bowl. It looks like a thumb-sized piece of the bowl was cut out, then molded back in place. The worst I've received has been a Fratelli Toso mosaic vase that the seller said had a "spot" where a cane had been pulled. It turned out this spot was where the handle had broken off and been reattached on top of another cane, instead of in its correct place, doubling the initial damage. Both of the pieces I mentioned were from sellers with good feedback.

I wondered if other people had the same problems. I don't expect perfection in vintage glass, but I do expect a good description of any defects... especially because return shipping costs are so high it's often less costly to just keep the piece. Some of the defects I've run across have been immediately noticeable, so I know that the seller had to see them. I would be embarrassed to send these pieces out without an adequate description.

Forgive the negative sound of this, but I wanted to air and hear some of the problems that others may have had.

Anita

[drabkin]

I don't know if other people have this problem. Half the things I buy on eBay are problem pieces with defects that aren't described by the seller. The last two pieces that I bought were disappointing. One Fratelli Toso bowl had what looks like a factory defect in the middle of the bowl. It looks like a thumb-sized piece of the bowl was cut out, then molded back in place. The worst I've received has been a Fratelli Toso mosaic vase that the seller said had a "spot" where a cane had been pulled. It turned out this spot was where the handle had broken off and been reattached on top of another cane, instead of in its correct place, doubling the initial damage. Both of the pieces I mentioned were from sellers with good feedback.

I wondered if other people had the same problems.

Anita

I have had some negative experiences with Ebay, mostly things being poorly described, but that sounds like downright fraud. Did you return it?

I have a love hate relationship with ebay, Murano glass can be so difficult to figure out without having 100's of misrepresented pieces on line. However if you are careful, you can find steals! I havent had too much trouble with dishonest sellers fortunately.

[TxSilver]

I didn't return the vase. I got it at a low price. The seller sent it to me Priority Mail with handling, so the shipping was high and not refundable. The return shipping would have added to the cost, so money dictated that I keep the vase :( I left her a negative and got a very vehement negative in retaliation. Twice bit. Thank goodness it was my buyer account and not my seller account.

Many sellers seem to get a better price than others for their Murano. I believe it is because people know they describe their things well. Maybe a good thing would be to brag on the seller and the piece when we get a nice one.

One thing I was thinking of doing with the vase is to use acetone to see if maybe the handle was just glued on. This mosaic vase has handles that are not attached straight up and down. Whoever repaired the vase must not have realized that. The handle has a couple of breaks (one repaired, one not). That wouldn't bother me, but I would like to uncover the cane that is under the handle and reattach the handle in the rough blank strip where it is supposed to be. It would be a pretty vase then. I'm probably courting disaster, however :)

I have received one flawed Murano piece that the seller gave a 100% refund, so I only lost return postage. The other pieces I've returned, I've lost the postage both ways. It can get expensive if one buys too many flawed pieces.

I'm sorry to see that I am not the only one who has had problems. Many buyers, I'm sure, don't leave negative feedback because the seller is holding feedback hostage. I have a lot of respect for sellers who are confident enough to leave feedback as soon as they receive payment. It gives me a good feeling about them when they do.

Well, let me quit rambling.

Anita

[glassman]

My experiences have been the same as most others, some good, some bad...but the one thing that lures you back is the optimism that you will find the "steal of a century" or at the very least, a good deal! I agree that many ebayers loosely categorize much glass as Murano, hoping it will lift their product sales, even if its obviously not. I have gotten burned, but I have also found a few nice deals, that I would have missed out on otherwise. I dont ebay as much as I had though, too much money and too little storage space!

[biddaeverything]

I think Ebay is definitely set up in favor of the seller in those cases where there's a problem. A return of the bid amount is less than worthless when the return shipping plus original shipping exceeds the amount that will be refunded and, as most of us have probably found, there are sellers out there that have no qualms about misrepresenting an item and then offering just such a "refund" so they can rook someone else with the same broken piece of glass. I imagine that selling the same broken bauble three or four times is worth the effort, especially with those that take a handling fee of more than a couple of dollars. Recently I had a seller "admit" that he sent me the wrong piece (the one he listed was undamaged but he said he had another one that was and that's the one I must have gotten) but refuse a refund because I didn't pay for insurance. Huh?!?
*end rant*

Methinks a nerve must have been touched with this post :rolleyes:

Just so you know, you're not alone and there ARE good, trustworthy sellers with integrity and common sense on Ebay... you just have to look hard for 'em. :) Any time I find one, I add them to my favorites list so I can throw some more business their way. I believe in positive reinforcement :D I also belive in Karma. :p

Bidda

[TxSilver]

I ended up selling the Toso vase on eBay as "damaged" with a close-up of the handle area. A really nice buyer adopted the vase. She was looking for a display piece and wrote to tell me that it looked beautiful with flowers in it. There is a definitely a place for non-investment grade Murano. One doesn't have to worry about using it :) I'm glad to know that the vase found the perfect home.

I left a negative for the person that sold the vase to me. After I did, I received two emails from people who had also received jewelry and glass with undescribed damage. I warned them that she leaves vehement retaliatory negative feedback (the nerve, really!). They didn't want to risk it. One said she would wait until the 90 day feedback period passed, then leave it at the last moment. I'll have to check to see if she remembered :)

I worried about retaliatory feedback, also, so I opened a buyer account that is separate from my seller account. People can leave me all the negatives they want to on my buyer account.

I like sellers who leave feedback when paid and have a good refund policy. It shows me that they stand behind what they are selling. I passed up a Carnivale vase recently because, though it was supposed to be perfect, it had a "no refund" policy. The vase ended up going for a low price and the buyer left feedback that it was perfect. I was glad to hear that and thought that the seller could have gotten a much better price if she had only had a refund policy. She was selling on consignment, so sold "as is" -- always a red flag for me.

Here I go rambling again. I better go feed the rabbits.

Anita

[biddaeverything]

I really don't mind an item sold "as is" as long as the damage is well described and pictured but, like you, I would be leary of an item described as "perfect" and sold "as is"... seems like an oxymoron. hee hee. I can also see, though, if selling on consignment, it would be difficult to offer a good return policy. I much prefer to sell things that I own; much less hassle and it allows me to be flexible enough to ensure that every customer is completely satisfied which is important to me :)

I'm with you on the feedback too. I've always left positive feedback immediately after payment was received but I think I understand why SOME don't. It's always a bit of a disappointment when a buyer doesn't leave any feedback after their item has been delivered. I worry that something might have gone wrong and they just don't want to tell me. I know that's a little obsessive but I was raised in a time when customer service still existed and I still believe in it. I really do care. What must it be like to act with impunity and suffer no remorse for the mistreatment of others? I can't imagine it.

Bidda
I like sellers who leave feedback when paid and have a good refund policy. It shows me that they stand behind what they are selling. I passed up a Carnivale vase recently because, though it was supposed to be perfect, it had a "no refund" policy. The vase ended up going for a low price and the buyer left feedback that it was perfect. I was glad to hear that and thought that the seller could have gotten a much better price if she had only had a refund policy. She was selling on consignment, so sold "as is" -- always a red flag for me.

[drabkin]

I also have a love/hate relationship with ebay. I obviously love the deals, but so many times the items are not as described, damaged or just plain wrong. I also hate to see something that was obviously made in china in the last 90 days labeled as 1050's Venini. I think the misattributed and "optimistically attributed" glass outnumbers the authentic 100 to 1! Its disheartening to see so much blatant dishonesty; when you finally do find a deal, you are always second guessing yourself. But I guess that is part of the game. I have never had much of a problem with feedback, although I have never give a negative. Im sure if I did they would flame me! Ebay is definintely structured to benefit the seller---but in the last few years it seems that Ebay has taken some positive steps to balancing the buyers/seller relationship, especially with their purchase of Paypal. Dont they offer some sort of fraud guarantee now?

Enough of this rant...ebay definitely gets my dander up! (until I find a steal!:)