Have you educated someone?

before they asked?
been debating w/myself for a few days over 2 rings(ebay) that are wrongly identified. both called “vintage 925 sterling silver stamped zuni bear arrow band” & they aren’t.
not guessing,guys. I have 3-they’re made by wheeler manufacturing out of s.dakota. one is the bear design(“spirit” bear,thus the “arrow”) & 2 bear pawprints=amusing,cheap factory stuff.under $20 apiece.
the sellers are asking 65 & 75.
so…none of my business?

3 Likes

I emailed a couple sites on Etsy, because they were selling pieces and claiming they were from pretty well known Hopi artists when they weren’t, and didn’t even look anything like Hopi. One took the description down, and the other one appeared to ignore it. But it seemed worse to me that they were lying about who the artist was. But I don’t think it hurts to educate people; unfortunately probably a lot of those sites don’t want to be educated.

5 Likes

Years ago eBay could punish a member for just this kind of education, which they called auction interference. Even if motivated by the wish to keep fellow buyers safe, you could get reported for this “offense.” This came up in another collecting forum I participated in that was concerned about counterfeits being sold as the real thing.

I don’t know if sellers can still bust someone for this. The sure recourse is to hit Report, though that doesn’t distinguish the honest mistake from scamming.

5 Likes

I see misidentified stuff like this all the time on eBay.
Not just NA jewelry, but other stuff too. So aggravating! I swear people just make up lies to sell their pieces.

My friend is a serious doll collector. He has contacted people and corrected them about their descriptions. Some people are appreciative and change their wording, and others ignore his information.

When I see blatant mislabeling, I just shake my head and move on.

4 Likes

I’ve given people an education more in real life, like at a flea market, than online, while I am looking at their items for sale. It’s received pretty well in person but not as much online.

This is exactly why “buyer beware”. Whether it’s an honest lack of knowledge or blatant misrepresentation, being an informed buyer is the best weapon in your arsenal.

4 Likes

Yes online they don’t have to look at you. I contacted a seller about a week ago. Selling a necklace made of vintage buffalo nickels and claiming they were 90% silver. I was polite and stated what they were made of. He wrote back and insisted that they were silver. SMH :woman_facepalming:

4 Likes

wonder why they thought they’re CALLED “nickels”,eh

1 Like