To think eBay seller should amend item description?

[wowfudge]

Hi there - browsing some vintage stuff on eBay earlier in the week I spotted an item which was listed as genuine 60s and 'true vintage', but actually isn't at all. The tags, sizing, etc show it is actually from about 2000, so while it may be 60s style it ain't as it has been described.

I emailed the seller and politely said I was sorry to point it out, but the item wasn't quite what it seemed and gave the reasons. The response was 'oh I must have made a mistake, but seeing as you must be interested, get your bid in and don't email me again unless you are interested in winning the item'.

This has pissed me off - yes, I can understand someone doesn't want their mistake pointing out, but now's the time to correct it surely? Just because it's on eBay doesn't mean this isn't misrepresentation and a buyer who thinks they are getting something which is genuine 60s vintage will be getting anything but.

The description is still as it was originally, two days later.

Report to eBay. The seller's actions show it isn't an honest mistake.

How do I report this though? I can't find how to do this on eBay: I can report spam and raise a dispute if a purchased item isn't as described, but I can't find how to complain about this. Could you provide a link please?

Definitely report it. I'm a serial eBay reporter, mainly when it comes to fake designer bags - I feel so sorry for the people who have unwittingly bid hundreds on something which is cheap fake crap. Loathe dishonest eBay sellers.

Btw - I have emailed the snotty seller and suggested the description be amended as it misleading and will lead to disappointment for the eventual purchaser who isn't clued up

There's a report item button on the listing, on the right hand side of the page about half way down.

Thanks Ophelia - I'm using my phone and didn't see it. Might have to log in online instead.

I've reported the listing - not exactly easy though: the language used is not the clearest and you have to categorise your complaint then drill down and specify it further. I wasn't able to refer to my correspondence with the seller or state exactly why I had an issue with it. Hopefully they'll pick up on it and ask for more info from me.

Ooh I did this OP. A bag was listed as "Genuine 1950's vintage bag" and it was from frigging Primark! I had the same bag myself!

I emailed the seller and did as you did...told her she'd made a "mistake" and then when she didn't respond, I reported her....I got NO response!

eBay won't do a lot, and annoyingly you can't contact buyers anymore and warn them.

Last week I discovered an eBay seller flogging a huge amount of a fake item as a business. Whilst these fakes are obvious to anyone who owns the genuine article it's not so obvious to someone new to the item.
I reported the seller to their local trading standards, eBay and the manufacturer of the item. Manufacturer said they would look into it, nothing at all from ebay or TS and the auction ended at over £100.

He still has over 30 listings up now, of which at least half are fake.

Well I haven't had so much as an automated acknowledgement email from eBay. I am sorely tempted to name and shame by posting a link to the item!

I wasn't actually interested in it, just saw it obviously had the original tags and wondered what it was. The tags alone show it isn't from the 60s at all, but someone else might not know. I've just had a look at the seller's other items and some purport to be specific brands, but there are no photos of the labels, which make me think either the seller is naive or just a liar!

They will remove the item but it does take them a while to get around to it, so if a listing is due to end soon they probably won't remove it in time. I've seen people paying over £500 for fake designer bags - they're listed as BNWT and buyers think they're getting a bargain because they usually retail at £900. There's one bag this happens with constantly. It's horrible.

They contacted me because I listed a bag as 'Chanel' style. I made it obvious it wasn't a Chanel bag but they removed it because I used the word.

I took to using Chanelesque and Pucciesque etc

devere thats because using 'brand name' style is classed as Keyword Spamming. Ebay clamped down on that a while ago.

She might have been aware that it wasn't vintage but it could have been an honest mistake. But she was very gracious in her reply.

Erm that should have been 'not very gracious'. Blame the heat!

They removed my listing because I used the word onesie. Apparently that's a brand name... I thought it was just what one calls babygros. I made it clear what the brand was!

There are a lot of frauds on eBay though. And it never seems to care much about the real fraudsters, only genuine people making an error

I have had a response from the eBay seller. It's full of vitriol and bile about how I should get off my arse and stop harassing her. I'm not stooping, though I may email and say I am glad she has stopped lying to people: yes, she has amended her listing!

She's a real charm school graduate - she threatened to report me for harrassment(!). Apparently I need to get a life - what is it with people being unable to admit they made a mistake?

If I were you I'd report her right back to eBay and if you're not sure how or to whom go onto 'live chat' and discuss your concerns with them. They're very helpful in my experience.

I once emailed a seller to point out that an item he was selling as a one-off hand-made Victorian apprentice piece, and asking over £100 for, was actually Japanese, and of a type produced in large numbers for the export market in the early 20th century - and this one was obviously in such poor condition he'd be lucky to get £15 for it. I included links to very similar items, properly described as Japanese etc. I got a very vitriolic response and a threat to report me for harassment. I hadn't realised it was possible to report listings - maybe I should have done that.

I also sometimes message sellers who have misdescribed things as Chinese which are actually Japanese, and vice-versa (or Chinese when actually Burmese etc). Usually people are happy to get the information.

Op report her for harassment. That's outrageous.

Ophelia - you should see what she actually put in her charming email. Apparently recreating the mod social scene of the 1960s at the weekend constitutes having a life, whereas my sitting on 'my arse at my computer all day just to harass her' does not. I've told her she knows nowt about me and should keep her petty remarks to herself.

I've been on MN and eBay today....and I'm on holiday.

I also added I'm glad she has now done the decent thing.

Onesie is not a brand name, Onepiece is

Onsie is a brand name in US, it's Gerber Onsies baby underwear.