Wrong ID. What do you do when no action is taken by seller?

edited January 2021 in Questions 1 LikesVote Down
I have routinely brought listing errors to the attention of sellers. These are often in very difficult areas, like early stamps of Turkey, Hejaz and Nejd etc. where understandably errors are more likely than elsewhere. Often the impact of the error is huge, a $100 stamp misidentified could be a $0.25 stamp, or vice versa.
Errors could also come from not checking on perforations, or wishful thinking. A clear and repeated example is the confusion between Saudi Arabia (Hejaz) #L1 and #10
L1 is perforated 12, and it list for around 30 times the catalog value of L10. Are you surprised than 99% of the L1 listed are actually L10?
Most sellers are prompt to acknowledge, relist their stamps or take other corrective measures. and I am grateful to them.
I understand that some areas are fairly difficult and do require a specialist.

My question is: What do you do when the (few) seller reads your message and does nothing. No acknowledgement, no correction and their erroneous listing is still unchanged weeks later!
I am concerned, particularly when the error results in a huge pricing difference in their favor. Similarly when you suspect (although one is never 100% sure just with a scan) that a stamp is actually a known counterfeit possibility, and you flag it as worth a second look, what should the response be?
Do you report it? Ignore it? shoot another message?
rrr...

Comments

  • 16 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • I don't understand why you actually believe anyone HAS to listen to you. What are your credentials?? Just because you believe something is wrong doesn't mean it is. I always check things out but many many times I find they are wrong. I guess it's a matter of opinion sometimes.
    The best thing you can probably do is to ignore it , don't buy it and move along. It makes for alot less tension , unless that is what your looking for????
  • I welcome comments from buyers like Ralph, especially in areas where I don't have any real expertise, and am (typically) just selling something I acquired as part of a larger lot. Unless I am confident that I am right in my initial assessment, I will typically pull the item, and then engage in a conversation with the person to better understand why they think I've mis-identified an item. More often than not they are able to convince me that they are right and I was wrong.

    I'm grateful that someone took the time. I'd rather sell it for what it really is than what I want it to be.

    Rob
  • I also enjoy the more knowledgeable suggestion that I have a mistake. Often I sit there and say you dimmy, why didn't you see that when I was listing. So yes, bring on all the help. I sure do appreciate a second or third eye to make sure I walk the straight line!
  • If you think it is fraudulent activity, or violates site rules, contact site management. That's their job.
  • edited January 2021 5 LikesVote Down
    Fred, because I do have expertise in the area I am commenting about. Furthermore some errors are understandable because it is a difficult area. But the least I would expect is for the seller to take a look, especially if I remarked that he/she is misidentifying a 25c stamp as a $100.00 one. I don't suspect fraud, but I do notice a blatant error, probably not in the domain of the seller expertise. Most dealers would remove the stamp and reply to my message. Or correct me if I had made a mistake. Keeping the listing as is, and not replying, that is where I suspect a bit of self service passive, and possibly less than honest behavior.
    rrr...
  • I suppose it is all in the way you present your finding. As most other sellers, I appreciate any help I can get and always
    respond to the help. Although I admit I am not an expert in much of anything, I do not appreciate being told that I am less of an "expert" than the helper and that I should fawn over him/her. I freely admit that I do stupid things (in fact I celebrate being human every day), but I don't need self-ordained experts telling me so.
    I repeat, it is all in the way you present your findings.
  • edited January 2021 6 LikesVote Down
    I think it's natural to get irritated if you work hard and strive to be accurate, honest and fair and you see others really trying to deceive and profit off the naivete ( or ignorance or inexperience) of other philatelists. BUT before reporting, one must have proof and facts behind them . I noticed facsimile German Zeppelin stamps being sold on eBay , with all of the obvious "replica" printing noted in German on the reverse, etc, being sold as authentic. I notified the seller, offer a link to demonstrate and they apologetically removed the listing. In a another case,, a shady person, despite the evidence and fact he had a fraudulent presentation, continued. I sent that person to eBay folk...( who did not care). Both times, gentle admonitions, but different outcomes. After that , I learned that the eBay platform is really not that interested in protecting the buyer. That's a big reason why I'm here.
  • Ralph you are doing a favor by alerting the seller to a potential error so they should fix it and update it. I suppose some might be lazy or do not want to admit the mistake (continue to keep a fraudulent knowingly inaccurate listing) which makes your search much worse when you are looking for the correct stamp. If you alert the administrators they can probably flag those sellers accounts for a possible warning.
  • Ralph, in any case you are VERY welcome, that if you see what could be a listing mistake to advise me. I'll gladly review the item and change the description. And I'll certainly advise you if by any chance I don't change the listing for some reason.
  • I've been corrected by helpful buyers myself on occasion, and always confirm their evaluation and immediately change the listing if they're correct, which most times they are. This is always appreciated so someone doesn't receive an incorrect stamp from me and the ill will that might create. Its a huge positive that stamp folks are willing to help each other.
  • I've been on both the giving and receiving end of corrections. I'm always grateful that somebody took the time to point out my error. Often I don't bother to offer corrections, if I'm busy or tired, but when I do I always take a self-effacing approach. ('Scuse me, but I'm pretty sure this is actually Scott #...) In my experience, sellers are always appreciative.
  • We all can make mistakes and even in my 40+ years I can sometimes mis-identify something because I was working when I should not have been (I am not young anymore even though I feel like it at times LoL). I always will look at something again if some one finds and error and thank the person that pointed it out.
  • edited January 2021 3 LikesVote Down
    While we're on the subject, I'm currently breaking down a huge world-wide dealer's collection on 102-cards that I picked up at auction a few months ago. While going through it and plucking out what I want to keep for my own collections, its astonishing to me how many mis-described stamps there are. At least over half the time, the previous owner wrote up the stamps using the higher priced catalogue number instead of the lower catalogue valued stamps that they actually are (in those instances where that could happen). It shows how important it is to verify perfs, watermarks, etc when listing items for sale, especially those coming from a large holding. I wonder if the previous owner was just lazy, eternally hopeful, or just a (insert expletive)-ing crook...
  • Yes George we must always check and verify what we are listing is the actual item.
  • George, I'm personally going through my own collection, 1840-1940 to list it for sale (I'm 75...) and its amazing the quantity of stamps which I thought belonged to that period but because of perf, wmk etc etc I was completely wrong. Values are sometimes a nice surprise but many times the "new" reprints are just normal.
  • Jacques, 1840-1940 is one of my collections too and I'm sure I have a few boo-boo's in mine as well. We are, after all, only human.
    But nothing like the 102 card collection I'm working on. The latest goof-up (albeit these go into my 'plus column') is in a bunch of his descriptions of early GB stamps where his or her descriptions state 'clipped perfs on one side' and his prices reflect such "damage." All I can do is smile as I put one after another of these into my albums...each having a straight edge as a Wing Margin copy. Its becoming more and more clear that the previous owner wasn't engaged in tomfoolery but rather just simply didn't have a clue.
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