it is not in excellent condition. Why don't sellers just tell the truth? If it is used or worn, ok...no biggie. The Topaz Stam I bought on E-bay (without the chain for $370.) has some major wear on the corners. The leather is not worn through, but color is worn off. I am going to have to go to the craft store today to buy some craft acrylic paint and try to touch this up. I love the bag. The color is pretty, but I wish I would have known in advance. I probably still would have bid. I'm just kind of bummed about it being worn on the edges. I hope I can fix it.
Topaz Stam arrived.....but....
- Thread starter rorosity
- Start date
^ i'm sorry to hear that. i think you should email the seller and ask for a small refund since s/he failed to disclose the true condition of the bag. i did that recently with the pomegranate venetia i had won. the seller said that it had suede lining leading me to believe that the color was brick red. the bag came and it had canvas lining. i was a little disappointed, you know? you're expecting lush suede and you get cotton canvas instead. i loved the bag and didn't want to return it, so the seller offered to give me $60 back. since your topaz stam was not as described either, the seller should be willing to compromise with you and return a small portion of your money for your troubles. good luck!
I definitely agree with tadpolenyc, contact the seller and see what she/he is willing to do for you. 
I'm sorry to hear you're disappointed in the condition of your bag - I don't think the seller deliberately tried to mislead you -- she did say it had some "darkening at the corners" - is it a lot worse that that? Did you try to use a conditioner on it to see if maybe that's all it needs? maybe she didn't realize it was more worn than dirty -- Before you put anything like acryllic paint on it - How bad is it? I ask because my Topaz stam had a little bit of corner rubs too - when I look at it more closely though, I think it's more like the color didn't fully deposit itself into the leather becuz it has a similar appearance on the handles and my bag was NWT -- it's possible that it's not exactly worn down, or the seller's fault, but that maybe the Topaz color isn't really deep/absorbed on the corners.
OMG!!! So sorry to hear that. Definitely contact the seller and see what she says. Keep us posted!
I do notice that the color, in general, did not deposit really well on the Topaz Stam and I figured this is just the way the leather was. What I am referring to is completely worn off color on all four corners of the piping around the edges and also worn off about 2/3 of the way up the piping, too. It is obviously worn. It is white/beige in those areas. I think if I match the color, I can kind of dry brush the paint on and it will probably be ok. It will definitely look better than it does now. I expected a little bit of wear, but not as much as is on there. It's a lot. No color on approx 1 1/2 to 2 inches at the bottom (each corner) and about an inch of the piping towards the top...on all four sides. I am sure this color was more delicate and probably has a tendency to do this. I am not mad, I just wish I had known more in advance. I still love it, though and it was a good deal. I am sure I can fix it.
I don't know if I am going to ask for any kind of refund. The seller did say it was used. I guess everyone has a different interpretation of how much wear you can have on a bag and still say it is excellent condition. Live and learn. I still love it, though. I am not giving it up!!
If the leather is rubbed off completely, that's different than a "darkening" - if it's bad you should ask for a partial refund.
I know how you feel tho -- when you really want something & it arrives in lower condition than you were expecting. I love my "new" Petrol Stam, but it arrived with corner rubs - enough that the Petrol is worn away completely and the lighter Teal shade shows thru. This makes me think the bag was used more than 2x - but then, this might have happened at the store (on display? sale table?) A part of me wants to contact the seller, but another part of me thinks - I found a RARE bag at a decent price - maybe I should just "suck it up"!!
If you find that the bag disappoints you more than it thrills you - then you should contact the seller.
I know how you feel tho -- when you really want something & it arrives in lower condition than you were expecting. I love my "new" Petrol Stam, but it arrived with corner rubs - enough that the Petrol is worn away completely and the lighter Teal shade shows thru. This makes me think the bag was used more than 2x - but then, this might have happened at the store (on display? sale table?) A part of me wants to contact the seller, but another part of me thinks - I found a RARE bag at a decent price - maybe I should just "suck it up"!!
If you find that the bag disappoints you more than it thrills you - then you should contact the seller.
I think the topaz stams all has this issue. The first Topaz Stam I bought on ebay had the color worn off all the corners and slightly in some other spots like where the clips from the chain rubbed on the sides. The second was a refurb from NR and it had all its color save a tiny 1cm spot on one of the back corners.
It's such a bright color it must have been applied in a similar way as the metallic leathers???
Let us know if you find a color that matches well. I considered taking my first to a shoe shop to see if they could match with some polish. I lost a rivet in the frame though so its still with Nordie's getting repaired, I'm kind of hoping they might have given it a conditioning too but I'll just have to wait and see.
I would be careful with acrylic paint though, eek!
Good luck!
It's such a bright color it must have been applied in a similar way as the metallic leathers???
Let us know if you find a color that matches well. I considered taking my first to a shoe shop to see if they could match with some polish. I lost a rivet in the frame though so its still with Nordie's getting repaired, I'm kind of hoping they might have given it a conditioning too but I'll just have to wait and see.
I would be careful with acrylic paint though, eek!
Good luck!
You guys tell me what you think. I am not going to ask the seller for anything, I am just curious as to what you think the condition of this bag is...Would you wear it like this? I am usually not super picky, but I don't feel comfortable wearing this until I touch it up.
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I was thinking the same thing - I think it has something to do with the color and how it was absorbed by the leather. When I first saw the corners of my bag I thought they were corner rubs, but then I noticed that the handle was "spotted" - nothing major and it isn't even noticeable, it's just how the leather absorbed the color - it's not an even deposit. When I saw the handles, I realized that they weren't corner rubs, but rather an uneven color deposit. It's not even enough to bother me (the glue spot on the backside however does bug me -- I haven't been able to get it off!!)
No - that's a heck of a lot more than a "darkening of the corners"!!! It's actually the opposite of darkening - it's a stripping of the color!!
Did the flash make it more apparent? Is it that obvious under normal lighting? Is it the front corners or the back? I would contact the seller & ask her for some kind of refund - that's if you want to keep it. You did get it for a good price (becuz the chain was missing) - you could always keep your eyes open for another one and resell this one if/when you find one. If you don't think you want it, then I would tell her you want to return it for a full refund - She said she would give a refund if the bag was misrepresented - that's definitely misrepresented - darkening/fading are totally opposite of each other. She should have described it better, or at the very least, included pics of it.
Did the flash make it more apparent? Is it that obvious under normal lighting? Is it the front corners or the back? I would contact the seller & ask her for some kind of refund - that's if you want to keep it. You did get it for a good price (becuz the chain was missing) - you could always keep your eyes open for another one and resell this one if/when you find one. If you don't think you want it, then I would tell her you want to return it for a full refund - She said she would give a refund if the bag was misrepresented - that's definitely misrepresented - darkening/fading are totally opposite of each other. She should have described it better, or at the very least, included pics of it.