Damaged silk scarf

[freepockets]

I want the wisdom of the crowd to help make this as easy for the seller and myself as possible!

I ordered a silk scarf off of eBay from an outlet in Italy. The scarf arrived damaged. The impressions came out with a little dabbing with a damp paper towel but the mark in the black part of the silk is a scratch, which seems permanent.

So far I messaged the seller and sent photos of the damage and the packaging asking them how they want to proceed.

The seller sent the scarf using FedEx in a Tyvek envelope without any kind of support like a piece of card stock. I noticed a hole in the internal packaging in the same spot where the damage is located on the scarf. I suspect the tag made the damage during the shipping process.

The seller lists the inventory of this scarf as having both 'new with tags' and 'with defects'. The other possibility that seems more remote is that I received the wrong inventory.

I had to pay duties to import the item into Canada. Anyone have any advice on how to handle that part if I exchange or return the scarf?

 

[BeenBurned]

Your pictures are great, both showing the damage and showing the hole in the bag (exact size and shape) indicating the source of the damage.

I have a question. You said the description had both "new with tags" and "with defects." I'm wondering how she could did that because for condition, one must choose the specific condition and as shown below, you can't choose more than one "condition."


So I'm assuming that she may have put NWT in the condition, then used "defects" in the description. Is that how the listing was written?

If so, I believe you have a legitimate SNAD dispute because the item condition of NWT trumps additional information in the description. One cannot say it's NWT (which by definition is perfect condtion, never used, no flaws) and go on to outline issues. If there are defects, it should have been described as "New with defects" after which the description would describe those defects.

Therefore a NWT item should arrive in perfect condition, something yours did not do.

I wouldn't want a gorgeous Fendi scarf with that pull. I'd return.

BTW, how did she describe the defects?

 

[freepockets]

Sorry for the confusion. There were two options in a drop down menu. I picked new with tags. Here is the actual listing: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/-/391427249836?roken=cUgayN

For the new with defects, there was no real description of the defects but there was a photo of a scarf with a red dot on the yellow silk, which I assumed was a defect. In the description, it says it says in Italian that new with tags does not come with a box but that is it.

I agree with you on the pull. Even though it was a good price, I don't want to settle for a damaged scarf if I do not have to. Although I do not collect with resale in mind, I do feel like the damage basically destroyed the investment aspect via resale value.

I love the design and want the scarf so I really would like a replacement. Ebay says the seller has two more new with tags in stock so hopefully they will be kind to me. I assume it was insured through FedEx.

I tried to be very diplomatic and helpful in the email. The other complication is that FedEx skipped my delivery and made me pick up the parcel downtown. They told me I am entitled to a refund for the original shipping as a result but the process has to be initiated by the seller.

 

[freepockets]

The seller is offering me a € 20 refund if I keep the scarf... they did not mention anything about assisting with the reimbursement for FedEx that FedEx says I am entitled to.

 

[BeenBurned]

Seller indicates that there are 8 more available, having sold 1 already, presumably yours. I'd email the seller and request a replacement. If the seller doesn't comply, file SNAD.

And you might want to give the seller a heads up. Showing a picture of a red spot without disclosing that it's a stain/defect in the listing puts him/her at risk of another SNAD dispute, even without a snag in the silk. If the seller really wanted to list it properly, it would be listed as "new with defects" with the spot and any other defect being described in the listing.

And better packing would be in the seller's best interest too!

 

[BeenBurned]

The seller is offering me a € 20 refund if I keep the scarf... they did not mention anything about assisting with the reimbursement for FedEx that FedEx says I am entitled to.

A partial refund would have allowed you to clean the scarf. But it won't fix the snag. IMO, it's not an option. It would depend on whether you can live with the snag.

 

[freepockets]

I assume it is not advised that I iron the spot on the scarf to see to what extent it restores the weave as part of making the decision? I probably should not have blotted out the imprints left my the tag either...

 

[freepockets]

So I decided to look more closely at the damage under my microscope (yes, I have a small microscope!) and it appears that some of the damage in the black part of the silk was embedded pieces of plastic from the Fendi bag!

I was able to use a clean toothbrush and a dull metal tool to remove a good amount of the plastic fragments, which really improved the appearance of the scarf.

There is definitely a small pull in the weave from the "trauma" the scarf experienced in shipping but it is much less noticeable now that I removed as much of the plastic as I could.

I am starting to think that it might just be best to accept the € 20 discount if the seller is willing to follow up with FedEx to get me the refund for the € 16 shipping?

eBay is so stressful when things go wrong!

 

[whateve]

So I decided to look more closely at the damage under my microscope (yes, I have a small microscope!) and it appears that some of the damage in the black part of the silk was embedded pieces of plastic from the Fendi bag!

I was able to use a clean toothbrush and a dull metal tool to remove a good amount of the plastic fragments, which really improved the appearance of the scarf.

There is definitely a small pull in the weave from the "trauma" the scarf experienced in shipping but it is much less noticeable now that I removed as much of the plastic as I could.

I am starting to think that it might just be best to accept the € 20 discount if the seller is willing to follow up with FedEx to get me the refund for the € 16 shipping?

eBay is so stressful when things go wrong!

It looks great now! I think that is a good plan.

I've shipped scarves in envelopes in the past with just tissue and plastic wrapping. I guess I was lucky. Now I use padded envelopes. I didn't think it was necessary to protect with cardboard.

 

[BeenBurned]

So I decided to look more closely at the damage under my microscope (yes, I have a small microscope!) and it appears that some of the damage in the black part of the silk was embedded pieces of plastic from the Fendi bag!

I was able to use a clean toothbrush and a dull metal tool to remove a good amount of the plastic fragments, which really improved the appearance of the scarf.

There is definitely a small pull in the weave from the "trauma" the scarf experienced in shipping but it is much less noticeable now that I removed as much of the plastic as I could.

I am starting to think that it might just be best to accept the € 20 discount if the seller is willing to follow up with FedEx to get me the refund for the € 16 shipping?

eBay is so stressful when things go wrong!

Wow! Nice job! What a big difference.

It looks great now! I think that is a good plan.

I've shipped scarves in envelopes in the past with just tissue and plastic wrapping. I guess I was lucky. Now I use padded envelopes. I didn't think it was necessary to protect with cardboard.

I too have learned from this thread!

 

[freepockets]

It looks great now! I think that is a good plan.

I've shipped scarves in envelopes in the past with just tissue and plastic wrapping. I guess I was lucky. Now I use padded envelopes. I didn't think it was necessary to protect with cardboard.

Thanks for the feedback on the result and potential plan forward.

I am sure you know better as an experienced seller when it comes to packing. My suggestion for something more rigid in terms of packing is only speculation. I imagine a padded envelope, or a rigid card stock one, probably would have protected the scarf from damage in this case. What I can say for sure is Tyvek alone, although strong and flexible, just wasn't enough protection in this case! That's just my two sense though!

Wow! Nice job! What a big difference.


I too have learned from this thread!

Thanks for the feedback and thanks for all the knowledge you (and everyone else!) has shared on this forum. I really appreciate the support I received in this thread. I have learned a lot in general from TPF, especially about dealing with eBay and how things can go wrong. I would be happy if documenting and sharing this experiences helps others.