Scarves Scarf newbie - Pulls to be expected when Preowned?

[H_Luva]

Good morning and thank you in advance for any advice.

I recently became interested in acquiring a 140cm shawl in the Collection Equestre print. It was cross listed on Poshmark and eBay. I had it authenticated via Poshmark photos but in the end purchased it via eBay. The shawl was described as having no stains or pulls. It was listed for $607.50 and I offered $350, which was accepted. I received the shawl yesterday and upon quick examination discovered at least 6 areas with pulls. The pulls range in size with some being smaller but some measuring over 4”.

I contacted the seller right away. He almost seemed indignant in his response, implying that while technically I was correct that there are pulls, he considers these tiny and that I should have expected them. He also said the shawl was worth over $700, even with the pulls.

I am more familiar with Hermes bags and am just starting to venture into scarves/shawls. I am wondering if perhaps I have to reevaluate my expectations and valuations for Preowned shawls/scarves. Also, if I am the one being unreasonable, I’d like to know. Are these pulls tiny and to be expected, even if the description states no pulls? Am I truly undervaluing the item? Is an Hermes 140cm shawl, despite having all these pulls, good value at $350?

Thank you for reading. Any advice or education is greatly appreciated.

 

[AnnaLou]

So, let me get this straight. This guy lists an item as not damaged, with no pulls and yet sends it to you with multiple pulls. Then he tries to make YOU feel like a jerk for calling him out on the fact that he did not disclose the pulls. It's not like the listing said "used condition - as is." No. It said "No Pulls." And yet it has pulls. He lied. And now he is trying to bully you into letting him cheat you.

The bottom line with that transaction is that the description was listed as having no pulls but there were multiple pulls. He lied in the description. He should have described them and showed them in the photos. You were able to take photos, so he could have too. He should have done so and been honest about what he was offering. Then you and everyone else could have made a decision based on what was actually being sold in its actual condition.

Whether or not you should expect pulls, frays, etc. in a used scarf is irrelevant. He specifically said there weren't pulls. How are you supposed to know something is there when he said it wasn't there?? Besides, I have tons of scarves and shawls some of which are decades old and very few have pulls or snags.

You were misled. I suggest returning it and reporting him to Ebay, both for his misleading and inaccurate description, and then for trying to bully you into accepting damaged goods. Nope. His behavior is reprehensible. Don't let him get away with it.

 

[H_Luva]

So, let me get this straight. This guy lists an item as not damaged, with no pulls and yet sends it to you with multiple pulls. Then he tries to make YOU feel like a jerk for calling him out on the fact that he did not disclose the pulls. It's not like the listing said "used condition - as is." No. It said "No Pulls." And yet it has pulls. He lied. And now he is trying to bully you into letting him cheat you.

The bottom line with that transaction is that the description was listed as having no pulls but there were multiple pulls. He lied in the description. He should have described them and showed them in the photos. You were able to take photos, so he could have too. He should have done so and been honest about what he was offering. Then you and everyone else could have made a decision based on what was actually being sold in its actual condition.

Whether or not you should expect pulls, frays, etc. in a used scarf is irrelevant. He specifically said there weren't pulls. How are you supposed to know something is there when he said it wasn't there?? Besides, I have tons of scarves and shawls some of which are decades old and very few have pulls or snags.

You were misled. I suggest returning it and reporting him to Ebay, both for his misleading and inaccurate description, and then for trying to bully you into accepting damaged goods. Nope. His behavior is reprehensible. Don't let him get away with it.

I agree with you and that is how I also initially felt. But I wasn’t sure if my inexperience was clouding my judgement. Thank you for taking the time to respond with so many excellent points. It reaffirms my decision to push for a full refund and to warn other potential buyers about him.

 

[EtsyBoss]

I agree with what AnnaLou said. This is not as described, and you are entitled to receive all of your money back if you return it, even if he won't accept a return. If you ask to return it and the seller says - no. You can open up a case under "significantly not as described' and I believe given these photos, if it was portrayed as no pulls, you will win the case.

However, given the great price, you may choose to accept it as is... or ask for even more of a discount if you feel like pressing the matter. If it were me and I love the shawl, I'd accept it as a great price for a few pulls that look to me like they are easily fixable. I've fixed even more difficult cases of pulls and those look like they'd take about 20 mins tops to fix. The CSGM thread pull tutorial is super helpful!

 

[JenJBS]

You're totally in the right. Pulls in resale items are a reality, but an ethical seller will mention them, and show pics of them so the customer can decide if the scarf is still acceptable. Sounds like you got unlucky with a really rude seller.

 

[H_Luva]

I agree with what AnnaLou said. This is not as described, and you are entitled to receive all of your money back if you return it, even if he won't accept a return. If you ask to return it and the seller says - no. You can open up a case under "significantly not as described' and I believe given these photos, if it was portrayed as no pulls, you will win the case.

However, given the great price, you may choose to accept it as is... or ask for even more of a discount if you feel like pressing the matter. If it were me and I love the shawl, I'd accept it as a great price for a few pulls that look to me like they are easily fixable. I've fixed even more difficult cases of pulls and those look like they'd take about 20 mins tops to fix. The CSGM thread pull tutorial is super helpful!

When I first contacted the seller, I indicated that I wanted a refund but might consider a partial refund to keep the scarf. He practically accused me of raising issues to get the scarf for free.

Thank you for pointing out the tutorial. I do recall reading that thread. Perhaps one day I will try that method out. While I do like the scarf, his response leaves such a bad taste that I do not feel good about keeping it.

 

[H_Luva]

You're totally in the right. Pulls in resale items are a reality, but an ethical seller will mention them, and show pics of them so the customer can decide if the scarf is still acceptable. Sounds like you got unlucky with a really rude seller.

The seller made it seem like the pulls I was mentioning were so minor that it didn’t need to be mentioned. And since this is my first scarf, I wasn’t sure either if I was being unreasonable. Definitely got unlucky with this seller.

 

[JenJBS]

The seller made it seem like the pulls I was mentioning were so minor that it didn’t need to be mentioned. And since this is my first scarf, I wasn’t sure either if I was being unreasonable. Definitely got unlucky with this seller.

You were not being unreasonable. Not at all.

 

[EtsyBoss]

When I first contacted the seller, I indicated that I wanted a refund but might consider a partial refund to keep the scarf. He practically accused me of raising issues to get the scarf for free.

Thank you for pointing out the tutorial. I do recall reading that thread perhaps one day I will try that method out. While I do like the scarf, his response leaves such a bad taste that I do not feel good about keeping it.

Argh on that seller!! Totally understandable about the bad taste. Definitely leave feedback so others know.

 

[Love Of My Life]

The indignant attitude speaks for itself. It should have been "how can we work together"
as I want you the buyer to be fully satisfied with your purchase. Not to throw the blame
for a scarf with multiple pulls on you. It simply is wrong
The scarf is MISDESCRIBED & in spite of making an offer that was based on his description
you were simply deceived. And the value of $700 is irrelevant with pulls of this magnitude
The item should be returned. It would cost you much more to have the pulls repaired
& as you found this one , you will find another scarf from a reputable seller.
As suggested, leave feedback to warn other potential buyers.

 

[H_Luva]

You were not being unreasonable. Not at all.

Thank you!

Argh on that seller!! Totally understandable about the bad taste. Definitely leave feedback so others know.

I went ahead and left feedback. I hate leaving negative feedback but I feel it is warranted in this case.

The indignant attitude speaks for itself. It should have been "how can we work together"
as I want you the buyer to be fully satisfied with your purchase. Not to throw the blame
for a scarf with multiple pulls on you. It simply is wrong
The scarf is MISDESCRIBED & in spite of making an offer that was based on his description
you were simply deceived. And the value of $700 is irrelevant with pulls of this magnitude
The item should be returned. It would cost you much more to have the pulls repaired
& as you found this one , you will find another scarf from a reputable seller.
As suggested, leave feedback to warn other potential buyers.

Yes, I have left feedback warning others. When I first contacted him, I expected to receive a reply apologizing for the mistake and immediately offering to at least accept a return. It was a shock to read his comments and he never addressed my request for a return. I opened a case and he has yet to respond to it. Looks like I might have to wait for eBay to intervene and hopefully force him to accept a return.

 

[Love Of My Life]

Thank you!

I went ahead and left feedback. I hate leaving negative feedback but I feel it is warranted in this case.

Yes, I have left feedback warning others. When I first contacted him, I expected to receive a reply apologizing for the mistake and immediately offering to at least accept a return. It was a shock to read his comments and he never addressed my request for a return. I opened a case and he has yet to respond to it. Looks like I might have to wait for eBay to intervene and hopefully force him to accept a return.

He the seller has forced your hand in this situation. He likely will get a sanction for this issue.
And if Ebay has to intervene that just compounds this further.
He likely is going to take his time as a result of you leaving feedback which is what many
sellers resort to & waiting to the last minute to answer the dispute

 

[Sylvain]

Hello H-Luva,

since you mentioned that you only recently became interested in H scarves, I would like to point out that fresh from the store scarves are often not perfect either, in one way or another. The number of pulls on this specific scarf and the seller's response are certainly not acceptable in this specific case, but please be aware for future purchases, that little irregularities like a silk knot or a small pull (e.g. like the one below the yellow circle in your third picture) can be there for BNIB scarves and may have gone unnoticed. I am known at my boutique for inspecting every single scarf before purchase and sometimes asking to see several items of the same kind in order to pick the perfect/best ones, and my experience is that some designs/batches seem to have more irregularities in the silk than others.

 

[H_Luva]

He the seller has forced your hand in this situation. He likely will get a sanction for this issue.
And if Ebay has to intervene that just compounds this further.
He likely is going to take his time as a result of you leaving feedback which is what many
sellers resort to & waiting to the last minute to answer the dispute

That is what appears to be happening because he still has not responded to the dispute. Maybe he is hoping eBay sides with him. If that happens I guess I will have to go through my cc.

Hello H-Luva,

since you mentioned that you only recently became interested in H scarves, I would like to point out that fresh from the store scarves are often not perfect either, in one way or another. The number of pulls on this specific scarf and the seller's response are certainly not acceptable in this specific case, but please be aware for future purchases, that little irregularities like a silk knot or a small pull (e.g. like the one below the yellow circle in your third picture) can be there for BNIB scarves and may have gone unnoticed. I am known at my boutique for inspecting every single scarf before purchase and sometimes asking to see several items of the same kind in order to pick the perfect/best ones, and my experience is that some designs/batches seem to have more irregularities in the silk than others.

That is really helpful to know because I think I probably would have expected a scarf new from the store to be perfect. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

 

[hopiko]

Hi! You are totally in the right here but I want to point out that the price for this shawl is fantastic. If you like the shawl, try to get a further discount. Since it already has pulls, you won’t feel like you have to totally baby it when you wear it…you can enjoy it! These pills are easily repairable with a needle, tweezer and goodneyes