posted on May 27, 2005 03:38:50 PM new
I recently sold a Cottage Ware set consisting of teapot, sugar, creamer, cheese plate with cover and condiment. These were bought at an auction. The only piece that had the mark Occupied Japan and T in a circle was the cheese plate. The other pieces had no discernable mark, although several of the pieces looked like a mark had worn off. I was assured that these were a set when I purchased them. I spent a tremendous amount of time and care-not to mention bubble wrap- to ship these safely. I just got an e-mail and the good news is that they arrived safely. The bad news is that the customer is irate and states that the only piece worth anything is the plate with the readable mark. Practically accused me of dishonesty/fraud/trickery and says I have ruined her ebay experience. I have almost 1100 feed back and only 1 neg. Most of my customers remark about quality, just as described, etc. I'm not in the habit of defrauding my customers. I have sold china, restaurant wear and othe porcelain and know that sometimes not every piece is marked in a set. It appears to me to be a matching set, but I am not an expert on OJ. Any help, suggestions, information on this problem will be greatly appreciated.
posted on May 27, 2005 03:50:21 PM new
Did you mention that the marking's on the other items were not visable in the listing? If the buyer did not know the marking's were not visable then they may be in the right, however if it was stated in the listing then sorry for your luck (them that is). Best way to avoid this is a description that list any fault's, or possible concern's you may have and GOOD PICTURES. Pictures of the marking's in question may have avoided this. Like they say a picture is worth a thousand words. I myself have sold items on ebay that were either broken or had ranging from very minor to serious. I just make sure I make sure I clearly state the condition and that no refund's for something that was clearly stated in the listing.
As to what to do with this buyer. Well you could do nothing and fear a bad feedback and if they payed with PayPal being charged back for it. Second, you could refund their money and offer it in a second chance auction. Third, offer a partial refund that you both agree to. Unfornatually, it kind of falls in one of those gray area's.
posted on May 27, 2005 03:51:36 PM new
I too am not an expert on Occupied Japan, but I've sold a set of salt and peppers where one was marked and the other was not. I see that in matched sets of figurines also.
If you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first, they'll believe you
posted on May 27, 2005 04:01:25 PM new
Thanks, Mike. I will be offering her a refund, without doubt. In my auction I said the following: MARK: Occupied Japan with T in circle. I did not deliberately leave off that only one piece had the mark and usually say something like "this piece is not marked, but came with a set where some pieces are marked and some are not." The only reason I can think why I didn't say that in this auction is I just thought of this as a set because of where I purchased it. I trust them and have had many past good experiences with that seller. It just did not occur to me for whatever reason---probably inexperience with OJ and importance of marks on every piece. I hate when I do something dumb like this. This auction was so labor-intensive from beginning to end--not to mention expensive shipping.
posted on May 27, 2005 04:04:58 PM new
Hello Max, That has been my experience. I really did not think that was a bad thing. But she just had a conniption that every single piece was not marked and accused me of hiding the fact.
posted on May 27, 2005 04:34:25 PM new
There are repro OJ items out there that are marked OVER the glaze, the next time you get some try some alcohol to see if the mark comes off. The mark should be under the glaze. This maybe why the others were not marked. ??
posted on May 27, 2005 04:47:34 PM new
Hi Gasolineguys, Thanks very much. That is certainly possible. Several of the pieces had light crazing of approximately the same amount. They looked like they all had some age on them, but as I said, not an expert on OJ by any means. I looked every piece over with a magnifying glass to make sure not to miss any defects--never thinking that this would be the issue to worry about. :0
posted on May 27, 2005 05:59:48 PM new
A couple of things could have happened here. Anything manufactured in Japan between 1945 and 1953 for export had to be marked "Occupied Japan". Several reasons for this, but mainly to identify it to the ultimate purchaser in the U.S. as to its true origin. I don't believe the occupation authorities stated the marking had to endure for 52 years. It's possible many pieces had the mark on the outside of the glaze and it sinply wore or faded off through the years. The second thing is that this pattern could have been introduced before 1953, and production continued into the late 50's. The pieces made after 1953 were not required to be marked and could have had the OJ eliminated, even though Japan was still occupied. One other possibility is some G.I. could have bought them locally and brought them home. Those pieces would also not be marked. A serious collector can look at those items and will know exactly what he has. You are apparently dealing with someone who thinks anything without an OJ mark is not authentic. Offer her a refund, minus shipping both ways, and reword your description when you relist.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on May 27, 2005 06:36:21 PM new
Sparkz, Thank you so much for your information. This is why you are one of my favorite posters---always interesting and informative. My DH, bless his soul, called the customer and soothed her ruffled feathers. He immediately offered to refund upon return of the set and assured her our mistake was inadvertent. She is keeping the set and says she will leave positive feedback. May I be struck by lightening if I ever leave any detail out of an auction again! Thanks to everyone for your helpful responses. I love this board.
