Etsy seller being scammed by supplier?

[laurenb]

I don't usually comment on people's pearl listings, but I encountered someone marketing a couple of strands rather earnestly on the etsy forums. I wouldn't be posting this except for the tone of the response I received-- she asked if I thought the listing should be changed/what to do.

I told the seller I thought she had large freshwaters and she sent a friendly reply saying the supplier called these "baby South Seas." Also said these seemed way heavier/more solid than the freshwaters she uses, which sounds a little odd. She asked if I was an expert, and I said no, but I knew where a few dozen experts hang out...

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21216080
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21206759

I told this person to come on over, but there's the whole "are you a pearl-loving human" registration process, so I thought I'd go ahead and post 'em.

 

[Amrita]

I think you are right Lauren....those look like freshwaters to me...

 

[Raisondetre]

I agree they are freshwaters, but I think if she wasn't sure she should not have advertised as "definitely not freshwaters" and "thick nacre". How much thicker can nacre get in full-nacred freshwaters? And the fact she's selling sub-$100 for strands she thinks retail at $2500. Could be the supplier, but something just doesn't add up in the listings.

 

[laurenb]

Yeah, it's weird. She said the supplier insists they aren't freshwaters.

In another Etsy post, she linked to a personal blog. Really pretty girl probably about my age, career in communications, sells a few other sorts of things online. Doesn't look like a hardened pearl misrepresenter at all.

Hope she turns up here-- Singapore seems like it would be a great home base from which to buy and sell pearls.

 

[jerin]

They most certainly look like freshwater pearls to me. If however they really would be South Seas, the seller would be crazy to give them away for such a small amount of money! But the shape is very revealing I think and it is not hard to recognize them once you have seen other strands with this shape. I hope she will get on the forum to educate herself a bit more.

 

[pearlescence]

she says she has one, but lists two.....

 

[Mka4972]

Without a doubt freshwater pearls

 

[knotty panda]

I really know nothing about Etsy, but I thought it was for posting handmade items. As this is a loose strand and she doesn't mention stringing them, does that mean she grew the pearls in the Phillipines herself? Also, one of the links has been removed already.

 

[laurenb]

I really know nothing about Etsy, but I thought it was for posting handmade items. As this is a loose strand and she doesn't mention stringing them, does that mean she grew the pearls in the Phillipines herself? Also, one of the links has been removed already.

One can sell supplies and vintage items on Etsy. From conversation with her, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she's taking postings down pending more discussion with her supplier. Now that I think about it, I've seen the "Baby SSP" name a few times, so that may be a phrase suppliers have latched onto for big FWP. Very cool girl-- definitely a pearl lover. I hope she joins PG.

 

[pattye]

A strand is still posted there. Definitely misrepresented.

I am also seeing some items and stores, with the inexpensive pearl necklaces available on ebay and online from China that are handmade, but no doubt in factories.

Etsy items are supposed to not only be handmade, but handmade by the seller, or in some cases it can be artists co-op.

One can also list as commercial and supplies, for unfinished strands and beads and findings, etc. I don't see those tags on her listing.

They also have vintage category, which is 20 (!) years old or more. (What does that make me??)

 

[jshepherd]

Definitely freshwater pearls in that listing. There is no question. I emailed the seller too, including a link to this thread. He/She is welcome to come here and out the dubious pearl supplier to the world.

 

[Mka4972]

Looks like both links are gone

 

[pattye]

I think she is here--at least logged in here--that's a good thing!

 

[KAC]

I'm not sure how she could be confused, they exactly like a freshwater pearl. But like someone else said, if she wasn't sure she shouldn't be selling them.

 

[Supprice]

Hello! So I finally got in!

Yes I am the one who listed the pearls. And my supplier, more like that woman who sold it to me when I went to Davao, Mindanao told me that they were South Sea pearls. In fact, she said they were baby south seas. I asked her if they were freshwaters, and she did insist they were South Seas.

Now thanks to LaurenB, who alerted me about it. I unlisted one earlier because I was in the midst of wanting to edit it. I didn't mean to misrepresent or try and mislead anyone to buying South Seas when they were Freshwaters. I truly believed they were South Seas!

JSheperd, thanks for giving me a better description of what they were. I am really no expert, but I do love pearls. I do have a lot of freshwaters and some south seas for my personal use. Thanks for the alert, and good day to all. Now it is time for me to catch my zzs.

 

[dkan 168]

I still have some pearls with very similar markings, but long-drilled, classic CFWP IMHO

DK

 

[pearlescence]

The odd thing is that now that freshwaters are getting to be such good quality such mis-haped and not over lustrous pearls could become collector's items.

 

[dkan 168]

I am uncomfortable with the guff about the pearls being harvested from the "Southern Seas of Philippine Island", while saying they are freshwater pearls in the paragraph above!

DK

 

[pattye]

DK,

No doubt, these would be imports from China, not salt water pearls----------

 

[Mervione]

Things like this makes me so mad! (Not mad at the poor person that got tricked!)

I really hate when people lie like that and makes you feel dumb because you really think (and are right...) that they are freshwaters rather than SS (or freshwaters rather than akoyas...) and the seller insist that they are what she/he states they are.

It would be like saying that a piece of glass is a diamond! I'm not an expert by any means but it really seems like there are more people out there lying about pearls than about diamonds because of uneducation. Imagine what it would be like if people started to lie about diamonds like they lie about pearls...

(That seller on Tradera is still going strong!)