Description of Goods etc .....

[girlracer]

I'm a little concerned that a seller of jewellery is advertising silver stamped 925 who will not answer any queries about the quality of said silver. As this is a prominent fault with THAT other site, I wondered if any clarification can be given about the rules of listing silver jewellery?

Does it not have to be described as either plated or precious (sterling) silver?

It is stupidly cheap for 925 silver ....:confused:

[suesjools]

Not sure about site rules regarding silver jewelry, though I expect most reputable sellers will describe their items as either plated or sterling. If the seller refuses to answer questions IMHO that's not a good sign, though it may just be that the seller isn't fully aware of the background of the items or hasn't been online recently.

Regarding site policy, you may want to contact support: support@ebid.net

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[girlracer]

Not sure about site rules regarding silver jewelry, though I expect most reputable sellers will describe their items as either plated or sterling. If the seller refuses to answer questions IMHO that's not a good sign, though it may just be that the seller isn't fully aware of the background of the items or hasn't been online recently.

Regarding site policy, you may want to contact support: support@ebid.net

Best wishes for many sales to all,



As they have a large number of "925" items on sale, I think they know only too well where they came from :(


I accidently bought some iffy earring hooks on .bay and they were stamped 925. They contained not one molecule of silver in them.
I was lucky to live near a bullion dealer to get them tested, and got a full refund too.
Many people are fooled by the stamp into thinking it is a quality mark. You can actually easily buy a metal stamper to mark your own!

A hallmark is very different.

[girlracer]

Hallmarking is a legal standard for the sale of precious metals in the UK, btw. :o

[suesjools]

Not aware that U.S. silver jewelry needs hallmarks except 925. I have many such 925 stamped items in my personal collection and also for sale in my store, (most tested with acid and are sterling silver). I've heard there are issues with some newer silver jewelry, but as I deal mostly in vintage jewelry luckily I haven't encountered this.

You may want to contact support: support@ebid.net to get their take on this. If you're concerned about getting ripped off, I'd suggest sticking to buying from sellers you know and trust.

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[girlracer]

I'm more worried by buyers thinking they are getting a bargain quality item and avoiding legitimate items from honest sellers because they think the price is a rip off :(

Ask yourself if you would be able to buy a sterling silver chain for about $1.25?
A chain that would weigh about 4 grams! Huh! But buyers are taken in if they still believe you can get an unreal price on silver ....

I think I will ask support.

[Maelbrigda]

I got caught out by buying a load of supposed 925 silver from a wholesaler. I only discovered it was not .925 when a buyer left me negative feedback. I now list all these items as silvertone. I did have a few pieces tested and these came back as silver plate. So not all sellers know of the problem

[girlracer]

A hallmark is a purely british institution which dates back to the Middle Ages and is enforceable by law in this country.
Every jewellers has to display a hallmark notice informing buyers of the different hallmarks legally required on gold silver and platinum.

There is a weight exemption, though. It is approx 7 grams for silver, so silver under that weight doesn't need a hallmark, but DOES need to be at least 92.5% silver to be described as silver. This leaves some sellers a way to fool buyers. I have always been able to trust U.S. silver, but the chinese stuff is usually plated silver and there's plenty of that on sale on the other site :(

[girlracer]

I got caught out by buying a load of supposed 925 silver from a wholesaler. I only discovered it was not .925 when a buyer left me negative feedback. I now list all these items as silvertone. I did have a few pieces tested and these came back as silver plate. So not all sellers know of the problem

But you would not have avoided answering a direct question such as "can you tell me the quality of the silver in your....." now, would you? No, I think this seller is a fraud.

[Maelbrigda]

No I wouldn't but before I became aware that they were not genuine 925 i would have answered stamped 925. I am not trying to stick up for a fraudster just letting you know that even sellers can be caught out too

[girlracer]

No I wouldn't but before I became aware that they were not genuine 925 i would have answered stamped 925. I am not trying to stick up for a fraudster just letting you know that even sellers can be caught out too
I'm sure they can, it's a minefield. There are acid kits out there and most sellers have them, but I twice asked this seller if they could assure me these chains were 92.5% silver and each time the question was avoided.
My original question was more to do with clarifying ebid rules on listing precious metal jewellery, but I could find nothing in the "help" section, hence my query.

[astral276]

My original question was more to do with clarifying ebid rules on listing precious metal jewellery, but I could find nothing in the "help" section, hence my query.

From eBid's banned items list:


Any item that is illegal to sell under any applicable law, statute, ordinance or regulation. Items to which a false or illegal description is applied.


You say yourself that there are regulations to the marking and describing of precious metal items, therefore eBid's rule is that such listings must conform to relevant laws/regulations.

Any sale/purchase is a contract between the seller/buyer. Those two parties are responsible for ensuring the contract is valid and upheld.

[Oldandintheway]

If an item is stamped 925 (or any other standard mark) & it proves not to be, then it is fraud pure & simple!
There are world conventional standards governed by CIBJO, the world jewellery confederation, & all sellers should follow their guidelines, or face potential prosecution.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cibjo.org%2F&ei=-3mFUeC7NaaaiQejyYD4CA&usg=AFQjCNHxTrn3rBDSNTMlCflXlkHNsOVETA&bvm=bv.45960087,d.aGc

[Maelbrigda]

If an item is stamped 925 (or any other standard mark) & it proves not to be, then it is fraud pure & simple!
There are world conventional standards governed by CIBJO, the world jewellery confederation, & all sellers should follow their guidelines, or face potential prosecution.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDEQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cibjo.org%2F&ei=-3mFUeC7NaaaiQejyYD4CA&usg=AFQjCNHxTrn3rBDSNTMlCflXlkHNsOVETA&bvm=bv.45960087,d.aGc

Does this apply even if i list an item marked 925 as silvertone and not as silver

[CopperLocker]

Any piece of gold or sterling anything that has a low price - unless it's a starting bid with a reserve - should be subject to questioning. It could be stolen or fake. And a full money back guarantee is a must. Of course this doesn't mean that all is well. There are the hit a run scammers out there. When you shop for auctioned gold and silver anything, definitely ask questions if you're wanting to feel at ease if you're making a bid. If the seller doesn't respond, a red flag should come up. Look at their feedback. Google them. Do what ever you need to do to find out about the seller. But be sure that you're buying true precious metals and not base plated metals. It is an unfortunate time that a lot of plated material is coming in from over seas that are marked as precious metal items.

[Oldandintheway]

First of all lets understand what the marks mean.
Think of it as the number of parts making up an item.
In this instance, pure Silver = 1000

The British standard of Sterling Silver is now called 925, which means the item is made from 925 parts of pure silver & the other 75 parts are various alloy metals.
Any item stamped 925, should be that standard across the whole piece.

If I sell a necklace, then to call it 925, the catch, bail, links & in fact all parts that make up the necklace, must be 925.

The problem occurs when somebody puts a 925 catch, on a plated chain & describes the whole item as 925.
That is where the fraud, knowingly or otherwise happens.

Proper full description & disclosure of your item is what's needed.
The same can be said in relation to gold & other precious metal items.

I hope this helps.
:)

[raindropsies]

I've sold sterling silver on here, many times I got questioned as to it being real or fake due to the low price I sold it at (99p - £2.99)

It was real, it never got a neg, every customer that purchased it from me was happy with it.

I've got more to list of exactly the same items in near future. I have no worries about it's quality as I know the high street store that used to sell it as being a good retailer, and a name most UK people are aware of, but I am not allowed to put the store name within the description. The store is like a catalogue shop and many many branches over the UK.

Just because someone sells cheap, don't mean fake, in my case it simply means I sell with a small profit on each item.

[somersethedge]

Hallmarking is a legal standard for the sale of precious metals in the UK, btw. :o

Not quite true silver items under a certain weight (4grams I think) do not have to have a hallmark and needed only be stamped 925

[girlracer]

Not quite true silver items under a certain weight (4grams I think) do not have to have a hallmark and needed only be stamped 925

If you read my following post, you'll find I state the weight exemption ;) :)
It's approx 7 grams, btw!

The present scrap price of silver is about 40p/gram, so if you have a silver item weighing 4 grams, for example, you can expect to walk into any decent jewellers and expect to get £1.60 for it.
Hardly worth listing a 4 gram chain for £1,60 including postage?
It's a way to lose money, not take a profit.

If you are listing hundreds of 925 silver at less than scrap price, that sends a message to me that it's fake.

[raindropsies]

If you are listing hundreds of 925 silver at less than scrap price, that sends a message to me that it's fake.


But that don't mean your message is correct.

[astral276]

But that don't mean your message is correct.

And posting it is probably libellous.

[TheCatsMeow]

I've found that the vast majority of silver coming from China isn't really sterling at all. It may be hallmarked .925 but that really means nothing. I've been told that a lot of the silver coming from parts of Asia contains a lot of lead as well. I simply don't purchase from over there anymore - too many risks for me.

I know that here in the States it's a crime not to be honest as to the quality of a metal. If I'm not sure, I state the metal is plated.

If something is priced low then I really think there is some sort of issue with the overall quality and purity of the metal. If someone won't answer questions about the item then I'd stay away. A good seller will answer all questions honestly and quickly.

[Oldandintheway]

I've found that the vast majority of silver coming from China isn't really sterling at all. It may be hallmarked .925 but that really means nothing. I've been told that a lot of the silver coming from parts of Asia contains a lot of lead as well. I simply don't purchase from over there anymore - too many risks for me.

I know that here in the States it's a crime not to be honest as to the quality of a metal. If I'm not sure, I state the metal is plated.

If something is priced low then I really think there is some sort of issue with the overall quality and purity of the metal. If someone won't answer questions about the item then I'd stay away. A good seller will answer all questions honestly and quickly.

All correct, I agree. (and not only China)
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it's most likely a duck!