Lol
Finally!! My partner, doing research on legit low X bases, came across this listing and despite him reporting it eBay did nothing.
In this case a buyer who knew his shit rightfully called out Modernisa the way he should be. The sad part is most of his buyers are clueless, like their purdy chair,and leave positive feedback which lends him an undeserved air of respectibity.
I'll be very disappointed if some resolution is reached and that feedback removed. I'm kind of shocked it made it to the web, Modernisa when he gets a knowledgeable buyer seems to try and quickly refund or do something to pacify them into silence or rescinding neg feedback.
I hope the buyer shows up here via searching and gives us some backstory on how Modernisa tried to handle him.
BTW: During his research he also came across another fake (not on eBay I think) low x base where someone wrote Max428 - just like the one pictured on Eames office - with the wrong feet.
when in doubt
Malihini, Modernesia, Mylastdime = Bogus, Invented, Lay-it-on-thick, Deception.
Last month I bought what I thought was a vintage Herman Miller, Eames LTR listed on Ebay. It was low priced and I quickly purchased it without researching the seller first. The heading and description deceptively listed it as a vintage, original HM LTR with a early 60's white HM medallion.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160628735898?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3...
Within minutes of paying I realized that the table was a marriage of a older phoney (non Herman Miller) LTR and a real mid-60s HM emblem. In reviewing mylastdime's feedback I discovered that he had recently purchased 4 tables from another dealer. Based on both auctions photos it looks like he cleaned up the surface of one the tables and added the vintage label. Hmm, sound familiar?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220813671870#ht_500wt_1413
After I pointed out my concerns in a couple of emails, mylastdime refunded me quickly but never emailed back or addressed my concerns.
In hindsight I realize that the grained veneer top probably would have been formica on a LTR from this period and that the lack of oxidation on the top's underside is not consistent with a vintage 60s LTR.
I've collected Eames for a few years and have started to thin out the collection. I also realized after the fact that I have sold mylastdime/malihini a couple of Zenith chairs, but didn't make the connection until a friend sent me a link to this thread. He seemed like a "decent" guy, another enthusiast. The LTR transaction and this thread have drastically changed my perception of him. Perhaps he will write this off as "LIES by hostile rival dealer, rude & insulting", or say he was deceived by the original seller? This doesn't hold up since the vintage medallion was added to the LTR after he bought it and I'm confident the table he listed was one of the four fakes that he had purchased weeks earlier.
In the end it looks like mylastdime returned the 4 LTRs to the counterfeit dealer... who then re-listed them on Ebay. Perhaps they're in cahoots?
If it's too good to be true... blah, blah, blah.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EamesH...http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eames-Herman-Miller-bright-white-rocker-chair-mi...
There is your same medallion and if you look at it close enough you can see it is completely un aged and looks to be brand fucking new...AHHHH
Thank you Smogguy !!!
Thank you Smogguy......for contacting me in regards to my latest acquisition/my winning of for what I "thought" to be an original Eames Red Dyed LCW with 'postage stamp' label, recently listed and sold by Modernesia.
I've written to Modernesia questioning his integrity and my concern about the chair potentially being fake, or at least the label is fake and a reproduction made to look aged. I've sent him the this link to let him know that people are catching on to his fraud and criminal acts thru Ebay.
Unfortunately, I gave too quick of a feedback before being contacted by Smogguy. Check on his Ebay feedback now and you'll see that someone buyer "eamesmeanseverything" gave him his first negative feedback. I would be the second one if I could change the feedback. I've link a photo to the label for all to see how fake it looks.
Here's his email reply for everyone to read. I'm not going to expose his real name therefore i've deleted all the real names on the email between him and I.
Read on folks!!
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Hello (name deleted), and thank you for your courteous and informative email, I am aware of what is going on in the Design Addict forum and can tell you that not one of those bloggers has ever bought or even bid on any of my auctions? The accusations and claims they are making are simply outrageous but unfortunately there is nothing I can do about it being that it is an anonymous forum. Honestly I just think it is a bad case of Eames envy, I have numerous International "Modern" dealers that have bought chairs from me repeatedly and none have ever raised a complaint or issue.
The notion that I am remanufacturing chairs better than Herman Miller can is frankly absurd. The only thing I do to my items is clean/condition them the best I can and replace any incorrect hardware to bring them as close to their original glory as possible without altering the original integrity of the item...much like a car would be professionally detailed. Your chair is a perfect example of that minor "detailing" with the exception of the backmount repair as was noted, Due to the original dying process used on Red Aniline chairs (known as "pickling", but that is a whole other discussion) there isn't much you can do to restore or refinish them without an obvious impact to the original translucent nature of the color. You can rest assured your chair is as authentic and accurate to its description as possible.
Honestly I waste very little energy on anonymous bloggers and haters who don't even have the courage to identify themselves and derive some sick pleasure in maliciously harassing other buyers and sellers. There are far more well meaning and intelligent buyers like yourself that I prefer to spend my time on and trust they will draw their own conclusions from their items and my sales history.
Sorry for the long winded answer but being such a good customer I feel I am obliged to do it.
Thanks again for your interest and integrity,
(name deleted)
Interesting response
I think that it's interesting that they suggest that people who call their integrity into question are a bunch of "anonymous bloggers and haters". I'm neither. I'm not anonymous and I do not hate anyone. I am a dealer and whether you deal on eBay, craigslist, 1stDibs or your own site, unscrupulous dealers foster mistrust among possible customers on line. If buyers can't have confidence that someone who purports to be a knowledgeable dealer selling a product that has not been misrepresented, then it damages the entire customer base. It's strange that they suggest that the folks on Design Addict are anonymous, but then state that none of them have bid on, or purchased from them in the past. If D.A. members are anonymous, how would they know? Is that simply an oversight, or another misrepresentation? The issue I take with "Modernesia" (an "anonymous" eBay handle) is that they have clearly misrepresented items they are selling. I think that this thread is probably the most relevant and references a plywood chair they bought and sold on eBay: http://www.designaddict.com/design_addict/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/th...
I have no problem with someone buying an item and then selling it for a profit. That is what I do. My problem is when people knowingly misrepresent the attribution, authenticity, originality, or condition of something they are selling. I buy vintage furniture all the time and if the condition is not up to par, I have it refinished, reupholstered or restored. I also acknowledge that the piece has been refurbished. Things that are old and have been used typically show signs of age and wear. If they were taken care of, that age and use can lend a nice vintage patina. If they were not shown extra care, they often need to be restored to regain a pleasing appearance. Some things, like foam rubber and upholstery just don't hold up well over time and have to be replaced. It's wonderful to find a vintage piece in pristine original condition, but that is rare and that scarcity can make it more valuable. If an item needs to be restored to be useful or to not look poor that is certainly understandable. But to restore a piece (refinish, replace parts, reproduce labels, reupholster, etc) and any claim that it is all original is dishonest and a lie.
cont.
People make mistakes, and I don't know anyone who is perfect. I certainly am not. Sometimes when I see dealers make attributions or statements about items that are incorrect I send them a quick note letting them know that there might be an error or sharing the correct information. Often they make a change to the description and write back thanking for the info. I know if that happened to me, I'd be grateful to have my mistake corrected. Nobody likes to appear that they don't know what they are talking about. If someone's response to a question or comment that is made regarding something they are selling is hostile, it makes me wonder if they know it is wrong, and are choosing to misrepresent said item on purpose. I see many misrepresentations on eBay. Many are out of ignorance and are not malicious. Others are lies of omission where a seller intentionally does not disclose information they know would be relevant. But most troubling is when someone knowingly states the very opposite of what is true in order to mislead buyers, and I think that is inexcusable.
As I said, I'm not anonymous. I do not personally know Modernesia and other than the brief correspondence I had through eBay, I've never dealt with them. I think that much of the criticism of them here has been speculative (that is, it looks fishy but certain proof is not available) but I think that the LCW referenced in the thread from February, is rather irrefutable. I think it's clear that they misrepresented the chair, and that calls into question their integrity and the validity of any of their claims about other items they are selling. If they are aware of what is being said here, then it's safe to assume that they have read these threads and I can't see why they would not sign up and post a response here in the forum. If someone on Design Addict was making disparaging remarks about my integrity or calling into question something I was selling, I would certainly address it here publicly rather than allow it to damage my reputation.
Not anonymous either...
Modernesia bought a few things from me in the past, before I got wise to his little operation. And recently I did in fact purchase from him. So as Pegboard said, puzzling response...
The guy has every intention of misleading buyers. He targets the international audience not only to get more for each piece but because he knows they don't have the knowledge to recognize his "conditioning" as he calls it. The fact that he freely admits it to the poster above yet still claims "100% ORIGINAL" in every listing is evidence enough of his dishonesty.
But it's much worse than that. My experience was quite enlightening...
eBay item # 250873116023
resold once I returned it as...
ebay item # 250887318573
Below are photos of the shell which I purchased. The first thing to note is the shameful photoshopping. He does note in the description and I quote...
"That said there are random areas where the fiberglass has darkened with age creating a slightly yellowed cast and subtle darker spotting universally on all surfaces of the shell, this affect is internal to the aging fibers and not on the shells surface (see pic 4 of inner seat)."
Whatever the hell that means...
But as we all know, the photos tell the tale. And his washout job makes the shell look as if there's barely any discoloration to the seat, if any.
I've had a few emails from people, some who think he's producing them or is in cahoots with someone who's producing them. I don't think that's the case, although it's not an impossibility. I do think he bleached the shell I purchased which made the discoloration stand out all the more, the moron...
Shockmounts...
The next obvious discrepancy was the shockmounts and epoxy. To me, they looked brand new. But it could be that he had reconditioned them to the point of looking new. Either way, they didn't look like anything I own or have owned. And whether he replaced them or restored them, obviously he should've disclosed the work he did.
As for the label, there's no point in even discussing it as there's no way to say whether it was or wasn't legit. But I did find it odd that he had a plastic protective film taped over it upon arrival.
X base...
And then there was the base. I had to laugh honestly. It had JUST been given a powdercoat treatment. Looked like it just rolled off the line. Obviously there was no mention of this in the listing.
The feet however were proper and the base was authentic. But it was also worth noting that the base didn't fit the chair properly. I had to fight the thing to the point of being frightened of damaging the chair in trying to affix the last screw. So that would lend to either the chair being a marriage or possibly confirming that the shockmounts were indeed reglued and/or replaced.
Correspondence...
Dear modernesia,
ANONYMOUS,
Received the chair and am quite miffed, although I can't say I'm surprised. This chair has obviously been restored... majorly. Shell has been bleached/refinished, shockmounts are brand spanking new and the base has been repainted. It's your duty to disclose such things, you know. Your 100% ORIGINAL claims are fraud, plain and simple. Looking at your history you seem to be quite the scam artist. But I purchased this for a client as it was exactly what they were looking for and I was planning on disclosing to them that it had been tampered with. However considering the extent of the restoration and that the shockmounts aren't even vintage I cannot in good conscience sell it to them. So I hope you'll be reasonable as I'll be returning it. I hope you'll be prepared to refund, including original shipping.
Please advise.
Joshua
- eamesmeanseverything
Dear eamesmeanseverything,
Hello Joshua,
glad to hear the package arrived safely but regret to hear your disposition. I stand behind everything I sell so please return the chair as it was packaged and shipped, insured and I will refund your Paypal payment in full once I have received it intact. BTW - your ability to turn a profit on your purchase is not really my liability so please at least be professional about it and refrain from the accusations and insults.
Thank you,
ANONYMOUS
- modernesia
Dear modernesia,
ANONYMOUS,
Don't be daft. I've seen enough Eames design over the years to know what I'm looking at. You may be able to fool international buyers ignorant of these designs but you'll not be fooling me. You knew full well the alterations you made to this chair yet you did not disclose them. Your behaviour is the very definition of fraud. But not to worry, I will conduct myself very professionally as always. However, your comedic self-righteousness will do you no favors. So I would suggest at the very least you be a bit more apologetic and display a bit of humility if you're not going to grow a pair and admit what you did. In the end, this is a waste of my time and my time is very valuable. So to say I'm unhappy is something of an understatement.
Sincerely,
Joshua
- eamesmeanseverything
No reply to that although I did get my refund upon arrival. Still waiting for a reply, ANONYMOUS.
photo of fake "postage stamp" Eames Evans label
Here's a photo of the phony badly reproduced label this crook (Modernesia) put on my Eames red aniline dye LCM I won from Ebay. He had the audacity to put folds on the perforation before gluing it onto the chair, thinking that it would make it look more authentic. Look at the way he peeled the upper left hand corner to make it even more authentic. As if such a tear wouldn't have generated a nick or indentation on the veneer. How pathetic!
What a lad we have
Is anyone else on here wanting to see someone file a police report on this guy?
Ebay refuses to stop him despite proof that he is selling fraudulent items.
The odd thing is that no matter how many times he is reported to ebay - he is still allowed to sell. It's good to contact eBay by phone toreport this item as they clearly ignored standard fraud reports. Phoning makes a difference. I want scum like this guy gone - nobody wins with this type of seller out there. I encourage everyone else to do the same and get this guy shut down.
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