In early January, I purchased a Povl Dinesen cabinet and a Povl Dinesen mirror with shelf from RevolverStudioNW. They had good reviews so I went ahead with the purchase. I kept checking to find out a ship date as it was still listed as 'not shipped'. I emailed them several times with no response. When I went to check on Etsy today, the online store had been closed...uhoh, but I could still see my receipt. There was a contact phone number for their shop, Revolver Vintage, in Seattle, WA so I called the number only to find that it had been disconnected...an even bigger uhoh. I then googled the actual shop and found a customer complaining that the store had been closed and they still owed her money for the Eames recliner that she had consigned there. The recliner had been sold but the shop closed before they paid her the money they received from the sale. At this point, the uhoh became, '!@&#!!'. I finally located a cell number to call the shop owner personally. He told me that the shop had been closed (which I already knew) and that he had sold the cabinet via craigslist and had broken the mirror. He said that he had simply forgotten that he had them posted on Etsy. He knew the sale had gone through on Etsy but never even tried to contact me about the screw up. Anyhoo, he said the was unable to give me a Paypal refund as his Paypal account was currently negative (I guess he also had claims from other people) and that I would need file a dispute with Paypal for reimbursement. His shop apparently closed in November! I didn't do the Etsy transaction until January! How could someone have just neglected to close their online shop like that?! It's no wonder his business went under if that is the way he was conducting his business. I did file my dispute with Paypal...my first ever. We will see how it goes. I really wanted that Povl Dinesen mirror/shelf too *pout* I just recently missed out on the same one on ebay and was excited to find it on Etsy. Now, I have to restart the search *sigh*On a happier note, I bought myself a Roomba yesterday. Here's to (hopefully) not having to sweep up cat fur ever other day.
If you paid with a credit card, you should also check the fine print or terms and conditions of your account with the card company to make sure that it covers your loss 100%. Most credit card companies will cover purchases for NEW items only (warranty) and not cover purchases on second hand (known here as vintage) or used items. Good luck.
See if this link helps...
http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/compare-extended_warranties-1273.php
I bought a "rare" Herman Miller meridian clock on Etsy last year. It wasn't rare. The seller had painted one of the common red/orange ones with nail polish.
I disputed it through Pay pal. I did get my money back minus return shipping.
Because of the experience, I generally won't buy on-line anymore. There are too many people watching American Pickers thinking it's easy as pie to run to estate sales and flip things. They haven't handled vintage a long time. They haven't gone through any sort of appraisal training. They don't know "excellent vintage condition" from poor. I've even seen people making monumental mistakes on identification on 1st Dibs and they're supposed to be top tier sellers.Condition matters A LOT and effects prices by 90%. Try and buy local from reputable dealers who have handled an item half a dozen times so they really know what condition they usually come in. With so many sellers trying to pile into the market, there are a lot of inexperienced sellers buying up poor condition items. There area also just a lot of people who don't know how to run a business and when they you can't make it just by running to Salvation Army and putting things on Ebay, they fold.I'd also check with your favorite vintage sellers and ask them to call you when they get an item. A lot of them have wish lists these days.
Pay Pal is pretty good. I think you'll get your money back. What that guy did was fraud. I'd also file a complaint with the BBB in Seattle.
I wish you well. Thanks for sharing the mistake. As embarassing as it is, it ends up being a learning lesson for everyone.
Be patient. Your item will appear again. The vintage gods have a karmic way of working.
Please be sure to publish the name of the owner. I generally find they close and set up shop immediately under a new name.
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