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Ebay is a nice place for buying a replacement lampshade or so we thought. My wife and my first experience in buying a lampshade was a disaster because we felt swindled.
Background: My wife picked up a gorgeous 1940s antique table lamp at a yard sale. It looked perfect for our drawing room especially as a centerpiece of our audio system. However, the original lampshade was old and worn and needed a replacement lampshade. We went shopping to several places including the eclectic Pier One. Unfortunately none could give us satisfaction of a good fit. So we turned to our usual place : EBAY!
My wife felt our drawing room was too staid with a maroon leather sofa, loveseat and chair, so she wanted to add some color to the room. She asked me to look for a burgundy lamp shade. After much searching I zoned in on a couple of burgundy lampshades. After much discussion with my wife, we decided on one. The seller had 669 feedbacks and 99.6 % of those were positive. The advertisement read as follows:
An irresistible, bubbly shade pops with fun, while still offering stunning style!! Great for bedrooms and living rooms.
Shade: 10”d x 11”d x 8”h
The picture of the lampshade was this :
As you can see this looks warm and nice and suitable for a nice living room. My wife and I loved this immediately and we bid on it. It was selling for $6.95. We were the only bidders and so we won it. As is our habit, we paid immediately with Paypal.
The item was shipped by UPS and had ONLY newspaper and plastic tape around it. When we removed these, the lampshade was bent out of shape! On close examination of the item there was something written inside it : "DAMAGED". In other words, the seller sent us a damaged item. You can imagine our disappointment.
First, the item was made of cheap plastic and not the usual material that is seen in lampshades made by Kohls or Hecht's etc.
Second, an item such as a lampshade should have been packaged in a cardboard box in the least.
So I sent off an email to the seller (a Lady). Here is what I wrote to her :
There was no reply from her. I could have swiftly proceeded to give her negative feedback, but if she retaliated, my spotless feedback would be diminished for something I did not do . Ebay has this awful allowance for unscrupulous people to retaliate causing some innocent buyer to be affected.
I learned a lesson the hard way and this review is for someone who intends to buy a lamp or lampshade from a seller on Ebay. Please be careful. Ask lots of questions. The critical thing about lampshades is the material they are made up of. There are some vintage lampshades that are very good. If you do your homework carefully and are lucky, you may get a beautiful lampshade.
Ask about this. If the seller does not respond, avoid the item and hold on to your precious hard earned money. Such sellers may not get bad feedback, but they will get bad Karma which will affect them in the long run. Good luck and God speed!
Addendum:
The online merchant who did this to me is :Onlineauctions102
They are based at Akron Ohio. They have a 100% feedback record. But beware. They are not honest nor do they care. They give Ebay sellers a bad name.
Background: My wife picked up a gorgeous 1940s antique table lamp at a yard sale. It looked perfect for our drawing room especially as a centerpiece of our audio system. However, the original lampshade was old and worn and needed a replacement lampshade. We went shopping to several places including the eclectic Pier One. Unfortunately none could give us satisfaction of a good fit. So we turned to our usual place : EBAY!
My wife felt our drawing room was too staid with a maroon leather sofa, loveseat and chair, so she wanted to add some color to the room. She asked me to look for a burgundy lamp shade. After much searching I zoned in on a couple of burgundy lampshades. After much discussion with my wife, we decided on one. The seller had 669 feedbacks and 99.6 % of those were positive. The advertisement read as follows:
Burgundy Glow Lamp Shade
Description : Burgundy Glow Lamp ShadeAn irresistible, bubbly shade pops with fun, while still offering stunning style!! Great for bedrooms and living rooms.
Shade: 10”d x 11”d x 8”h
The picture of the lampshade was this :
As you can see this looks warm and nice and suitable for a nice living room. My wife and I loved this immediately and we bid on it. It was selling for $6.95. We were the only bidders and so we won it. As is our habit, we paid immediately with Paypal.
The item was shipped by UPS and had ONLY newspaper and plastic tape around it. When we removed these, the lampshade was bent out of shape! On close examination of the item there was something written inside it : "DAMAGED". In other words, the seller sent us a damaged item. You can imagine our disappointment.
First, the item was made of cheap plastic and not the usual material that is seen in lampshades made by Kohls or Hecht's etc.
Second, an item such as a lampshade should have been packaged in a cardboard box in the least.
So I sent off an email to the seller (a Lady). Here is what I wrote to her :
Kenya:
I am in receipt of the lampshade. It was bent in several places. Inside there was a note saying "Damaged " and it was torn in one place. Was this torn before you shipped it? Your Ebay advertisement did not mention damage to the item.
When shipping such items as lampshades, its safer to put them in a box and ship them. Needless to mention I am very disappointed. I expected better.
Dark Energy
I am in receipt of the lampshade. It was bent in several places. Inside there was a note saying "Damaged " and it was torn in one place. Was this torn before you shipped it? Your Ebay advertisement did not mention damage to the item.
When shipping such items as lampshades, its safer to put them in a box and ship them. Needless to mention I am very disappointed. I expected better.
Dark Energy
There was no reply from her. I could have swiftly proceeded to give her negative feedback, but if she retaliated, my spotless feedback would be diminished for something I did not do . Ebay has this awful allowance for unscrupulous people to retaliate causing some innocent buyer to be affected.
I learned a lesson the hard way and this review is for someone who intends to buy a lamp or lampshade from a seller on Ebay. Please be careful. Ask lots of questions. The critical thing about lampshades is the material they are made up of. There are some vintage lampshades that are very good. If you do your homework carefully and are lucky, you may get a beautiful lampshade.
Ask about this. If the seller does not respond, avoid the item and hold on to your precious hard earned money. Such sellers may not get bad feedback, but they will get bad Karma which will affect them in the long run. Good luck and God speed!
Addendum:
The online merchant who did this to me is :Onlineauctions102
They are based at Akron Ohio. They have a 100% feedback record. But beware. They are not honest nor do they care. They give Ebay sellers a bad name.
Guide created: 09/16/06 (updated 07/23/08)
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