Let the buyer beware.

It would depend, if he were someone that trusted your expertise so paid thinking you would know if it were gold or if it were someone you didn’t know.

If you didn’t know them then its fair game.

I cannot remember if you are the poster who regularly buys and sells things?
In which case, there must be rules about this type of thing?

Also, wondering if this is a "reverse", and you are the one who maybe out of pocket?

All going to depend on what the UK? legal position is?
Or would it depend on overseas laws, if another country is involved?

I would tell him ‘caveat emptor’. He’s the expert and if he made a mistake without your having made any representation about the ring, that’s his tough luck.

Yup. Caveat emptor

I came across a few bank notes in an old purse belonging to my daughter who had spent time in Bali.I took them to our bank who determined they were worth $1100.I was handed the cash and very excitedly rushed off to give my daughter the good news.Two weeks later the bank called to say sorry the bills were worthless and they asked for the money to be returned which we did. 🤨

Agree with GSM
Surely there’s a test for gold that should’ve been employed before the offer was made? Big mistake by the buyer!

He doesn't sound like he knows much about jewellery. I would take it somewhere reputable next time, to someone who can tell gold from from gold plate.
Meanwhile it was his mistake- maybe offer him a token amount back for wasting his time but I hope he learned his lesson.

Perhaps it is gold.

He is just trying it on to get money from both ends.

Wouldn’t trust his opinion either way.

Keep your money.

He played a stupid game, he won a stupid prize as they say on Facebook.

@fancythat

Yes I am the poster who is an antique dealer. I saw this on another forum and people were saying "buyer beware" same as here. Gold is mostly hallmarked and there is a test you can do in minutes to determine the carat value.

So the jeweller should have used his knowledge and experience to determine the material before making an offer.

Ive occasionally bought something on spec where I could not examine it closely (say in an online auction) and it turned out to be not what I suspected. On the other hand I recently bought a mixed auction lot for £100 and one item alone sold to an Anerican collector for $3000. Thats the nature of the antiques and vintage game.

There are tales in the trade of dealers who bought an old desk and subsequently found a secret drawer with valuables in it. In that case I would keep quiet.

Once an item is sold its sold. Caveat emptor!

I recently sold an item at auction which made 70 times what my late husband paid for it. Either the dealer who sold it to him or the recent buyer got it wrong. Caveat emptor.

biglouis I am about to send some items to Vintage Cash Cow as they take anything old. What puzzles me is what they do with all this stuff. They take old cameras and all sorts, I can't imagine they pick out a few valuables and take the rest to landfill, but what else can they do? Maybe I'll ask them

Aha ha! I looked at their website and found this. So they don't just throw all the less valuable items out.

Funnily enough I’ve just spoken to a lady who contacted Vintage Cash Cow, prior to a house move. She said they were very ‘picky’ over what they’d take and told her what to put in the box! It was one watch, one camera, one piece of silver etc. She was told that the boxes are then sold on, still sealed, a bit like storage hunters on tv.
She’s dropped her stuff off at a local auction house instead.

Look again at the Repair heading - items may be dismantled.

I don’t trust that wording. Take heed of what Georgesgran says.

I bought a very pretty spoon on e-bay and it was described as hallmarked silver. When I received it I found that the only marks on it were the letters EPNS (Electroplated Nickel Silver).
I contacted the seller and he said that EPNS was a hallmark. I contacted e-bay and they said that, as the spoon was only pictured from one side and no details of the hallmark (place and year of manufacture) were given, the seller did not have
to offer a refund. They have since tightened up their policies in favour of the buyer thank goodness.

EPNS is not a hallmark. I’m glad to hear that eBay have tightened up their rules. You should have been entitled to a refund as the spoon was not hallmarked silver.

Georgesgran

Funnily enough I’ve just spoken to a lady who contacted Vintage Cash Cow, prior to a house move. She said they were very ‘picky’ over what they’d take and told her what to put in the box! It was one watch, one camera, one piece of silver etc. She was told that the boxes are then sold on, still sealed, a bit like storage hunters on tv.
She’s dropped her stuff off at a local auction house instead.

That's not how it works. There is no prior discussion about what goes in the box. They send you a label and you pack and send the box. They then unpack it, look through the items and make you an offer. You don't have to accept it. It's just an easy way to dispose of lots of random items instead of selling them on E-Bay or donating them.

It's all here:
www.vintagecashcow.co.uk/how-it-works

Germanshepherdsmum

EPNS is not a hallmark. I’m glad to hear that eBay have tightened up their rules. You should have been entitled to a refund as the spoon was not hallmarked silver.

I know EPNS is not a hallmark, I have been buying and selling silver flatware for years. I also know that I should have known better than to buy an item without making sure it bore a proper hallmark.
The fact that it was listed as hallmarked on e-bay threw me. I probably could have insisted on a refund but I felt a bit of a fool for not having checked properly.

Ebay allow upto 24 pictures so there is no excuse for not showing all sides of the item. With a spoon I would include not only back and front (with close ups of any hallmarks or special features etc) but also a side on view to show if there were any dings or bending. Taking photos for online sales is an art form in itself. Most of the pictures on Ebay are dire. People take them with their phones and dont bother to even crop them, let alone edit them.

People can ask a question of the seller on eBay, I’ve done it myself. The seller of the spoon could have been asked for a photo of the hallmark.

I know, I shoulda, coulda. This was some years ago, not only am I older and wiser (I hope) but back then I had only dealt online with reputable auction sites. As I said in a previous post, I should have known better. Some of us are not perfect.

None of us is, we all make mistakes. But you said the spoon was pretty so I hope it gives you pleasure. That’s more important than what it’s made of.

I sold the spoon, at a small profit, at an antiques fair. The buyer was a collector and was allowed to handle and examine the spoon, apparently it was unusual. I do sell EPNS items occasionally but I always label items clearly giving details of any marks. I would advise buyers to be very sure, when buying online that they know what they are buying, don't rely on the seller's description. If they are buying 'live' the same thing applies and they have the added advantage of being able to handle the item. Don't let sellers bully you or prevent you examining items before you buy. I hope these comments are helpful.

caveat emptor