The following is a review and summary of my experiences purchasing from Ebay Seller Tarasevich5gsh - aka Kingston Traders of West Kingston, Rhode Island.
I purchased a piece of Roseville pottery from this seller that was descibed as follows in his listing: "A 10 1/2" tall Roseville art pottery ewer that is signed on the bottom Roseville USA 20-10. The only fault I can find with this piece is a pinhead speck of glaze missing at the very tip of the spout. Otherwise in good condition, no chips or cracks."
When the item arrived, I discovered that this description was grossly inaccurate. What was described in the listing as a "pinhead speck of glaze missing" was actually a significant chip into the actual ceramic and which was far larger than a pinhead in size. Even more distressing to me was the fact that there were gobs of what looks like construction adhesive in several areas of the ewer and also several scrapes in which the glazing is missing.
When I called the Seller about these defects, he expressed no surprise whatsoever, and did not deny that these defects existed. His repsonse was that I should try to remove the adhesive with "GOOP" and that the scratches on the ewer were not undesirable as they showed that the Roseville pottery was an authentic antique and not a counterfeit reproduction.
I informed the Seller that I would not try to remove the adhesive as I was concerned that any attempt to do this could result in damage to the piece of pottery. I also told the Seller that I would not have bid on this piece of pottery if the Ebay listing had been accurate and had mentioned the above defects.
The Seller refused to refund my purchase price and has instead insisted that he does not sell items "on approval", that his listing was "exactly accurate", and that I was "nitpicking".
I have photos of the the above damage and defects. Should anyone wish to see them and decide for themselves whether the listing was accurate or whether it was deceptive and significantly at odds with the item's actual condition, please contact me and I will email them to you. I do not recommend that you deal with this Seller. The merchandise was grossly misrepresented.
I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
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