Charvet comment by ebay seller - what do you think?

[jmatt]

I bought a charvet tie on ebay. When it arrived, it had about 12 little pulls all over the front of the tie. Not visible in pictures, and not disclosed by seller. Seller claimed/claims tie was "New." Here's seller's response:

The item is new--I bought it myself new from Saks, brought it home, and never wore it. It is as advertised--there were clear photos in the ad, and while there may be a loose thread here or there that is characteristic of the woven patterns of Charvet ties. The exact tie can be seen new in the exact same condition on a store shelf today.

Do Charvet ties typically have "loose threads here or there"? Somehow, I think not. Since I'm not an expert, I thought I'd check with some - this forum.

Thanks.

 

[thinman]

The silks used in Charvet ties are very sensitive to snags and I will sometimes see the ties in stores with a snag on the front, so I don't buy. Discounters, in particular, will often have damaged Charvet ties on the sales rack.

But snags or loose threads are not "characteristic" of Charvet ties, they are flaws. The ties do not come from the factory with snags, they acquire snags when customers mishandle them. The fact that the exact tie can be seen on the store shelf represented as new is therefore irrelevant. By representing the tie as new, the seller represented the tie as being in the condition as shipped from the factory. You are perfectly within your rights to return the tie for a refund and the seller should do the same with the store where he purchased it.

Good luck getting to a satisfactory resolution!

 

[Vintage Gent]

Here's my take:

Yes, Charvet woven ties, lovely things that they are, fall victim rather easily to snags. Often, however, you can't see the snags unless you're looking across the plane of the tie; looking directly at the front of the tie won't reveal the imperfections (and make no doubt, these were imperfections). Unless this seller posted a picture showing the three-dimensional surface texture, he's being a sneaky little prick. Why? He knew there were snags and failed to accurately represent them.

 

[DocHolliday]

I had a similar experience with a seller who lectured me extensively that a worn-out coat was meant to be that way. I got my money back, and you should too. A perfect Charvet is such a wonderful partly because it is so perfect.

 

[kabert]

I agree -- Charvet woven ties are fantastic and unique, but they are very susceptible to such pulls. Unless you have perfectly smooth fingernails, such pulls can happen simply by less-than-careful handling of the ties.

Still, if the tie was sold as being brand new, then I'd be pissed as it is obviously imperfect.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by kabert

I agree -- Charvet woven ties are fantastic and unique, but they are very susceptible to such pulls. Unless you have perfectly smooth fingernails, such pulls can happen simply by less-than-careful handling of the ties.

Still, if the tie was sold as being brand new, then I'd be pissed as it is obviously imperfect.

Total agreement.

 

[VMan]

Originally Posted by kabert

Still, if the tie was sold as being brand new, then I'd be pissed as it is obviously imperfect.

But still, the tie was not purchased at Barneys, it was purchased on ebay, and I suspect at a pretty large discount. I've learned that you can't expect 100% perfection, and you also can't complain when you are getting 70% off retail price. Still, the buyer could have said something, but it is possible he overlooked it, or even that the tie picked up some snags from shipping unless it was in a plastic bag or something.

 

[UR003]

Originally Posted by VersaceMan

But still, the tie was not purchased at Barneys, it was purchased on ebay, and I suspect at a pretty large discount. I've learned that you can't expect 100% perfection, and you also can't complain when you are getting 70% off retail price. Still, the buyer could have said something, but it is possible he overlooked it, or even that the tie picked up some snags from shipping unless it was in a plastic bag or something.
I would say that it is up to the seller to wrap up his more sensitive goods in a way that they don't get damaged during shipping. If shipping really caused these snags. Otherwise he has misrepresented this item. That you pay less than full retail is no excuse. If you are informed of the imperfections you can decide whether or not the tie is worth its while. I would feal cheated too.

 

[kabert]

Originally Posted by VersaceMan

But still, the tie was not purchased at Barneys, it was purchased on ebay, and I suspect at a pretty large discount. I've learned that you can't expect 100% perfection, and you also can't complain when you are getting 70% off retail price. Still, the buyer could have said something, but it is possible he overlooked it, or even that the tie picked up some snags from shipping unless it was in a plastic bag or something.

True. About a year ago I bought 5 or 6 Bizzocchi ties from an EBay seller (still with N-M tags). One of them had a few such pulls/snags. I paid very little for them - -perhaps $25 each -- and because of that I didn't complain. However, perhaps I should have as I still haven't worn it due to the snags. It'll be in the next donation I make to Value Village if I remember it.

By the way, I wonder if it's possible to fix the pulls? It would only be possible I suppose by unstitching the back of the tie so as to fix the snags from the back - - a pain, but it might work.

 

[chorse123]

I think the fact that Charvet ties are prone to snags is unimportant. Maybe if there were one or two you could let it slide, but I wouldn't. It may be "new" but it is damaged. According to eBay:

An item is considered "New" when it meets the following guidelines.
* It is in the original condition from the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer.
* It has not been refurbished or used for any purpose.
* It has no known defects or damages.

It may meet points one and two, but not three. Try to get your money back.

 

[jmatt]

I appreciate the affirmations. I have started the complaint process through Paypal. The seller already responded and now its in the hands of paypal to decide. Does anyone know how much time Paypal takes doing their deliberations? If I don't win via Paypal, I'll reverse the charges on the credit card anyway.

 

[jmatt]

Thanks for the support. The seller never relented, and forced me to go through paypal's resolution procedure. They found in my favor and I returned the tie. Delivery was confirmed last friday, yet my grievance is still "under review."

Why would a seller act so? (rhetorical question - no response expected)

 

[Zubberah]

I find that Charvet ties are very much like Richard James ties: very prone to snagging giving the softeness of the woven silks. Not much you can do about it but should never be sold like that is certified as "new".

 

[RJman]

IMHO Charvet is even more fragile than RJ.

The price the damn thing sells at should have no bearing on how much you compromise for the condition. If it said new, it should have been pristine and in the same shape Charvet itself would have sold it at. I've sold and bought Charvet ties on ebay. I wouldn't sell a tie with pulls as new and I wouldn't accept one with them as new.