Just got my first vintage lamp.. and the ebay seller was deceiving the top is cracked..

[Jon]

I just got my first ever vintage lamp its one of those gold lamps with the holes in it and paid $77 for it in auction on ebay..  Its a 52oz bottle, red tint to the liquid and red wax..  Dated 1977 under the cap..  And thats the thing, as i took it out of the packaging and looked for the date on the cap thats when i noticed it was cracked from point A to B but more in the back.

They packaged this thing great,, wrapped it in a plastic bag first, then 3 layers of bubble wrap, and it was laying inside 2 inch thick foam padding..  So i dont think it did this during shipping unless the cold weather outside did it ? 

The picture they took of the top was blurry and of a slight angle from the side..  I just took the same picture using my phone and sure enough you cant see the crack that way but if you tilt it up further the crack shows..

Im very very irritated with this, it doesnt leak so thats good, but seriously..  I wouldnt have bid on it and especially bought it at near 80$ with a damn crack

First picture is there picture

[Mr MaGoo]

Would think if seller did not disclose that the lid was cracked, could be seen as deceptive, this could be to your advantage possibly in starting a  resolution quarry with EBAY.  Of course, seller will argue that you, as the buyer should carefully scrutinize their pictures.  When buying always ask seller questions, any cracks, dents, chips, so that way it is there all up front and if they don't answer or post your questions in the ebay ad you know something is up.  Sorry, think there is someone on here that can sell you a 3d rendered working cap and would be brand new.  Check it out.  Grats and sorry for the bump in the transaction.  Good luck with whatever you direction you take it!

[Jon]

Yea thanks.. Well The thing is im not the type to go balls out and leave negative reviews and immediatly return the items.

 I sent them a message showed them how that picture they took at an angle is deceiving and hides the crack.. I showed them my picture i took at the same angle hides it. And im right arent i ?  It hides the crack completely.

So i asked for a partial refund i want 30$ back and ill forgo the full refund and negative review. I might have paid 40$ for the lamp but not 77$...

On a side note this lamp is besutiful.. pictures dont do this vintage 1977 lamp justice..  Wow..

 One question though the water is clear but the glass has a fog to it.. I wont do it now due to a cracked top but can i just take the top off and put a long soft brush inside and brush the sides to remove the film ?   Do they actually have replacement caos.. Is someone 3d printing them or is that just a rumour ??  What i was thinking of doing was taking the cap off and using a flat tipped soldering iron to melt the plastic back tigether...  It wont be pretty but it should bond it back.. Ive bonded broken plastic this way before

[Mr MaGoo]

Yeah someone making the caps for this globe I am almost positive. Would hold off of the soldering iron idea for now.  Sounds like trying to get rid of a fly with a shotgun. :P  If there is a haze in the whole globe, might want to dump and save master fluid and wax and clean the globe and then set the master fluid and wax up again in the clean globe.  Instructions on how to do this on this site.  Sure the guys will chime in. Would think if you went the brush route you might increase chance of the wax start sticking to the sides of globe.  Good luck and enjoy the lamps, might not have multiples now, but you will, we all know that!  :)

[Jon]

I have multiplecoming.. i have an enchantrewss planet coming.. and im bidding on another tonight.. I habe like 6 chinese lamps from spencers too.. but this is my first antique

[Alfred]

My recommendations, having had a few issues with Ebay purchases:

First, don't go balls out and leave negative reviews and immediately return the lamp. This will just get the seller upset and uncooperative, especially if the crack did legitimately happen in shipping. I kind of doubt the seller sold a cracked lamp and then packaged it as well as you describe, but obviously it's impossible to be certain here. If the seller is responsive and either refunds the purchase or comes to some other reasonable arrangement, they most certainly still deserve positive feedback.

Contacting the seller is a good first step, but if you don't get a response quickly, just go ahead and open a claim. Be honest, and don't try to downplay the situation to be nice. Just describe exactly what happened. Ebay's process is pretty restrictive, and if you go off-script for any reason (even by trying to be nice to the seller), *do not* expect any additional help from Ebay's customer service.

Quick story: I got myself in trouble once, because the cause I selected for opening a case allowed the seller to close it without resolution even though I was simply trying to give the seller the benefit of the doubt to start off. You do have a second layer of support by opening a case through PayPal, but you're very much better off not having to go there. Once you open a case on Ebay, that initial information is set in stone and cannot be modified.

Last, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with asking for a partial refund, but do remember this is something an unscrupulous buyer might do to try to get money out of the seller. I usually just ask for a refund (including return shipping, as the seller is responsible for any damage up to the point you receive the item), and leave it to the seller to offer a partial refund if they're so inclined. If it's a one-of-a-kind item that I absolutely don't want to return outright I might start off differently, but I don't think that's the case here.

[Keith]

That's a stone cold bummer!  

I think you could probably get the cap off without it breaking further if you needed to, but getting it back on tight enough might be the problem.  If it doesn't leak I would leave it alone unless I had a replacement cap ready.  Sometimes members here will sell spare caps but not very often.  There is a discussion for 3d printed caps that are reported to work well.

You can clean haze off of the inside of the globe but like Mr Magoo says it would be better to remove the fluid at least.  The haze is most likely residue from the breakdown of the old wax, so it might haze again over time.

I agree with your ebay resolution strategy.  Hopefully the seller will work with you.

Good luck with everything!

[Jon]

Im not going balls out.. I mentioned im not like that.. I dont like leaving bad reviews at all.. I contacted the osrson explaining whats going on and asked nicely if they were dishonest about the crack due to the angle of the pic of the top hiding the back.

Edit: just got their response to my partial refund.  They agreed to 30$ so i got the lamp for 47$ vs 77$ Im satisfied now..  Now i jusy gatta find a replacement cap ir fix mine.. either soldering the crack or unscrewing it and using silicone on it and screwing it back on.  Ill figure something out. and keep my eyes open for a replacement.

For now it doesnt leak so ill just keep an eye on it

[Mr MaGoo]

Bravo!

[Jon]

Anyone know a way to get cig smoke off a lamp lol..  It reeks of cigs lol

[Keith]

This might help you out:

http://oozinggoo.ning.com/forum/topics/replacement-screw-cap-plans-...

[Jon]

I still c ant get over how pretty the lamp is... I love it, is there anyway to get the like 50 little pencile erasor lava bubbles to form together or is that the wax deteriorating ?  It kinda looks nice but yea.

Also do the star light glass lamps have white speckle in the glass or is that just air bubbles from when the glass bottle was made.   I kinda like it, it goes with the starlight theme

[Mr MaGoo]

You have a pic, sounds with all  the small blobs could be running too hot.  Get a pic when it is doing that and post it.  Defect in glass, can vary from globe to globe.  Optimally you want no air bubbles in glass globe.