Thread: did I get taken?

Originally Posted by gugi

I'm not trying to defend the seller, but there are 3 photos, one with the razor closed and 2 more front and back open and the detail is more than 90% of ebay auctions give you.
I'm just trying to look at this as objectively as I can. The way I see the transaction is: the seller listed ridiculously high price and 'Make me an offer' option - certainly not unusual for ebay - a lot of sellers have no idea about the value of the items they sell. The seller also misrepresented the razor going with the box description, but I don't see this as something unusual for a seller that doesn't even know the value of the item. The buyer clearly thought the asking price was too high and offered 1/2 of it, which the seller accepted. Then the buyer was happy on receipt and left a positive feedback, but then he thought the item may actually not be as advertised. It looks to me like neither the seller nor the buyer had a very good idea about the razor, nevertheless they agreed on a transaction that both seemed to be happy about. It's hard for me to put a blame on the seller - what they do is also consistent with being ignorant, so when in doubt I give everybody the benefit of the doubt.

I think you should contact the seller and explain that it doesn't seem to be a henckels razor. If I'm the seller and want to be nice I'll take it back as long as you cover the shipping both ways and the ebay fees that I got charged. But if I don't want to deal with all the hassle I'll just tell you that the transaction is complete and you had all information before making me an offer to determine what value you place on the razor.

+1 what gugi said...

Always sad to read that someone does not get what they hope to get.

I checked the seller, he or she sells all sorts of antiques and brocante. I did not see any straights so they might argue they found the razor in the box and therefore presumed it was a Henckels razor. They can claim they did send you the razor you saw on the picture so you got what you bid on.

Continueing as the devil's advocate: I checked with my Henckels and even with the blade between the scales you can still see the Twin sign and J.A. Henck.. stamped on the tang.

I am afraid that you met a seller who did not know more about Henckels razors than you did at the time of the transaction.

OTOH: if he's a half decent antique's vendor he may offer you a partial refund or a full refund if you send it back to him. It's worth a try. However my experience is that corresponding with sellers after the transaction is completed is far from satisfactory if you even get a response.

I am afraid you got to live with it as it is. Hone it up and it may be a surprisingly good razor.

It looks to me as though the seller was right up front with his description:

"I recently picked up a supposed J.A. Hanckels Solingen straight. The box is old and is stamped as such. However, neither the blade or scale have any identifying stamp on them. Here is the link"

* That should stand out loud and clear, besides the photo with no name on it.

If you are familiar with J.A. Henckels (he spelled it wrong), you would be familiar with the Twin Works logo that should appear on the tang. As you can see (or not see), there is no stamp of any kind on the razor.

Yea, I think it is very unethical to give a name to a razor based on the box it came in, especially a str8 razor. The vendor can claim all the ignorance he wants, but my goodness, this goes beyond common sense, IMO. He did cover himself, though.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Try to appeal to him, maybe he'll surprise you. Otherwise, that's a tough lesson to learn.

Good Luck,

Steve

Amazing coincidence. I bought a Henckels on ebay recently that turned out to be a J. A. Henckels box and an A. N. Other razor.
I suggested that the vendor refund the difference in price between what I'd paid and what I thought it was worth; which they did.

Originally Posted by Kees

I am afraid you got to live with it as it is. Hone it up and it may be a surprisingly good razor.

Ditto. All part of the ebay crapshoot, but it looks like you have an eminently restorable razor that might serve you well. Probably only about $20 difference from what you might have paid for a razor in that condition, so you're not looking at a disaster.

Yes, when on e-bay the maxim is caveat emptor.

I just got one that was the same deal, Henckels box but a no name razor in it. I was going to complain but for the $12 I paid for it I will keep it and use it as a travel razor. It was in good shape and never honed, if I gave $50 for it, it would be another story.

It's hard to swallow, when you end up buying something a bit overly enthusiastic only to find out that you did not buy what you expected.
I guess we've all been there a couple of times, one way or another. I know I have.
I don't think the seller fooled you on purpose, and I would inform him about it, even if it only serves the purpose of him avoiding such ambiguity in his future offerings. Maybe if you can manage to agree with him that you were both stupid (I apologize to you for putting it so bluntly), you can perhaps reach some kind of gentleman's agreement. Even if it was not deliberate, Ebay policy forbids to sell something that deviates from the description. He said "J.A Hanckels." That razor is not a J.A. Henckels, or "Hanckels" for that matter.

I hope this still works out for you. If not, I hope it 'll be the finest shaver you've ever bought so far.

Good luck,
Bart.