Firebreakline On The Bay

[baz666]

Some time ago I sold this pen on the bay.

http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.barrell/pics/cir5.JPG

I remember it very distinctly as I made the base for the box and covered it in Blue baize.

 

This was my condition description for this pen.

"This pen is in good condition, but is showing a few pinprick dings and some light scuffs and scratches from normal use."

 

The buyer of the pen was This person.

 

After they had won it they sent me a message to ask if I would post it untracked and without insurance (a lot cheaper for them).

I said I would, on condition that they left me positive feedback before I posted it, thus absolving me of any responsibility if the pen were lost in the post.

 

When they received the pen, they then set about telling me the pen was not in "as described" condition (this was untrue) and requested a partial refund.

Due to the fact that I had already received positive feedback, I politely declined their request and added this buyer to my Blocked Bidder list.

 

Two weeks later the very same pen (including box) appeared on Firebreakline`s site for sale.

The description they offered was "near mint".

They achieved £30 more than I sold it for, so I guess some poor sap paid well over the odds for it.

 

I can only assume that this is their standard buying practice, I presume there are more than this one buyer out there for this "Pen Specialist" organisation!!

I have never bought from Firebreakline and never will!

I guess this is a case of buyer and seller Beware.

 

Regards

Paul

[Paul80]

The one good thing about these clowns is that they always use the same red stripe wallpaper as a background for their photographs, so its easy to spot them an move on without wasting time by clicking on their link.

 

How many of us have reported them to eBay, I know I have.

 

Paul

[KBeezie]

I've seen some sellers listing the item's location, often on the west coast of the US, but then feedback seems to suggest it takes 4-5 weeks to ship. While you can't seem to prove it to ebay, I suspect a lot of sellers are using Drop Shipping to be able to list their items closer to target markets so they show up in search listings.

 

Rule of Thumb, check the feedbacks and look for consistent complaints of slow shipping, which either means the seller is really slow, or it's being drop-shipped from somewhere else.

[JonSzanto]

Great story from baz666, as well as Paul's mention of their common wallpaper (not to mention *chronically* overexposed photographs). Just do a blanket "fountain pen" search on eBay and you'll see them pop up easily as you scroll through the list. Every single one of their offerings, overpriced.

 

Seems like if you hang around a forum long enough, you'll hear about these sellers, but never hurts to repeat. After all, each minute of each and every day sees new suckers born. Firebreakline can wait for them...

[KBeezie]

Great story from baz666, as well as Paul's mention of their common wallpaper (not to mention *chronically* overexposed photographs). Just do a blanket "fountain pen" search on eBay and you'll see them pop up easily as you scroll through the list. Every single one of their offerings, overpriced.

 

Seems like if you hang around a forum long enough, you'll hear about these sellers, but never hurts to repeat. After all, each minute of each and every day sees new suckers born. Firebreakline can wait for them...

 

Not to mention I've seen several Chinese sellers use the exact same picture, sans some of the seller name cloned out of the picture, like against the blue felt, which sometimes has the seller name written on the felt, and sometimes it's been removed using photoshop.

[finansista]

I won a Parker 51 from this seller over year ago. The package was sent from HK and the pen was completely different from the one pictured in the listing. As you can imagine, in much worse condition - dings, brassing, medium nib instead of broad etc.

I was offered an option to return it or partial refund and we finally reached agreement, but nevertheless I would advise against buying anything from this seller.

[kestrel]

I was just taking a look at one of their listings and it does appear that they have this disclaimer buried in there:

 

We are international vintage pen collector and we collect pens all round the world. The pen may be dispatched from our buying offices outside UK. So please allow at least 6-8 working days to receive the pen.

 

Not sure if that is a recent addition? But it is a bit misleading that it says UK way up at the top and only one like in a swamp of text to the contrary...

It has been there for at least a year.

 

I once bought a pen from this seller - same issues as above: great pics, pen not quite as described, came from Hong Kong instead of UK, not very well restored. I re-restored the pen and have since adopted Jon's ten foot pole approach.

What he said. Bought a rather unique vintage Waterman for my wife from them. It came from Hong Kong and, when I first uncapped the pen, the section on my "fully restored pen" slid out of the body. The sac obviously had quite a few miles on it and there was dried ink (a lot of it) in the feed. Lesson learned.

[pen2paper]

forum as educational tool

thanks for sharing Your experiences with details, links, many clues to make the bigger picture quite clear.

this helps new ones to have a discerning eye (old ones too; )

 

When I was actively looking for specific pens, I watched a few from the seller mentioned above.

A few listed now meet some of my interest criteria, but listing details, and feedback comments don't match to secure my trust and money.

 

I wouldn't fault the judgment of any to buy one of the listed offerings. They appear really good. You have to know exactly what to look for a specific model, date, and materials.

That's really the shame of what we are seeing in the presented examples. They have a talent to make things appear just right. That is talent. That's the reason I don't sell on ebay. You have to make an object appear to be worth its value, and competitive.

 

But, the Real, and lasting value is in carving a solid customer base, as Terri, and others have here in this community. Not just appearance, but the object is what is advertised, and if issues arise, they are appropriate in taking care of their business. Btw, I haven't ever purchased from Teri, but readily send people her way.

 

Now if this HK/UK seller(s) would tone down the photo shop and follow through sending objects exactly as advertised, this entire thread would flip 100%. We like to share success far more than report clues to misadventures. (well maybe After we've snagged a find or two ; )

[Eccles]

Thanks for the warning; I might have got sucked in by this listing otherwise...

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vintage-PARKER-TELEVISOR-Green-Hatched-Deluxe-Fountain-Pen-BROAD-OBLIQUE-Nib-/380910857880?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PensPencils_WritingEquipment_SM&hash=item58b00e6e98

The fact that the photos have been removed when it was only listed today was a bit strange, then the seller's details sounded familiar and the proverbial penny dropped soon afterwards.

Regards,

Glenn.

[Sasha Royale]

It's been several years. I dealt with Firebreakline in UK. The pen arrived as described, but shipped from China PRC.

The listed location of the pen was UK. Transaction was satisfactory, but I did not like misrepresentation of the location.

Firebreakline is probably an agent or broker for the sellers. I never bought from this seller again.

 

I do not accuse anything, but my experiences in Ebay have fostered very high standards.

 

I have had many flawless, extra-mile, online, pen experiences. I don't feel I have to accept anything less than A+ .

[Tylerjordan]

I used to look at his? listings a while back and noticed that every single pen had a medium nib according to the item description. Seemed pretty off and didn't really make the seller seem knowledgeable at all.

[stephanos]

Here is my (ongoing) experience, with quotes from the seller.

 

I had been eyeing this seller for a while - very well presented items. I recently took the plunge and bought a Waterman pen. After I paid, I received a message, saying that "we would like to clarify that we are temporarily relocated outside UK, and hence the pen will be sent from our buying office in Hong Kong," and was I OK with waiting? If not, they would refund my purchase and cancel the order. And please not to use eBay's messaging system for any communication (a request I plan to ignore).

 

I don't mind waiting, but I am not prepared to pay customs and related fees (plus the hassle), particularly not after buying from a seller located within my own trading bloc. So I told them they should proceed if they can sort out any customs issues in advance, or otherwise to cancel the order and issue a refund. They responded that, "per our experience there is no customs problem sending item to UK. In case if you are charged, we will be totally responsible."

 

So there are two issues: location and quality of item description. The former is clearly a problem - I'll never buy from them again - but the jury is out on the latter. I hope the pen is as described. We shall see.

[penmanila]

i've bought a couple of vintage pens (swan leverless, burgundy vac) from him/them; both transactions went well. these were both open auctions, not the outrageously inflated buy-it-now price he often posts. as others have noticed, they'll try to sell pens at these steep prices, and if no one bites, they'll be back up for auction. i can see how and why many others would shrink away from this seller, and i'm not sure i would do business with him again, but to be fair, he did deliver my pens as promised. if i felt friskly enough to gamble on another one of his pens, i would lower my expectations, but i would also feel protected by ebay's guarantee (a hassle as it might be to pursue).

[Cepasaccus]

I hope the pen is as described. We shall see.

Good luck! In my case they had manipulated the photo to give the impression of a better condition. But they are eager to get a good feedback and give e.g. a refund to compensate.

 

Cepasaccus

[stephanos]

Good luck! In my case they had manipulated the photo to give the impression of a better condition. But they are eager to get a good feedback and give e.g. a refund to compensate.

 

Cepasaccus

 

Thanks! I guess I'll get the pen towards the end of the month - doing lots of travelling right now - and will post an update once I have the item in my hands.

[TassoBarbasso]

Bought a vintage conway stewart from them bach in 2007. The colour was a complete mismatch and the clip was bent.

[stephanos]

So, I have received the pen and can update as promised.

 

There are no problems at all. There is still an issue with false advertising about location, but the product I received was faultless, and I am happy with it. It even arrived faster than I had expected.

[Alex2014]

It's been several years. I dealt with Firebreakline in UK. The pen arrived as described, but shipped from China PRC.

The listed location of the pen was UK. Transaction was satisfactory, but I did not like misrepresentation of the location.

Firebreakline is probably an agent or broker for the sellers. I never bought from this seller again.

 

I do not accuse anything, but my experiences in Ebay have fostered very high standards.

 

I have had many flawless, extra-mile, online, pen experiences. I don't feel I have to accept anything less than A+ .

 

It is not fair to have another location. This could mean further (high) import taxes for EU countries. I asked him about the location, but did not receive an answer.

Moreover, many of his descriptions are hilarious even for a not expert collectors like me. This says all about the seller. I will never buy from him.

[Uncial]

My experience with this seller would lead me to advise you to stay well clear of this seller. Very annoying and disappointing in many respects.

[Cryptos]

In my opinion, if they are listing themselves as a UK entity then they should be entirely liable for customs duties if they ship from outside the UK. By listing as UK they are deliberately tricking people into thinking that there will be no import charges.

Edited December 3, 2014 by Cryptos