Dunno about you, but I sometimes wonder if Etsy is really a long-term experiment to test the stupidity of the average human. There are too many deceptive shop owners (re)selling on the site to count, and an almost unbelievable number of buyers who want to pay the Etsy Reseller Stupid Tax when they overpay to purchase cheapie products mass made in Chinese factories pretending to be "handmade" by the shop or 20+ year old "vintage".
06/03/22: shop is CLOSED.
Notorious fake vintage reseller Goodtimesvtg is still creating deceptive listings for her Etsy shop, as she has been for more than 4 years now. (My most recent post about this mendacious reseller is HERE and you can follow links in previous posts about Goodtimesvtg back to the first one dated August 2016.) Just listed yesterday is this new contemporary women's bracelet watch by Saigo pretending to be "Vintage from the 1980s". Priced at $199, sure to attract the kind of dumb bunny Etsy buyer who longs to pay that amount for a watch the sells on the market as I type for $25 or much less.
If you want one of these watches, there are handful of online listings for it -- and you will save a lot of money buying from an honest merchant, as opposed to the mendacious Goodtimesvtg! Get it from Times and Jewelry on sale for $17.95. Just $24.98 at Vova Bottom feeder site Wish has it for just $8 (the original price given in the listing is $174 -- still lower than Goodtimesvtg -- and claims the thinestones are "diamonds"). It's sold out on Amazon UK but the listing includes the date listed on the site: Jan. 17, 2015 -- nothing like the 1980s!
UPDATE DECEMBER 02: she's at it again! Buyers Beware!!!
Just listed a few days ago is another brand new vintage style ball wall clock that this mega-mendacious fake vintage reseller claims is "Vintage from the 1970s". Priced at $199.50, on sale from regular price $399. Seller claims it is 40+ year old original Nelson, and is hanging on her wall. But why does the listing show photo images borrowed from a contemporary manufacturer of cheapie vintage style knock-offs? 02/17: Another unit has been listed (4 previously listed and sold using the same photos) . This time the price is $299! Once again, it's fake dated to the 1970s and is hanging on the shop owner's wall (yeah, sure).
If you want the clock shown in the image above, you can do much better on price. Get it from the manufacturer on Amazon where you will pay just $54.95 with FREE shipping and a 1-year limited warranty. Get it on eBay for $49.95. Resold by several merchants on their own sites, same brand, similar price.
DECEMBER 28: still going with fake vintage items!
This contemporary version of a Nelson "block clock" is pretending to be "Vintage from the 1990s". It's not vintage -- it's new! Priced at $140 (on sale from "original" price of $350).
Photo above, used as the listing thumbnail, was "borrowed" from the manufacturer and is used by merchants selling the same clock NEW. It's backordered HERE where the inventory sold out after the price was reduced to $153 -- a few $$$ more than Goodtimesvtg is asking. A version with the same color blocks, but with a second hand, can be found on WAL-MART's site.
FEBRUARY 12: here's another one! Just listed today is this contemporary Mickey Mouse figural plastic watering can pretending to be "Vintage from the 1970s". Priced at $99. Seller claims the piece is in "excellent used condition", but the photos tell a different story. I'd rate it good at best, considering it's NOT OLD, just a cheaply mass manufactured item from a Chinese sweatshop. For reference, it can't be older than the plastic recycling symbol stamped onto the base -- and these symbols were DEVELOPED in 1988.
The mark stamped on the bottom clearly says "Made In China" -- which means it's much newer than the 1970s. (Forget The Wonderful World of Disney. When did Nixon visit China?) Was recently sold on WAL-MART's site for under $9, with the one review from a shopper who purchased it NEW dated 2013. There are maybe a dozen examples of this item for sale on the various resale sites like eBay, Poshmark, and shopgoodwill. Prices vary from $2 to about $25 -- and most of them are actually in excellent used condition. But I'm eagerly anticipating a dumb bunny Etsy shopper overpaying the mendacious Goodtimesvtg for this commonly found newer collectible. Oh, and it is currently offered in a "replica" version on Ali Baba.
APRIL 28: still going! Am adding recent listings here so that, when you purchase the items, your friends can show you this post to tell you how much $$$ you gave to this mendacious reseller basically for nothing.
Here's a pair of sun and moon earrings pretending to be "Vintage from the 1990s". Priced at $79.60 (on sale from regular price of $199). Unlike authentic vintage earrings of this style, the crystals are plastic -- which the seller mentions in the description. But then goes on to say the stones are "moonstone" and "turquoise", and the earrings are "in perfect condition". And why wouldn't they be, since they are in fact brand new.
The photo from the listing belongs to the Chinese manufacturer. If you like them, you can buy them direct from China on AliExpress for less than $3 (including shipping) -- a savings of more than $75 over the sales price currently offered in the listing from Goodtimesvtg. But please do buy them on Etsy, and leave a glowing review. The world wants to know who will pay $80 for $1 earrings!
Here's a scepter figural brooch pretending to be "Vintage from the 1990s". Of course, it's NEW. The materials list says it's made with "seed pearls", but it's really plastic bling set into base metal. Priced at $50 (on sale from regular price of $125), but you can do much better than that. Get it on Amazon for just $7.48. The Amazon listing says it's still in production, and was first listed for sale on that site on August 7. 2018 -- NOT the 1990s. Just $5 on Wish Many listings on eBay, priced at about $12.
Here's a brand new modern style globe wall light pretending to be "Vintage from the 1970s". Priced at $199.60 (sale price reduced from $499). Am laughing so hard I can barely type! This item, with a few very minor variations is all over the web for sale at less than $100. These are made in China. The seller claims the globe is "hand blown" glass, but offers no information or images to back up that claim. This is really an inexpensive fixture mass manufactured in an Asian sweatshop, but please DO pay this mendacious reseller for their deceptiveness!
Where to buy? On eBay for $59.99 (shipping is FREE). Same price on AliExpress Many more listings online.
JULY 19: still going! How about a brand new, retro style, land line phone pretending to be "vintage from the 1970s"? This is apparently an easy sell to shoppers too young to know that push button dial telephones in the 70s didn't have a fake dial arrangement. Seller's description says it's "a twist on the 1960s" which means IT'S NOT OLD. There were no 1960s (or 1970s) phones like this one. Priced originally at $350, it's on sale for $107.40. These sell online NEW from about $30 to $60, and are made in a bunch of different colors (I counted a couple dozen variations). For sale on Amazon but sold out in this color. Do a search for the item, using the brand name, and Google will show you all the vendors and options. Not vintage, but that hasn't stopped 2 dumb bunny Etsy shoppers from carting this piece of faux! Photo below was borrowed from the manufacturer.
The mendacious shop owner says this rhinestone gold tone cobra snake brooch is "vintage from the 1960s" but a savvy shopper can find this one brand new on Ali Express priced at just $1.57 (also available in silver tone). Originally priced at $64, it's on sale for $19.20. Not vintage; not even close!
This Etsy shop has their own take on telephone scams! Here's a black retro style land line phone pretending to be "vintage from the 1970s". Of course, it's not old. Was recently for sale by a merchant on WAL-MART's site -- read the reviews!. Was originally priced at $299, but is now on sale for $89.70. Gotta love the BS in the description about how it was made in the 70s to "look older" -- as if that was a thing during that decade. Plenty of American homes still had older style land lines then. My own parents had a party line (google it) until 1978.
SEPTEMBER 21: still going with the fake vintage! Here's a fake vintage "LV inspired" PU convertible strap bag pretending to be "vintage from the 1990s". Of course, it's contemporary. Was recently sold (complete with the same bag charm!) on this Philippine site priced at less than $10. Which means there has to be at least one dumb bunny Etsygirl who wants to pay Goodtimesvtg their Fake Vintage Stupid Tax and shell out $124!
This Nelson-inspired block spoke wall clock is pretending to be "vintage from the 1990s", but you can purchase the same item today on Amazon (Note that the dimensions for the clock on Amazon are wrong: a 13.5 inch diameter clock can't fit in a 12 inch box!) Priced at $125 in Goodtimesvtg's shop (if you want to pay her Fake Vintage Stupid Tax) or less than $40 on Amazon. This is another item that (supposedly) can't be sold on Etsy since it isn't handmade, vintage, or a crafting supply -- it's a mass manufactured contemporary item.
This Jessica Carlyle green lizard bracelet watch is pretending to be "vintage from before 2000", but a quick check on the trademark reveals the brand is less than 10 years old! There are several of these watches for sale online where pre-owned mass made merchandise is sold, with market prices ranging from $10 to $30. But please do pay Goodtimesvtg her Fake Vintage Stupid Tax included in her price of $79!
Here's a set of Pottery Barn Vintage Posters cocktail plates in box pretending to be "vintage from the 1970s". Of course the seller mendaciously omits a photo showing the back of any of the plates that reveal they are made in China. Pottery Barn had an extensive line of tableware featuring these Vintage Posters. Not all the cocktail plates or boxes are marked with dates, but those with marks show copyright for the images is 2002. Easy to find online at a range of prices, averaging around $25 like new in box.
And this brand new made in China squash blossom style necklace is pretending to be "vintage from the 1990s" and priced at $84. Etsy informs us that one extremely dumb Etsybunny has it in her cart as I type. Of course no Etsygirl would use Google Images to find the photo (below) of the pretty Asian model wearing the necklace, and find out where else this BRAND NEW item is sold. Get it HERE on AliExpress for less than $10. Once again, you can see how easy it is for sellers on Etsy to source their vintage items in China -- why friends don't let friends shop for vintage (or anything else) on Etsy!
More listings for items pretending to be "vintage" will be added here as they appear in the shop.
