thrift store selling fakes

[Lost&Found]

If they are being unethical then depending on where you live there might be a consumer advocate or you can report it to your state attorney's general office to investigate. Another approach you could do is see if a reporter would want to investigate. A business could die from negative media attention.

 

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[GibH]

Just bring in a $500 bill from a monopoly set and tell them you want them all. When you give hand the bill, tell them if they are selling fake silver, you want to pay with fake money.

 

[G.I.B.]

The test here is are they representing it as Sterling Silver, and selling it for the SS price.

Or, are they selling it at cheap junk jewelry prices and letting you assume it's silver?

Simple- pick up a piece, look at it, then ask- is this silver? Did you pay the real silver price?

Then you have to show that they were knowingly selling fake jewelry at the real jewelry price.

After you returned it, them now knowing it's not real silver- did they put it back out for sale again?

When knowingly and willfully come into play, then you have a crime.

 

[Rodbuster209]

If it is fake and is being sold as real, than here it is against the law, a year or so back they( the authorities,I don't remember which dept)made a sweep of the flea markets,some of the Asian hair and nail salons and other retail outlets arresting the vendors for selling counterfeit items, I believe this could fall into those catagories, if it says sterling on the tag and the store owner knows it isn't, it's kind of of a no brainer.

 

[willis7]

the tags say sterling silver, and the items are stamped 925 but they aren't charging silver prices it was just over half of spot price that they were charging, that was the first thing that made me think they knew it was fake the second was when I brought it back after I dropped acid on it and she didn't seem surprised, I'm going to go back this week to make sure it didn't just take them a few days to take it all down or change the labels before I do anything

 

[GibH]

People list their crap on ebay the same way all the time. They are selling a gold watch. well, it is gold in color! etc.....

If this would be a huge chain store,Jewelry store, or something ok, I understand. But if you think your going to walk into a thrift store or a gas station and buy quality Jewelry, then you better know what your buying! I think it would be crazy to want to put someone out of business over some trinket stuff!

Most of us are pickers looking for a steal! When it goes the other way it's not fair? Situation means everything too and how it was presented. I bought a counterfeit gold coin off of a guy, there was not one thing I could do! Why? because he brought it up to me and asked how much I would give him for it! In my own greed I offered half! Well, when he left I figured out it was fake! lesson learned! Even if I would have ever seen that guy again, it was my fault for not knowing what I was buying!

Wow. Are you really comparing bargain hunting to fraud?

 

[Red James Cash]

she didn't seem surprised,

Seems to me she knew it then,bust the conniving bi_ _ h.Imagine how many people she ripped off in the past.

 

[trdhrdr007]

the tags say sterling silver, and the items are stamped 925

Based on that I'd say we do know that it's being presented as the real deal & is therefore fraud. No different from selling fake Rolex watches, Coach handbags or whatever. IMO the size of the fraud and/or the business perpetrating that fraud is immaterial.

 

[Tallone]

I guess I'm just thinking they are profiting off of pickers greed.

If this is their strategy, it probably won't be too long before sales of this stuff take a nosedive. Cautious pickers may take a chance and buy a piece to test as willis7 did. When they find out it isn't what they thought it was they won't buy any more.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Years ago here in S Fl, the flea market gold sellers all got busted. They were selling 10k gold jewelry, and someone went and tested it. Most came back as 7k to 9k. They busted and closed them all down. Most professed they did not know it was lesser karat, as they were all buying their stuff from overseas.
I would bet most 14k from overseas is only 12k too.
Caveat Emptor, but deception when purchasing metals is the same as deception and fraud in selling medicines, liquor, or bullets.
Not sure who the regulating authority is on metals, but I do know they will come down if you are knowingly defrauding folks.

 

[augoldminer]

If its marked to Deceive its illegal. its fraud, Ask any pawn shop owner as they have seen a lot of this junk and the people that get flaming mad when they bring it in to pawn only to find its worthless.
Most pawn shops will not even take it because they don't want to get busted.

I take it this is a "for profit thrift store" not a nonprofit thrift store.(goodwill ect) the best way to tell is if they charge sales tax. for profits have to collect and non profits do not in most states.

Some for profit get there goods from places like storage locker auctions.

 

[willis7]

I'm pretty sure it a for profit there just one lady that runs it and she takes orders from people, like if your looking for a certain thing she'll try to find it and some stuff in her store she buys new to sell for retail

 

[Red James Cash]

Put the screws to her buddy.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Please keep all politics out of all forums except the politics forum....






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[randazzo1]

No "if's" about it. It is illegal at both the Federal and State level (I believe all 50 and P.R. regulate PM's). For federal, 15 USC 8 s. 296.

 

[mugsisme]

You can also contact the BBB.

 

[EARL51]

A crook, is a crook, is a crook.

 

[NHBandit]

Red, if I would have to think about calling the cops on some bones someone thought were real, I wouldn't call them over some trinket few dollar pieces of jewelry! Just saying, I don't call the cops! Unless it is something huge! lol And it does matter on how it is presented and worded.

You keep saying it matters how it was presented. The OP said way back in the beginning that it's not only marked 925 but the store also put tags on it that says Sterling. They were also told it's fake but they keep selling it. Do you need them to have a giant flashing neon light above it that says "genuine Silver" to see that they are crooks ?

 

[willis7]

I've tried to go to the store for the past two weeks, but they've been closed. they may have been busted or went out of business

 

[willis7]

that's probly what happened to them, second hand stores pop up in my town all the time hardly any of them make it more than 4 months.