First Time for Everything I Guess - Buyers Beware
I’ve never had a bad Etsy experience in over a decade of using the app, but there’s a first time for everything.
I’ve been shopping for vintage wool sweaters, particularly Amano and Tara Handknits brands (IYKYK). I found a listing on Etsy from Lostboysvintage for an Amano cardigan from the 90’s. I purchased it.
Never in all my years thrifting or shopping on Etsy have I seen an item in such sorrowful condition. The cardigan was absolutely filthy, to the point I could feel how grimy it was immediately and smelled it as soon as I opened the bag. Not only that, there were two gaping holes in the knit. In hindsight, zooming in on the photo, you can kind of see the hole in the front panel, but the sleeves in the listing photos were carefully posed as not to show the gaping elbow hole (see pics). The front panel hole was poorly repaired with thread. Hard to say if the seller did this to make the hole less obvious or if the previous owners did it.
Joke’s on me I guess cause the listing said “items are used and may contain unmentioned flaws”.
Now, my husband said something which made me feel a bit better about this. He said it’s good it ended up with me and he is right because someone else might’ve just thrown the sweater out. I have some vague idea how to repair knitwear (don’t judge I did my best lol) so I did so immediately (see pics - forgot to take before pic of elbow hole but it was bigger than the hole in the front panel). And I hand washed it in the tub SEVEN TIMES to get all the dirt and gunk out. (See pics, again). It took FIVE hours to repair and wash this thing.
The thing is I paid like $180 for this sweater, which would’ve totally been fair if it were in good condition, as the new ones are $300-$400. But this was in such horrible condition I wouldn’t have paid that much if I knew. HOWEVER!! If they had been honest in the listing and charged a third of the price I would’ve probably still bought it and fixed it up.
Anyways be careful out there, shoppers.