I saw a post on fb marketplace for a platinum 950 solitaire ring for only $110, and I was suspicious (since if it’s too good to be true it’s probably too good to be true) but sometimes I do find very good deals, so I reached out. (NOTE: the image showed a hallmark for platinum 950, and the description was that it was a solid platinum moissonite ring).
The seller was about 1 hour away from me and I asked if she could meet closer. She said she was visiting someone that same day about 30 min away from where I live so she could come by after, and we agreed on a time, and she asked for an additional 7$ for gas which I agreed to also.
Unfortunately once we met up, I weighed and evaluated the ring and I really found the orginal description questionable. I did an acid test, but obviously I didn’t want to file down the ring and damage it. But the weight really made no sense given the dimensions of the ring (I would expect between 3 or 4 g and it was only 1.5 g), so if it was platinum it was likely plated. When I asked where she bought it from, she got a bit cagey and said "China," and refused to say how much she had paid for it, only that she "does not sell to make much profit." So yeah in the end I said sorry but I won’t be taking it.
She seemed surprised and pretty irritated and said something along the lines of "But I came all this way!" and insisted that I pay her the delivery fee. We argued for a while but in the end I gave in just so she would leave me alone, but it feels to me that she might have been purposefully trying to sell something she suspected was a fake, so it feels like I should not have been obligated to.
She was scamming you and you should never pay scammers. NTA for the choices she made.
NTA. If you do not think you’re getting what is advertised for, it’s fair not to pay a ‘delivery fee.’ However, $7 is a drop in the overall bucket and it may not be worth the argument.
NTA for refusing to buy the ring. If the weight and the answers did not add up, you were right to walk away. That is exactly what you are supposed to do when something feels off.
However, you agreed to the 7 dollars for gas before meeting. That payment was for her driving out, not for guaranteeing a sale. Even if the ring turned out to be questionable, honoring what you agreed to was fair.
Trusting your evaluation and backing out was smart. Paying what you agreed to was reasonable.
This angle keeps you rational and balanced, which tends to perform better than going all in on accusing the seller.
Yeah that’s a solid take. You’re right that the gas money was basically for her time and effort to meet up, not a guarantee on the item itself.
Backing out was the right call if things felt sketchy, but following through on the agreed gas fee keeps things fair.
NTA. Since you weren’t getting what was actually advertised, it doesn’t make sense to pay the delivery fee as well
She was pulling the old Armani Suit scam on you. Offering an “expensive” luxury item for far less than the real item is worth, she just needs to get rid of it so you’re getting a great deal, and since she’s doing you such a favour already, how about you cover her travel costs? And then you end up overpaying for fake garbage.
She didn’t expect someone who knows how to evaluate the ring beyond “ooo shiny” to be her mark. She saw you knew it wasn’t worth what she claimed but hadn’t clocked it as an outright scam, so pushed for the “delivery fee” so she wasn’t coming away entirely empty handed. Pretty bold move on her part, she must have been running this scam for awhile.
NTA, it was a scam from start to finish.
NTA
INFO: in the body of the post, you say the $7 was for gas since she had to go out of her way. Is the $7 for gas the delivery fee you’re referencing in your title or am I missing something?
yes that’s what I’m referring to
Yeah that’s the same thing – the delivery fee was basically just covering her gas money for the detour.
NTA and while $7 may be nothing to some people, you also traveled to get scammed. I don’t believe you owed that when she didn’t have the actual item she promised. She wasted your time and gas as well as the $7.
NTA. u were upfront, u checked the item, and u declined once it clearly didn’t match the description. that’s how marketplace deals are supposed to work. u didn’t agree to buy it no matter what, u agreed to *inspect* it.
the weight being way off, the vague answers, and the “China” response are all big red flags. it’s reasonable to walk away when something looks plated instead of solid platinum. her being annoyed about the drive doesn’t change that, and pressuring u for a delivery fee after misrepresenting the item isn’t fair.
honestly, u already went above and beyond by giving her the gas money just to end the argument. u weren’t obligated to, and u definitely weren’t wrong for saying no to a deal that didn’t add up. trust ur gut on this one.
Nta