What is "good condition" when buying on the net ?

Sunday evening I found what looked like a fantastic offer on a Danish E-site for used stuff
I flock of "Britains lead models in nice condition" for app 20 Euro
The photo was not very good, but I counted app 24 models, and of course I could not resist

Already Monday the parcel arrived, and when I saw it, I got quite suspicious, - rather dirty and the box had clearly been used many times.
And , yes, - inside was a bunch of models stuffed together in an old plastic bag and jammed into the box  !

The bottom of the bag was covered in flakes of paint that had fallen off the models  
And there were only 12 models , of which some were missing legs or horns , - one was completely broken, and some were smeared in red nail polish  

So I mailed the seller and said that half the models were missing ( among them some, I had really looked forward to ).
Two minutes later he wrote back , "- ohhh, sorry, he had forgotten that he had sold all the nice ones in a flea market " !!!!
I could get some of the money back, or return them, and he would pay all back and even pay the shipping !
Can you believe it ???? Just like that !!!

So I sent the models back, and got my money ! Just like that    

But before I sent them, I took some pictures of the nicest ones, because even if they were in a terrible condition, they may be of interest for some to see

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The last ones were not marked ( look at the dirt !!) :
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That way I had a new experience in " nice condition", and in a way it was also quite amusing

It looks like they were Johillco and Britains, can anybody tell me more ?

I am sorry about your experience, some of those figures are interesting.

I think 'good condition' is whatever the seller thinks he needs to say to make a sale. I see it applied to a fragile line of statues I collect; when you examine the photos, the figure has lots of chips and is coated in dust/dirt!

Oh, that`s very sad.
I don`t understand some people ... In the past I also have a bad experience with ''strange sellers''.
This seller, lost your time..and his money too..

Thank you for taking these photos and sharing with us Susanne :)
At least one good thing from this order : pics for our forum

Thankyou, friends

I forgot to mention that of course I asked the man if I could take pictures for the forum, and that was ok.

It makes me a bit more comfortable that I am not the only one who can fall into this kind of trap

That's one of the reasons why I rarely buy online. Many sellers act as all buyers are idiots like the person they see in their bathroom mirror. I'm quite unexperient also in this regard and an easy target. I am glad you decided to send these figures back. It is painful when we have so good expectations and at the end it is just a huge disapointment.These things are also like punches in our collecting joy but our strength always make our hobby prevail. This seller bothered you, destroyed some great vintage figures that were in good condition until recently, destroyed his reputation with someone that could be a great buyer and didn't win anything. Who is actually the real idiot?

THANKYOU, Roger !!

Roger wrote:

...... Many sellers act as all buyers are idiots like the person they see in their bathroom mirror. ......

Oh my they really didn't arrive well!

Hi Susanne,
Older figures are of course more rare to find in mint condition but good is better than the pictures You send. And there are plenty of old lead models in better shape out there so no need buying broken ones.
I think E-bay have some kind of insurance that You could get your money back at least if You pay with Paypal.
I have been semi-fooled just some times when buying on the net.
But the old device says"
"If its looks to good to be true - it probably is"
Lennart

Lennart wrote:

.....
But the old device says"
"If its looks to good to be true - it probably is"
Lennart

Yes, you are right , of course
Fortunately this guy gave me my money back, because on the site I got them, there is no insurance as there is on Ebay

A good idea is to ask for better pictures if the oneson the net are not very good

Hi Susanne

Firstly, it is extremely hard to obtain old loose hollow-cast lead models of any kind in mint condition. The only mint models I can recall are still held in place by string in the original box.

Secondly, as the name implies the model is hollow and the walls of the material are very thin hence they can break easily. Also as the paint is applied directly to the metal without any preparation or primer it can easily flake off.

Thirdly, if they are going to survive the seller needs to wrap them singularly in tissue surrounded by bubble wrap.

Finally, identification:

Britains - was the pioneer of hollow-cast figures and widely believed to be the inventor of the hollow-cast method of manufacture. The first figures date from 1893 with the Home Farm range starting in 1921. They were still producing hollow-cast soldier figures until the mid 1960's although in toys wasn't permitted for sale in the UK from the early 1960's.

John Hill aka Johillco was established in 1898. The founder, Mr F H Wood, was a former employee of Britains. No one is sure how the firm was called John Hill. In their hey day they were Britains major competitor with a large range of hollow-cast figures. They lasted until the mid 1960's.  

Hope this helps.

SUSANNE wrote:

The last ones were not marked ( look at the dirt !!)  :
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That way I had a new experience in " nice condition", and in a way it was also quite amusing

It looks like they were Johillco and Britains, can anybody tell me more ?

Hi Susanne - all the above are made by John Hill & Co. Sorry cannot identify the little horse.

Thanksyo very much Chris, this is very interesting and helpful