Wing Tips Damage Disclosure/Assessment Survey

Wing Tips Damage Disclosure/Assessment Survey
RESULTS ARE HERE!

Please DO NOT fill out this survey. You'll see the actual survey questions and the RESULTS in this page.

Several months ago I put this survey on the web in order to get a feel the latest trends in buying clay products both in person and over the web. Specifically I was interested in how you deal with damage.

Thanks to all of you that completed this form; I hope you find the results as interest as I do!

BBBush

General Information

Your name:
Email Address:
State:
Age:
Gender:

RESULTS:

state	Respondents
MN	14
WA	3
NE	3
WI	3
CA	2
SD	2
CO	2
FL	2
ND	2
IA	2
IL	2
IN	1
KY	1
MI	1
AR	1
MT	1
NC	1
NY	1
OK	1
VA	1
MO	1

Gender

'Gender Count'

AvgOfAge

MinOfAge

MaxOfAge

Female

Male

May we use your contact information in publishing the results of this survey? If the answer is NO please feel assured your name/email will not be associated with your answers. I ask this only if there are problems in gathering survey results.

Are you a member of the Red Wing Collectors Society?
RESULTS:

rwcs_member	Member_Count
No	11
Yes	36

What is your primary collecting interest?
RESULTS:

Primary_Interest	Interest_Count
Stoneware	20
Artware	17
Dinnerware	9
Other	1

What is your secondary collecting interest?
What is your third collecting interest?

What types of damage are most difficult for you to find?
RESULTS:

hard_to_find_damage	Find_Count
Repairs	30
Hair Lines	12
N/A	3
Chips	2

With regard to repairs/restorations made to pottery items, what statement most adequately expresses your thoughts concerning permanent marking of the item as being repaired/restored (check one)?

I don't care if a repaired item is permanently marked as being repaired or not.
All repaired items should be permanently marked as being repaired.
Repaired items should never be permanently marked as being repaired.
There are arguments for/against permanently marking repaired items; here is mine...

RESULTS:

mark_damaged_items	Mark_Count
Mark All	31
Do Not Care	9
Never Mark	4
Arguement	3

Which statement best describes your attitude toward purchasing pottery items with damage (check one)?

I never purchase items with damage regardless of the cost.
I can tolerate a little damage to some items as long as the price reflects the condition and the damage is disclosed.
I routinely buy damaged items to save money.
RESULTS:

buy_damaged_items	Buy_Count
Tolerate	41
Never	6

Do you know of any good sources concerning damage assessment of pottery products? Please tell us where to find them.

RESULTS:

damage_sources
Wing Tips damage assessment section
The best sources are your Red Wing peers! Talk and ask alot of questions.
Experience is the best source.
Wing Tips

Do you have any comments, tips, tricks, etc. about your special way of assessing the condition of pottery products?

RESULTS:

damage_tricks
I always try to examine the item in sunlight.
I'm always leary of dirty items,seems they hide the damage behind dirt in many cases.
Please don't "scratch" a pot that has been listed as repaired. Hours have been put into a restoration--and think how you would want YOUR items to be treated. Look carerully for inconsistencies.
Take the item into bright light and look for uneven glaze, or different tinge in the glaze.
After asking the usual questions about hairlines, discolorations, glaze skips or pops, evenness of glaze, I ask the buyer to check it again and please take the time to rate the item 1-10, 10 being best.
"Thumping" of artware with a finger to see if it" ring"s rather than "thunks"!
I am very new to collecting pottery, so haven't yet tried anything like black lights, etc. My knowledge is VERY limited. However I was recently shown a way to tell if a piece has been repaired and repainted -- by scratching the surface. When I saw my R
On stoneware I scratch gently with a piece of copper wire from residential wiring. Copper is softer than honest stoneware but cuts into paint and repairs. I wouldn't use it on saffron ware!
Thorough look over, a bit of dirt on your hand will help to find hairlines that have been bleached away. Scraping with a sharp knife blade will show a repair on stoneware(with sellers permission). Wetting the item with water will also show hairlines, etc.
Practice, practice, practice
No, other than integrity of the seller.
Never buy pottery that has fuzzy things on it. It has been damaged forever by bleach. It causes a virus that is very hard to remove!
Everyone probably knows this, but I try to rub my fingernail all over the piece!

Purchases Made In Person
This section of the survey pertains to only those pottery purchases you've made in person (not over the web) over the last calendar year...

Of all your pottery purchases, please estimate the dollar amount of all purchases made in person $
RESULTS:

Avg_Expenditures	Max_Expenditures	Min_Expenditures
4060	45000	100

Have you ever purchased pottery products in person and later found the item to have undisclosed damage?
RESULTS:

ip_found_after_purchase	Find_Count
Yes	34
No	11
N/A	2

Estimate the total value of those items you have purchased in person and later found to have undisclosed damage. $
RESULTS:

Avg_Value	Max_Value	Min_Value
414	5000	25

After you found the undisclosed damage on the items you purchased personally do you generally try to return them?
RESULTS:

ip_return_item	Return_Count
No	28
N/A	11
Yes	8

What was your degree of success when trying to return items purchased in person with undisclosed damage?
RESULTS:

ip_return_success	Return_Count
N/A	32
Sometimes	6
Never	5
Always	4

Purchases Made Over The Web/Internet/Email
This section of the survey pertains to only those pottery purchases you've made over the web / internet / email over the last calendar year...

Of all your pottery purchases estimate the dollar amount of all purchases made over the web (not in person).$
RESULTS:

Avg_Expenditures	Max_Expenditures	Min_Expenditures
2267	12000	55

Have you ever purchased pottery products over the web (not in person) and found the item to have undisclosed damage?
RESULTS:

web_found_after_purchase	Find_Count
Yes	25
No	12
N/A	10

Please enter percentage values for the these 3 questions if they apply to you and such that they total 100%...

Items I have purchased online have arrived exactly as described.
RESULTS:

Avg_As_Desc	Max_As_Desc	Min_As_Desc
66	100	0

Items I have purchased online have arrived in worse condition
than was described.
RESULTS:

Avg_Worse	Max_Worse	Min_Worse
6	40	0

Items I have purchased online have arrived in better condition
than described.
RESULTS:

Avg_Better	Max_Better	Min_better
7	75	0

Total

100%

For Internet sales, what percentage of sellers explicitly offer a money-back guarantee for erroneous damage descriptions? %
RESULTS:

Avg_Money_Back	Max_Money_Back	Min_Money_Back
32	100	0

How about for any other reason? %
RESULTS:

Avg_Money_Back	Max_Money_Back	Min_Money_Back
17	100	0

Estimate the total value of those items you have purchased over the web (not in person) and later found to have undisclosed damage.$
RESULTS:

Avg_Value	Max_Value	Min_Value
274	2000	2

After you found the undisclosed damage on the items you purchased over the web do you generally try to return them?
RESULTS:

web_return_item	Return_Count
N/A	20
Yes	19
No	8

What was your degree of success when trying to return items purchased over the web with undisclosed damage?
RESULTS:

web_return_success	Return_Count
N/A	26
Sometimes	8
Always	8
Never	5

Please enter percentage values for the these 3 questions if they apply to you and such that they total 100%...

What percentage of the undisclosed damage in your web transactions (not in person) were primarily due to inadequate terminology between buyer and seller prior to the purchase?
RESULTS:

Avg_Bad_Terms	Max_Bad_Terms	Min_Bad_Terms
16	100	0

What percentage of the undisclosed damage in your web transactions (not in person) were due to improper inspection of the item prior to packing/shipping?
RESULTS:

Avg_Bad_Inspection	Max_Bad_Inspection	Min_Bad_Inspection
25	100	0

What percentage of the undisclosed damage in your web transactions (not in person) were due to improper packaging?
RESULTS:

Avg_Bad_Packing	Max_Bad_Packing	Min_Bad_Packing
16	100	0

Total

100%

If you have any other comments about Damage Disclosure to pottery or thoughts about this survey please tell us what you think here...

RESULTS:

general_comments
Professionaly repaired merchandise to me is every bit as good as original ,I do understand that an item 50 to 100 years old should show some ware or it probably wasn't unboxed which is far and few between. Therefore I don't expect disclosure but unrepaired should be marked as such. Alot of this has to do also with it,s rarety and production.
I had only one e-bay purchase which was not as described and he offered to return my money. As part of the e-mail discussion, I gave him the location of the Wing Tips damage assessment section and he indicated that he was going to use those classifications in future web transactions. The damaged piece I purchased in person had the price sticker over the damage so it was clearly a successful attempt to hide damage. However I did not discover it until we were 3 hours away. Since that time, I make it a point to have the antique shop remove the price sticker before I pay for an item.
Generally, I have had EXCELLENT luck with pieces I have purchased over the web or on eBay. Dealers have been honest, above board, and truly informative. When I sell, I do the same--I have never had an item returned to me because of nondisclosure of a problem. Honesty is the very best policy. Dishonest dealers are soon found out on eBay and the word gets around quickly! On the other hand, I have found many, many items with undisclosed damage at convention. Some dealers honestly do not realize they are selling damaged goods; however, some regularly try to pawn off damaged goods as "Mint." A word about "Mint" pottery--there is no such thing. I have looked at literally thousands of pieces of pottery and have never seen a truly "Mint" piece--all at least have an air bubble or two!!
I think that items that are bleached and are leaching salts should be consired damaged and sold as is!
I am inclined to accept a damaged piece if it is rare. I find people generally honest in their descriptions of damage - at least as honest as in their descriptions of pieces. I am amazed at some of the damaged, common pieces that people try to sell. As an occasional seller, I have been chagrined to find damage on pieces when I am cleaning them that I didn't remember or didn't previously see.
We have always been able to work out a deal for a partial refund or gotten a USPS insurance claimif applicable. Never a problem with UPS packages. The improper inspection piece is what they claim.
We purchased a water cooler at an auction and the bottom had been broken off, reglued and then covered with a thin coat of off white barn paint and then dirt. As with most auctionsit was a case of "no returns".
While I have not bought pottery over the internet, I have sold some. Since I am new I always try to stress that I am not an expert. My biggest difficulty is terminology. Just participating in this survey has made it apparent to me that I must be more careful when listing a piece. Sometimes I take the seller's word that a certain piece is as stated. More recently I have wanted to be much surer of just what exactly I am selling. It is so easy to buy and list (with good intentions) but be uninformed about a piece. That is one reason why I am glad I found this web page! I must do more studying!!
Beware of phrases like "usual imperfections", etc. They can mask some pretty nasty factory flaws but allow the seller to claim that disclosure was made.
Byron,I sure wish that I could have helped you with this, Things just were nuts around here....it looks great so far so good....Thanks,Eric
Mint is used too much in selling items. Mint is a term used for coins not for pottery. Mint means never been touched, I doubt pottery sold as "mint" on E-bay has never been touched by hands. I also think there are a number of people perfectly willing to sell damaged goods. I am very careful, send lots of e-mails prior to bidding but even so you can get burned. It is very difficult to get money back after it has been sent across the country.
Disclosure of all damage would be ideal, although there is a huge difference between individuals regarding their definition of damage. Most sellers are honest but some are so careless or negligent in the evaluation of damage, and that often can be the root of the problem. Those you don,t clean the items so as to not be informed of their true condition are to be scorned. Those who intentionally sell damaged or restored items without disclosure should also be scorned.
Only deal with reputable dealers. The internet is not evil like everyone keeps saying. I have been buying and selling for 2 years and have had great success. I offer 100% money back on all our items and fully disclose damage. I do not want to risk our reputation. I also know of a lot of pottery and stoneware being repaire in our area by dealers, collectors, and auctioneers. I feel there are more reputable than disreputable people selling. A few bad people are giving buying on the net a bad reputation. I also know of a number of older retired people selling items out personal belongings rather than taking it to auction who do not understand that a chip or crack is damage. So you have a number of inexperienced people selling that really do not understand damage. I am also in the process of finally joining the RW society.
I have been very lucky with online purchases. Product has always arrived as described. The only time I bought something with undisclosed damage was in person.
I have been fortunate so far--no problems.
Ive only had 4 bad transaction on ebay. two were bad descriptions, one was bad packaging, and the other was said to have been shipped but I never received it. The first three were resolved Quickjy and satisfactorlythe last was a$4 item that I emailed once and wrote off. Thanks Dick.

End Of Survey Results

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