Ordered vs Received

486

A known scam - why are people still falling for this

231

u/hettuklaeddi 2d ago

these have been posted on r/mineralgore for months, and i understand how people might fall for this, but my question is

why does this scam not appear to bother anyone?

the ads are still up even today

46

u/DimesOnHisEyes 2d ago

One of my steadfast rules. If it is advertised on social media it's a scam. Don't ever buy anything advertised on social media.

7

u/farvag1964 2d ago

This is the way 🙏

50

u/Horse_Renoir 2d ago

You're acting like people setting up fly by night online shops that sell scammy dropship items is exclusive to geology mugs.

Basically every social media platform in existence is riddled with advertisements for little pop-up shops that do stuff just like this in basically every realm of retail niche in existence. It's more or less impossible to actually stop them at this point since it's so easy to pop a new one up. Even when they get shut down there's another one within minutes.

3

u/hettuklaeddi 2d ago

am i?

2

u/tensory 2d ago edited 2d ago

No, you're not. Above reply has been at the grown-up eggnog and maybe could do with stretching their legs. I admit I am surprised to still be seeing this one, which was so uniquely terrible among dropshipped garbage that posts about it made it to LinkedIn, but this is the post-Christmas wave.

-1

u/Horse_Renoir 1d ago

How nice of you to insult of me instead of interacting with what I said if you disagree with it!

What I did was use exaggeration to make a point, which is quite common. I really, truly, don't appreciate you insinuating I'm drinking because you don't like the way I choose to speak. I'm a recovering alcoholic and it's gross that you would say that about me without knowing me.

Try to be better.

2

u/tensory 1d ago

Your reply to the person above was aggressive and uncalled for. Best wishes for your recovery in the new year.

0

u/Horse_Renoir 1d ago

Yep.

27

u/albatroopa 2d ago

It's clearly still working.

24

u/sprashoo 2d ago

Probably 30% of the buyers are oblivious or too distracted/busy to return it, and even with a 70% refund rate they still make money because they are literally selling garbage at $25 a pop.

Maybe those numbers are even better for them, as anyone buying something like this has to be pretty damn stupid or gullible in the first place.

11

u/Kiltemdead 2d ago

Or they're bought as gifts with no return policy/proof of purchase. If I sent one to you and didn't have a copy of the receipt, I wouldn't get my money back. Alternatively, the cost of you mailing it back to me so that I can return it would be too much of a hassle.

9

u/SirMildredPierce 2d ago

why does this scam not appear to bother anyone?

If it didn't bother anyone, then why is the subreddit filled with people clearly bothered by the scam? What exactly are you asking? Is this another way of asking "why won't anyone do something about this?" as if a magic wand could be waved?

3

u/TeaRaven 2d ago

I’ve only seen the ads on YouTube. Had no reason to think them a scam, but assumed they’d be too shoddy to buy so didn’t.

31

u/SumpCrab 2d ago

Also, a mug made out of unknown minerals seems dangerous. I don't know what's going to leach out of that cup.

2

u/CalligrapherStreet92 1d ago

And avoid if it glows in the dark

14

u/forams__galorams 2d ago

What are you fckin talkn bout, this is genuine azurutitic jaspagate meteorite glass from Nepchooooon bruv

6

u/ranegyr 2d ago

A scam? How dare you! These crystals are necessary to fund the sellers business venture and they provide aura cleaning and good vibe attraction. Don't you get it? I said CLEAN AURA man. Sheesh

0

u/farvag1964 2d ago

😅😆🤪

19

u/Fuzzys_pants 2d ago

Yes the $25 price alone should have been a red flag but luckily I didn't marry her just for her scam identifying abilities!

8

u/Independent_Algae815 2d ago

I just happened to have received one of these as a gift. There’s a metal insert cup so leaching shouldn’t be an issue, but the fact it only holds 1/3 cup is lol

6

u/farvag1964 2d ago

Damn. A fake, spray painted thimble?

3

u/Independent_Algae815 2d ago

Looks like a resin/epoxy molded cup

1

u/farvag1964 2d ago

Oh, we know that.

But it only holds a third of a cup?

That's more fraud. I'd drink that much coffee in one go.

That's like a sippy cup.

2

u/Independent_Algae815 2d ago

Ya the smallness is shocking.

4

u/TheBlueMenace 2d ago

I’m not sure I would trust metal from these sellers either. Cadmium contamination is alarming high, and it’s isn’t the worst thing that has been reported in metal products either (uranium, lead to name a few).

2

u/Independent_Algae815 2d ago

Oh for sure. It’s definitely something that will be ornamental and not used as a vessel to put liquid into my body! 😜

2

u/Flumphry 2d ago

Because they haven't heard of it. Not everyone knows everything.

126

u/Competitive_Worry611 2d ago

List it as fraud on your card

23

u/Fuzzys_pants 2d ago

Good call! I think she only paid 20-25 bucks so not a big deal but I need to do something about it other than showing Internet strangers I suppose. Thanks.

63

u/JustASadBubble 2d ago

The only way the sellers stops scamming is when they stop making money

13

u/fredthefishlord 2d ago

You and her should probably learn basic scam tactics and internet wariness

31

u/WhisperOfTheStars 2d ago

Although the left one looks way better I feel like it would be uncomfortable and weird to drink out of. Obviously not defending this scam.

34

u/Aeroka 2d ago

Ah yeah I saw these advertised, they were 100% AI videos

22

u/swallowfistrepeat 2d ago

Wow people are still falling for this $25 hunk of plastic. A brief Google search before purchasing will always prove to you that minerals made into serveware cannot be $25 due to sheer process and costs alone.

AI photos are almost always blurry in the bg, too. Dead giveaway.

8

u/crayfishcraig108 2d ago

My girlfriends mom bought me one, this is why I tell people don’t buy me any rocks unless they are on my list, and my list is the boring names to make it more annoying to fake

0

u/Fuzzys_pants 2d ago

To be fair to her, this was 1 of like 100 gifts she's had to buy in the last month for family, extended family, White elephant gifts, kids white elephant gifts, kids friends, etc. I think this was an end of the day "I've just got to get something to stick in a stocking" moment more than anything. She usually does better with rock related gifts.

4

u/farvag1964 2d ago

How many ppl got these abominations for Xmas?

2

u/Fuzzys_pants 2d ago

At least 3 of us from what I've seen commented!

12

u/Lumpy_Machine5538 2d ago

Who orders these? The fake/original picture is ugly to begin with.

7

u/combatinfantryactual 2d ago

What's really sad is anyone that studied geology thinks the picture on the left was possible with real stone and crystal

5

u/Some_Big_Donkus 2d ago

Exactly my thoughts when I first saw this scam on FB. It’s bad enough they’re using blatantly obvious AI generated images for every single photo, but the idea they could machine actual geodes or massive agates into a functional mug without them just splitting or leaking is quite ridiculous. A specimen big enough to make a mug would be hard enough to find, but to have enough to mass produce these mugs and sell them for $30 each? Impossible.

3

u/DatabaseThis9637 2d ago

I would absolutely hate theat huge stop lip right beneath the metal rim. Looks very annoying!

3

u/KekistaniConsulate 2d ago

There's a Reason on-line stuff tends to be cheaper.
Honestly, I've been 'disappointed' (= ripped off) so many times there are entire swathes of market-makers I don't even consider.
I've black-listed E-bay, Amazon, & Walmart (rents their logo out to the worst sort), and DH Gate & Etsy (effectively No dispute system). I'll still use AlliExpress, as the one time one of their vendors tried to rip me off, they fell all over themselves forcing the guy to cough up a partial refund.

2

u/joezinsf 2d ago

I ordered them but they haven't arrived yet. I've been trying to cancel but I haven't gotten any response. I think I've been scammed

2

u/CleanOpossum47 2d ago

I got a reddit ad for these.

2

u/Orange_Puzzline 2d ago

Hey, I also got that for Christmas

3

u/Suzyd1962 1d ago

As a rockhounder, I was intrigued by this item when I saw it on social media. I wanted one! Common sense prevented me from making that purchase. The price is the first clue to its inauthenticity. The work that it would take just to produce one mug would be extensive. You would have to find a large source of the material, cut the material, clean it, and carve it…I’m sure I’m missing a step or two.

3

u/ConstantTry3817 1d ago

Just an FYI. If for some reason you do come across an actual "rock" mug, PLEASE DO NOT drink out of it. A lot of beautiful stones and rocks leach bad shit into liquids.
Carry on.

3

u/bearcat_77 1d ago

false advertising

3

u/PipecleanerFanatic 2d ago

I can't decide what's worse, what's in the ad or what was received.

4

u/p0pularopinion 2d ago

so you ordered an AI pictured product...

1

u/alex20towed 2d ago

Before and after erosion

1

u/in1gom0ntoya 2d ago

another one of these mugs...

1

u/pixar_moms 2d ago

so isn't this clearly some sort of resin and not stone?

-2

u/BusyAtilla 2d ago

Karma farm or rage bait. This garbage type of post has been going on for months. If you've done ZERO research on a product and do not seem to know that it is AI....

0

u/Delicious_dystopia 2d ago

I was gonna say use the pics to see where they have been stolen from but yeah, they are clearly generated.

1

u/Wah_Epic 1d ago

Can people not recognize AI slop anymore?

Meme/Humour Ordered vs Received

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