Kindly Take a Moment and Read This Before Bidding:

Remember, you agree to these terms the moment you bid- even if you didn't read them!

As of July 2018, Marionettejilly Auctions regrets to announce that we no longer offer returns. Ebay's new returns policy allows up to 30 days between purchase and return, but we are a small company, and such a long period of time between a transaction and when it is finalized is a serious financial strain for us.

By bidding on our items, the buyer understands that they are not returnable for any reason. However, in the case of fragile items, we do insure in case of breakage. Please contact us first if this happens, and do not discard either the broken item or the packaging.

Marionettejilly is not a big ol' corporation. We are actually pretty nice folks, with an interest in antiques, fighting upstream against inflation and the economy just like everyone else. We sell mostly vintage and antique items, with wear and the ravages of time as to be expected.

Do not expect our vintage items to be in new or like new condition- many of our items are fragile, played with, and many are over 100 years old. Much of what we sell has been in storage for years, so if you are sensitive to certain scents, dust, or smells, we do not recommend purchasing vintage items.

In the rare event that there is a problem with an item, just sit back, take a deep breath, and tell us about it calmly. We have not set out to scam you: we try hard to be accurate with descriptions- but we're human, and might have missed something that’s important to you. Use your own good common sense, read the listing description, ask questions before an auction ends, and expect an item to have a unique patina and history all its own- with imperfections inherent in vintage and antique pieces!

Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 10am to 5 pm, Eastern Standard Time. We cannot answer emails unless they come through the Ebay message system- this protects both parties. Please do not expect a response during evening or weekend hours- with any luck we are out doing something fun, far far away from the computer!

We do not entertain requests for partial refunds for any reason whatsoever; please do not ask.

We never end auctions early: this is unfair to other watchers and bidders.

Our shipping represents not only postage but also time, gas, packing materials, and the Final Value Fee that Ebay charges to shipping. We do not barter about shipping once an item has ended. We ship most items anywhere in the world, and yes, we will combine shipping on multiple wins.

Payment is due within 3 days of end of auction.

A WORD ABOUT “ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED” complaints and vintage items: when you purchase a vintage or antique item, it is never going to be in new or perfect condition, and cannot be expected to be so. We have seen an unfortunate, but increasingly common, tactic crop up: thin complaints, always accompanied by a request for a partial refund, saying that an item is 'not as described'. When buying something preowned, it's easy for a less than honest buyer to pick a flaw out of the air and attempt to secure a partial refund over imagined or exaggerated 'imperfections'. If someone is looking for a way to get money back, sure, one can always find something, anything at all, despite any seller's carefully written description. So if there is anyone out there who is even considering employing this tactic, please pass us by.

And, as a final note to the patient people who have bothered to read everything so far: Sorry if we sound crabby. Sometimes people can be so petty and unreasonable it can break your heart. We've had a run of rather awful experiences this season- let's hope it ends soon, before we lose the rest of our hair, our jolly perspective on life in general, and our much-needed sense of humor!!!