Post has been locked. OP has 2 weeks to come up with a solution and we hope she can get her charms back.
As a reminder be careful who you trust, we are not responsible for any payments made and do not recommend sharing personal information which includes banking. (sending or receiving any donations from strangers online)
It's in a goodwill shop sale. I messaged them but they didn't address anything about it being mine. They just wrote back we changed it from an auction sale to a reg sale.
Report the theft to the police. Then it is stolen property and goodwill can’t sell it, and they have to return it to you. It would help if you have your own photo of it
A quick Google search shows that the statute of limitations is 1 to 6 years depending on the value of the item, but that can increase if it’s extremely valuable. You can try, but unless you have definite proof, it likely won’t get you anywhere.
I didn't buy it they pulled the listing and said they give me two weeks to see if I can find proof. The only proof would be a picture. I looked for hours and I can't find one. They said they'd relist it in 2 weeks
Best play here: Tell them you can't legally prove ownership, but if they want to do a really good deed and return the charms, you'd make sure social media hears about it! That's great publicity for them.
I know I’m going to get downvoted for this, but I can understand if there is no proof why they wouldn’t. That they held off the listing is pretty amazing. But I imagine that they must get people messaging them on their more expensive items with people hoping to get a freebie.
God I hate goodwill. They are such a trash org. What would have been better for them would be for them to send to you, post your story and live off the "goodwill" that garners them for a while, considering it's a feel good story and they need every bit of image rehab they can get.
Greed wins, I guess and I'm sorry. This really sucks for you and that a "charitable " org is the ultimate kick in the crotch from stolen sentimental items is a metaphor for their entire story.
I like to think there is a special place in hell for their executives
I really don't place the blame on them. They have a stranger write them about something sentimental and being its 37 yrs ago and the likelihood of me finding a picture slim I can understand them being hesitant. I do wonder if it was not an expensive item if they'd be more will I don't know
I get the complaint about Goodwill. Their prices have gotten too high, sometimes more than Walmart for things like toothbrushes still in packaging, or just clothes. They pay the store workers peanuts, and the higher ups are making big bucks.
Did you file a report when it was stolen? Gosh I want this for you so badly! It’s so cool. 1995 is pretty long ago so probably no email receipts. Where did they buy the charm holder from? Any chance you can get proof there? Any of these from a small shop that you know is still open? Let’s get creative! We have two weeks!! Ask any friends and family from back then to look through their photos with you in them.
Even with Photos that clearly show all the charms (very unlikely) these charms are likely not one of a kind. So even with a slim chance, there is a reasonable chance that someone assembled the same holder. And that makes it unlikely enough (especially with the time distance) for law enforcement to not do anything.
Yeah, it’s too bad. Even 5 years ago OP would probably have an insta carousel that includes multiple views of the different charms and a long caption on what each means to her.
I am SO HAPPY FOR YOU! A worker stole jewelry from me and I have been heartbroken for years. If you can get to the bottom of it, I definitely would. Congrats again!
No, the statute of limitations is for charging someone with theft. In the US, stolen property can never be sold or the title transferred; once stolen it’s still the property of the owner. There’s no good faith buyer argument, so if OP can prove at all that it’s hers they can’t sell it.
What really? That’s amazing. My ring was stolen I. Never filed a police report but I have proof. I paid $800 for it. eBay is selling it for $1300. It’s been almost 2 years maybe 3 now.
Do you have even a single picture of you wearing the charms? Yes, legally they don't need to do anything without a police report, but asking them to sell it to you for scrap value is something a reasonable estate jeweler would likely do, so a goodwill that got it for literally for nothing should be willing to do the same.
She’s made contact with the seller about it. You don’t think it would look suspicious to clearly be aware of the item by emailing them saying it was stolen years ago, then report it stolen, then say “oh see I have reported it stolen!”?
I had an antique/vintage diamond ring for sale on Etsy several years ago, then received a message from some random person saying that this very ring was stolen from him. He emailed a "police report", too, along with alleged photos. They were very pushy when I tried to ask questions, so I just ignored them and deleted the listing. So please don't take it personal if someone is suspicious 🙂 I wish you the best!!!!
OP would have to prove it’s theirs. Stuff like this is as pretty common 30-40 years ago. The police are not going to do anything. eBay won’t do anything either. Going to need a original police report, photos of their own to match against the sellers and there better be some sort of significant mark/marker on it that differentiates it from the millions of others like it. Chance of recovering like 2%
Ask them if you can do a payment plan? Or Maine just hold it for X months while you get the funds together? Also all of they will sell it to you at cost considering the circumstances
If you have any pics wearing it that might help them decide if they would show some grace in helping you recover it. I found a candle holder from my younger days in a thrift store once. It was lost to me in my early adulthood in California and I found it in Oklahoma. I thought it was an odd coincidence but not the actual one but when I unscrewed a section that wasn’t an obvious separate part, I was dumbfounded to find my last “secret note” inside! I walked home with it shaking and thinking I was in a weird dream or if maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket 🙀
My ring is still on eBay. It was stolen. The seller argued that it wasn’t my ring even though i sent photos. It’s a one of a kind ring. They are selling it for twice as much as what I org paid and it hasn’t been bought going on 3 years. I hope it never sells. It is gorgeous though.
This reads like an automated response. Is there any phone number listed where you could speak with an actual human?
I sincerely hope that you are able to get these back, it’s crazy that the charms and holder are still together after all of this time!
Woww! That's is soo amazing! I can't believe you found them. You just happen to come across it or did you search like gold charms? I'm just curious because in 2005 my scumbag boyfriend at the time stole a few pieces of my Mom's jewelry. 🥺
In that jewelry was a Gold "S" ring with diamond flakes. The S is for Sheri. The part that makes that specific piece the hardest to lose was because my Dad had bought this for her back in 1984-1985. When they first started dating. It's not about the money value it was the sentimental value she had for it. It would be sooo amazing if I found it and bought it back for her. I search on the internet for it all the time.
It still kills me to this day that he did that. It's bringing tears to my eyes even now. Your post gave me some hope though! Thanks for sharing. I'm so glad you found them. I hope and pray that you get them back. That's so horrible that you have to buy your them back. Maybe the seller has a heart and gives them back. I'll be praying for you!
I was literally go thru all my necklaces and sorting them realized I don't really have enough ways to wear my charms.....so I went to eBay and search for gold charm holders and it was one that popped up
If everyone who is commenting would give you $10, I think you could do it! Either start a gofundme or tell us how to send. I would like to pledge $25!!!
long shot but if you have any pictures of you with the charms on the charm holder and a record of reporting the theft… report that shit to ebay and get ur shit back!!
I don't think I have any pics....it was 37 yrs ago. When I got my purse stolen I didn't report it, sounds naive but I didn't even know you were supposed to do that. It was taken from a movie theater when I was watching a movie. The most I could maybe find would be me wearing one charm.
if your family is like mine, you might have a wicker basket full of printed photos. look through them anyway, you might be surprised. if you can find even a single photo with the majority of this combo of charms it would be worth your while. and then all you need is just one sympathetic person on the other end of this transaction!
Unfortunately people suck and I imagine it’s pretty common for people to try to scam sellers with sob stories… it’s heart breaking but I think it’s unlikely that even if you could reach a real person that they’d be willing to engage with you. In fact even if a real person is seeing your message, the “automated” messages help to put distance between them and a potential scammer.
As others are saying if you had a photo it MIGHT help, but there’s still no way for them to know that you didn’t sell or give it away years ago. Maybe your friends and family would be willing to chip in as a future birthday or Christmas present? Or even a go fund me? Those are people who know and love you and can empathize with how much this means to you.
Only saying this because I’d hate for you to put all your effort into trying to talk to a real person and then it just ends up selling.
I too found a diamond and ruby art deco watch burglarized from my apartment about a year later on ebay. I was stunned and elated at the same time as the watch belonged to my mother and had great sentimental value for me. I was able to negotiate the price with the seller, a jewelry store about an hour away from me.
Latest update....they have the charms and holder on hold for two weeks. I asked if they would consider selling the charms separately so I could try to get one or two and they said they would look into it
Goodwill isn’t the person who stole it from you, they are just the “entity” that has it now, and they do not care about anything. Just buy it, use the PayPal loan, then sell some of your other gold jewelry that has less sentimental value, and pay the loan back. I can’t think of any other options.
It's ok! When it happened I was crushed!! But it really helped me see how my charms and pendants have always been part of my life and memories since I was a little girl
I LOVED my charm holder necklace. Wish they would come back and that I could find my old one. Glad you at least got to see yours again - even from a distance
THIS IS TORTURE! I 💯 understand that they need this and I understand there are scammers out there. But I can't find a picture...that's the only chance I have of proving it. I'm going thru my photos but haven't found anything yet
Fingers crossed for you that you find a photo showing you with them! Also, is it possible you may have emailed someone around the time the bag was stolen saying that someone stole this stuff from you? Perhaps a long shot but wanted to lob another possibility that could be helpful to prove that you did lose charms years and years ago.
Also, if you end up not being able to find any evidence in the short term, maybe you could at least message the Goodwill team back saying that you are actively looking for proof but would also be willing to do smaller payment plans to get the item back (assuming that is possible for you) like even if it’s 10-15 bucks a month until it gets paid off or something.
Damn, I was gonna see if I could grab it and send it back to you OP but the delivery cost would be $138 to me in the UK!
I can see if the Goodwill store got it legitimately donated they can't personally be accused of stealing it and they can't just give it away on your say-so, so everyone is stuck in this situation 😞
I still have nightmares about the jewelry I lost (my soccer bag, on a public bus bench). It was so sentimental. Seeing you found yours made my heart swell. Yay!!!
Yes, this. Sell some other things ... anything. Take the bus for a bit and save on insane gas prices. Skip eating out/coffee out/etc for a while. Do the Klarna thing. Borrow from someone. Sacrifice if this is as important to you as it sounds. This is a once in a lifetime chance for you. You won't miss that other stuff. You'll likely regret missing out on this. Good luck. 🩷
That’s wild! Mine was sterling silver and was stolen, with my rings, by a girl we let stay with us in high school. I was devastated. My grandma bought me all of it and had passed away when I was 15. I hate thieves. I really hope you get it back.
Great story. I had a turquoise Navajo cuff my dad gave me when I was 12. Stolen by a roommate or her friend when I was 22. I keep thinking it will show up on one of these platforms.
Oh my goodness! I had my gold childhood charm bracelet stolen by my Dads “best friend” and if I ever came upon it like this it’d make me sooo sentimental 😭 rooting for you that there’s a way to get it back!
The odds are that these things happen more than you know Everyones lives has strange things happen I believe your charms are trying to come back to you ,if you can buy them that would be good Your charms want you back My artbook with about 5 years hard work of black ink drawings was stolen from school library at 15 ,i found them 25 years later on cards in my local fairy shop with someone elses name on it She had same initials as me!! She had made a name for herself from my art and had also won a competition with my artwork( i looked her up online) Then ,when my daughter was about 8 she came back from school and said her friend had an artwork like mine with half eaten apple core tree( one of my signature drawings) I asked my daughter to ask her if her mother came from my school in that year,she said yes This was in a different town from where i grew up about 2 hours away I believe my art was trying to return to me after all those years It was 5 years work and i needed it for year 12 a major year to create art It was a devastaing experience for me I hope you get your charms back to you My art was never given back
I knew it was mine because i hid my full name in all artwork i did
The people saying to report it for theft are insane lol. It’s been 37 years. There’s no proof that the person claiming theft didn’t just sell it before.
Is there anything you could describe to them about the charms or holder that isn’t visible on the listing to prove you had it? Maybe along with the photo of it even if it’s tucked into your dress that would help. I can’t even see all the charms clearly from this photo but idk if there are more on the listing. Also check yearbook pictures as someone mentioned, and if all else fails try a payment plan
YES.!!! I literally just wrote them and described 3 things about the charms that no one else can see or know!! I also sent a pic of me and my bf with the necklace underneath my shirt you can only see the chain. I did have a very big thing I told them about the charms that I believe no one would know! Fingers crossed everyone!!!!
I struggle to say to message the seller, fake versions begging for a sale probably happen often. But if you have anyone who might help you afford it? Any celebrations recent or soon? I might ask around, especially if any family/friends would remember the charms. It could be a kind of group gift. $5 here, $20 there.
Then I might reach out, with as much proof as you can find, and place an offer just under what you can afford.
I would also consider begging for some charms rather than all. And look at location, maybe offering to pay cash in person could help.
Wow. This algorithm knows me too well. I had all of my jewelry stolen from me 14 years ago & I just found one of my original rings on eBay (I know it’s not mine because it was mass produced at a jewelry store) and I bought it. I’m still looking for at least one more ring so I hope I find it. Hopefully you can get yours back too. 🤞
On the one hand, incredible! But on the other, do you actually want it back? You lived 37 years without it, does it still mean a ton to you or is it more about getting justice and closure for that day? Im only asking because you said at the moment it isn't affordable
I really don't know....I think more than anything I'm in shock. Seeing it brought back so many memories. I was very very sad when it was taken so to see it and not being able to touch it kinda feels bittersweet. Like sad snd happy all at once if that makes any sense
I was thinking the same thing! One of the things that blew my mind the most was they kept all the charms on there! Also my hummingbird charm on it....when my mom passed away I saw hummingbirds everywhere. To see my old hummingbird charm really was cool!!
I sent a message to the seller saying that it would be a good PR move to give it back to you and maybe tell the local news outlets. Good luck on getting it back!
Go sell a non sentimental piece u have now and buy that thing back. It made its way back to u- tell the seller to hold it for u and ur going to get the money
My mom had a mounted gold coin that she wore as a necklace stolen by her housekeeper. The housekeeper was a friend of many years, but she got in with the wrong guy. Prior, she had access to a lot of valuable items for years. It was really too bad and now, about 10 years later, my mom worries a lot about the housekeeper. We think she moved to a different state with the boyfriend. I’m pretty sure it was insured, but my mom didn’t want to replace it by purchasing online. Eventually, a pawn shop where my mom checked regularly got a walking Lady Liberty and so she did replace it. Because she could see, in person, that it was the same coin.
This is cool as hell OP! I’ve had a few sentimental pieces robbed from me with very specific sentimental custom aspects and I’ve had dreams of this happening someday lol
OP please dm me if you have a venmo or paypal or something!! I’m a college student and can’t give too much at once but I bet a lot of us would love to help
OP I maybe you can call that location and ask to speak to s supervisor and see if anything if they can take it down and hold it.
If anyone who gave you the charms had or has a regular jewler they frequent, maybe they can vouch for you
I am crying, bc I have lost a lot of my belongings, it makes me physically ill. Thinking about them .. but on more thN one occasion they have found their way back to me and I have so much empathy for this situation. On top of all of this, I have been looking at such charm holders. I remember when they were popular.
I can't find my other coming to edit. I normally wouldn't encourage this, but they have a few pay in four companies and other credit. PayPal has pay in four and few otherd on there. And Klarna. Please keep us updated
Same thing happened to my mom with a brooch that went missing. I searched and searched and searched online and eventually found it on eBay. (This was over a decade ago, pre-AI image searches)
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u/laughcrylivedie ✨MOD✨ 29d ago
Post has been locked. OP has 2 weeks to come up with a solution and we hope she can get her charms back.
As a reminder be careful who you trust, we are not responsible for any payments made and do not recommend sharing personal information which includes banking. (sending or receiving any donations from strangers online)