This BARNES & DEITZ, three lever padlock may look like your typical antique on the outside, but the inside is what continues to let me down. Once again, I purchased a broken lock. The second to last DEITZ lock I had purchased had two broken lever tumbler springs and a shackle trip lever spring. There is only five springs total on these locks, so "broken" doesn't get any better.
Nevertheless, I thought I would give Etsy a try. This appears to be a company where sellers come off as artisans, take fancy pictures, use fancy words, and like to charge higher prices. The only thing troubling me is how a seller would deal with a knowledgeable buyer like my self should the lock be broken. So, I gave the seller a sort of "heads up" message about the lock and my background, just after receiving verification of shipment. I described how I was well versed with these locks and developed a special technique for opening these locks in under ten minutes, and stated there was a high probability the lock had spring damage.
When I received the lock, I immediately did a shake test while holding all the loose components. I heard a distinct loose parts noise. The lever tumblers all had spring action and the shackle had rebound, once pressed and released. This left only one spring - the bolt and fence torsion spring. This spring is what displaces the bolt into the shackle toe once the shackle is closed. I got the lock open in under ten minutes, decoded the lever tumblers for purposes of making a working key, and then attempted to close the shackle. Nothing! The shackle just popped back up. In cases like this the best way to lock the shackle is to sweep the key as if trying to open the lock, but while holding the shackle down, and also while tilting the lock to one side. This technique simply uses gravity to free the fence and bolt away from the tumbler stack and into locked position.
The problem with Etsy is most of us like to use Pay Pal. In order to get money back, you have to open a case with both companies. Don't ever close a case until you do, because the case can not be reopened. From a seller's point of view, he or she has to use other funds payable to a designated Pay Pal account to refund the buyer. Once funds are received. The buyer should immediately close the case with Pay Pal so the funds become available to the seller and should wash out the cost of the refund on the seller's end. What a pain in the ass! And, then close the case with Etsy.
I'm beginning to think Etsy is a grave yard for broken junk. So, just be careful. Funny, I have seen cases where sellers are listing the same antique padlock concurrently in both Ebay and Etsy. I think I will stick to Ebay. The customer protection and refund process is much smoother.