Thanks to those that weighed in.
I emailed seller earlier today stating my concerns and looking for a resolution. Seller just sent two messages in response:
Originally Posted by Message1
THey are kool stops. I purchased them in raleigh, nc in 2003. so an older model they cost me 12 per set. I don't know what to tell you. look up older models of kool stops.
Originally Posted by Message2
I am skeptical of the sellers explanation... does anyone think these could be an older (circa 2003) Kool Stop model?
I also noticed in the pic he linked to (which btw sucks in terms of showing the brake pads... not sure what similarities I'm supposed to see other than they're black and they're brake pads) that the pads on the left side have the pin that allows you to change the pad only. I know Kool Stop makes some models with replaceable pads but the ones the seller provided do not have this feature.