There is nothing more upsetting and embarrassing than finding out that your online purchase is really a fake.  Con artists are everywhere, but they have gotten even more brazen online.  The anonymity of the Internet and seeming lack of consequences makes crooks even bolder … so please memorize the top 10 things to watch out for.

1. Seller does NOT Guarantee Satisfaction or Guarantee that the item is Authentic
2. Seller does NOT use PayPal
3. Seller tells a LONG STORY … about how the item was acquired
4. Pottery has even, Heavy Crazing … it may even be tea stained
5. Pottery is SMALLER than “Right” pieces (They can copy the molds but the clay shrinks in the drying & firing process)
6. The item is “RARE” (This is supposed to explain why you’ve never seen one like it before)
7. The seller has more than one available or has sold more than one of the exact same item with the exact same description in the past 30 days
8. The Auction or Feedback is Private
9. The decoration on Art Glass or Pottery is low quality
10. There are more bids than normal on the auction … any anomaly is a red flag, but this one is the biggest red flag

Tags: Antique, Buyer Beware

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 at 8:42 pm and is filed under Buying Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.