Really Bill W???

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LOVELY-1903...em58b8ee3b46

Maybe its just me.....
BUT as "an expertizer" you should not sell
your own certed items.
Makes one wonder about the authenticity of the item....
especially a "graded" item.

With all due respect Kevin I don't see the problem with it nor do I see anything discrediting about it. Why are you upset?

I think Kevin is probably right here. I'm pretty sure Bill is selling it for the owner, but the cert probably should have stayed out of the listing. It could have been sent along to the buyer as a courtesy after the sale.

All of those things aside, it's an outstanding used stamp !

but it's advertising and shows it's certed as well. I still don't see any issue unless it's an etiquette thing that I'm missing?

Really Kevin? Whenever any seller puts an item up for sale, it's his own expertise he is using to say what the item is that he is selling.

I can see the point. The reason certs are relied on is because they are the impartial opinion of a third party.

As long as it's a cert that is name recognized by the hobby it is not a problem. Bill has probably done thousands of certs at this point, so it's not an issue. It's only an issue when some unknown puts up a stamp with his own cert.

I 100% agree with Smaugie. Bill's reputation as an expertizer, auctioneer, and seller is above reproach. If you can provide proof of shading dealings or refusal to refund for any reason, then present your case. Anything else is piss and wind ...

Brian

My case exactly....

I have NO proof....
just ststing my opinion,
WHICH I AM ENTITLED TO DO!!

No one has to agree with me...

I do not see ....
PSE
PF
APS
PSAG
etc.....
Selling items "self-certed"

The PF has very occasionally sold items in the past, just not on ebay, but that is not their main function. Nor is it the function of those other expertizing groups. However Bill is a dealer and auctioneer as well as an expertizer, which puts him in a different category.

Lets ask the basic question: Which way would you rather buy this stamp, with the cert or without it?

I do not see the problem here either, but do not understand part of the title. What does " Scott $475, for 90 " mean?

Peter

Then mine is that you are jealous that he is the only man in the entire country who can "get away" with "self-certing".

To be honest I am a little jealous too though more for the knowledge and experience than for the ability to sell stamps.

C'mon man....




Information is everywhere....you just have
to know how to find/understand it.
Experience comes with time....

Separating the 'collector' from the 'advocate' is a gray area. Bill has been outspoken on the issue of 'self-certs' but does this one listing make him a hypocrite? In my opinion it does not, he certainly does not list a large group of items touting his certs nor has he simply started printing certs as a marketing scheme.

Bill's contributions to philately are well known and easily documented; as is his passion for giving back. I have helped Bill over the last few years with his computer and other technical issues. So if I list a stamp with a Weiss certificate will some question if I got it as a favor? (in the interest of transparency I will state that I currently have not gotten a single certification from Bill although it would greatly help my collection and sales if I did.) What would people think if my collection were filled with Weiss certs?

Frankly I am struggling with some of these same kinds of ethical questions. At heart I am a stamp collector. How do I separate the collector from the guy who runs Stamp Smarter? I have avoided buying stamps now because I don't want people to think that the audits I do might be influenced by any business relationships I might form with the sellers in the Stamp Smarter Registration program. Does being an advocate disqualify me from also being a stamp collector?

So should Bill never sell a stamp with his own cert? Even if he is selling it for someone else? If Bill one day goes to dispose of all his personal material will the marketplace discount them because he might have a few that have his own certs? Do we ignore his decades of ethical behavior and contributions and assume that he is now in it for selfish purposes?
Don