Just A Mini-Vent

What's up with ebay sellers who proudly offer high-catalog material and trumpet in all caps that it comes "WITH CERTIFICATE!" Then the certificate documents a litany of the stamp's faults. As if the mere presence of the certificate itself adds to the item's value, regardless of what the cert actually says.

Vent over.

I agree that yelling WITH CERTIFICATE can be a let down if there is no mention of condition or other useful information (in the title/condition/description) besides what is mentioned in the certificate. The certificate should opine that the catalog identification is correct (DO be sure to check...), so at least that opinion is a plus if one is looking for a reference copy!

Agreed, some sellers tout a cert when the cert says the stamp is a fake or has significant faults.(Even worse are sellers who 'self-cert with the sole purpose of simply marketing the stamp; a sure sign to find another seller.)
Some sellers reply upon the 'buyer beware' approach, they offer lower quality material with blanket terms and conditions like 'we don't guarantee Washington/Franklins' or 'some stamp may be expertly repaired'. Other versions of this kind of selling includes using images which might show the faults but only if the buyer knows what to look for.

There are many great sellers on ebay, look for those who do not sell this way. Do not be lured into thinking that you are getting a good deal with sellers who use the 'buyer beware' approach. I recommend sellers like paper_antiquarian, Ken Srail, kenr2, and revcollector. Note how these seller's listings described their material correctly and fully. Their terms and conditions are reasonable and their ads avoid lies of omissions.
Don

I agree, plus always check the feedback.

If one is an expert in a certain philatelic field then it may be possible to offer a certificate of authenticity on stamps in a specific area if he/she is the only one trying to get it started as a collectible.

My peeve on this subject are sellers who tout the certificate, but do not show it in the listing. Jeez!



Theron.

I agree, Theron - you'd think that they would at least show the certificate they are referring to! Even if they show it, you still need to check that the stamp being sold is the SAME as the stamp shown in the certificate! Also, unless it is a multiple or block, make sure it's not a photocopy of the cert. If it is a single or part of the multiple shown on the cert, it may be OK to have the photocopy. Details, details... Again, always check to see that the stamp(s) being sold is (are) the one(s) pictured.

I agree a certificate could prove even more detrimental to the item listed because it could mention all the flaws and creases..etc,etc..

****BUYER BEWARE ***** All of the things pointed out by previous posters are WARNINGS which buyers need to heed. Look for sellers who do not engage in practices that border on being "shady". Support those that are honorable in the way they conduct their business. Avoid those that sell fake coils "AS IS" (or anything AS IS for that matter. Look at the feedback (even though we all know it's a flawed system, it can be helpful sometimes). Read especially what Don has posted here. Look for membership in APS or ASDA. While not 100% foolproof, I would say it's 90%. Further, at the very least, an APS member MUST abide by the Code of Conduct and Bylaws, some of which offer a buyer far better terms for returning altered, fake, misidentified stamps than does ebay. Last, ask for advice. Posting a listing here and seeking opinions from readers might be very helpful. We have some very talented readers here, and they might add insight on some element that you may not have seen.

Because depending on the item in question, the importance might not be faults or the lack thereof, but rather the genuineness of the stamp. Certain stamps are still collectible even with major faults... as long as they are genuine.

I've began selling on ebay regularly this past year. Realistically, "CAPS" do draw attention and makes a listing stand out. All my listings are in "CAPS". It's a selIing tool. I also have very clear and accurate discriptions which include any and all faults if applicable and I have a "Full Refund" policy for "Any Reason". I have 100% positive feedback too. I have some listings with Certs which I include a scan of in my listings. Good or Bad. Some might mention an inclusion or perf sep etc.
There are unscrupulous sellers in every market...one just needs to not always apply "the cheapest" as the factor which makes you look. What always makes me shake my head is that very often I see an item with bids 10x higher than my similar item simply because the Seller has 50,000 transactions and starts the listing at 1 cent. Makes me wonder why a Buyer doesn't look to see what's available and comparable ...and save a little too!
I also wonder how often those "Certs" are fake too! Printers and Software can create anything today!.

I've tried to think this through, while judging the Buyers favorably.

My best guess is that not everybody can a) find something they need/want on ebay, and b) find comparable items, on ebay or otherwise, and c) find their way back to Point A.

One you can do this, it seems simple enough.

So, who can't? Howzabout the "2.34 million people [who] still subscribe to AOL's dial-up internet service", for a start?

Every one of them has got a solution, and they are not taking another spin around the block just to see how they can do.

Q/ How many times would someone have to be unable to work their way back to Point A (as above) before they decided to never again leave a page without buying what they came there to buy?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

For anyone who may think that trolling for suckers, or using the 'buyer beware' is not profitable, check out this listing from yesterday.


Cert clearly states it is NOT a U190b but rather a U190a (CV about $7.00) yet hammer falls at $361.00.

NYStamps has had an interesting approach to listings when Stamp Smarter contacts them on these. As long as there have not been any bids they will promptly remove the listing. Sometime when there has been ids, they will at least add a small update at the bottom of the listing. But occasionally they appear to imply ignore the request and allow the sale to go through.

But what baffles me is that ANYONE would buy material from them when their terms and conditions clearly states, "Some stamps could be expertly restored, regum, or repaired."

Obviously and given the listing shown above, buyers are NOT paying attention even when spending some significant dollars. Please, please read the listings carefully and support those online sellers who do not use the 'buyer beware' approach.

51studebaker makes a great point. when NY Stamps came on ebay, the verbage used was quite different. Over time, the verbage has drastically changed. Those who don't carefully read the entire listing finds the descriptions offered leave alot to be desired. When the item arrives, they discover it was not deceptive, however it also is cleverly written to be "as described" but not quite what one might have expected.

Buyers need to be more careful (.) Period! But because they are not, and often don't like to deal with returns or for any number of reasons just do nothing and it remains business as usual. Likewise, I've also seen other Sellers who have taken the same approach and are describing listings in the same way.

Companies issuing Certs that state what something "Is Not" in my opinion are equally guilty. A Cert is issued to verify the authenticity of an item from an expert. Those Certs should not then be used with a listing which offers something other than what the Cert is issued for. It is outright deception and those listings should be removed.

1. Listing is deceptive with a title like that.

2. The bidders are complete idiots.

3. In my opinion, the PF does not help matters with their cert wording. IMO, when an item is NOT what it was submitted as, there should be a similar "WARNING!" stamp as they use when an item is fake, that CLEARLY draws your attention to the fact that the item is not what the submittor thought. Example below.