An Ebay Ethical Question Regarding Forgeries

Curious as to the correct response for the following situation.

I purchased a Venezuela classics collection on ebay that quoted a catalog value for the lot. This lot was only two stock pages of early stamps, not a huge multi page album. Once it arrived, I discovered at least a half dozen Fournier forgeries. There may be more but I haven't finished studying them. I wrote the seller and politely asked if the value of the forgeries was included in the stated catalog value and he said NO, they were not. So the dealer was aware of the forgeries and did not claim ignorance.

My question is this - should the dealer have noted that the collection contained so many forgeries or was the picture sufficient? I'm very interested in the forgeries of early Venezuela so I do not mind acquiring them, but I have a niggling feeling that this wasn't completely kosher.

Your opinions would be welcome.

Edit - please note that I do NOT intend to confront this dealer in any way. I hope to LEARN how to approach similar situations in the future. I am the one ultimately responsible for my purchases.

Did it quote a dollar value or did it say "high value"?

Here is the lot description

" VENEZUELA FANTASTIC CLASSIC COLLECTION ALL USED AS SHOWN HIGH CATALOGUE VALUE. CONDITION IS GENERALLY F-VF. CATALOGUE VALUE IS APPROXIMATELY $2,700, OFFERED HERE AT A FRACTION, GREAT OPPORTUNITY"

Seller should have disclosed forgeries and whether included in catalog value if he indeed knew about them.

That said, I think early Venezuela is one of those areas where the baseline is to assume the presence of forgeries in collections.

"used as shown " did you miss those words . You as a buyer, is expected to know what your buying .

Did you become a expert on forgeries of early Venezuela the day after you purchase the lot ,or did you buy the lot then want to negotiate a new price .

Did the purchase price tell you something is wrong ?

Always better for a seller to not give a catalog value for large lots. Be vague and enticing with the right words. Being specific leads to problems and that is why real dealers and auction houses avoid it at all costs and will usually refer to "owners catalog value is......".

As Floortrader says if you got the lot at pennies on the dollar of cv it is obvious why.

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Catalog value? In my opinion 'catalog value' is one of the least useful things that an ebay listing can contain. What catalog? Which year catalog? Without this information the term 'catalog value' has no value to me. The seller could claim that he used 'Kwacz's Catalog' to justify this totally ephemeral valuation.
Don

"Did you become a expert on forgeries of early Venezuela the day after you purchase the lot ,or did you buy the lot then want to negotiate a new price ."

Wow, that is a harsh comment! I do NOT intend to demand any monies from the seller - I don't plan to trash their feedback either. I'm not vindictive or out for blood. I simply wish to better understand what are the accepted practices for buying and selling this type of material. I've never been in this position before and I wish to learn from those who have.

I am NOT an expert on these, merely beginning to learn and I have only become interested in Venezuelan forgeries in the past year.

I had hoped to keep the name of the seller private.

The seller was not perfect in their description, whether knowing or not.
The buyer was not perfect by failing to ask questions before the lot ended.

Enjoy your purchase, move on and go forward with a lesson learned.

Sorry, that horse left the barn when you posted the listing description; only takes seconds to search ebay and come up with the listing.
Don

I agree, John. That is what I hope to learn from this thread - what questions should I ask the next time? What should I have done differently? The only thing I can change is MY actions and my knowledge.

Oh! I did an ebay search with the lot wording before I posted it and nothing came up I assume because it was a closed sale. How were you able to find it?

Search the description and then click on 'Sold Items' as shown here


Don

Thanks, Don! Hah! Love it! Thanks for the handy dandy search trick. That's a REALLY useful tool.

It's funny how you can use a program or website for years and overlook various bells and whistles.

I know nothing about early Venezuela, but in general, ask for individual scans of the best 5-6 items in a lot. Continue to learn so you always know more than the seller. This lot contained over 75 items, so would not have been returnable to most major auction houses for reason of a few forgeries sprinkled in. And Fournier forgeries are cool too, with some value.