[meteorite-list] Another eBay scam?

From: Nick Gessler <gessler_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:14 2004
Message-ID: <5.0.2.1.0.20010623190840.022a96d0_at_pop.bol.ucla.edu>

Hi Tracey,

I think it's perfectly find for you to express your doubts directly to a
seller. Just back them up with whatever expertise you have. If what you
see is "blatantly" a meteorwrong, then tell the seller so. On occasion,
I've even notified the high bidders. Sometimes the bidders are just as
adamantly ignorant as the sellers are and don't want to be told
anything. I think a lot of these folks just don't know what they have. I
can remember how adamant I was that my first "meteorite" finds were in fact
meteorites. Just as adamant and indignant as this seller. But now I know
better. I think it takes a variety of people writing to these sellers from
a variety of points of view to convince them. When they get a barrage of
emails, some saying "you don't know schist from shale," some offering to
test the specimen, some with little first hand experience but who feel the
offering "just isn't right," some angry, some helpful, it is the variety
that eventually convinces them. So I would suggest you "call 'em as you
see them." (I decided to be helpful this time, sometimes I'm quite
indignant, and offered to have a look at it, return postage included - I
know the labs like UCLA just don't want to deal with these any more.)

Cheers,
Nick

At 03:38 PM 6/23/01 -1000, Tracy Latimer wrote:
>I've been extremely fortunate in my ebay dealings. The one time I let my
>greed overrule my sense and I bid on a Chassigny speck from someone I
>didn't recognize from the List, it turned out to be (indirectly) from
>Fernlea, complete with COA.
>
>Every so often I see someone selling a blatant meteorwrong. I'm a little
>hesitant to "call" them on it, because I have few qualifications myself to
>judge meteorite material, especially from a (often) blurry ebay photo!
>I'm grateful to the List members who do prod the sellers of bad material.
>Thank you.
>
>Tracy Latimer
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Meteorite-list mailing list
>Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
>http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Received on Sat 23 Jun 2001 10:16:07 PM PDT