[meteorite-list] Re ebay MIR peices

From: Sharkkb8_at_aol.com <Sharkkb8_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:42 2004
Message-ID: <33.12761f74.27ed754a_at_aol.com>

 
<< Well it looks like Ebay is taking a stand on MIR........[snip] ..... I
sent them a scathing letter and asked them how sellers are supposed to
maintain any credibility of the marketplace if they were going to allow this
kind of listing.....[snip]....... Kinda hard to tell someone your business is
on ebay if they allow this crap. >>

Actually, the listing that was removed was an obvious joke, intended to spoof
the whole notion of a "Mir piece" being offered on ebay. If that wasn't
apparent from the auction item itself (and the humorous picture), anyone who
went seller's website (which he calls "driven by boredom") as he invited
people to do, would read that the item was fake and the auction wasn't real.

He has now re-listed the "item" with the same picture (essentially a mass of
duct tape), and is CALLING it a fake piece of Mir. One can argue the humor
level but it was certainly never intended to be serious.

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1000268057

Even with genuine items, I still maintain that ebay is like any other giant
flea market, swap meet, or garage sale, since such markets were invented.
Those who host such operations do not have expertise in every conceivable
item anyone wants to buy or sell, and should not be expected to. It's one
big "caveat emptor". The Rose Bowl parking lot (near me) hosts swap meets
all the time, and I'd guess that the Rose Bowl management can't tell you
whether every "antique" offered for sale on its grounds is genuine or not.
If someone wishes to buy only items with airtight guarantees of authenticity,
he should do his own homework and buy in person from dealers who offer such
guarantees. I think Ebay is best used by people who have enough expertise
to make their OWN judgments, and by those who are willing to take the
responsibility for their own decision to purchase something, not by those
expecting someone else to do the work for them.

Gregory
Received on Fri 23 Mar 2001 10:58:02 PM PST