[meteorite-list] Blood Auction NIGHTMARE

From: Peter Marmet <p.marmet_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 16:49:31 +0100
Message-ID: <871799a21003050749p5c888476ra53d94a1275d1ec3_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi All,

a few years ago I won one of the biggest pieces on the market of the
historic Shalka (India) meteorite at a Blood Auction.
M. Blood managed to press this friable piece in a 1x1x1 cm box, so
when it arrived here, it was broken in 5 small pieces!

This year I was also an absentee bidder. M. Blood told me that he will
inform me right after the auction.
Nothing happened for several days. I sent an e-mail, but no answer.
More than one week after the auction he wrote me that I have won 2
small (less than 2 g) items. I immediately paid the $325.00 plus
$56.88 fees plus $20.00(!) for postage and I immediately wrote:

"Important: both pieces are very friable! Please send them in a big(!)
box and each piece very well protected with a lot of soft cotton
around!
I will pay for extra postage if necessary!"

No answer, no info when the items were shipped, no tracking number, nothing...

Today - four weeks after the show! - I finally got the meteorites: One
was broken in 4 pieces!...from the second, two small pieces fell of!
Why???
M.Blood sent the pieces in 2 Rikers, unprotected, that means: No paper
or so between the friable meteorite and the hard Riker glass!!!

In addition: The two meteorites cost $325.00. He declared them as a
$400.00 value. So I had to pay a lot again: VAT, partly for fees
and even for postage!!!

I guess it will not come as a surpise to you that I will never ever
again bid on a Blood auction item!

Peter, very upset!
Received on Fri 05 Mar 2010 10:49:31 AM PST