[meteorite-list] Crazies on eBay

From: Adam Hupe <raremeteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2010 12:25:15 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <773276.39655.qm_at_web30704.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Dear List Members,

It is interesting to note that 50% of the the top ten meteorites in price listed
on eBay are not meteorites at all. It is a shame that these bogus offerings
interfere with genuine pieces. It is obvious that they self appraised these
pieces after listening to overinflated and unrealistic values given by the
media. They think meteorites are lying around like an Easter egg hunt. After
watching too much TV and barely hiking around the block, they feel that
meteorites are everywhere, ready to be picked anytime and any place. Any pile
of rocks is now seen as a strewn field, ready to plucked and profited from. It
like snagging a sucker out of a babies mouth. All of sudden, they are experts
and don't need laboratory confirmation. There is no way that any of these
sellers would ruin their multimillion dollar dreams by following proper protocol
that is available to anyone with a google search engine and who can read.

The only confirmed piece to show up after all of the recent press was qualified
by UCLA before the IMCA was even contacted. And then, the finder only contacted
the IMCA to locate the best place to cut it. The fortunate individual did his
homework online before contacting anyone. I guess a 1 in 10,000 ratio makes the
process worth while for some. I would rather put my money into a slot machine
(One Armed Bandit) and pull the handle. The odds are much greater of actually
winning something substantial than a real meteorite showing up.

I am not pleased with all of the false offerings allowed on eBay. This is why
many dealers do not bother with it anymore. Who wants to compete in a sea of
fakes? With over 4,500 meteorite listings, first class material barely stands
out and is why most sellers are protecting themselves with fixed prices. First,
it was the China Syndrome of iron ore. Now it is the "Who wants to be the next
millionaire clan as seen on TV?"

Its feels like I have been bounced around like a baby with a nasty diaper,
taking a lot of the enjoyment out of selling on eBay.

Sorry, just needed to vent after being contacted yet again by another crazy. It
seems to be almost a daily occurrence and a complete waste of time. This is
what happens when you sell on eBay. Instead of inquiring about the genuine
meteorites I have for sale, these extremely rude people use eBay to ask about a
meteorite wrong they have found.


  
Best Regards,

Adam
Received on Mon 13 Sep 2010 03:25:15 PM PDT