[meteorite-list] Several suckers born every minute

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:04:02 -0400
Message-ID: <CAKBPJW8CW6OjFJ=F9OHvjsvugqtGoFzOa9AsgmRUgDoK+BPzXA_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi Matt and List,

Here is the catch-22 that this auction represents :

If eBay were to crack down on fake meteorites and remove these bogus
listings, they would undoubtedly remove many legitimate listings as
well. This would create a hassle for legit sellers offering genuine
meteorites. Worse, the attention this would bring to meteorites would
be largely negative and might set into motion a chain of events that
leads to more negative press about meteorites and possible regulation
of the market.

On the other hand, eBay will not remove the most obvious fakes, even
if they receive several reports from long-time members in good
standing. This is because eBay makes a profit from these bogus
listings in the form of listing fees, final value fees, and PayPal
fees. The more fakes eBay allows in their marketplace, the more money
their corporate greed-masters rake in.

So, in essence, the sellers of bogus meteorites and eBay executives
have something in common - they both profit from the sale of
fake/misrepresented items.

Sadly, it is not in eBay's best (profit) interest to combat the
listing of fakes and it is not in our (meteorite community) best
interest that they remove these listings because the fallout may be
worse than the problem.

eBay takes a keen interest in combating fake Gucci purses and bogus
high-dollar designer items - because the corporate owners of these
trademarked items have riches and influence - they can sue the crap
out of eBay for allowing fake listings and being complicit in the
fraud. The meteorite community has no such influence, so we are a
silent and powerless target.

Unless there is a wholesale change in the way corporate America
prioritizes their values, we will continue to see fake meteorites
offered for sale on eBay. Or, unless people start suing eBay for
being complicit in meteorite fraud, we will continue to see legions of
bogus listings. And again, this is where the catch-22 surfaces again
- do we really want eBay to crack down on meteorite authenticity, and
the resulting regulation that will come with it?

If getting rid of fake meteorites means some bureaucrat is going to
stick his legislative nose into my (and your) personal business, then
I would rather see the gullible and lazy lose their money to scammers.
 Afterall, the majority of these bogus specimens are so obvious that a
sea-slug could determine they are fake. If people would simply do
their homework and educate themselves before bidding, then we would
not have this problem. The resources are out there for anyone with a
web browser.

Best regards,

MikeG

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Meteorites & Amber (Michael Gilmer)
Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
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On 7/25/11, Matthew Martin <mmartin at meteoritetreasures.com> wrote:
> OMG, it sold for $300!!!  How sad...  Even more sad is that the seller will
> almost certainly continue this now seeing that he is making good money off
> of fakes...and of course their will be more victims.
>
> Matt
>
> --
> Matthew Martin
> Meteorite Treasures
> P.O. Box 164, Kaaawa, HI 96730
> www.meteoritetreasures.com
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jul 24, 2011 at 12:40 PM, Galactic Stone & Ironworks <
> meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi List,
>>
>> Here is another unfortunate example of an obvious meteorwrong being
>> offered as a "pallasite".
>>
>>
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/Meteorite-Must-Sell-Unfortunately-Love-Pallasite-/170668340104?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27bca03388
>>
>> There is so much wrong with this one, that you have to read it for
>> yourself.  Read the silly description, then scroll down and read the
>> nonsense answer the seller gave to a question.
>>
>> Seller also states he "would like to have the option to buy it back"   LOL
>>
>> I have several "pallasites" like this laying in my back yard - who
>> wants to buy one?
>>
>> Sadly, this lump of crap has several bids and is currently bidding at
>> $152.  What an expensive lesson to learn.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> --
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Meteorites & Amber (Michael Gilmer)
>>
>> Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/42h79my
>> News Feed - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/galacticstone
>> EOM - http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>

Received on Mon 25 Jul 2011 01:04:02 PM PDT