[meteorite-list] Something is rotten on the web, on eBay, and with a certain seller.

From: Don Merchant <dmerchan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2012 22:11:08 -0500
Message-ID: <000901cdd4f1$ab743920$6401a8c0_at_donaldmerchant>

Hi MikeG and thanks for the crucial info. I checked his feedback to see if
some how I purchased anything from him/her in the past....which I did not!
Whew.
Thanks again MikeG for the info.
Sincerely
Don Merchant
----- Original Message -----
From: "MikeG" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
To: "Meteorite List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 6:46 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Something is rotten on the web, on eBay, and
with a certain seller.


> Hi Listees,
>
> I received many emails privately from concerned collectors. I think
> it is time to reveal what I know and to let the collector public
> decide what to do with their specimens that may be impacted by this.
>
> First, I do not have currently, or in the past, any material from this
> person. So I have no personal dog in this fight. My motivation is
> concern for the integrity of collections and the collector market in
> general. One bad apple can make the entire bushel look bad.
>
> As of now, I am acting primarily on my own in revealing this. A
> couple of other dealers are aware of the issue, but I will not speak
> for them or name drop. They can chime in later if they feel the need.
> Everyone agrees that this person is engaged in some questionable
> behavior that calls into question the authenticity of some of the
> specimens they sell.
>
> If this person reads this, and they want to respond, please do so. If
> we have it wrong, and there is just some misunderstanding at work
> here, then I hope the person will speak up on the record and clear
> this up. No hard feelings involved - we just want to make sure a
> given meteorite is what it is said to be.
>
> eBay seller - galeriacores
>
> website - meteoritefragments.com
>
> I do not know if the two above entities are connected or not. I
> stumbled across the second one (meteoritefragments.com) and while
> discussing it with another dealer, the issue of the first was raised
> (galeriacores).
>
> Galeriacores has been questioned on this List in the past - a search
> of the recent archives will show the discussion. It was a month or
> two ago. There was also a second issue with this person regarding
> mixed up NWA numbers and types - auction descriptions that did not
> match the data in the Met Bull. There were also a questionable
> specimen of Sutter's Mill that was mentioned.
>
> There is a lot of smoke and red flags here. If you have bought
> something obvious or distinctive from this person, you probably have
> nothing to worry about - an unclassified NWA sold for aesthetics or
> certain easily-identifiable irons. But, if you bought a small crumb
> or small specimen of something really rare, then I would be worried.
> This person also sells a lot of material that appears to be legitimate
> - which would lend cover and credibility to their other sales. So
> trying to figure out what is what may prove difficult. But usually
> where there is enough smoke, there is fire.
>
> Looking through Galeriacore's feedback profile, there are no negatives
> or ticked off customers. Everyone seems happy with their purchases.
> But, given the concerns raised here and previously, I would be taking
> a hard second look at certain specimens bought from this seller. I
> see some List members amongst this person's satisfied customers, and I
> see a few collectors who I have sold meteorites to. These people
> should take a look at their purchases and make sure everything is in
> order.
>
> The meteoritefragments.com website has taken (stolen) images of
> meteorites from myself and at least one other well-known dealer. At
> least one of the rare specimens listed on that website for sale is
> currently owned by another collector - the photo is stolen and the
> specimen is actually owned by someone else who was not aware of the
> website. Also, several photos are entirely wrong and not the right
> type of meteorite. The owner of this website uses a private domain
> services that cloaks the identity of the domain registrant, so there
> is a generic name, but no actual contact info. There is a name given
> on the website and an email address. I tried contacting the person
> and received no reply.
>
> That is all. I am sorry this took up so much time, space, and energy.
> Sometimes there is a dark side to meteorite collecting, and dubious
> sellers are part of that problem. Those collectors out there looking
> for genuine and authentic specimens should be aware of frauds and
> likely-frauds. Since I have not personally bought anything from this
> person, I cannot say for certain that I was burned. But there are
> some troublesome questions surrounding some of this person's
> specimens, and these questions need to be answered - here on this
> list, or in private with the collectors involved.
>
> If Galeriacores or meteoritefragments.com want to chime in and
> straighten things out for the record, then please do. If I am wrong,
> I will sincerely apologize.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
>
>
>
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: MikeG <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
>> To: Meteorite List <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>> Cc:
>> Sent: Thursday, December 6, 2012 8:19 PM
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Something is rotten on the web, on eBay,
>> and
>> with a certain seller.
>>
>> Hi List and Concerned Collectors,
>>
>> Do not panic. I do not think this is an epic-level scammer of the
>> Madoff level. But I want to make sure we have all of our ducks lined
>> up into neat row before we call someone out in public.
>>
>> I will say this - it is someone who has been caused concerns to be
>> raised in the recent past on the List. It started some discussion,
>> but then the chatter died off. The person continued doing what they
>> were doing and may be connected to another shady endeavour recently
>> discovered. I know a couple of other collectors and dealers who have
>> dealt with this person, and we want to share data and see if it really
>> is as bad as it looks.
>>
>> It may be tomorrow before I have learned anything new or may have
>> something public to say.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>>
>>
>> On 12/6/12, MikeG <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi List,
>>>
>>> As a collector first, dealer second, and passionate meteorite nut
>>> third, I share the common sentiment that the integrity of the world's
>>> meteorite collections is a top priority for all of us. Whether it is
>>> a large museum like the Smithsonian or a small micromount collector,
>>> it is important that any and all specimens in that collection are
>>> genuine and labeled correctly. It is a shame and a disservice to the
>>> entire meteorite community (scientific and layperson) when a dealer
>>> knowingly misrepresents specimens as something they are not. Whether
>>> it's a big whole stone the size of a football, or a tiny Bessey Speck,
>>> it is of the utmost importance that the specimen be genuine. If it's
>>> billed, sold, and labeled as Tissint Martian, then it damn well better
>>> be Tissint Martian. I won't nitpick the weight 1mg or the other,
>>> because scales vary. But the material better be what it is sold to
>>> be.
>>>
>>> Secondly, if I am seeing a photo of a specimen for sale on a dealer's
>>> website, that photo better represent a specimen that dealer owns and
>>> that dealer shot the photo or has permission from the original
>>> photographer to use that photo. We've seen dealers who steal photos
>>> from other dealers and then try to pull scams and sell specimens they
>>> don't actually own. This is not an isolated unique thing - it has
>>> happened before, been pointed out on this List in the past, and it is
>>> happening again. I will say this, to my knowledge, the guilty party
>>> is NOT a List member that is active or known. This person may be a
>>> lurker, but they are not known.
>>>
>>> However, this person does have a website and they do sell on eBay
>>> using at least one or more seller accounts. Worse, I have seen other
>>> collectors and some dealers leaving good feedback to this dubious
>>> seller after purchasing specimens that may be in question now. Some
>>> of these people I saw leaving feedback are List members or persons
>>> known to List members.
>>>
>>> To my knowledge, this person is not an IMCA member. But, this person
>>> frequently purchases material from List members, known dealers, and
>>> IMCA members.
>>>
>>> I fear and strongly suspect that this person is spreading
>>> misrepresented material into many collections across the world, thanks
>>> to eBay and the internet. Some of the people who have purchased
>>> material from this suspect dealer are good people, people we know, and
>>> people who should now be concerned that portions of their collections
>>> may be compromised.
>>>
>>> I am currently conferring with a couple of other honest dealers who
>>> have some knowledge of this person and we will alert the collector
>>> community when we arrive at a consensus of what exactly is going on,
>>> how wide-reaching the damage is, and what we can say/do about it to
>>> prevent further damage.
>>>
>>> Stay tuned.
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>>
>>> MikeG
>>>
>>>
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Received on Fri 07 Dec 2012 10:11:08 PM PST