Why do we continue to bid on items from "questionable" sources?

[commando]

Please excuse the sensational headline.

Several members here are wondering why anyone would bid on items from certain auction houses, or on items that have been approved by certain authenticators. I think each collector has their own reasons, but here's the way I see it.

On the subject of authenticity, I believe that most educated collectors simply ignore the LOAs! (or use the descriptive information from the letters to help make their own decisions) There are obviously plenty of collectors out there who do "buy the letter" instead of the item, as we have seen, but shame on these buyers for their lack of homework. Am I giving a pass to the auction houses and authenticators who continue to accept big dollars for bad items? Heck no! (more on that below) But the question is why would a buyer continue to use certain auction houses at all.

It doesn't really matter what kind of game-used equipment you collect... As long as the items you're searching for are hard to find, you're gonna be interested when something shows up on eBay, a traditional auction house, Craigslist, etc. From there, educated collectors spring into action -- researching game video and photos, posting questions on forums, getting money together in case they decide to buy the item...

Are you supporting institutions that are bad for the hobby when you put hundreds of dollars in the pockets of suspect auction houses? Let the debates begin. But once again, if you collect memorabilia of a certain hard-to-find player, and you find a legit example at one of these places, do you not bid to make a statement? We all know how it feels to watch a desirable item sell to someone else, knowing that it may never be available again. To make the pain worse, what if the item you pass on sells for much less than expected? Someone else steals the item you would have gladly paid more for, and the consignor gets the shaft.

My biggest beef is with the "professional" authenticators who are stealing money from their customers -- and more importantly, causing many collectors to loose countless thousands of dollars on misrepresented memorabilia. It is sickening to think that an authenticator can make $150 to put his stamp on a bad item, and an unsuspecting collector goes on to lose $1,500 or $15,000 because of it. I think these authenticators will soon fall by the wayside, because the clock will not turn back. Their errors will be documented, seen by the hobby masses, and not forgotten. Anyone who continues to defend these supposed "experts" will feel the temperature of the water when the ship sinks.

One can debate the ethics of supporting an auction house that authenticates bad stuff. All I know is that I'm personally very selective with the items I collect. I will continue to do my own homework and help others with theirs whenever possible. If I'm interested in an item, regardless of who is selling it, I'll get those research wheels turning and take it from there. As forums like this one continue to gain numbers and publicity, I believe auction houses will also need to get their acts together or they'll be swimming in the same water as the authenticators.

Anyone care to guess how big the GUU auctions will be two years from now? :)

[both-teams-played-hard]

Grey Flannel and American Memorabilia have both been proven to sell some bogus items. But, they do sell many nice things also. The memorabilia must be reviewed on an item by item basis. And yes, it is up to the buyer to do research and ask questions.

[bigtruck260]

Man - what a thread...

I think that ethics play a role in my purchasing. I have only one exception:

There is a guy out there who has sold BLATANT fake bats, autographs, etc. He has been mentioned in this forum numerous times. One day, I noticed that he was liquidating some of the stuff he bought legitimately.

He had a bat that I really wanted for an unreal Buy it Now. I bought it and held my breath until it arrived a week later.

I hated to give him any business, but I bought the bat for about $100 less than he paid for it...so in the end, he got his.

Otherwise, I stick to what I know...and burn no bridges.

Dave

[nyjetsfan14]

It's tough, I always say that I won't use auction houses but as my collection steers towards harder to find items I doubt I will have little choice if I care to add the items I am interested in (but usually prices stop me from using them anyhow and to date I have only won one item a long while back - ironically it was a disaster). Personally I much prefer trading and/or buying/selling direct with fellow collectors but why would someone interested in selling a piece do so direct to another collector when they know they could hit the jackpot sending it to an auction house? Well there are positives if you develope good trustworthy contacts/relationships: you don't have to wait, you know you're going to get your money, you avoid seller/buyer fees, less mailing and handling of your item, the rewarding feeling of helping out another collector, and the swapping of stories. Is this enough to steer people back to trading and dealing within the community? Probably not but the for sale section on this forum, which unfortunately has gone away, was a neat way to try and ignite that style of transactions again.

[Jags Fan Dan]

It is a tough call to make as to whether or not you bid on or buy from sources that are "questionable". The nature of collecting sports memorabilia is that some items will turn up on the market once and will not be seen for a very long time after that. My personal philosophy is that if I see an item I am comfortable with authenticity-wise at a very good price, I will likely bid on it or buy it, regardless of who is selling it. When it comes to higher priced items that could be obtained elsewhere for similar prices or items that are more difficult to authenticate, I would likely avoid a "questionable" source.

It is also important to define "questionable" as it pertains to specific sellers/dealers. If a dealer sometimes sells unathentic items, then you know you must do extra homework. But if they have an item that appears authentic and at a good price, I do not see any reason to avoid the item. Of course, if they have been proven to fabricate/alter or intentionally mis-represent items, I would not buy anything from them, ever, period. If a seller/dealer sometimes takes buyers money and never sends the goods and no refund is issued, then that would be someone I would stay away from no matter what. If a seller/dealer has customer service issues, such as delayed shipment or delays in issuing refunds on items that are legitamtely returned or never sent out, then I largely rely on those on this forum to determine how frequent these issues are and take that into account.

Let's face it, as collectors we are a different breed, and it is easy to say "Never" but then when that one piece you have been after shows up and checks out, it becomes very difficult to pass it by.