Ebay autograph policy
I was doing some checking on Ebay today and came across this regarding
autograph sales. It may be old news to some, but I found it interesting and wanted to share it. ====================================== Autographed items, commonly bought and sold on eBay, are unique in that they can be highly valuable yet easily forged. eBay strives to maintain a marketplace that is safe for both buyers and sellers of autographs, and has developed the following guidelines and policies designed to protect you, the members of our community. Authentication Autographs are commonly sold with so-called "Certificates of Authenticity" (COA), which are designed to offer the buyer some assurances that the autograph was indeed properly signed by the person(s) in question. However, COAs are only as valuable as the reputation of the issuing party. Literally anyone can offer a COA, so it is important that savvy buyers investigate the background of each "authenticator". Blank COAs are not permitted and certificates of authenticity may NEVER be sold as a stand-alone item. There are indeed reputable autograph experts, and eBay has identified a partial list of such authenticators for your benefit. Such authenticators offer various services for buyers and sellers of autographs. Disciplinary Action eBay reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove any autographed item listed on its site and refund the associated listing fee, if eBay believes that the listing of the item is inconsistent with eBay's goal of providing a safe trading environment, or if in its sole discretion eBay believes that the sale of the item might create liability for the buyer, the seller, or any third party. eBay may also seek an opinion from a disinterested 3rd party regarding any autograph listing. If the 3rd party has any concerns about the authenticity of the listing, eBay may at its sole discretion, remove the listing from the site. Sellers whose autographs have been repeatedly identified as problematic may be warned, put on probation, or suspended from all eBay buying and selling activity, at eBay's sole discretion. Listing Guidelines eBay strongly recommends that all autograph sellers include in their listings all relevant information known about the autograph and the item it appears on, including a clear scanned image of the actual autographed item for sale. If a seller promotes that an autograph comes with a "certificate of authenticity," the seller must include in the listing all relevant information about the certificate, including the name of the person or company issuing the certificate. eBay also highly recommends including a scan of the certificate. Listings that do not comply with these requirements may, at eBay's discretion, be removed from the site. Sellers should also clearly set out their refund policy should any reputable dealer (including those dealers listed in the relevant authentication section of eBay's site) find that the item is likely not authentic. Unacceptable Authenticators on eBay Many users may have heard about a federal investigation by the FBI and United States Attorneys' offices in San Diego and Chicago into forgeries of sports autographs and certificates of authenticity that may have been falsely issued in connection with sports autograph sales. As a result of that case, eBay will not permit any use of certificates of authenticity on its site that have been issued by "SCAA", "J. Dimaggio Co.", "Universal Inc.," "Universal Memorabilia," "Sports Management Group," "Stan's Sports," "Pro Sports," "Pro Sports Memorabilia," "Dave Niedema a.k.a. Dave Madiema," "Steve Ryan," "North Shore Sports," "Sport Card Kid Hunting Beachor," "Forensic Document Services-Robert Prouty," "R.R.'s Sports Cards & Collectibles," "All-Sports Cards & Memorabilia," "Sports Alley Memorabilia," "Slamdunk Sportscards Memoribilia,"Universal," "Donald Frangipani," "Sports Management Group," "Stans Sports Memorabilia," "W.W. Sportscards & Collectibles," "SCCA / Front Page Art Angela-John Marino," "J. Dimaggio Company," "Legends Sports Memorabilia," "Classic Memorabilia," or "Hollywood Dreams". Any listings that refer to examinations or certificates of authenticity from these companies will not be allowed. Further, in an unrelated matter, eBay has learned that hundreds of certificates of authenticity originally issued by autograph authenticator Donald Frangipani have been fraudulently copied or altered. Until further notice, eBay will not permit any use of certificates of authenticity on its site that have been issued by Donald Frangipani. Listings that refer to examinations or certificates of authenticity from Mr. Frangipani will not be allowed. Finally, eBay has learned that forensic examiner Robert Prouty and a company known as Forensic Document Services caused a number of certificates to be issued based upon only limited, "cursory" reviews of autographs. Based upon information from the N.Y. Department of Consumer Affairs, federal law enforcement and Mr. Prouty, it appears that these limited reviews were not sufficient to provide meaningful assurances about the authenticity of the autograph. As a number of items issued with such certificates may be forgeries, eBay will not permit any such limited certificates of authenticity issued by Robert Prouty or Forensic Document Services to be used in any way on eBay. Any listings that refer to examinations or certificates of guarantee or authenticity from Mr. Prouty will not be allowed. ====================================== -- Mike Gummby3 ~~ Star Collector ~~ http://www.star-collector.net Autograph Authentication Guide http://www.star-collector.net/authenticationguide.htm --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.657 / Virus Database: 422 - Release Date: 4/13/2004 |
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