posted on May 26, 2003 04:28:34 AM new
Ok, I'll fess up. I bought on eBay what was described as an old/vintage oriental blue and white plate. Now, I don't know what old means to the rest of you, but it doesn't fall into the 1 or 2 year category for me. That's exactly what I found out when I got it. It was new and at most 2 years "old". I didn't pay much for it and I liked it, so I kept it and didn't make a big deal out of it. That taught me a lesson, though. Old must mean different things to different people. To my 23 year old daughter, 10 years old is old.
This taught me to ask, ask, ask before buying and also taught me how imporant being accurate is when writing my auction descriptions. Learned a good lesson with this one.
Cheryl
My religion is simple, my religion is kindness.
--Dalai Llama
posted on May 26, 2003 06:40:12 AM new
I bought a volume (Country Life in America, 1913-14) for a specific color ad. When it arrived all the color ads had been removed. There were still little white pieces of paper marking where all the color ads had been (and a empty blue sugar packet). Am waiting to see these show up on the buyer's auctions.
posted on May 26, 2003 08:04:07 AM new
Several years ago I stopped at the home of a retired antique dealer that I had know for years. She was having a rummage sale, and invited me into her home when I didn't find anything in the sale that I could use. I bought 2 Galle vases that she swore were "old", to the tune of $700.00.
I sat them in a place of prominence in my living room. For several weeks I admired them. One day a friend stopped over, and of course I showed them off. He sheepishly informed me that they were repros.
I keep them on display as a reminder to myself to be more cautious in purchasing items that I'm not sure of.
There is a fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
posted on May 26, 2003 09:13:54 AM new
Several years ago as a newbie to eBay and estate sales, I found a photo album at an estate sale filled with postcards of 1940s actors and actresses, all with the names written in ink on them. It was billed as "autographed" post cards. I thought I had a real find and excitedly paid the $125 price tag for it. Got it home, listed some of the cards, then started looking more closely at them. Hmmm. The ink signatures all seemed to have been written with the same pen. Hmmm. The handwriting on each of the cards seemed to be the same. Oh, no. The young (then) girl who owned the cards and put together the album had just written the names of the actors and actresses on the cards herself many years ago as a teenager. I was rather upset with the estate sale company which had misrepresented the album, but more angry with myself for not looking more closely before buying. I went to several more of their sales over the months, and without fail, they always tried to misrepresent items--for example, saying quilts were turn of the century when they were clearly 1940s or later, and all their stuff was way overpriced. It wasn't long before I stopped going to their sales!
posted on May 26, 2003 01:12:17 PM new
Minnie Mouse and Popeye Xmas Ornaments. I thought for sure they would sell!!
___________________________________
If you build it they will come........
