Collectibles Chat Episode 13: How to buy autographs on eBay - Tips for avoiding fakes.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 11 июл 2024
- Collectibles Chat with Steve Zarelli, Zarelli Space Authentication; Tips to avoid fake autographs on eBay.
01:00 The blessing and curse of eBay
03:25 Know the autograph
05:18 Check seller's other offerings
06:45 Analyze the price
09:04 Case study
12:56 Consider the seller's attitude
14:30 eBay feedback is meaningless
15:13 COAs
16:24 Third-party authentication
21:37 Closing thoughts
For more information on astronaut, cosmonaut and aviation autograph authentication: ZarelliSpaceAuthentication.com
Join me on Facebook: / zarellispaceauthentica...
Instagram: / zarellispaceauthentica...
Twitter: / stevezarelli
My personal autograph blog: MrZipper.com
#autographs #cosmonauts #astronauts #authentication
Seen a couple of these now by you. I've been a collector-dealer, primarily in the sportsworld for three full decades. I'm now taking a deeper dive into autographs. I learned some stuff here and I agree with your general tips. Plus, your t-shirt features one of my 5 favorite albums of all-time!
Thanks!
This makes me so happy. I have a Beckett authenticated Chester Bennington vinyl album (Recharged), and a JSA authenticated Amy Lee vinyl album (Fallen). Both first pressings in color.
i just purchased a minutes to midnight signed cd myself but im scared it’s fake, so happy for u tho!!
I really appreciate your videos. I'm just learning about this hobby and have found your videos very informative.
Awesome, thank you!
Love the Yes shirt and really like your Yankee Figures. Great video lots of great information.
Awesome! Thank you!
Great video!! I'm a big believer in third party authentication too and I'm glad you talked about it. It seems like a lot of people buy autographs on the secondary market without authentication and that's asking for trouble. Authentication by JSA, Beckett or PSA protects the buyers and sellers. I also like how you mention and are honest by saying that no TPA is perfect but will get it right way more than they get it wrong. Collecting autographs is a lot of fun!!
Thank you!
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication No problem!! It's also awesome you are Italian!!
Great video Steve. Thanks so much for the valuable tips
My pleasure!
I appreciate you putting these videos out and being an asset to the hobby.
I appreciate that!
More fake ebay videos are needed
now thaaat's an intro ♡ ! My thumb up 😁👍🏻 and thanks for the video
Glad you liked it!!
Extremely helpful. Thanks!!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent new opening graphics👍
Glad you like them!
Very valuable advice!
Glad it was helpful!
Awesome video! Very informative
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for your message on autographs. Thanks 😊
My pleasure 😊
Great advice! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the nice advice. Thanks Bob Calderon
My pleasure!
For another video, could you cover Chuck Yeager signed stuff? I am seeing some fakes on eBay and any good things to look for to spot fakes would be appreciated.
Steve, this was the best 30 minutes on how to avoid fakes I have seen. I was a victim of a Mantle BB from 25 years ago. Auction event and seemed legit. Put it through JSA about six months ago for insurance purposes and it came back a fake. I was devastated. Since then I have become a student of MM signatures. I completely agree with you on third party. For baseball there is PSA, JSA for after the fact. There is also the Upper Deck balls which are authenticated and when MM was contracted. I have one and going through authentication now. Praying I learned better and the authentication comes through. I would suggest for another video if you mention baseballs - one dead give away is the kind of ball. Some of these people will fake a ball pretty well but put it on a ball with a commissioner who was in the MLB after the player died.
Glad you liked it! Thanks!
Awesome vid I’m always on ebay having a look, how easy and your thought on the PSA stickers are they real or forged
There are some fake PSA stickers, but they are usually pretty easy to detect.
Thanks. You just saved me from purchasing an unbelievably cheap jersey.
Glad I could help!
Great intro
Good video thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
I wish I watched this video before I purchased an autographed Deion Sanders rookie card. I’m pretty confident it’s a fake. This was an expensive mistake. Everything you warned us about occurred. I will be more cautious when it comes to buying on eBay. Thank you for this video.
My pleasure
great video
Glad you enjoyed it
Do you have any recommendations on what pens are best for autographs, that resist fading?
It varies based on the surface you are signing on.
I am a Kiss (the rock band) fanatic and a Collector of Kiss memorabilia. I just bought a Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons autograph for around 125$US. It was Becket approved. Is becket a trustworthy source? I heard good things about becket authentic grading system. When I went online and plugged in the Authentication Id it matched. Is that though still trustworthy to base my purchase on?
In my opinion, Beckett (BAS) is a credible authenticator.
What do you think about coa Australia? I thinks that’s what it is. I seen some in eBay but don’t have a clue on how to go about it. Any advice
Never heard of them.
Hi...I bought a signature of clint eastwood..and the COA is star truck signatures...I think is fake. Do you know star struck signatures?
Thanks
I have not heard of Star Struck signatures. The COA is worthless because they are not a known expert or company. Not saying it's fake because of that, but the COA only has meaning if it is issued by a known credible company. I would use the Beckett or PSA Quick Opinion service.
i bought a kesha autographd guiter it has a coa walls of sound do you know anything about them thank you so much
I do not know this musician. I recommend sending to a reputable authenticator for a screening. JSA, ACOA, PSA or Beckett.
Hi there, let me ask you
something. What if you're
the one selling, the
autographed pictures?
Is it safe to send
the images online, to
a potential buyer?
Sure. Why not? If you're concerned about someone stealing the image for their own use, put a watermark on it.
Their is a seller on ebay selling tons of index cards singed by different people did they use to sign index cards 30 years ago?
Index cards were pretty common for through the mail collectors. Forgers also love index cards because if they make a mistake... no big deal. Just try again. So, index cards in and of themselves are not a reliable indicator. Now, if you are seeing the names of big Hollywood stars on index cards, that would be a huge red flag.
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication you mean seeing current actors on index cards right, not actors from 30 plus years ago?
@@chriss4365Yes, old time stars could possibly sign through mail. If the index cards are names like Tom Cruise, Lady Gaga and Beyonce ... run away.
I have celebrity Autographs from my 20 years of traveling as a flight. Non have photos. They are signed in my personal flight logbook or on the serving tray (8"x10") doilies. Example: Jerry Lewis, Peter Faulk, John Amos, Graham Kerr, and many others.
Is there a market for a collection like I have?
I'm sure there is.
Maybe in the future Touch DNA will be used for authentication ( ? )
I always try to go with JSA items. What’s your opinion on them?
Go to 16:24 of the video.
haha, that makes sense. there was a seller who had 14 steph curry autograpthed jerseys, and they flashed the Cert, but wouldnt let anyone see it. so i sat back and watched people snatch them up at really low prices. im no expert, but i can pick up on red flags. if its too good to be true, then its probably best to pass it up.
hey. sorry got the random question but can I send u a ebay link from insta that sells signed stuff and tell me if you think they are real or not?
I collect baseball and basketball autographs. I know you can find forgeries of any player. Are star or non-star players more likely to be forged? I get why non-star players are forged since collectors suspect it less.
Anyone can be forged, including $5 autographs. But obviously the risk is higher with high value items.
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication Oh I see. It's just I heard from one collector that he read a article that talks about lower name players being forged more than star players since collectors suspect it less. But I get what you are saying, forgers go where the money is at and that's the high value items which totally makes sense too.
Hello kind sir I just ordered a 43 dollar signed cd (Ariana grande positions) and do not know if it is real the seller had 3 in stock and the original price was 25 dollars and he states that it’s sealed. What are your thoughts about this?
Sorry... Ariana Grande is not my area of specialty. I recommend sending to ACOA or JSA.
You can ask on fb , for ex Ozzy signed cds were fake
Yep, bought my Einstein signed photo from a reputable dealer AND authenticated and encapsulated by PSA DNA as authentic. Did I pay more? Probably. Do I have doubt. No.
Wise move. There is no such thing as a "bargain" Einstein... that is authentic.
Do you recommend J&J collectibles?
Never heard of them.
What’s your opinion on autographs with authentication from “fanatics”
Fanatics is a first person authenticator everything with this hologram is through a private signing they conducted. Unless the hologram is a counterfeit, it should be 100%.
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthenticationhey. sorry got the random question but can I send u a ebay link from insta that sells signed stuff and tell me if you think they are real or not?
Sometimes u can get lucky someone don't know what they're selling its happened to me depends on item too🚜🚜🚜🚜🚜
How can you I spot or recognize fake authentications. I’ve seen sellers who seem to have nothing but Beckett or nothing but JSA. As soon as you watch list the item, the seller offers a discount which is odd.
I think it's common for mass sellers to offer a discount when you put something on watch. It's probably an automated feature built into their store software. Often prices are marked up so they can offer a discount when someone makes an offer .
Hello I just bought a christopher reeve superman autograph picture for 225 I know a took a gamble it has a coa certificate silver screen authentics. Is that a price that is fair and a price that autograph of his goes for?
Seems unusually inexpensive and a high risk autograph. COA carries no weight. I would get it checked out by a third party.
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication oh ok thanks I'm going to get it authenticated oneday. I also bought a Jeff East autograph thw seller said 100% money back greeted anytime
Do you know of any reputable third-party authenticators specializing in horror and sci-fi?
Interesting question. I do not. Seems like a field that would be a good specialty.
Is that a autographs baseball bat in that case 🚜🚜🚜🚜
Yes!
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication which team 🚜🚜🚜🚜🚜
@@nickmullerITFC78 Old time Yankees from the 50s and 60s. Tommy Henrich, Hank Bauer, Enos Slaughter and several more.
Hi, great video. I stumbled upon The Inkwell Autograph Gallery, do you think they might be legit? They have an address and everything
I am not familiar with them. It's best to judge based on the item. Even the best dealers can make honest mistakes and the worst dealers may occasionally offer something legit.
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication thanks 🙏 it seems like all the basic rules you stated except the “reputable seller” apply. No way to get the items authenticated though since i don’t live in the US
What exactly is a promo autographed photo reprint?
Without any further context, I'd assume it was a reproduction of a signed promotional photo. In other words, a "photo of a signed photo."
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication what if the promo autographed photo reprint has a fan club adress on back?
@@joycekanadet481 hi. It probably means that the fan club was sending out pre-printed photos. This makes sense because most fan clubs are not sending out. Original autographed photographs. I hope this helps.
I found a Charles Bolden photo on the floor at a thriftstore. I think they gave it to me before it was tossed. Sent to him and got signed with very nice inscription. COA is a 5c piece of paper at best.
Thanks for your valuable
and thoughtful contribution.
Yeah the if the COA is a piece of paper saying it's authentic, yes it's meaningless. But if it's authenticated by JSA, Beckett or PSA, it's most likely real.
How do we tell its fake if they have it framed
Depending on the surface of the signed item and how close the glass is, in some cases, you can set a scope right down on the glass and it's basically no different than without the glass. Some items will be obviously live ink and others obviously printed copies. Under glass is typically harder with the naked eye. You may have to take it out of the frame.
i have a card i bought on ebay last october that i need help with
If it is space related, please use my email opinion service. If it's from another genre, I recommend using the online opinion service of a company like ACOA, PSA, BAS, or SWAU to get a set of experienced eyes on it.
Seller also offers returns
Just bought 2 autographs from ebay , now I don't have a clue what I've just bought .
Yikes.
You should always choose respected sellers that sell autographs … if they have a COA, get in touch with the person or company that issued the COA … especially when dealing with re-sellers … they can confirm whether an autograph was originally sold or made by them.
I buy autographs on ebay all the time. The scammers all operate out in the open and will tell you they’re selling fakes if you know how to ask them and understand what they’re telling you.
Never ever buy from a new seller without chatting them up first and feeling them out. My pick-up line is always always asking the seller if they refund if the item fails JSA. The scammers will usually ignore you or come at you with a bunch of bullshit about TPA being bad and unreliable. Once the scammers know you are going to authenticate what they sell you, they’ll get hostile. Ask the seller where they obtained the autograph - the scammers will ignore you or tell you they got it at an estate sale or auction. The legit sellers all know where the items came from and will tell you.
You should absolutely look at the seller’s feedback to see what they are actually selling and who their customers are - if you see a bunch of ignorant fools leaving 5 star reviews for a 10$ Bill Murray autograph, you know the seller is a fraud. Occasionally you might see one negative comment from a buyer who did TPA and failed - a dead giveaway. The real sellers will have sales in the 100$+ range since that’s what real autographs cost.
Check the RACC trusted dealer list - if your seller is on it, you’re gold. Finally, send the item to JSA right away and get it confirmed authentic.
Always pay using a credit card. If JSA fails and the seller / Ebay / PayPal won’t intervene - your credit card issuer will be happy to charge it back and make them eat it. This is your nuclear option though - you don’t want to do this often.
Think of all these dimensions as layers of security that complement each other. Follow all these rules and you’ll never get scammed. Finally, ignore all the chest-thumping arrogant bravado on the various collector forums where everyone is playing armchair authenticator with each other and defaming every seller on ebay because not every signature is identical to the one in their own collection. These people don’t know a thing about authentication and should stay in their own lane. My 2 cents.
Great comment and dead on. I really could have done a two hour video on the topic. Scammers often use the "Estate sale" and "grandpas attic" stories. They typically bash TPAs and link to the the same shady websites to "prove" their point. Or they will dredge up a 12 year old news clip of a TPA making a mistake with Sal Bando at a show. I have noticed a ton of crooked sellers end their auction descriptions with a religious sentiment like "God Bless" or some patriotic sentiment. I believe they do this because it gives them a veneer of being "honest." Totally disgusting they use God as a gimmick to rip people off with their worthless fakes. Another thing they often do is have a super long biographical description... copying the entire Wikipedia page. Like this somehow gives them an air of expertise. Anything to distract from the fake autograph itself. Thanks for watching.
One more thought... you wrote: "You should absolutely look at the seller’s feedback to see what they are actually selling and who their customers are - if you see a bunch of ignorant fools leaving 5 star reviews for a 10$ Bill Murray autograph, you know the seller is a fraud."
While this is accurate, the problem is that people who buy fakes often do not have the knowledge to understand something like a "$10 Bill Murray" is unrealistic and highly likely a fraud. If they did, they would have not even gotten that far with the suspect offering in the first place.
You need to keep it simple in trying to educate people. Overcoming the "bargain" mentality and the mentality that "they beat everyone else out" and the "I want it to be true so bad" mentality are huge hurdles. Wise people understand they do not know everything. Unwise people do not and often greatly overestimate their own skill sets. That is what makes them the perfect mark for scammers.
Yup, great call. The item descriptions with all the paragraphs of fluff are indeed another giveaway.
What I find so particularly outrageous is how Ebay looks the complete other way on these pinheads. I report fake listings all the time and they do nothing. They’ll give some lip service to authenticity in their official policies and may intervene to help you in a dispute but they do nothing to protect their own customers proactively. They could hire a PSA/JSA to patrol the listings and shutdown all these asshats but it’s obvious that their lawyers have cleared them to not even implement the most basic of protections. Totally unethical for such a big company.
Some might simply get annoyed hearing about TPA as they made negative experiences. I came across ebayers complaining that TPA has shown an autograph I sold allegedly was fake … requesting a refund … that was ridiculous … as I collected this autograph in person … standing face to face with the celeb. Several friends made similar experiences … that 100% authentic autographs were deemed ‚fake‘ by reputable TPA. Buying autographs via ebay is a nightmare … too many people trying to cash in with fake autographs … too many sellers quickly vanishing … I have given up on this, same with selling any from my small collection. It is simply frustrating.
Hello friend is absolute authentics legit?
Never heard of them.
I totally agree that eBay feedback is meaningless but you would think buyers would leave negative reviews for forgers since they can leave comments with their reviews. Why do you think this isn't the case?
Because most people who discover they have been ripped off with a fake are so happy to get a refund they don't leave a negative. Or, the seller can get negatives removed if they do issue a refund. The pro fake sellers know the system.
@@ZarelliSpaceAuthentication Oh I get it!! Now I know there's a reason forgers don't have any negative feedback on eBay!! Thanks for answering my question and protecting us collectors from forgeries!