✅ SOLVED Ebay Finds Good and Bad

[quito]

There have been some awful bad opinions tossed out regarding some on-line artifact markets. In an attempt to get a better understanding of just what does get bought off e-bay or sight unseen (except for on-line pics) from other on-line sites, I think it would be a good idea if people would show what they have bought and tell what they have experienced buying from such sites. Show the good and bad ones so we can get an idea of just how bad it really is.

My main collecting area is KRF pieces from the Dakota's, I buy them after hands on examinations. I also like some of the other types from the surrounding greater North Central, and High Plains region. I buy those without handling, relying on other methods. I've bought and sold very much on the bay, and never had a ding on my feedback from any artifact I sold.

Since my collection has been accused of being heavily contaminated because I buy so much, I will show what I have of my computer finds, and they are about 90% from e-bay. And please, if anything looks fake, or even suspect please let me know, so I can get them out of here.


Iowa, Ill, Mo, Colo, Ohio

Ill, Iowa, Mo, Ark, and Colo

SD, and ILL

South Dakota

colo

Texas

and a smattering of local decent sized KRF pieces and a couple fakes. No need to circle them.

misc. i forgot in first post

 

[quito]

I'm being very polite Steve considering someone has insulted my collection with out even seeing it..... and now won't put his money where his mouth was when he can actually see with great magnification what he was criticizing.

 

[rock]

Man just let it go. GB does not like the purchase or selling of artifacts it is just something he doesnt do. Thats the true feeling here, I have seen it many times in the past. You got to just learn to move on. Your collection looks fine to me, rock

 

[quito]

Man just let it go. GB does not like the purchase or selling of artifacts it is just something he doesnt do. Thats the true feeling here, I have seen it many times in the past. You got to just learn to move on. Your collection looks fine to me, rock

Thanks for your vote of confidence rock.

BUT, Because gator boy doesn't approve of buying or selling gives him no right to make wild defamatory accusations about my collection, and then run. I think it was mighty nice of me to go to the trouble to photograph it and show it, giving him the opportunity to expound even more. Since he can actually see the things he was critical of now, he should be able give a somewhat educated analysis.

And why move on? If gb is right, when the picture upload starts working again, I'm sure we will be seeing lots of those fakes he says comes from e-bay. And maybe a couple more good ones too.

 

[ncnurseryman]

identifying fakes is a skill that I do not yet possess which is why I am so leary of purchasing off of ebay. I see some nice pieces on there and want to pull the trigger but since it didn't come from someone I know and trust and I didn't pull it from the ground I have yet to buy one. It would be the easy way to expand my states collection but until I can spot a fake then I probably won't buy one. but then again, its not like they are that expensive so even if it turned out to be a fake I won't have lost much.

 

[quito]

Buying from sellers offering refunds takes much of the gamble away. Most bad seller offer no refund, sold as is. Now that I won't consider.

 

[ncnurseryman]

good point.

 

[tomclark]

I got rid of the only point I ever bought (taint) by selling it on eBay. It came back fake from a good COA, LOL. Now I have no taint. I have zero taint tolerance. That's why some knappers, some buyers and some sellers do not have my respect in regards to this hobby. eBay is loaded with fakes and that's a fact. I hope you are successfull in your taint scratching.

 

[quito]

I got rid of the only point I ever bought (taint) by selling it on eBay. It came back fake from a good COA, LOL. Now I have no taint. I have zero taint tolerance. That's why some knappers, some buyers and some sellers do not have my respect in regards to this hobby. eBay is loaded with fakes and that's a fact. I hope you are successfull in your taint scratching.

I understand how that happens Tom. I can only draw from my own experience's and so far, besides one, they have been very good. Also, just for the record, this is A collection of mine from internet purchases, there is no taint as you call it in my main Knife River Flint Collection from the area.

 

[Lou7504]

You guys ruined this cool site by constantly fighting over stupid stuff. What is the purpose of buying rocks off of the internet. Not really treasure if your not searching thru some muddy field or dried out stream bed for hours. Just click buy and instant treasure. You guys suck I am out!!

 

[quito]

Sorry to see you go.
But imho treasure is in the eye of the beholder and its wherever you find it. Maybe you can get a personal finds only forum started and be happy again.

The reason I buy off the Internet is because I like artifacts, i cant hunt them very often, (work in the summer and snow in the winter hinders me) and i can afford a few of them. Not to mention I never dreamed it would be so offensive to you.

 

[diggummup]

Buying from sellers offering refunds takes much of the gamble away. Most bad seller offer no refund, sold as is. Now that I won't consider.

As a veteran ebay seller for the last decade, I can tell you that it doesn't matter whether a seller states that he/she accepts returns or not. If you have a problem or don't like an item for whatever reason (more or less), you can get your money back on ANY purchase from ANY seller. All you have to do is say the item was not as described and open a case against them. So that is one less thing that you have to worry about.

 

[quito]

Yes i have a store there (not artifacts) eBay buyer protection is a good deal for all. I just don't want the hassle, and don't have a lot of respect for the sellers that still tout no returns and i won't buy or bid on their stuff.
Thanks for the input.

 

[Tnmountains]

Problem I have with Flea bay is that the people are buying and selling to make a living. It is not like a lot of them actually found the point then decided to sell it. Chances are the item has changed hands many times. No real provenance with the item anymore. It just becomes a type. Now you assign a state and county that matches the material and go for the COA. Couple years ago me and another member here bought some from a seller that had a 100% feed back. It was some rough blanks and preforms from an area we knew. Cheap stuff. The stuff came in and it was a type of clinky chert that had or seemed to be painted as we we broke it and looked at it. I still have the chunks in a flower pot for gravel.It was not real.
I am sure though many pieces on e-bay are good. I know that they look really good. I would just prefer to hold something like that and make a decision instead of looking at a picture.

Here is a nice clovis at $15.00 on winter clearance and if the guy knows anything about the item he will tell you when you buy it. 100% feed back.It's authentic and has river polish also…. check it out.

Nice Authentic River Polished Boone Chert Paleo Fluted Clovis Arrowhead Oklahoma | eBay

 

[monsterrack]

I'm going to wade in to this. What I know is from a very long time of studies and hand's on work with the real one's and the fake one's of a wide range of artifacts. I have been asked to check a lot of collection's, private owned and in museum's , first it is not cool to call someone's artifact a fake, be it private or in a museum. Right off the bat you will start bad feelings with who ever you are dealing with and then it's damed if your right and damed if your wrong. When I get asked to look over a collection the word fake never comes out of my mouth, I will say I have question's about that item ,set it to the side and go over something else, at the end of my eyeballing I go over the items that I have question's on and if I can not solve them I leave it at that (I have question's on that item). Now for the point of fakes in the market place, it is true but it's not the end of the world. A person that reproduce points for the soul purpose to sell for a real point will first make a style that will bring a high price such as a clovis for $15 dollars, I have question's on that point. Anyone who is trying to make money to the standard of a job will not take time to make basic points, they just don't bring that much money, so JMO regular points are pretty much safe , fakers go for the rare points that's why there is so many colvis points on the market. A clovis is not hard to make, once you master a way of fluting . I have seen a jig system set up to flute, but if you are good you can do it in your hand, that's bring up another point there are a great number of master flint knappers out there, but there is only a hand full of master fakers out there. I'm not saying this at anyone, but if you think you can not be fooled, then you are fooling yourself, even I have let my eyes fool my brain. A saying by all master fakers on any type of item, money or what ever is (Fool the eye and you fool the brain) A faker that is a fly by nighter will use ways to antique that with just a little training anyone can spot it, but a master faker can make a point that can stand up to any test know to man. Now for e-bay I have seen points that there was no doubt to me it was a reproduction and I have seen points on e-bay that for the price they looked real good and more than likely real. Not to long ago I saw some points on e-bay and right away I knew they where real because they where points, scrapers, drills from Ms. and I know my artifacts from my state. I have seen reproductions in artifact shows , Internet, flea markets, private collection, and museum's. A COA can help if it is from a outstanding company, but it is still just a piece of paper and if people are cool with that then so be it. I know one man and if he said he bought one off the internet that had initials on it in the stone and he said it was real then I would buy it, so it's just who you trust. Spotting a fake is more than just looking for the standard signs , things like flake pattern, thickness to width ratio, length of a point to the standard that is set by well known documented points, then there is always the exception to the rule, a artifact that goes against all the rules and that does not make it a fake. A loop will help spot metal trace but that's all and that is easy to get rid of, a patina can be done with a 1000 things, some you can detect some you can't. Some may say what does this guy know, all I can say is I have been around fakers that can fool a spectronialis test on fake metal blades and points, so I have been around the best by far. I set out 25 years ago to educate myself so I would know what to look far in artifacts and that's all I can tell anyone study ,study and study some more and then you might not get fooled. JMO the only way to know that a artifact is real with no room for any doubt is to find it yourself, and then just make sure no one is playing games and if you want to buy artifacts then that is great, I have seen some real great bought collections and they did not have to walk all those miles to get them, there is nothing wrong with buying a artifact, a lot of people do it , I have bought artifacts before, I just like to find stuff, because you never know what you may walk up on.

 

[rock]

when I use a loop I am looking for mineral deposits in the stone.

 

[painterx7]

Dang rack you are a great dude hands down you should be a moderator and if I need a Coa I'm mail it to u first haha great way to word your thoughts !!!!

 

[GatorBoy]

haha... he said flea bay.


Great post MR.

 

[quito]

so gator, I wonder when all the fakes from the deal bay are going to start getting posted?

Also, when are you gonna pick me and my tainted collection apart like you said you could/would? You could toss out negative comments sight un-seen, and now that I have posted it for you to review with great magnification you turn silent? What gives? Can't bring yourself to even look let alone make an HONEST comment now can you?

 

[GatorBoy]

Quito I'm beginning to think you're in love with me... Everything you just posted could be fake.. Nobody is going to be able to tell from a single thing you just posted.. Don't you get that.
If you didn't find it yourself there's no way you're going to be able to prove anything to anyone with a photograph.
Enough with the love letters to me already don't you have better things to do?
This is getting a little pathetic... Seems you have a complex

 

[GatorBoy]

One thing I can say for sure is nothing in my collection ever had money be a part of it.... that fact alone would raise the likelihood that everything in it is authentic compared to someone who fills their collection with things delivered through the mail for money.
If surrounding yourself with chipped stone that you've bought from eBay and other sources is what makes you happy then good for you I don't know why you think I care.... Are you getting cabin fever or something?
This is what I did yesterday I went fossil hunting sifting material through the screen from a river bottom for 9 hours straight.... I don't give a hoot where you buy what you buy or what you have.













Why do you care what I think so much?
It would be way easier for me to buy these things... the point for me is it's the hunt that is connected to my heart and soul and so will be the treasures I find.
Something I bought would never hold the same personal value as something I found... So I keep my money in my wallet..
Or better yet put it in my gas tank and go somewhere to hunt for things myself