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Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper
I appreciate you explaining.
I have heard others make the point above and it is puzzling to me. Why bother even putting on a hologram if "the only safe place to buy" is direct from Steiner? What about all the legit resellers who purchase dealer bulk from Steiner? This screws them, doesn't it? And it doesn't say much about a collector's ability to sell down the road on the secondary market.
I know it is not easily solved and a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. But I believe these companies must be very aggressive in policing their brand. If the fake sticker sellers keep getting wiped out on ebay enough times, they will eventually move onto something else.
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There more recent lack of any activity bothers me as well, while I was there we at least actively attempted to track these down and rid them from the industry the best we could. The reason they always say buy direct or from an authorized dealer that is purchasing at wholesale is for chain of custody on the item.
On the flip side I understand most people’s point of view of why bother if it’s technically meaningless. There is no perfect answer as we all know their are plenty of unscrupulous people out there looking for a way to make easy money and take advantage of the trust behind a reputable COA. Unfortunately there is no easy fix, short of holograms that ALSO match to pictures of the exact item online.