Got burnt today

[Wymers Auction]

I feel you are part of the problem whether you are buying good or bad. You are aware that they are crooked and you frequent their sales. I agree with the other post that you know all of the answers to your questions. If it makes you uncomfortable and you have to ask if it is right to bid or not you guessed it that is because it is wrong. Auctioneers that sell these items on a regular basis have heard from many that they are passing fakes and common sense tells them that consignors with endless supplies of Mantle, Ruth, Cobb, Dimaggio, and Williams are suspect at best. If they are operating with an auctioneers license please contact the licensing agency for their state. If they are merely an online auction company with no auctioneers license contact the local police and start there. I do not feel you are very sincere about turning them in though. These auction houses that routinely sell these items are aware they are fake and do not care. I have went through many of the same experiences as Jim has with trying to point auction houses in the right direction with many of the same results. We have however made a few reconsider what they are doing that were honest and even were partly instrumental in an online platform adopting policies for these items. Oh, and about the "Gems" they sell cheaply because others have chosen to do the right thing. Take it or leave it, it is only advice.

[steve B]

Any of the lawyers would know better, but I don't think the disclaimer would protect them from having sold something as obvious as a photocopy.

Ski areas have paragraphs of disclaimers on the lift ticket and still get sued when they're really negligent. That's why most of them close trails with even slightly poor conditions. The days of skiing a trail with patches of bare grass every 20 yards are long gone. In practice, the disclaimers only apply when you're doing something really dumb. (like skiing on a trail with little snow cover and jumping the grass patches Didn't have an accident, but easily could have)

I'd think that selling something under a disclaimer that even someone not intot he hobby could tell wasn't right would be counted as some sort of negligence. Proving it was deliberate rather than incompetence might be difficult. I'd still contact local law enforcement especially if they have a fraud dept. If the overall dollar value is large, that might interest them so be sure to mention the number of fakes rather than just the one item.

Steve B

[Mr. Zipper]

Yours is not an issue of authentication, it's a case of the item being completely misrepresented. A photocopy is not a "signed photo." If the item was listed as a signed photo, they should issue a full refund. Authenticity of the signature has nothing to do with it. The couldn't advertise a "car" and give the winner a cardboard cutout that looks like a car and say "oh well... Too bad."

I would file a complaint with the local law enforcement, any licensing agency and the BBB.

I echo the previous posters comments. When you patronize shifty sellers, you are allowing them to perpetuate their activities... Even if you are not the one getting burned on THAT day.

[thetruthisoutthere]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

Yours is not an issue of authentication, it's a case of the item being completely misrepresented. A photocopy is not a "signed photo." If the item was listed as a signed photo, they should issue a full refund. Authenticity of the signature has nothing to do with it. The couldn't advertise a "car" and give the winner a cardboard cutout that looks like a car and say "oh well... Too bad."

I would file a complaint with the local law enforcement, any licensing agency and the BBB.

I echo the previous posters comments. When you patronize shifty sellers, you are allowing them to perpetuate their activities... Even if you are not the one getting burned on THAT day.

Excellent observation, Steve.

[JimStinson]

Very interesting thread.......And please forgive me if what I am about to say is an over simplification of the facts BUT...

I remember Ray Charles being interviewed on 60 minutes once and one of the questions they asked him is what he liked to do for entertainment when he wasn't performing. And he said he LOVED to play blackjack for money, the person doing the interview kinda laughed, And then he asked Ray that since he was BLIND isn't that kind of a risky form of entertainment ?

Ray seemed surprised and asked what they meant ....And the interviewer said "Since your blind aren't you afraid of getting cheated by the people your playing against ?"

Charles laughed like crazy and said "If I have to worry about being cheated I DON'T PLAY"
________________________
jim@stinsonsports.com

[JimStinson]

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[drc]

Their disclaimer might actually make it worse for them legally, as it can be read as their acknowledgment that they are aware that they sell bad autographs.

If you sell a car to the neighborhood kid with the disclaimer "The brake lines might be ready to snap, and the gas tank will probably explode," the answer is your disclaimer will be used against you in a court of law.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Wymers Auction

I feel you are part of the problem whether you are buying good or bad. You are aware that they are crooked and you frequent their sales.

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