[meteorite-list] Crazies on eBay

[Adam Hupe]

Dear List Members,

It is interesting to note that 50% of the the top ten meteorites in price listed 
on eBay are not meteorites at all. It is a shame that these bogus offerings 
interfere with genuine pieces. It is obvious that they self appraised these 
pieces after listening to overinflated and unrealistic values given by the 
media.  They think meteorites are lying around like an Easter egg hunt. After 
watching too much TV and barely hiking around the block,  they feel that 
meteorites are everywhere, ready to be picked anytime and any place.  Any pile 
of rocks is now seen as a strewn field, ready to plucked and profited from.  It 
like snagging a sucker out of a babies mouth.  All of sudden, they are experts 
and don't need laboratory confirmation.  There is no way that any of these 
sellers would ruin their multimillion dollar dreams by following proper protocol 
that is available to anyone with a google search engine and who can read.

The only confirmed piece to show up after all of the recent press was qualified 
by UCLA before the IMCA was even contacted. And then, the finder only contacted 
the IMCA to locate the best place to cut it.  The fortunate individual did his 
homework online before contacting anyone. I guess a 1 in 10,000 ratio makes the 
process worth while for some.  I would rather put my money into a slot machine 
(One Armed Bandit) and pull the handle.  The odds are much greater of actually 
winning something substantial than a real meteorite showing up.

I am not pleased with all of the false offerings allowed on eBay.  This is why 
many dealers do not bother with it anymore.  Who wants to compete in a sea of 
fakes?  With over 4,500 meteorite listings, first class material barely stands 
out and is why most sellers are protecting themselves with fixed prices.  First, 
it was the China Syndrome of iron ore.  Now it is the "Who wants to be the next 
millionaire clan as seen on TV?"

Its feels like I have been bounced around like a baby with a nasty diaper, 
taking a lot of the enjoyment out of selling on eBay.

Sorry, just needed to vent after being contacted yet again by another crazy.  It 
seems to be almost a daily occurrence and a complete waste of time.  This is 
what happens when you sell on eBay.  Instead of inquiring about the genuine 
meteorites I have for sale, these extremely rude people use eBay to ask about a 
meteorite wrong they have found.  


  
Best Regards,

Adam