Internet Auction Warning

fraud.jpg (73544 bytes)AUTOGRAPH TIMES magazine reports that the UACC, a respected autograph collector's club, asked experts to look at 100 autographs of different celebrities for sale on eBay.  The UACC's experts found 80 of the 100 to be "obviously bogus," to use their words. 

In eBay magazine, staff writers and eBay officials have acknowledged authenticity problems with items sold on their site and others. According to a January 2000 story, eBay and other online auctions are prime targets for sellers of forged memorabilia.  The article quotes Bill Fleming, whose company Total Sports Concepts represents Sammy Sosa, as saying that he can find more than 25 fake Sosa autographs on eBay at any given time.  eBay associate general counsel Rob Chesnut says, "eBay can't guarantee anything because we can't check the source of every item, but we are doing everything we can proactively to deal with those issues."

I see several fake "Walt Disney" autographs on eBay every month- often several at the same time- and many come with worthless certificates of authenticity."  I get very upset when I see bogus Walt Disney autographs offered for sale.  The buyer doesn't realize he's losing hundreds or thousands of dollars (and he may not know until he goes to resell his autograph years down the line, thinking it has appreciated in value, only to find it isn't signed by Walt Disney and is worthless) and I lose money, because if a customer buys a bogus Disney autograph thinking it's real, he won't need to buy a real one from me. 

I pay a lot of money for genuine Walt Disney autographed material.  I have spent thousands of dollars placing ads just to find good material.  I can be easily undersold by others who call a secretarial signature (a Walt Disney signature signed by a secretary, animator, or other employee) a "genuine Walt Disney autograph."  Some of these internet auction signatures include "Certificates of Authenticity."  Anyone can sign a certificate- but the certificate is only as good as the qualifications of the person signing the certificate.  Does that person specialize in Walt Disney's autograph?  Call the Disney Archives at the Walt Disney Studio.  Have they ever heard of the person issuing the certificate?  You can't just look in a book to authenticate Walt Disney's signature- even books by "autograph experts" misidentify Disney's autograph!   The lesson there is that when you want to identify Walt Disney's autograph, you don't want an "autograph expert" (someone who deals with George Washington, Amelia Earhart, Ferdinand & Isabella, etc.)...YOU WANT A WALT DISNEY AUTOGRAPH SPECIALIST!

You won't find eBay's "Caveat Emptor" ("Let The Buyer Beware") warning on this website.  Every autograph comes with a Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity... from someone who knows Walt Disney's signature for every period of his life from his teenage years to his passing in 1966. For  over a decade and a half I have taken pride in being the safe place to buy genuine Walt Disney autographed material.

 

Phil Sears offers authentication
for Walt Disney autographs you own
or are thinking of buying from
another dealer or auction.

Click HERE for details.

 

 

Disneyana Page 1
Disney Collectibles

Disneyana Page 2
Disney Collectibles

Disneyana Page 3
Disney Collectibles

Disneyana Page 4
Disney Collectibles

Disneyana Page 5
Disney Collectibles

Disneyana Page 6
Disney Collectibles

Walt Disney
Autographed Collectibles

About Phil Sears

Site Map Contact

Authentication Information

Home

Shipping Rates & Ordering Information
If you have disabled pop-ups, cart may not display.
Prefer to use the manual order form?  Click here.