ATTENTION BUYERS:

There are dozens of dishonest sellers on ebay trying to sell you fake Italian Murano glass which is actually made in China

If you see an auction for so-called Italian glass starting at one penny or ninety nine cents - with astronomical shipping and handling costs - DO NOT FALL for the SELLER'S GAME

Do you really think you will be getting a quality piece of art glass for a penny or a dollar?

Use some common sense!

Please be careful!

DON'T BE FOOLED BY SELLERS USING QUESTIONABLE SALES TACTICS -

BE AWARE!

SUCH GLASS is NOT AUTHENTIC MURANO or ITALIAN or VENETIAN or ROMAN GLASS

It is NOT from ITALY

An important warning to buyers:

Sadly, there are dozens and dozens of dishonest sellers on eBay who claim their items are something they are not.  If you want junky, cheap pieces of FAKE Murano glass (including vases, paperweights, bowls, flowers, purse and handbag vases, candle holders, hats, birds, clowns, animals, sailboats, perfume bottles, and much more), you will find plenty of these inferior items on eBay.

TO HELP YOU IDENTIFY FAKE ITALIAN ITEMS ON EBAY, HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT CLUES AND CHARACTERISTICS TO LOOK FOR: 

===> Many of these sellers have starting prices of $0.01 or $0.99 or $9.99, etc., and use the exact same photo over and over in their listings.  Look at the seller's previous listings and you will see the exact same photos used over and over and over! 

===> You will almost certainly NOT receive the item in the photos.  This is similar to BAIT and SWITCH schemes.  These sellers lure you in, making you think the item in the brilliant photo/s is the one you will be receiving.  Remember that you will most probably NOT receive the actual item in the photo/s.  Please read the fine print, which may, or may not, disclose (often in very poor English) that you will receive another, substitute item that is not the one photographed.   

===> Often, their shipping costs are extremely high - $25 or $27 or $28 or $30 or more.  Since so many of their items sell for such little amounts of money (often just one penny to $10), these sellers make most of their profit on high shipping and handling amounts.

===> Some of these questionable sellers include a truly unbelievably high value in their titles - like $625 or $775 or $595, etc. - again, trying to fool you!  These Chinese-made inferior pieces are often worth less than $5.00 - FIVE DOLLARS!

===> You may also see huge, staged (vibrant and gaudy) photos of these fake Murano items in their listings, and the photos may make them look far better than they do in real life.  Plus - You will almost certainly NOT receive the item in the photos. 

===> Another ploy is to use fake Italian or Roman or Venetian or Murano names or phrases, to make you think these Chinese pieces are made in Italy. 

===> Just about all of these sellers list these fake items under the category "ITALIAN GLASS" even thought they are not made in Italy!  They are made in China.

===> They almost always include the word "MURANO" or "ITALIAN" or "VENETIAN" or "ITALY" in their Titles - trying to fool you. 

All of the above tactics are against eBay rules! 

===> You will also see some of these sellers offering multiples of the item listed - within the same listing.  Please note that 5 of the same vases or clowns or flowers or bowls or paperweights will almost certainly be those poorly made Chinese vessels - not Italian glass!

===> In Bargain and Discount Shops all over the United States, you can find many of these MADE in CHINA fake Italian items for prices starting at $3.99, or less.  These poor quality items are NOT made in Italy. 

===> Finally, remember this -- if you do get the item and realize or find it is not real Italian as represented by the seller, and even if you are able to convince the seller to take back the item and give you a refund, the seller will almost always refund ONLY the actual $0.01 or $0.99 sales price - NOT any of the shipping costs, and you will still have to pay to ship the item back to the seller.  Thus, at the end of the day, you will have paid for shipping from the seller and then back to the seller, only to get a $0.01 or $0.99 refund. 

Everyone is looking for a bargain on eBay - but it is highly unlikely that you will be able to find an Authentic Italian Art Glass piece for a penny or 99 cents! 

Be Careful --- Don't be duped by sellers who use highly questionable practices

IT TAKES EXPERIENCE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REAL ITALIAN ITEMS AND BAD REPRODUCTIONS

CLOSELY EXAMINING AND HANDLING MANY PIECES WILL HELP YOU IDENTIFY REAL ITEMS FROM FAKE ITEMS.  EVENTUALLY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM - EVEN IN PHOTOS.

PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE ARE ALSO MANY AUTHENTIC MURANO ART GLASS ITEMS ON EBAY - AND HONEST SELLERS WHO OFFER REAL MURANO PIECES AT REALISTIC PRICES.

I have the largest and most diverse selection of Authentic Murano Glass on eBay

Copyright 2007 and 2008 The Winged Phoenix