VINTAGE, ANTIQUE, OR REPRODUCTION?

I am both a seller and a buyer.  I sell a variety of items that predominately come from auctions, friends, estate sales, etc.  I buy BLACK AMERICANA MEMORABILIA and COLLECTABLES from many sources, the main one being ebay. 

As I have searched the many, many available item catagories on ebay, Black Americana is without question, the most difficult for me to watch.  There are days I want to don a DUNCE hat and go running through the listings screaming "WILL YOU STOP GIVING ME THIS LOAD OF CRAP"!

I am not saying that all sellers are deceptive in their titles and descriptions, many, many are very honest in both these areas.  Then there are those who are so blatantly dishonest, I wonder how they keep selling.  I then notice that the majority of people buying from them are those that are new to buying online (low number of stars).  I then recall when that was me.   Forgive me but I just want to send a nasty email or say the S word; something!  But what do I do, NOTHING.  That is why I decided to write this guide for sellers and buyers.

I think we SELLERS have an obligation to be honest, educate ourselves about our items we are selling, and IF we don't have the time to research an item, just say so.  It is easy, "I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS ITEM, I WILL DESCRIBE ACURATELY AND PROVIDE AMPLE PICTURES SO YOU (THE BUYER) CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION". Oh, and do not touch up your pictures and remove them before I compare what I received with the picture.

I think we BUYERS have an obligation as well.  Sellers often sell items that were sold to them as VINTAGE or ANTIQUE  and really don't know they are selling a reproduction.  I for one, want to believe what I am told and for people like me, it is easy to be taken.  Buyers have to ask questions, ask for more pictures, ask for a guarantee, and if a seller does not provide these things, then don't buy the item.

Black Americana is an area that is collected for many different reasons.  It would take a book to go through them all.  Some of the things in my collection insite pain in my heart while others give me great joy.  It is a sensitive area for me and I want what was advertised.  The era in which these items were created is important to me.  I was taught that if we do not learn from our history that we were doomed to repeat it.

For all the honest sellers in this catagory (whether you be selling antiques or reproductions), I APPLAUD YOU and I will continue to buy from you.

For all the honest sellers in this catagory that are unaware they are being dishonest, I ask that you say you don't know when you don't and take a moment to educate yourselves in your titles.

1. VINTAGE...PRODUCED FROM OR OF A DIFFERENT TIME PERIOD, REPRESENTING WHAT IS BEST OF THAT TIME BUT NO LONGER FASHIONABLE, A PERIOD OF TIME THAT IS RECOGNIZED AS BEING OUT OF DATE.
2. ANTIQUE... VERY OLD AND OFTEN VALUABLE (USED TO HAVE TO BE 100 YEARS OLD TO BE CONSIDERED ANTIQUE), FROM A CLASSICAL  OR ANCIENT TIME.  THIS IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH "ANTIQUED" WHICH IS MADE TO LOOK VERY OLD.
3. REPRODUCTION...A COPY, CAN BE GOOD OR BAD
4. NEW...CAN BE AND OFTEN IS (OR WILL BE)  A COLLECTABLE.

For those overt dishonest sellers, we buyers will have to be more educated and get second opinions from other ebayers before we purchase, when we are in doubt.

JUST IN CASE THERE IS EVER A REPRODUCTION EXPLOSION IN THIS CATAGORY, I HOPE I AM NOT CLOSE BY.

I hope I have been of some help

Maryelms