HOWDY,  THE PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE IS TO HELP YOU ALONG WITH PURCHASING AUTHENTIC NATIVE AMERICAN ARROWHEADS, PROJECTILE POINTS AND ARTIFACTS.

First off, I d like to say, that much of the below has been resolved by e bay, I m sure somewhat due to all of the fine upstanding folks that have waged a war against fake sellers and E bays active participation in weeding these arti-fakers out of the wood pile. Thanks to those folks, E bay is a much safer place to buy artifacts today.  Don t keep your guard down though, reading this will still help you and you may even get a laugh or two.

As a buyer and seller of Native American arrowheads, also known to many as Projectile Points, I have purchased some MODERN points in the past. But they were listed as MODERN, or REPRODUCTIONS (with a few exceptions). There's nothing wrong with modern points, but they should be sold in the flint knapping, or REPRODUCTION category, NOT ARTIFACTS, as many people do!  I DO NOT SELL THEM AS AUTHENTIC. I would like to keep my collection as AUTHENTIC as possible, however some times a modern point may slip by me.   I DO NOT claim to be an expert, however I do have a very good reputation as a seller on E Bay, and I thought it would be helpful to share my experience as I, like many of you, have been ripped off. (Some of you may not even know it yet!)

Most authentic arrowheads have imperfections, possibly 95% of them.  If you do find a perfect arrowhead, it will cost you dearly!  DO NOT be fooled by a perfect looking $15 CLOVIS.  It s just not going to be available! Generally speaking, most people know what they have, and there are many guides as to the worth of any given point.  Overstreet price guide, and Gregory Perino's Selected Preforms, Points and Knives of the North American Indians are the books I use as a reference. Lar Hothem also has some good books on Native American tools, that I refer to. Education is key if you want to get serious about authenticity.  I recommend James (Jim) Bennett's just released book AUTHENTICATING ANCIENT INDIAN ARTIFACTS, available at www.OldRelics.com for helpful information on determining authenticity.  Also flint or material type found in the region, correct style and flaking, typology (identifying type), provenance, and sellers reputation should also be factored in. This takes a little homework and reading. Education costs money, but it will save you more in the long run so start with Jims book.

Before you buy an Artifact, check the sellers FEEDBACK. Although this is not a guarantee that you will get AUTHENTIC Arrowheads, you can tell if the seller is prompt and respected by other E Bayers. BEWARE of sellers that hide their feedback, using the PRIVATE feature. Some hide the pictures of the items they have SOLD.  Why do you think they would do that?  Also they may HIDE the BIDDERS USER ID.  This is a RED FLAG! THERE IS A REASON THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE IT, possibly to use fake (or shill) bidders to jack up the price and / or to keep other honest folks from warning them that they are getting scammed and about to buy a fake artifact.  USE CAUTION WHEN BIDDING, UNLESS AUTHENTICITY IS NOT AN ISSUE TO YOU.

Look closely at the information in the description.  If it DOES NOT say GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC, or does not give a reasonable time period to return,(at least 14 days) assume that it is NOT AUTHENTIC.  I have a GUARANTEED AUTHENTIC policy with 60 days to have it reviewed by an authenticator.  If the point is AUTHENTIC, this should not be an issue.  Another thing to watch for now that e bay has been cracking down a bit on artifakers is they really don 't mention anything regarding authenticity in the description or title,  but if you look at the category they have it listed under, (the purple or blue links just above the item title) it says REPRODUCTIONS.  And the newest scammer I noticed lists under this category... Collectibles> Cultures> Ethnicities>Native Americana> 1940-NOW> Other.   If you do not pay close attention, you may not notice the 1940-NOW.  That category should be eliminated.  I see a few of my buyers have bought this STUFF, for lack of a better word.....maybe you can think of one>>>.

AND YET ANOTHER DECEPTION-----HOT OFF THE LISTED ITEMS PAGES! " I WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY INFO ON THESE ITEMS AS SOMEONE IS REPORTING THEM AS GRAVE GOODS".  WHAT A CROCK! THEY'RE REPRODUCTIONS ---YOU KNOW IT, I KNOW IT, NOW EVERYONE THAT READS THIS KNOWS IT TOO. AND NOW (IT NEVER ENDS FOLKS) there s a scammer that uses the phrase "IF YOU DO NOT TRUST THIS AUTHENTICATORS OPINION, DO NOT BID", and offers no return or guarantee.  This guy is out to scam YOU! So WATCH IT! And YET another states --All arrowheads are legally obtained and comply with some grave act or another- NOT GRAVE OR CAVE RELATED reproduction.  This slime ball is just trying to throw you off.  You won t find any garbage he made in the garage in any grave or cave. This guys a loser.

Use of blurry pictures is also way to scam you. If you're not sure or they don 't have a guarantee,  just pass on it. Beware of descriptions that say  From "Whatever , state"  yeah it may be from Whatever state, from the FLEA MARKET!  "The guy I got these from said they are from the HOOKABULLCRAPA SITE" (They must have an arrowhead stand there!!!) "GUARANTEED NOT FROM A BURIAL SITE" (for sure,,,made it in the garage this morning!!) Also some sellers PLAY DUMB,  "I don't know much about these, but they said DAD s Arrowhead collection on the box" or "I'm selling these for a friend", "got these at an estate sale",or "museum quality" or " I have not sent these to an authenticator " DER ,,,DUHHHHHHHH,,  "no returns or refunds". Don't fall this malarkey!  It'll never end as long as people buy them. I would use caution, unless authenticity is not an issue for you AND YOU DON'T MIND PAYING $100 BUCKS OR MORE FOR A 10 DOLLAR FAKE!. 

ASK QUESTIONS! If the seller does not respond, there is probably a reason.  Also some sellers change their E bay ID frequently to avoid detecting their schemes, kind of like a game of whack-a-mole.  They get bopped in the head, and they pop up out of another hole.  You can check their history on the right side of the page under  ID HISTORY. 

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Some sellers list low to generate interest, but if it looks perfect, the seller does not give a guarantee or respond to questions, BEWARE!!

There are many great sellers out there and a list of good and bad sellers.  But if you follow the above guidelines, you should do just fine without them. 

Good luck with your collection, and I hope this helps you keep your collection AUTHENTIC!

***PLEASE VOTE BELOW***, if you found this guide helpful.  If you didn't find this helpful, you are probably knowingly selling fakes as authentic artifacts,,,,what comes around goes around,,,artifaker!!! For a MUCH more detailed guide click on ADVANCED SEARCH,(Top right on the Ebay home page) and then on the left side of the next page FIND A MEMBER.  Type in Pharaoh4 and read his guides (if you have more time on your hands).They are very thorough, and have some great tips, and now he now has one on authenticators.  Now go find some authentic points, and quit buying those fake clovis' ...will ya!!!!

FINALLY>>> IF YOU FELL INTO ANY OF THESE TRAPS...REPORT IT TO E BAY.

REGARDS,  MUTT