There are thousands of people out there selling autographs on Ebay, could be of your favorite movie star, hockey player, and so on. You want to buy this, but how do you know what you are purchasing. Here are a couple helpful hints in selecting an autograph to put in your collection.

1. Never bid on an autograph without a picture, you will have no idea what you are buying or if it really is in the condition it says it is in. If you are looking for the "real thing" don't buy an autograph that doesn't have a COA(certificate of authenticity, that shows an expert has examined in and proven the fact that it is real). If the autograph doesn' t have a COA, once again you don't really know what your money is getting you. If the description says "comes with COA", it;s always good to ask the seller questions like how he obtained the COA, what company did it, just so you could research the picture or signed item a little more so you don't waste your money on a fake. It is easy to make a false COA, so don't fall victim to that.

2. It's also good to compare an autograph you know is real, to the one you want. Many times if the signature is very neat, chances are someone besides that celebrity signed it and it is a fake. Look for a detailed description possibly including location obtained and how.

3. Ask questions. If you are really interested in one item ask the seller questions. Don't bid on an item if your question remain unanswered. This may be a sign that the seller is not confident in selling this item because it may be fake or other reasons.

4. Last but not least. Be careful when selecting an autograph, take your time to examine it, ask many questions and bid confidently. Its always good to establish a price range of how high you are willing to go. Keep watch of the auction, especially near the end because this is usually when the bidding amount increases alot but last minute bidders, this way you can see if you get outbid near the end and try to regain the high bid.

    I hope this guide comes in hand. Thanks Ebay!