I just saw an absolute FAKE Wells Fargo strongbox sell on Ebay for $910     !!!!      It may be worth only about $40 as a fantasy piece.

But if the buyer ever finds out,, he will be STUCK, because what did the seller put in his listing  ?????

"....I do not know when it was made so am selling with no date attached "

If the buyer comes back and says, "Hey you sold me a fake strongbox!!!", the seller will simply say, "I said I didn't know how old it was - NO REFUND !!"

Alot of dealers who make a living of passing off fake and fantasy items as real often use this wording in their listings...........................

"Not sure of age"

"Not sure how old this is"

"Not sure of date, so selling AS IS"

"NOT SURE OF AGE"......One Ebay seller that specializes in passing off reproduction padlocks as old includes this "warning" in all of their listings.  That simply means that they don't know how many WEEKS old the piece of crap that they are trying to sell as old really is....................Don't even try getting your money back, because they "warned" you..................

"Can make no statement as to age or authenticity"

"I do not know the history of this piece SO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH" Meaning that if you buy it and your "research" finds that it is a recently made fantasy, YOU WILL BE STUCK !!!!!

"Dont know the background or origin of this piece" (used in the listing for a fake Wells fargo "brass body tag".)

"I have no record of where this originated"  in the description of a fake Alcatraz Ball and Chain (that means he threw away his receipt from the repro wholesaler.....!  )

"This piece I really don't know much about" (describing a fake WF & CO advertising mirror which sold for $270 !!)

"Otherwise I can not tell you a thing about it" -- describing a fake padlock that sold for $192 !!!......................

"I am not a knife expert - just describing what I see" in the listing for a fake Wells Fargo US Mail Knife.  When ther buyer complains that he got a fake knife - She'll say, "I said I want't an expert !!!"

7/2008  -  a fake Wells Fargo silver bar sold for $230 !!!   Sellers policy said NO REFUNDS. 

Oh, I almost forgot the 2 favorite lines that covers all of their lies:

"ALL SALES FINAL"

A guy (from Hanover, PA)selling phony RR lantern globes that he etched himself says"All Sales Final" so if you discover it is a fake, YOU ARE STUCK !!!!

 AND

"THIS ITEM IS BEING "LISTED "AS IS"

IF YOU SEE THESE LINES IN A LISTING, YOU DAMN SURE BETTER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BUYING OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY...........

DO YOU GET IT    ??????????????????

As long as these little "catch lines" are included in their listings ---  NOBODY is entitled to a refund when they find out that the item that they just paid BIG MONEY for IS A FAKE !!!

They are depending on the buyers GREED to overrule their common sense.

AVOID these wishy-washy sellers who claim not to know how old their items are, or know if they are even AUTHENTIC, because there is a good chance they DO know EXACTLY how old (or how NEW) it really is, and they know its a fake because they just got it from the collectable wholesaler last month !!!........................................

FUNNY HOW THESE STATEMENTS ONLY SEEM TO TURN UP IN LISTINGS FOR REPROS, FANTASY AND PHONY ITEMS.  YOU HARDLY EVER SEE STATEMENTS LIKE "UNSURE OF AGE" FOR SOMETHING THAT IS TRULY OLD OR AUTHENTIC...........

CHECK THE SELLERS FEEDBACK !!!!!!!   MANY RIP-OFF DEALERS SELL THE SAME PHONY CRAP OVER AND OVER, BUT YOU'D NEVER KNOW IT BECAUSE NOBODY CHECKS THE SELLERS FEEDBACK TO SEE WHAT OTHER ITEMS THEY HAVE SOLD.  ONE DEALERS HAS SOLD 4-5 OF THE SAME LOCOMOTIVE BUILDERS PLATES (WHEN YOU ARE LUCKY TO FIND ONE) AND IS STILL GETTING BIG BUCKS BECAUSE THE BUYER IS UNAWARE THAT HE HAS ALREADY OFFERED 4 OF THAT SAME PLATE BEFORE................

HERE IS A GREAT SITE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT RR AND EXPRESS FAKES:

WWW  .  RAILROADIANA    .  ORG