I am witting a brief guide to aid you as the buyer in making your valuable ancient world purchases.  There are key facts which each person interested in buying Egyptian artifacts must know in order to be sure they are making a solid investment.  While it is not always easy to buy artifacts in person it is unarguably the safest method as you can see and hold the artifact up close and evaluate it.  Many times however these items are not available to the public as there are only minimal galleries of which one can purchase these items in person. And the price tags associated with these sales galleries are astronomical.  Because of this fact the online market has grown enormously over the last several years.  While this is a fantastic opportunity for some to purchase ancient world items which would not be accessible otherwise it is also a recipe for disaster with the numerous pieces of touristic garbage floating around Internet being passed off as genuine.  While its not always easy to know what you are buying simply from photos and descriptions there are some key factual elements which will help you in sorting the facts from the fictional items.  One important thing to consider when buying such treasures is to know your seller. Its key to evaluate the person you are buying from, look at the feedback ratings,  i don't have to tell you how important feedback is if you are a veteran Ebayer.  Always make sure whomever you buy from will accept returns without taking fees, and giving you hassles such as asking for written proof on museum letterhead that the object is not as stated.  These are simply ridiculous expectations, you should only buy from individuals with a clear and easy return policy. One of the key elements in buying Egyptian artifacts however is unfortunately a little known fact.  Due to Antiquity theft in  Egypt over the last few hundred years Egypt has lost so much of its historical treasures, to combat this in 1983  Egypt passed a law (LAW 117) stating that any object of 100 years or more belongs to the State of Egypt and may not be removed or taken out of Egypt.  What does that mean exactly? It means that anything over 100 years old can not leave Egypt since 1983. To put it bluntly, ABSOLUTELY ANY ITEM THAT IS SHIPPED FROM EGYPT IS AN ABSOLUTE FAKE!  I can guarantee that anyone who sells and ships from Egypt is shipping you a bona fide tourist souvenir fake.  There are many people currently selling these items as real antiquities when in fact they are cheap imitations made last week.  The Internet market is saturated with these individuals selling and shipping items directly from Egypt.  If you don't mind getting hosed for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars for something that was purchased for a few measly dollars than by all means disregard this guide otherwise read on.  Many of these sellers hide behind USA addresses but ship from Egypt, an easy way to sort through the muck is to ask where the item will be shipped from if you are not sure, or to look at the shipping charges.  Excessive shipping charges is a red flag and one would benefit in asking the seller why the shipping is excessive and where the item will ship from.  The moral of all of this is simple, Know your seller, know where the item will originate from, know that the seller will give you a no hassle return if the item is not as you had anticipated,  ask questions if you are not sure.  Collecting is a fun and therapeutic hobby, its wonderful to have something of such historical significance. With that said good luck and happy collecting.
Note:
If you have recently purchased an item that came from Egypt you should contact the seller immediately to request a full refund for the item.