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I brought up eBay seller: this-n-thatsportscollectiblesplusmore  the other day and after going through his account and calculating how much money he has made on forgeries, I decided to call eBay yesterday.  After being transferred around, I finally get a hold of someone in (Fraud Resolution) and this person seemed to have knowledge of autographs.  

At any rate, I firstly explained my frustration with eBay allowing forgeries to constantly be sold on their site and how it seems that eBay has a serious lack of concern in relation to the problem of forgeries being sold on their site.

HIS RESPONSE: The Fraud Department does its very best to weed out easily identifiable forgeries and those of higher valued items by using Third Party Authenticators to look at items that have been reported.  However, it is the buyers responsibility to do their own research before bidding 

I then asked why Global Authentication is still an eBay approved authenticator with their reputation of authenticating thousands and thousands of forgeries on a monthly basis.  

HIS RESPONSE: I will have to defer on that question because I don't have an answer for you.  I will pass that comment along to the fraud department.  

I then brought up seller this-n-thatsportscollectiblesplusmore who has sold over 250,000 $$$ dollars in forgeries all authenticated by Global Authentication.  I explained that I go in weekly to report his items, yet they never get removed.  

HIS RESPONSE: In order for an item to be removed it must be reported by multiple eBay users.  

SO AFTER THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION, I feel that eBay is very passive on forgeries.  Based on this conversation, it honestly seemed to me that they don't give a rats tail if people sell forgeries.  

LET'S DO THIS...GO TO this-n-thatsportscollectiblesplusmore  and report every item you think is fake.  Let's just see if we all report if eBay will do anything about him.  He has sold over 1,000 Tom Brady signed Helmets and Footballs and I have reported EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.  By myself NONE OF THEM HAVE EVER BEEN REMOVED.  Let us see if as a team, we can get action.  So go look at the autographs you feel are fake and report them.  Will it get a response out of ebay?  

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I do not own a Derek Jeter autographed baseball.  When I am ready to add one to my collection I will definitely purchase it from Steiner.  I do not plan on owning more than one.

Mike, if you're not familiar with Jeter's autograph, then I would recommend that you purchase it directly from Steiner or ask one of us here.

There are many sellers on Ebay who use Steiner certs to list and sell forgeries.

Absolutely.  I would purchase it directly from Steiner.  Remember, it would be the only Derek Jeter autograph in my collection.  At least I would know that it is authentic.  Please do not call me crazy.  I know that it is expensive, but I am hoping that the prices will come down in the future.  I would at least wait for a Steiner sale.  Thanks for the advice Christopher.  Here is a link.

http://www.steinersports.com/derek-jeter-new-york-yankees-autograph...

Mike, as long as you're happy with your purchase, that's what matters.

Very well said Steve.

I say do your own research so you dont get burned when you buy a autograph because ebay will always let anybody sell autographed items so just do research before you buy.

You all attempt and often do such a good job exposing fraud on EBay and elsewhere.

But the underlying problem is the "industry" itself.  The autograph "business" is THE most fraud-filled business I have ever seen.  I'm not sure anything is even close.  All you need is a pen, a little practice (maybe), something to sign and you're in business.

But, there are some clear warning signs of fraudulent vendors to which marketplaces like EBay should pay attention: a never-ending supply of rare items that typically go for below market price and NEVER have any verifiable provenance.

Requiring autograph selles to reveal provenance might be one step for EBay to take.  Yes, it is FAR from foolproof. It can be faked. But it is another step in making it tougher for the crooks.

Ebay will not do anything about forgeries except promote more of them. Forgeries makes Ebay millions and they love it. They are sell outs! They know all about Global (GA) and the forgery ring, and choose to not only keep them, but give "stars" to the forgers peddling it. Just take that one seller...$250,000! That's more than 95% of Americans make in a year and this POS has STOLEN that money. What would happen if any of us went into a bank and stole 250K? We would go to prison. So should Steve Sipe and these ebay forgers!

Guys- do your research. Ebay isnt responsible for every autograph sold.

Some people can't be told- as long as there's a market for forgeries there will be forgeries.

Yes this is true. Good point.

I agree.

Yet, If I get pulled over and my friend in the car with me has drugs in his pocket, I am instantly in deep crap.   I realize that ebay isn't responsible for the sales of forgeries, but since it is their site they should do a little more to prevent bad things from going down so freely.

Just like I wouldn't let a crack head in my car

Ebay shouldn't let autographs be sold by just anyone

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