Post #247579 by TikiJosh on Tue, Aug 8, 2006 10:31 AM

No, I don't think the seller believes a serious collector will be taken in by it. I think this is a shameless attempt to take adavantage of the unknowing. As for what I think about it, well, you asked for it:

I've weighed in on this matter over the course of a few threads now. Seems that lots of sellers are doing this. I've commented on antique dealers doing the same kind of thing with newer mugs made by Accoutrements et al.
The knowing collectors will never be taken in by it, but it is still insulting. The sad thing is that uninformed individuals can be suckered in by such "deals". We all saw the guy sell a resin Target tiki for $100 after claiming that he purchased it at an estate sale and that he was told it was an OA piece from some tiki bar or other.

I only partially blame the seller for things like this. Buyers, especially on Ebay, or anyone dealing in collectibles (tiki or otherwise), should know what they're getting into before hand. If you're too lazy to do research about what you're buying, you're just asking to get ripped off.
Now, before everyone jumps all over me for this, let me be clear-- I don't think that lying, and/or misrepresenting an item is okay so that you can take advantage of someone who doesn't know any better. I think that it's reprehensible, and I'm sure there's a special circle in hell for people who do this. I imagine that Dante simply never got down far enough to see it.
So, why did I say that sellers are only partially to blame? Because I think that people need to be responsible for themselves. The "motto" of Ebay is "Buyer Beware". Why is that? Because there will always be unscrupulous people trying to rip you off. Before Ebay it was Car Dealers and Auto Mechanics.
If there wasn't an uninformed buyer waiting to be ripped off, there wouldn't be any unscrupulous dealers. Dealers would have no choice but to be honest and sell a $2 mug for $2. People need to know what they're buying.

Not knowing what to look for in a purchase is one of the tricky things about buying collectibles. I never started buying vintage mugs as a newbie, mostly because I didn't know what I was getting and if it was a good deal or not. I didn't know Orchids from OMC. Or Tiki Farm, for that matter. Unfortunately, I did pass on a few good items, but nothing that breaks my heart. Now that I've gained more knowledge about vintage mugs and manufacturers I feel more capable about judging a particular offer, and whether I'm willing to part with $X for a particular item. I learned as much as I could before I started buying.
None (hopefully) would be taken in by a $10 Libbey mug with a shipping cost of $9. We can only feel so bad for people that get taken in by such things-- there are tons of resources available now that weren't available even just a few years ago-- Ooga Mooga is arguably the most important (Thanks Humu2!!! You rock!).

Whenever you search for a mug, or a manufacturer on google, you inevitably get an ooga mooga link. If you do an image search, you get member photos from ooga mooga. A few more clicks and bam! You know all sorts of info that you may not have known five minutes ago. Recent price sightings, years of manufacture (if known). That kind of thing. When most of us first started collecting, there was no mug database to store this kind of info. We had to go off our own knowledge and whatever got randomly catalogued here on TC.
I'm not underestimating the importance of Tiki Quest as a "field guide", but Ooga Mooga has all the same info and more (no offense to Duke and Amy, if they're reading this).

So what about those dealers that don't know any better? The ones who don't know Libbey mugs are available for $4? The ones that really believe that resin tiki came from OA? I think the same rule applies to sellers/dealers as to buyers. For things like Ebay, your reputation is your livelihood. If you're known on Ebay as a rip-off artist, you're not going to be selling a lot because no one will trust you. It's in the dealer's best interest to learn about what they've got and to represent it truthfully. A little bit of research on the internet now, and within 5 minutes you have all the info you need. If you're not sure whether that resin tiki is from OA, call up Bob or Leroy and ask them.

I've ranted long enough. Let me just say this. I can only shake my head in exasperation when I see sellers selling a Libbey as "rare". And I feel bad when someone actually falls for it. But this resource (TC) is here, so is Ooga Mooga, and so is Tiki Quest. There are tons of people here on TC that are walking mug catalogues. These resources are available to everyone. I've seen plenty of posts along the lines of... "I saw this, is it a ripoff?" I've even posted a few of them myself. The uninformed don't have to be.