RARE Tiki Mug on eBay -- Oh Puleeeezzzz !!!!

I thought this was "interesting" (not really but I have to be nice). What planets are these idiots that are now trying to make a stupid buck on eBay from? Do they really think a true Tiki Collector is going to jump on this? I get offended when I see crap like this (along with those Dollar Store Tikis), I feel like my intelligence is being insulted.

Oh sorry, I gotta go...I'm on my way to the bank to drain my savings account so I can bid on this incredible, RARE Tiki Mug. The Severed Heads, Don the Beachcombers, Tiki Bob's and original Suffering Bastard Mugs can't even begin to hold a candle to this bad boy:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=002&item=120016524914&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

What do you all think? Or more appropriately, does anyone want to dignify this one with a response?

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.

Funny thing that I was served a Tropical Itch at Harry's Pacific Grill in Temecula the other day. Also they are selling a dozen of these glasses for $35 on this website http://www.abestkitchen.com/store/glassware.html

I don't think we should be so harsh on this seller. This guy could be just some Ebay merchant who has only the slightest idea of Tiki and what it is worth. Granted, this guy could be very knowledgable about Tiki, but based on the other things he is selling, I doubt it.

Most of us who lurk on this website have a pretty good idea of what mugs, empheria, etc. is worth. But we cannot expect everybody who sells stuff on Ebay, at a flea market, or antique store to be in tune to the Tiki scene. A lot of people who sell on Ebay go thru lots of stuff at a time, and they may have no idea or perhaps some inkling that Tiki is popular. So they see a mug (whether it be an OMC or a Libbey's does not matter), slap a price on it, and offer it for sale.

It is up to us as the customer, to use our buying power to control prices. So we pass on what we know is a grossly overpriced mug, and the guy will repost it for $5.00. Conversely, collectors who pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for 'rare' mugs contributes to price inflation. So if we won't shell out $400 for a Kahiki bowl, then we won't be gouged by sellers.

Bottom line: This guy could just be clueless (or worse, some Jimmy Buffett fan), who has no idea what is going on. Just don't send him any money, drop the price to a reasonable levek, and this mug will find some nice spot on a newbie collectors shelf for $4.00.

The Tikipedia
www.tikipedia.com

[ Edited by: tikipedia 2006-08-08 19:38 ]

What constitutes "vintage" to this seller?

NOTHING by starbucks is vintage in my book, whether or not it has the full mermaid on it! 10 years ain't vintage!!!

/rant

..sbim

By the way, I found this same Libbey Mug at my local Swap Meet for $2.00. Also, thanks for the post from the Libbey Catalog.

Oh, I pretty much discount several "key" words that are used on ebay:

Rare, Vintage, Art Deco, Unique, Antique, etc. I mean even the search phrase "Tiki" is pretty meaningless, and gets attached to any number of completely non-tiki items. I can't count the number of times I've looked at "Art Deco" stuff that has utterly nothing to do with the Art Deco period. So it doesn't surprise me to see "Rare" on a Libbey mug. I see "Rare" on so many things that aren't, I don't even register it anymore. For example here's another one:

ebay link

Just do a search for "Rare Tiki" and see how many things it pulls up that aren't rare, and heck, aren't even tiki, since "Tiki" gets used as a generic add on search word. Such as with this auction for a "Swingers" matchbook:

"swingers" matchbook.

Or when it oddly gets added to an auction for some "micro jockey shorts"

"Tiki" jockey shorts

And then the completely mis-described "African Tribal Tiki Mask Made in Bali" Huh?!?!

completely non-tiki mask

All I'm saying is that I think it really is buyer beware. Maybe they looked at the way "Libbey" is written on the bottom, which does have an older style font, said to themselves "Well, it looks old... I'll put "Rare" in the title for the auction". Who knows. Basically I agree though, since I see auctions every single time I look at ebay that are misleading and incorrect.

Chris

[ Edited by: Kona Chris 2006-08-09 03:59 ]

Here's the mug the VooDoo Room in West Hollywood is using to serve their "Dirty Rotten Scoundrel" in:

Maybe a slight color difference, but otherwise it looks like the same "rare" mug to me.

I see the seller has revised the title and description of the item. It no longer says "rare" anywhere.

I guess we finally got to him !!!

I sent the seller a message a few days ago, politely suggesting that they might want to edit their entry - and the reasons why. I made it clear that by intentionally or unintentionally misrepresenting the item, they risked hurting their credibility and rating. Perhaps it influenced them in some litle way.

Too bad eBay doesn't allow for comments to be added to item pages BEFORE an auction, much as Amazon allows for reviews of books. 'Course that'd hurt eBay's bottom line.

SV

Yes, there should be a regulating system on ebay - I typed in 'rare' in their search and it popped out just under 300,000 matches! (BTW, 'scarce' got 7773, 'original' had 135,000 - but "Vintage" won by a landslide at 543,000...) "Honest" got 318...

Let's get cranky about stuff that comes up in our eBay Tiki searches! How about:

Inflatable plastic flamingos.
Bath mats from Pottery Barn.
Peggy Bundy dolls. (?)
Anything with palm trees or flip-flips on it.
Endless variations on a plastic fish.

And please don't be too hard on us "newbie" collectors. I'm a busy professional with no time or opportunity to haunt the fleas and thrifts, but I love Tiki just as much as you do! If I pay more than you would for a mug on eBay, it's because it's how I enjoy relaxing on the weekends, dusting and arranging and listening to Martin Denny, and I pay the toll.

On 2006-08-14 21:34, TraderPeg wrote:

Looks nice there! I like the wall color, it's kind of mellowing even though its bright.

Thanks! It's three different shades of teal, and yes, it's bright all right!