Ebay & Internet

"It is hard to find genuine autographs on Ebay and on similar auction websites ...."

"Professionals agree that probably 80% are likely forgeries"

The auction companies are raking in millions of pounds annually from autograph sales. Whilst some are better than others, there is very little serious focus or interest in attempting to solve the problem. Forgeries have become such an epidemic, they sadly now threaten the integrity of the whole hobby for future generations

THINK ABOUT IT and all inexperienced buyers take note. There are very few bargains out there as the professional dealer network and thousands of expert collectors are watching. "If you think you got an absolute steal, there will be a reason why ....."

WE WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE you stick to the following basic rules and you should not go far wrong ;

* Do NOT buy on internet auction sites unless you research fully or are an experienced autograph collector

* Do NOT buy from anybody with a Private ID 

* Do NOT buy from anybody with a very low or negative feedback rating

* Do NOT be influenced by sellers with all types of supposed add-ons: Gold Star Sellers / Power Sellers / Fancy Enhanced Ebay Shops. All these bear no relation to the authenticity of a signature

* AVOID sellers that cannot provide evidence to support statements like : "I was 15 years working for Queen & Led Zeppelin as a roadie"

* AVOID sellers that cannot provide evidence to support statements like: "Obtained in person by our professional hunters"

* LOOK AT the sellers other items : This is always a very good barometer. If he has in stock or sold literally hundreds of very desirable A-list autographs at low / sale prices just walk away. "Too good to be true" usually means just that

* AVOID buying multi signed film posters in sharpie pens like : The Godfather / Lord of the Rings / Harry Potter etc. These types of pieces are almost always fake

* AVOID multi-signed football shirts and sports clothing without detailed provenance or photographic evidence. These are commonly forged and extremely hard to authenticate due to the inconsistency of signing onto clothing. It is also often impossible to recognise who the signers actually are. Many players of Premiership Clubs recognise and no longer sign free for known dealers. The majority of genuine signed football shirts originate from the clubs themselves. They are donated to their favoured charity organisations often with signature maps included

* TOO GOOD to be true : If you win a signed Jimi Hendrix photo for £100 pounds on Ebay start worrying 

* ASK THE SELLER questions and do your own research

* Do NOT buy "prints". In many cases the original was not even genuine

* Do NOT buy from sellers who claim to have used specialist American authentication companies and cannot provide the proper evidence of this. These are often some of the worst forgeries out there

* READ past feedback : It is no longer possible to give negative feedback on Ebay, so this can often be found written as a negative in a positive section

* CERTIFICATES (COAs) : Read our Advice section which explains all about certificates