The AFTAL safe guide to buying signed memorabilia.
1/ Always check the claim of any seller who states membership of any association. Never assume that just because they claim membership, that they are actually members! The UACC for instance have had hundreds of sellers items removed from eBay for falsely claiming membership. AFTAL membership can be checked on our website.
2/ Always ask other known dealers or collectors about any seller you may want to buy from. Is the seller known to others? do they trade only on eBay? Try to find out a little about the background of the seller, as many claim to have been dealing in signed memorabilia for years, or make unproveable claims about having contacts who work at a football club, when in fact the seller was working as a plumber only last week!
3/ If a seller offers photo proof, then ensure that the proof is of the actual item being signed, and has not simply been lifted from a legitimate sellers website. Any seller who claims to have done a ‘private signing’ with a well known name will have plenty of photographic evidence of that item being signed, and should be happy to show that to you.
4/ COA’s. A Certificate of Authenticity is only as good as the sellers reputation. Anyone can produce a COA, they have no legal standing, and many do not even carry the details of the sellers name and contact details. A COA, no matter how fancy, will ever make a fake signature genuine.
5/ Private Auctions on eBay. If you see a seller using ‘Private’ bidding or auctions, or who has made their feedback private, our advice is to avoid them, as Private auctions allow the bidder to bid against you without you knowing, and at the same time prevent the many thousands of genuine collectors on eBay from warning you about any possible fakes. Sellers using ‘Private’ bidding are not doing this to help you out in any way, so the best thing is to avoid them.
6/ If you are buying on eBay, then only pay via PayPal, as that way you have some chance of getting a refund if the item turns out to be fake or the seller fraudulent. If a seller asks for cash only, or refuses to accept payment via PayPal, then avoid the seller, or you may get your fingers burnt.
7/ Don’t take too much notice of eBay feedback. It normally only concerns the quick delivery of the item, as the buyer believed the item was genuine in the first place, otherwise he would not have bid on it. Some sellers also insist that buyers will only get a refund if they leave good positive feedback first. If this happens to you, then report the seller to eBay, ask for a refund via Paypal, and inform Trading Standards.
8/ Avoid sellers who repeatedly offer the same hard to find signed items week after week. Signed items from David Beckham for example are very hard to obtain, as David is such a difficult signer. If a seller offers signed shirts for Beckham week after week, then you can be almost certain they are fake, although the seller will no doubt have a great story to help convince you of its authenticity!
9/ Stick with known established sellers, who are members of a recognised association, whose membership can be proven. Always ask for a receipt, with the sellers full contact details and details of any association membership, and don’t be afraid to ask another known expert for a second opinion.
10/ And always remember, there are at any one time millions of people searching for items on eBay, amongst them thousands of experts; so if it looks as though nobody else has spotted that bargain signed Elvis signed album for £49 then the chances are, its probably a worthless piece of junk!