Glass Message Board
Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => Murano & Italy Glass => Topic started by: Carterofmars on September 23, 2006, 02:35:01 AM
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Being new to Murano collecting...
Question: How trustworthy is ebay?
I've read that you need to be VERY careful buying Murano on ebay. Any tips.... or any suggestions for trustworthy sorces for Murano.
Thank you in advance. :)
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There are always risks to buying on eBay, especially if you are new to the game. I only buy glass paperweights and know the field, so I've never had a problem as I generally only buy French, Murano, Scottish, American, or English weights.
It's difficult to actually advise you without naming a number of eBay sellers who are calling items Murano that are definitely not Murano. And, I don't think we are allowed to do that here. Usually these phony Murano items start at bids of .99 cents or $1.00, with shipping at $25 and $35 to avoid eBay fees. Some have photographs of Venice in their item description, but the items are made elsewhere.
True classic Murano, or great contemporary Murano pieces are highly valued and are not inexpensive.
I don't know if Frank will allow this name to stay, but there is one zany but decent U.S. seller who has written essays about fake Muranos in her contributions to eBay's Reviews Sections. She sells under the name Chinchchin, and you can find her by doing a seller search. She is an avid glass collector (has thousands of items in her personal collection) and sells a lot of things from various makers and eras. She's a colorful character, (her florid item descriptions are legendary), but her reviews and guides to real and fake Murano make for interesting reading. You can find these by finding the Meet The Seller section at the top right hand of any of her Item description pages and clicking on Review and Guidelines.
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Thank you for the reply.
I have read the "How to recorgnize fake Murano" on Ebay. I have also seen this seller.
Thank you for the tips. There is nothing more discouraging thank getting fooled buy what one may have thought was an honest listing. education is key... I want to research the best sites out there pertaining to itailian 50's glass.
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Good luck. I've been relatively fortunate on eBay. I've never bought a pig in a poke, but I have gotten a paperweight described as "very good" or "mint" that might have a scratch or a different kind of blip. I either live with it or work with the seller to return it. Once a seller refunded my money and let me keep the item due to a bad description. No one's ever sent me something completely different from what they described, which would put the sale in the level of a con game. I have purchased from the seller named in my post above and she's spot on with her items.
I think most people who sell on eBay are honest. Yes, there's always the dolt, but a careful reading of item descriptions and emailing questions - if possible - helps keep you safe. The dream of course is for you to plan a trip to Venice and the island of Murano.
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I think part of the trick is to know what you are buying.
If you are looking at a piece of glass that is advertised as Murano, and you don't recognise it as such, or there is any doubt at all, then get some more pics from the seller, pop them on here, and get an objective view before you buy.
If the seller doesn't want to help in confirming the id, or won't send any better pics, then boycott the sale.
And any good seller (check their feedback to see what other people's experience has been) will be happy to refund or work with you if they have made a mistake. And mistakes DO get made, sellers are only human. If you are concerned then email and ask them what their attitude is to returns or mis-attributions.
And last of all, don't forget LOTS of ebay auctions are misattributed downwards rather than upwards, as a hobby seller is unlikely to know if something is rare, so if you really know your stuff, and can recognise a good piece by the picture not the description, you have a very very good chance of a bargain!
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I only buy if I know exactly what I'm looking at.
I have seen a lot of junk listed as Murano on Ebay.
The best thing you can do is educate yourself. Look at lots of examples of Murano. You'll recognize the look after a while. Also familiarize yourself with the look of chinese weights as these often get listed as Murano.
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I would say rather than go for Murano across the board initially find a factory whose produce most matches your own taste, then invest in all the books you can and become familiar with their output. You'll still get it wrong from time to time as we all do, but hell so long as you enjoy the pieces does it matter.
Paul
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I have to say I disagree with the honesty of the seller Chinchchin. I found it funny this seller wrote what they did about their competition since he or she is not honest either with what they sell. At least not with any Blenko. I've email nice emails about their claims and received back viscous threatening emails. Told me to mind my own business. I would be very uneasy buying from that seller.
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A lot of those eBay guidelines are very superficial and others are just selfserving - worse some actually are giving bad information. That they happen to be eBay sellers is no guarantee as eBay allows anyone to sell. There are as many scams, possibly more, on eBay than you will find elsewhere in the big bad world. You have to weigh all available information and compare different sources in order to make good judgements.
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As for the seller mentioned above. Just reading her item descriptions tells you she's a little bit odd. However, I've bought 19 items from her over two years, and she's been spot-on on everyone of them. Additionally, her packaging and follow-up are top-notch. Her feedback proves your reaction is not of the majority. Granted she is tough and can be gritty, but she has some incredible items and, well, as I wrote, she's okay by me.