$80 on a "rare" signed first edition from eBay

Turned out to be a laser-printed forgery. The seller ghosted me after I confronted them. Has anyone actually had luck authenticating books before buying online?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessap974d ago

eBay's authentication services are pretty solid for high-value items, but random sellers with no feedback history are always a gamble. Next time just ask for a photo of the ISBN and compare it to known first edition printing info before you hit buy.

the_john4d ago

Seventy five bucks on a laser printed forgery? That's a cheap lesson honestly. I've bought plenty of books on eBay without any authentication and never had a problem because I stick to sellers with hundreds of reviews and actual photos of the book's flaws. @tessap97 mentioned checking ISBNs and comparing first edition info, but for a book under a hundred dollars it's not worth the hassle of going through eBay's authentication service. If you're spending real money like a few hundred or more then sure get it checked, but for eighty bucks you're basically paying for the gamble and hoping it pays off.

anthony_jackson314d ago

Yeah that part about checking photos of the book's flaws is a huge one @tessap97... I always ask sellers for a shot of the binding and the copyright page with the printing number line. Most forgers won't bother staging multiple angles, if they hesitate or give you excuses that's usually a red flag right there. Also worth putting the seller's name into a quick Google search, sometimes other buyers will have posted warnings about them on collector forums.