ACC Program Area:The Internet - Reference Archive
Reference Archive
Internet Collectibles...a Sign of the Times...And you thought collecting mousepads was out there on the cutting edge for "new type" Internet collectibles. Try this one--collecting memorabilia from now defunct or "dead" dotcoms. According to a brief piece in Ken Hall's column Collecting, Etcetera in THE ANTIQUE TRADER, he asks the questions, "Wanna buy a pets.com sock puppet? How about an eToys baseball cap? Or an iCast.com metal lunchbox?" If you think buying memorabilia from these dead dotcoms is hard to do, think again. They're now "e-tiques" (remember, we're talking Internet time here--everything is revved up to warp speed). The word is that eBay is littered with items from defunct online stores. You can find pretty much whatever you want. But beware: a Kozmo.com messenger bag was going for $100! And, again, what does all this prove? Never, ever throw anything away! Some day someone is going to want it because it fits in their collection, and they will be willing to pay you for it...and that day may not be far away. And now for a piece of trivia...did you know the computer "mouse" was introduced to the public years ago? Douglas Englebart, who invented the mouse in 1963, patented it as the X-Y Position Indicator in 1970. OK, so maybe you really didn't need to know that. Contributed by Larry Krug, Americana Resources. 200108 Collecting Issue. Responding to Requests for Values -- ResponsesA dealer writes, "we have a website with a rather varied inventory covering a number of both antique and collectible areas. Consequently, we are getting inundated with e-mails from people wanting "free advise" on values...or the "history" of an item they have which is like, or "similar" to, one on our site, i.e. a free appraisal. Sometimes we get several dozen a day. Most of these we ignore simply because we do not have the time to respond (nor feel the obligation to do so). What do other dealers do? Read some responses. We realize by not responding to queries, this may be bad for business. On the other hand, if we responded to each one, it would take a couple of hours each day which we simply do not have the luxury of giving. Also, if we do give an appraisal or "opinion" of what an item a person has may be worth, sight unseen, and it turns out to be wrong, are we liable from a legal standpoint? (We are not a certified appraiser...and have no desire to become one.) Another reader writes, "while I can understand the dealers not wanting to be innundated with requests for appraisals, how else can I determine the value? The dealers must be members of an association or club of collectors. They could refer the people to a dealer in their area. In fact, that is what I would prefer, being referred to a specialist or authority who can give me the best advise on my query. And a dealer writes, "I completely understand the frustration of this dealer. I, too, am bombarded every day by e-mail queries for values on items. The real problem is not that it is that difficult to explore the many references available on the Internet by doing a little searching, or to go to the library and look in price guides available, but that most of these people are too damned lazy to do this...they would rather simply find a dealer who happens to be offering something like what they have and send them an e-mail for a free appraisal." Note: Apparently this is a growing problem for collectors and dealers alike. We have heard this plea from a number of other dealers, and collectors, who have websites. We know, as fact, that some people will send out dozens of queries on an item to anyone who has a site with similar merchandise. By receiving a group of responses they can sort through them and feel comfortable with coming up with a composite value on the item. But is this fair to the dozens of people to whom they have written? (You can bet if they had to put a postage stamp on each one of these queries, there would be far fewer!) What are the solutions? Should collecting clubs get more involved in freely promoting their "availability" to do evaluations in their respective collecting areas. Again, let us hear from you. E-Mail: info@collectors.org or FAX: 301.926.7648 2001.10 Is It Real Or Not?The Internet is having a huge effect on our hobby these days, what with websites, on-line auctions and fixed-price shopping, etc. This is good and it is not so good. Here are some comments offered by Harvey Goldberg, editor of the "Hyannisporter," the official newsletter of the Kennedy Political Items Collectors, in a recent issue. You cannot walk into a department store and buy Kennedy campaign items. But you will find them all over the `Net. It's like a "flea market on your desktop." Search and you have a good chance of finding what you're looking for. But more than anything else, this is the place to invoke that age-old axiom, "Buyer Beware." With sellers offering wares to buyers around the world from computer to computer, you'll find people trying to sell anything or everything to make a buck. And this is the inherent problem. Is the item being offered real?Is this item described honestly? Whether it be due to lack of knowledge or the desire to sell, sell, sell, there is growing misattribution, misdirection, and mistaken inference in describing items. Some sellers use long-winded descriptions to suggest that the item is something it is not. Others use literary tactics that lead the reader to `see' what they want to see rather than what is actually written. And some use what amounts to borderline fraud in describing items so that they sell for higher prices, ethical considerations aside. One specific dealer continually offers a Parker "JFK Gift Pen" starting at $34.99, inferring that this was the "kind of pen" JFK gave out to VIPs. It's the same exact reproduction pen you can buy directly from the John F. Kennedy Library Museum Store for $9.99! And this person does sell some of them at $35.00 or more! Before you bid upon or buy an item on the 'Net, do some homework. Investigate. Ask questions of fellow collectors. Check the reputations of the dealers. You may lose out on a few items because of the delay in bidding, but in the long run you'll save a bundle without buying "Kennedy Hopeful" items--things that you hope are truly real Kennedy campaign or contemporary items. [Editor's note: Harvey's editorial is applicable to any collecting area. The more knowledge you can gain about your given collecting area, the less likely you will make "mistakes" in purchasing items for your collection. And, the best way to gain this knowledge is by becoming a member of a club or society serving your collecting area (such as the KPIC in the case of Kennedy items.) A listing of over 2,000 collecting clubs is available on the Club Directory at http://collectors.org] 200202 timeBLASTER Joins NAC Partnership ProgramThe National Association of Collectors and timeBLASTER Corporation, through a special arrangement, are pleased to be able to offer all NAC members a 10% savings on the purchase of timeBLASTER for eBay...AND, as a special introductory promotion is offering timeBLASTER for even less through March 31. Joining the NAC Partners Program, the powerful new software search tool for eBay collectors and serious shoppers saves as much as 90% of the time a buyer or seller spends searching eBay by providing automated results. Rick Moses, NAC Webmaster, says "I've been using timeBLASTER for about a month now. timeBLASTER finds things in places I wouldn't even think to look. Setting up a search is simple. Then, I set it to run every night. Each morning, I have the latest information on what's available on eBay in the areas that I'm interested in. No more wading through screen after screen of junk. timeBLASTER is definitely the way to go." Regularly priced at $39.95, NAC members can purchase their own copy of timeBLASTER for only $34.95! Moses adds, "Buy timeBLASTER at this special price, and you've already paid for your $5 annual membership in NAC! As a very special promotion, timeBLASTER is offering their product at $29.95 through March 31 - just go to the http://collectors.org home page and click on the timeBLASTER button. For more information on joining NAC visit the http://collectors.org website, the official NAC site. 200203 |
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