EBay malarkey

[DCLI]

Currently on sale Speedbid, http://www.speedbid.com/lot.cfm?lotID=340330 with no picture - I enquired about a photo and was told that they were not very technical but would describe anything I needed to know - would you buy a set of very special medals without seeing them? Current bidding is £800.

This is what they are advertised as:

A RARE MM AND BAR GROUP,MOUNTED AS WORN TO.......214 STAFF SJT.WILLIAM THOMAS VICKERY,SOUTH WALES MOUNTED BRIGADE FIELD AMBULANCE RAMC.MM L/GAZ..2.1.17....BAR NO 62-14.5.19.SERVED 3RD CAVALRY DIVISION AS 7TH CAVALRY FIELD AMBULANCE.TO FRANCE6.10.14. AWARDED CLASP TO 14 STAR.FOUGHT AT YPRES 1914(LANGEMARCK,GHELUVELT,NONNE BOSCHEN)1915 FREZENBERG RIDGE,LOOS.1917 ARRAS, SCARPE, MONCHY LE PREUX.1918,SOMME, ADVANCE TO VICTORY HINDENBERG LINE.MEDALS ARE POLISHED WITH LIGHT CONTACT WEAR AND ARE MOUNTED AS WORN.POLISHING LIGHT TO MEDIUM, MM HAS TWO MINOR EKS WHICH DON,T AFFECT THE NAMING.THE BWM IS RENAMED.THE VICTORY IS NAMED T.W. NOT W.T.THIS IS CONFIRMED BY DUPLICATE MIC. A CLASSIC OLD CONTEMPTIBLES GROUP AND RARE DOUBLE GALLANTRY AWARD TO THE CAVALRY FIELD AMBULANCE.ALL HANG ON ORIGINAL RIBBONS. TFEM SHOWS 363006, CONFIRMED ON MIC AND ON P 445 OF THE COLLECTOR AND RESEARCHERS GUIDE AS THE S.W BDE. F. AMB.A LOVELY GROUP WHICH SHOULD APPEAL TO CAV. , RAMC ,AND DOUBLE GALLANTRY COLLECTORS

There is another MM and bar further down, also without a picture. Current bidding £500.

Nice sets to have though,

[Derek Robertson]

It's a superb set but, as you say, a picture is worth more than a hundred words.

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Anthony,

Look at this way, if you were asking me to part with £800 on the basis of an internet sale consisting of a few words written by someone whose name you don't know.........two words spring to mind and the second one is off

Ian

[Derek Robertson]

What's the first word Ian?

[eviltaxman]

Push?

Les.

[leigh]

tee?

[Michael]

I thought about the 6th Buffs MM and Bar for about 2 seconds. I wouldn't spend that sort of money without viewing the thing. I'm not sure I'd spend 500 quid even if it did have a picture of a medal.

Mick

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Strange viewpoint,most collectors have been safely buying medals of similar description for many years from dealers lists without Pictures,before the advent of On Line Auction Houses Etc;For a purchase of this Size Most Sellers would allow Collection from Home,I see no real problem,most sellers offer a Money back guarantee if not satisfied,it would depend on how much one wanted the Group offered,sometimes one has to take a Chance:~ "He Who Dares Wins Rodney!!"

[DirtyDick]

Quite so, Harry-Roger-Bernard,

Although a picture is always nice, and seems to add to the interest of purchasers, many dealers still do not post images of their lots.

Of course, pictures are easy enough to lift from somewhere else fake and arguably can add a sense of false security; and others are so blurred as to be all but anonymous.

Even with pictures, I am always cautious when a 0 rated dealer puts up for sale a number of high value groups. Probably too cautious though, since a proper one-off con artist would establish a lot of good feedback to garner trust.

If I were to spend £1000 or so on a lot on an otherwise anonymous auction site (i.e. not a VAT registered dealer from whom one could get some compensation were he to cease trading or go bankrupt), I would rather travel to personally collect the item from the seller.

Richard

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Roger,

In the case of every dealer I have bought off:

1. I knew their real name.

2. They were members of the OMRS.

3. I knew where they lived or traded from.

Obviously if you are happy in paying 'Will Scarlett' or 'Gallipoli1915' £800 to a PO Box number or non descript PayPal account for a set you have not seen then I suppose it takes all sorts.

Ian

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

Roger,

In the case of every dealer I have bought off:

1. I knew their real name.

2. They were members of the OMRS.

3. I knew where they lived or traded from.

Obviously if you are happy in paying 'Will Scarlett' or 'Gallipoli1915' £800 to a PO Box number or non descript PayPal account for a set you have not seen then I suppose it takes all sorts.

Ian

As I implied in my posting I would {if by chance I really wanted such a Group}make contact & secure arrangements to pick up the Group & pay for it @ the same time if I was concerned as to the genuiness of the Seller,all sellers on E Bay/Speedbid etc have to start somewhere If they are fortunate to have such Groups to sell & not necassarily have access to Digicams/Scanners to post JPGs etc then I would not preclude buying if I thought the item offered was

A}something I sought

B} @ or about the price I wanted to pay

I have yet to meet/e mail/phone any seller,save one{who eventually got their just desserts!},who would not accomodate a Payment method condusive to both parties,I was @ no point suggesting that I would send off £800 to someone I did not consider a Good risk{I wasnt suggesting sending a Western Union to Yugoslavia for instance}but that as with all things one has to weigh up the risks against the results & that if one wanted the Lot; a lack of Picture would not ;ipso facto; deter me from bidding,providing the lot was described fully & there were accomadations for payment.

Have a Nice Day!!

[DCLI]

Although I started all this, I recently bought a set from ebay or Speedbid (with a pic) for just over £500. I know - more money than sense. But it took a lot of to-ing and fro-ing with emails a telephone calls. The fact that the seller was a police inspector helped.

Eventually I made a round trip of 400 miles to collect them and pay in cash - at the police station. We had a nice day out.

I was more worried about the Post Office 'losing' them than anything.

I am happy with the set too. See pic

Regards

Anthony

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

The fact that the seller was a police inspector helped.

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

Roger,

In the case of every dealer I have bought off:

1. I knew their real name.

2. They were members of the OMRS.

3. I knew where they lived or traded from.

Obviously if you are happy in paying 'Will Scarlett' or 'Gallipoli1915' £800 to a PO Box number or non descript PayPal account for a set you have not seen then I suppose it takes all sorts.

Ian

As I implied in my posting I would {if by chance I really wanted such a Group}make contact & secure arrangements to pick up the Group & pay for it @ the same time if I was concerned as to the genuiness of the Seller,all sellers on E Bay/Speedbid etc have to start somewhere If they are fortunate to have such Groups to sell & not necassarily have access to Digicams/Scanners to post JPGs etc then I would not preclude buying if I thought the item offered was

A}something I sought

B} @ or about the price I wanted to pay

I have yet to meet/e mail/phone any seller,save one{who eventually got their just desserts!},who would not accomodate a Payment method condusive to both parties,I was @ no point suggesting that I would send off £800 to someone I did not consider a Good risk{I wasnt suggesting sending a Western Union to Yugoslavia for instance}but that as with all things one has to weigh up the risks against the results & that if one wanted the Lot; a lack of Picture would not ;ipso facto; deter me from bidding,providing the lot was described fully & there were accomadations for payment.

Have a Nice Day!!

H,L & S.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

The fact that the seller was a police inspector helped.

Indupitably!!!In the inimitable words of Detective Inspector Jack Regan of the Sweeney "Get Yer Trousers On,Son, Your Nicked!!";A Very Nice MM Group & No doubt worth the Trouble!Thanks for Sharing!