Any experience with this seller?

[omorik]

http://cgi.ebay.ca/FUCHI-for-KATANA-cop ... dZViewItem

 

I am looking at this item and wondering how accurate the listing is. It looks modern to me because I would expect more oxidation on an edo piece and the style seems funny but my experience/judgement is very limited. The seller has a 100% rating and lists a large number of sales. He appears to be in Japan and has some antique looking pieces but a number of items look new to me.

 

I would appreciate hearing opinions and experience with this seller.

 

Thanks,

 

Omorik

[Stephen]

out and out repo...not even a good one.

[kusunokimasahige]

 

look at the casting rim.... very bad repro..

 

KM

[Bungo]

I bought from this seller before........ a " mixed " bag.

Some good , some modan repro.

I returned my last purchase ( a sukashi prunus iron tsuba , very good casting ) and got a full refund ( less shipping ).

Since his items are all over the place, one can get a decent piece at way below fair market value ( the reverse risk preimum , I call it ) . But since Wall Street sort of in the dump lately, one can get good items elsewhere at comparable low prices.

 

Milt

[kusunokimasahige]

Looking at the rest of his stuff he does have some nice items indeed!

 

and well if he refunds, whats the problem..

 

The more you get into this "hobby" the better you can discern what is on the photos (real/fake)

 

 

 

KM

[omorik]

Thanks,

 

I think that's the thing I am trying to understand-fake vs. authentic. There are listings that seem like obvious fakes to me and I am trying to reconcile that with a 100% rating and thousand+ transactions. It's a lot of fun figuring out what is fake but I have seen shows on the fake antique business and they are sometimes able to fool museums.

 

I suppose the take home message for me, is not to spend the money unless I would be prepared to spend a similar amount of money on the item if it was new. There seem to be reliable sellers on ebay and I wonder if it would be worthwhile to give those people a positive rating- "NMB score". Something to separate the wheat from the chaff.

 

There seems to be some resistance to influencing the price of ongoing auctions unless there is outright misrepresentation/fraud. Comments on ongoing auctions would be most educational and the buyer beware caveat could be employed before each posting.

 

There was a sword with hagire that sold for $2275 on ebay. Why does NTHK give paper to swords with fatal flaws? Do we not comment on ongoing sales because we don't want to decrease final sale prices on sellers we like? Or is it that buying on ebay is like rolling around in the mud and trying to clean that up is futile?

 

Omorik

[kusunokimasahige]

A sword showing hagire being papered by NTHK or NTBHK ?

 

I know too little of the organisations to say anything certain on that but maybe Brian, Guido and a lot of others can shed some light on this..

 

furthermore of course, the general auction rule applies (wat de gek ervoor geeft) In Dutch meaning (what any nutter would be willing to spend on it)

 

Auctions often do not represent value. I have worked in several of the larger auction houses as a porter when i was a student and even there sometimes the experts, on my question how they valued items, put their finger in their mouth and stuck it up in the air to feel from which direction the wind was blowing...

 

after which they gave me a nudge nudge know what i mean say no more look.....

 

so its fickle and it always will be.

 

KM