Avoiding Fakes

The signed memorabilia market is a multi-million pound industry that is constantly growing, consequently there are a large number of fake items available in the market. On eBay alone it is estimated that up to 90% of all signed memorabilia is fake. We would recommend buyers not to purchase goods from dealers on eBay unless you are an experienced collector who knows what you are looking for.

Do not fall in to the trap of buying this junk from bogus sellers just because it is cheap. How can the public and dealers avoid falling into the trap of these conmen? Here we present our top tips.

• Before you buy anything do your homework. Who is the seller, what have they sold previously? do they have any accreditations with any autograph organisations?

• If something looks to good to be true then it almost certainly is. 

 

• Always ask a seller where they obtain their items from, if they have nothing to hide they will happily tell you.

 

• Beware of dealers who offer no photo proof whatsoever. If an autograph collector is out and about collecting autographs every day they are going to take at least some photos of their conquests!

 

• A COA might sound good but is completely worthless as anyone can make one. A COA is only as good as the company who has issued it, they don’t make a fake item real!

 

• Avoid sellers with wonderful stories of how they obtained their stock. Such as Mr. x knows people that work at Carrington or is related to their mums dogs sister etc We have heard some corkers down the years!

 

• Unless you have experience in the industry and know what you are doing only buy items that originate from at the very least UACC registered dealers and preferably AFTAL members.

 

• Steer clear of squad signed shirts unless you are 100% sure on the credibility of the seller. The real signed shirts can take months and months of hard work and endless hours to obtain. They are worth far more than 40 quid!

 Ensuring Authenticity

All our autographs are obtained by ourselves or by trusted reputable suppliers whose credentials have been fully checked & who's credibility we are 100% confident with. If we aren’t happy with an autograph or have any doubt over its authenticity we won’t sell it, 

Due to the massive amount of fake autographs in the UK market we are now informing our customers exactly where every single piece of memorabilia that we sell has come from. That way they can check up on the supplier themselves and seek advice from any experts in the field to confirm its authenticity. We encourage all buyers of memorabilia to use the free yes/no opinion offered by many AFTAL registered dealers who can be found on the AFTAL website. We believe that they are the most helpful and pro active organisation around for combating the fake market and also offer sound advice to customers and dealers alike.

Over the years since the company was formed we have developed an extensive knowledge and experience of the autograph industry. In the past, like all dealers have been at some point, we ourselves were caught out by these bogus dealers, operating mainly on eBay and other auction websites. It is so easily done if you do not know any better, We urge all autograph collectors not to fall into this trap!

Many sellers will offer bulk lots of signed cards, shirts or photos which look incredibly tempting to buy and sell on but in reality (as we have found out) are more than likely fake and completely worthless. 

As a result of this we have worked hard to improve our knowledge of the industry and ensure that all our suppliers are 100% genuine, and are either UACC or AFTAL members.  We now know exactly who the good guys are that can be trusted & the conmen to avoid!

If anyone would like our advice on any particular item then please get in touch with us or better still contact the people at AFTAL who are far more knowledgeable than we will ever be!