Kabuki

by Kunisada Utagawa

<<  Auction Check   >>

Gone are the times when the internet was a meeting point of nice guys who treated each other with a self-created code of conduct called netiquette. The internet has become a playground for all kinds of crooks. According to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center ( IFCC ), a subsidiary of the FBI, online auctions are the major scenes of cyber fraud.

Art auctions are no exceptions. Dubious Utamaro, Hiroshige and other famous name prints are offered on the internet - plus some other sleazy tricks aiming at your money.

Protection against unscrupulous, greedy individuals is difficult - even with the proper knowledge. But you can at least check an art auction site against certain minimum criteria and you should read the small print before you submit your credit card.

• Does the site have a return policy?
• Are shipment fees known in advance?
• Does the site have insurance coverage for transport losses or damages?
• Are additional fees such as sales tax or VAT clear?
• Which payment methods are offered?
• Secure transactions over the internet? - encryption by SSL standard?
• How is your credit card information handled?
• Are auction results and bidding history transparent? Or do you have the impression the site hides whatever it can?
• What is your overall impression? Is the site competent in seamlessly handling an internet auction and providing the necessary protection of your credit card and your privacy?
• Does the site take consignments or do they sell their own merchandise?

A few things you should know and a few tips:

• Protective Bids: a lot is offered at a ridiculous reserve. To prevent a purchase at an unwanted low price, the owner or a friend of his counterbids himself at the last moment.
• Check the bidding history of the last 60 seconds of an auction, provided the data is available. If one bidder shows up too frequently within 60 seconds, check the precise time and use your common sense: can a human being bid at that speed?
• Shin Hanga: Be careful not to bid on a late printing (Heisei edition) for the price of a pre-world war II edition. I have seen several such cases. The prints in question had very fuzzy descriptions.
• The same applies to recuts (printed from a newly carved block) of very famous Shin Hanga designs. Quite a few are not marked on the print as reproductions. Or the margin that contains the identification as reproduction was intentionally cut off. Many of the images from the book "The Female Image" are on the market as reproductions without a proper identification as such.
• Be careful with expensive Edo prints for seemingly low prices and in too good a condition unless you are a real expert. Chances are that it is a reproduction from the late 19th or early 20th century. The same applies to surimono, which were reproduced in large numbers and excellent quality during the Meiji era for tourists and for export.
• Beware of so-called "make-up prints": There are unprofessional methods (that have absolutely nothing to do with restorations) to make prints look cleaner and the colors fresher and unscrupulous dealer who practice this. I saw it more than once with my own eyes. The prints come into contact with chemicals.
• Some guy systematically buy whole albums like for instance "100 Aspects of the Moon" in the market for only one reason: to tear them apart and offer the single pages with a huge profit. You should be aware that you support the systematic destruction of a cultural heritage with your bids/purchases.