Newsletter #8, December 2, 2000

In these days of internet commerce, it is easier than ever to expose goods for sale to the retail (or at least right) marketplace. This, however, despite the highly touted potential for success is not as easy at it seems. Technology aside, the transaction really comes down to people and how they interact with each other. We have noticed several disturbing trends to do with e-mail and internet commerce which do have impact on the way two humans interact. In no particular order, lets look at a few of them and suggest some possible solutions.

1) Internet Brain Picking.

We have noticed a disturbing trend that people try and engage us in complex questioning and expertise testing in order to arrive at information or pricing for a given object. Upon obtaining said information it becomes obvious that the seller never had any intention of selling the item and only wanted to know from experts what he should say or ask for the item on eBay. Moreover, this information is usually acquired without recompense or even gratitude.

Solution: Don't beat around the bush. If you are absolutely without knowledge of something, and wish to go the online auction route at least say so, so that the answer can be tailored to the situation. It is disrespectful to not only use up an expert's time but then use the information to compete with them. Information is valuable, and experts' specialized knowledge is normally given on the understanding that the customer is actually enquiring about the expert's services. The most courteous route is to read one of the many books your experts have, visit the library, look around online, and do your own dirty work.

2) The Questionable Expertise Saga.

A very disturbing trend to do with internet commerce is the absence of commercial invoices in purchases made online. I do

not know if this is due to the fact that 90% of sellers are private citizens without business stationery or whether 90% of the vendors are simply looking for sources of unrecorded income. Even when specifically requested, many vendors provide invoices which are wholly inadequate or entirely missing. Vendors with nationally established presence are usually fine and the transaction is sufficiently documented. Businesses require documentation to adequately record the activities of the business.

Solution: Bang out something on your computer that says who you are, where you deal out of and what you are selling with the price. Photocopy it. INSTANT INVOICE. The one or two times you need it will make you glad you made the effort and its a good way to document your success or failures.

4) The Payment in Advance Saga

The world is very fortunate that a large percentage of the criminals of the world are stupid idiots. Regretfully, many victims are even stupider, but established experts are not. Therefore, it is with mounting astonishment that I get e-mail on my desk offering to sell me improperly described items for millions of dollars US. The stamps are badly described, the description fails to identify the items and many times is contradictory. Do you know anyone of the face of the planet that would send even $50 out to someone unknown, let alone $1,000,000 US? Regretfully, there are many nations in this world which have gotten bad reputations from ill planned frauds. One needs only to say you live in one of those nations to have your credentials suspected.

Solution: If you intend to test the waters for stamp overvaluing do not approach qualified experts. A good idea would be to learn something of intended victim's language so that RARE STAMPS FOR SALE does not come out as VERY PRECIOUS POSSESSION OF STAMPS AVAILABLE FOR NEGOTIATING PRICES FOR SALES and then start off naming prices in some cases hundreds of thousands of times the true value. Anyone who actually possessed such rare treasures would have no trouble expressing what they were, misnaming issue dates to the point of naming stamps issued before 1840 (a clear impossibility). Read the attached letter we actually received:

Jalan Ngagel 179-183

town house rk 1 Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia

26 November 2000

Dear Sir.

I would like to offer you some of my stamps collection including 6 pieces stamps entitled one penny and 24 pieces of half penny. They were published in app. 1800 and in different region of the colony of Great Britain, like Saint Vincent, Trinidad, etc. Some of them are USED and the others are MINT. I want to offer you US$ 150000 each for one penny and US$ 70000 each for half penny, and I guarantee that all of them are in good condition. For information, I also collect 740 stamps from all over the world published in app. 1800-1900 which will be sold too if you are interested. Next, I want to offer you a stamp catalogue published in 1923, 2 edition, written in Germany. The author is C.F. LUCKE. The complete title of the book is SCHAUBEKS NORMAL-ALBUM Bearbeitet auf Grund von Senfs neuestem Postwertzeichen-Katalog von C.F. LUCKE. I ask you US$ 600000 for the price. With this letter I send you some pictures of the catalogue and the half penny and one penny. If you are interested with them, and want to negotiate, please contact me

Edwin Saputra Jalan Ngagel 179-183 town house rk 1 Kompleks Graha Asri Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia 60246 e-mail : edwin_saputra@yahoo.com tel : (62 - 31) 502 9482 cell : (62 - 81) 654 08100

I really hope to receive your reply as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours, Edwin Saputra

I am incapable of accepting that this is a genuine offer, why don't people like this just GO AWAY.

Newsletter #9: Birds of a Feather

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