Telescope Reviews: Examples of what NOT to buy on eBay

After some recent discussion over the virtues of using eBay to buy meteorites, I thought I would share some "interesting" auctions I ran across this morning.

The first auction is a textbook example of either a misinformed seller, or someone trying to pull a fast one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120294983160

Notice the auction title says "MARICITE INCREDIBLE AND VERY RARE IRON METEORITE"

The item being offered is NOT a meteorite. I could tell it was not from the first second I laid eyes on it. It looks more like some old Civil War bullet dug out of the ground at Gettysburg.

Further down, in the description, it says "ONE OF THE ONLY 295 MINERALS FOUND TO OCCUR IN METEORITES!!!" - this statement basically says the item is a mineral and not a meteorite. It happens, according to the seller, to be a mineral that also appears in meteorites.

This is a classic case of doing your homework on the seller.

The seller is not an IMCA or MS member. And the seller's main bread-and-butter is crystals and New-Age supplies.

Would you go to Kentucky Fried Chicken for a fish filet? No? Then be careful buying meteorites from someone whose main business is something other than meteorites.

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Here is another confusing item being sold by a rock and mineral dealer : "TEKTITE INDOCHINITE MOLDAVITE TIBETANITE METEORITE"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150283835466

Well, which is it? A meteorite? A tektite? An indochinite? A Moldavite? A Tibetanite? This item is being billed as 5 completely different things. First, this item is NOT a meteorite. Second, it's NOT a Moldavite. Third, I have my doubts that it's an indochinite. Tibetanite? Well,.....

This seller obviously knows rocks and minerals, but their meteorite/tektite offerings are confusing based on this example.

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This next example is the kind one really has to watch out for. I cannot determine whether this seller genuinely believes these specimens are "lunar meteorites" or whether this is a scam attempt.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320285359041

There are so many things wrong with this auction, that I don't know where to start.

First, the PRICE. $2.5 million dollars should be a red flag of caution. There are very few meteorites in private collections that are worth $2.5 million dollars. The giant main mass of the Fukang Pallasite - that might be worth over a million. A bunch of weird rocks from some guy's backyard who think's they are lunar meteorites? No chance.

Second, the first sentence of the item description - "the first lunar crater discovered on Earth". Improper usage of terminology and nomenclature is another red flag. If the seller is an expert on meteorites, then how come he cannot use the correct descriptive terms?

Third, seller claims the lunar meteorites are highly magnetic. Wrong - lunar and martian meteorites are not magnetic. They do not attract metal and they are not attracted to magnets. (except perhaps the strongest rare-Earth magnets available and even then the attraction is scarcely noticeable)

Please continue reading the rest of the item description - it's good for a laugh and demonstrates why one should buy from IMCA or MS members. This guy would get kicked out of the IMCA or MS so fast it would make his head spin.

Also notice the seller's other items for sale. The seller has only a 3 feedback, and the high bidder on the seller's other "lunar meteorite" is someone who does 60% of their bidding with this seller - probably a friend shill bidding.

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One to be cautious with -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200246318400

Here we see a carved Buddha figure made, supposedly, from iron meteorite. The seller seems legit (has great feedback), but offers no way to prove the statue is meteorite. You basically buy something like this and HOPE it's actually a meteorite. The seller could be misinformed and was hoodwinked by his supplier. Or, it could be a genuine meteorite carving. The only to find out is to purchase it and have it tested - at further expense. Since the seller's main business is antiques, and not meteorites, is this person qualified to determine if an object is meteoritic in origin?

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Wanna waste $21 million dollars on a rock? Want the perfect matching gift to go with that "lunar meteorite" from the auction I described above? Then click here -

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250278236759

Again, there are so MANY things wrong with this item and listing, that I am not going to waste my time dissecting it. Suffice to say, it's not someone who knows meteorites and the rock in question is not a meteorite.

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Which reminds me, we see alot of this type of thing on eBay - although not necessarily for millions of dollars...

Boy Scout troop leader takes the boys on a hike and camping trip. They find a weird rock after a meteor shower. The rock was (pick 3) - cold, hot, steaming, glowing, magnetic, or buzzing. Boy Scout leader takes it home and shows it to a friend who is a rockhound and "expert" - the friend deems it a meteorite. The finder puts it on eBay with an honest (to them) description and an opening bid of $50. The seller's feedback is otherwise good and in a case like this, the seller is probably not a scam artist, but just a misinformed dreamer.

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When I tell people to buy from trusted and reputable sources, this is the kind of thing I am referring to.

Regards and clear skies,

MikeG