Official Ebay Merchandise

Firstly, apologies for the stagnant Blogspot and secondly, it's great to be back! That black dog has been hanging around me for the last three weeks making it mighty difficult for me to Blog. Finally he's left with his tail between his legs but no doubt as always he'll be back again with avengence!

There have been two sad events while i've been away. Firstly our Aussie mate Steve Irwin passed away, followed by motor racing legend Peter Brock. The death of famous people can create an influx of unofficial merchandise being sold on Ebay and other auction sites.

The unofficial Irwin items available on Ebay ranged from tshirts and bumper stickers to DVDs and mugs. An engraved glass and marble memorial plaque for $59.00 bearing a cross and the words "Steve Irwin. The Crocodile Hunter. 02-22-1962 - 09-04-2006. You Will Always Be Loved." was also on sale.

Another seller was offering a fake dollar bill bearing Steve Irwin's face starting at $29.00 and a 20-year-old woman was convicted for selling fake stickers of the late crocodile hunter and telling people it was to raise money for his Wildlife Warriors fund.

One company, Legends Online maintains that most, not all, celebrity autographs on merchandise that appears on internet auction sites are fake. This is why their price appears to be extremely good. Legends Online claim to offer piece of mind when buying a movie or music related autograph from Ebay. Provided there is longer than 2 days left to run on the auction, they offer people a 10 point Authenticity Report on items.

Remember the Golden Rule: "If it's too good to be true, it probably is".