www.cowries.info

[ricdoc57]

Also this thread that I had proposed time ago has disappeared from this forum. I find it hard to believe that only the threads treating fakes or dishonest dealers disappear by chance, but let's hope so. In this case I want to propose a new case of fake locality and fake identification. This German dealer whose nickname is Keulnator is now proposing on ebay a "Nesiocypraea alexhuberti" from Andaman Sea (http://cgi.ebay.it/EXTRA-RARE-AUSTRASIATICA-CYPRAEA-ALEXHUBERTI_W0QQitemZ140366450509QQcmdZViewItemQQptZMineralien_Fossilien?hash=item20ae7e0f4d). Now, searching among the items he has recently bought, see what I have found: http://cgi.ebay.it/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150385768378. Same size, same colors, but sold as a normal C. hirasei from the Philippines.

It is very evident that the naive buyers that recently have bought from this guy some rare items like Nesiocypraea hirasei queenslandica, N. langfordi cavatoensis or N. langfordi moretonensis are persuaded that they have made a great business, while they have been cheated, therefore they should be warned. But who can be more cricicized: the dishonest dealer who proposes an evident hook with a small worm on it or the naive buyer that closes his eyes in front of such an unlikely event and swallows the worm and the hook, even with joy, thinking how smart he has been? How can someone be so - please let me say so - stupid to think that a N. alexhuberti, even young, can be sold at 95 €?

PVDB, what do you think? I really like your opinions on this and similar subjects!

Merry Christmas to everyone of this great forum!

[benicypraea]

Hello all:

Concerning fake rare cowries as such Nesicypraea alexhuberti, I think , and is just my personal opinion, the following:
one person only can trust in this type of rare shells when the seller has a certain reputation, and also I think that these kind of auctions are not the best places to sell these cowries. A question: can someone imagine a real Zoila mariellae offered for sale (bid) in these auctions??
Without reputation, the seller dies.
Sincerely, I cannot imagine to find such rare shells offered at low price in ebay by a serious and honest dealer. Only I can imagine a serious dealer making a special offer to several (and a few, generally) people who have many money to spend in rare shells. Of course, this dealer has the idea that he can get more shells in the future.
That´s all by now,
Regards,
Beni
_________________
I started to collect seashells since my childhood but I decided to focus on cowries in 1990. I like all kind of cowries, freaks, normal, nigers, dwarfs...
Also I collect conidae and Muricidae.

[felix]

My suspicion is that one of the little crooks dealing in fake shells has hired a jobless hacker to smuggle in a string of code through a posting which resulted in the forum program to delete the entire thread. Also, a few days ago, people reported strange error messages they received from the forum, and there were "guests" posting spam. I hope bboard has it fixed now, it is beyond my control. I am glad you guys keep the thread alife!!
Thank you, in the name of all those people who still desperately want to believe that ebay is a source for bargain seashells. Those who buy cheap usually end up buying twice.

[PVDB]

Cari Amici, Best friends all around, Dear Felix,

So much had already been written - by me too - on cheaters, frauds, "doctors"a.s.o., that I had decided not to repeate myself again.
But this is a special X-mas answer on request for our friend "Ricdoc"- another cypraea-addict - so I cannot refuse, being one myself -
He writes (and I agree) :

"But who can be more cricicized: the dishonest dealer who proposes an evident hook with a small worm on it or the naive buyer that closes his eyes in front of such an unlikely event and swallows the worm and the hook, even with joy, thinking how smart he has been? How can someone be so - please let me say so - stupid to think that a N. alexhuberti, even young, can be sold at 95 €?"

So , a few thoughts , not very coherent , like snow-flakes,

Cheaters - how "bad" they can be - only exist by virtue of their cheater miror-images: people who desperatly want to be cheated.

And for me, there remains a big difference between cheaters- locals who desperatly want to survive (*) and European fraudeurs who try to make a comfortable (non taxable?) revenue.
(* maybe I am very naive on that issue too - "the poor local, who desperately wants/tries to survive", but SOMETIMES AT LEAST it is true, even with ebay access).

Moreover, an interesting topic has been the arabica campfirensis, beginning to become an HISTORICAL FRAUD, and by that virtue gaining collectible value by itself! In the same way as epitonium scalare, that was - or was not? - read Peater Dance's (50) Rare Shells p.87- counterfaited by Chinese out of rice paste. I still do not know if it reflects historical truth, but a very nice story indeed. Imagine: You put Your 16.500$ cypraea mariellae into water to clean it and it disappears: Nightmare one cypraea street!

Let Us try to be generous, We can spend incredible amount of money on rare treasure shells, so by them from reliable source OR if you really want to play roulette, do not complain afterwards.

A nice Christmas, a generous 2010 to people all around - even to non cypraea-addicts, (I am confident they'll find the way to Cyp-Heaven* some day).Stay in good health,make love ,not war, and augment Your own and Your friends lives with material and non-material bonusses.

*By the way , scientific evidence seems to proof that Cyp-Heaven is the only existing Heaven (for cypraea-addicts).

Best Belgian Christmas Greetings from PVDB and Nancy.