J.K Rowling Vs. eBay

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For those who are looking for the news posting I'm referring to, scroll down to the 09/12 date. Now then, as many people here know, I love shopping on eBay. Heck, almost everyone likes shopping on eBay. Whether it be for antiques, cheap used books, video games, or sought out collectibles, eBay is a place of fun (for most people). Sometimes the fun is getting something for one fifth of the normal cost, while the other fun thing is getting into a huge bidding war and winning something very valuable (the item may not be cheap once the bidding is over, but you feel relieved to know you won it in the end). One of the things I love to shop for on eBay is autographs. Particularly autographed items like books, CD's, and posters.

There is also at least one book that almost everyone wants: Their very own signed Harry Potter book. This is a something that is very highly sought out, and its even more sought out now that J.K. Rowling doesn't really do book signings anymore (there are only, like, three real signed "Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince" books). Since Jo doesn't do book signings anymore, it just seems like the next logical step for people who want one to search for a signed book on eBay. However ask anyone who shops for autographs on eBay (me included), and they will tell you that you are ALWAYS taking a VEEERRRYYYYYY big chance when you buy autographs on eBay!!!

Aside from people who will fake an authors/actors signature, some people will sell a pre-printed autograph off as the real thing, and unless you know how to tell a pre-print apart from a real signature, most of the time the buyer has no idea they've just been scammed. And sometimes, it's nearly impossible to see if the signature is the real deal or not. I say sometimes because, unlike what some people will claim, you can usually tell the real signatures apart from the fakes...if you know what you're looking for. Which brings us to todays topic, in which J.K. Rowling has finally opened up to her fans and told them that it would NOT be a good idea to buy signed books from eBay because there is a good chance that the signatures are fakes!

eBay defended themselves by saying that people should be knowledgeable in what they are buying online, and that they constantly do what they can to make sure people don't get scammed, but that at the end of the day the sellers AND buyers are the ones responsible for what they sell and buy! J.K. Rowling has responded by saying her lawyers have been contacting eBay's for quite awhile on their security measures on signed merchandise. After reading both sides of the story (and I'm sure there will be more to come), I am ultimately going to side with eBay this time. No offense to Jo, I know she is looking out for her fans (most of which are children, who probably can't tell the difference between fake and real signatures), but there really isn't much eBay can do about this.

Without having each signed item that is list inspected by the author herself to insure authenticity, there is no other way to insure the sellers complete honesty in selling these items. And lets face it: This ISN'T eBay's fault! This is just the natural danger of doing ANY type of shopping online! People need to be educated about these things before they buy them, and eBay already provides tons of information on their website in helping people know what to keep an eye out for when it comes to buying autographs, with a warning shown before every bid that there is "no guarantee" that this is real. The customer has been warned, and once that bid is placed all bets are off. But aren't children mainly looking for these signed books?

Aren't they the ones who have trouble telling fakes from real signatures? Well, yes that is true, however there is one thing people over look with the whole "kids can't tell the difference" argument: Kids have parents. Now parents themselves might have trouble telling the real thing from the fakes, but then it is their job to turn the kids down and tell them "no, we can't bid on this because I can't be sure this is the real thing." On top of which, most of these signatures (whether real or fake) end up going for a lot of money on eBay, money I'm sure most kids have in their piggy banks. So with that in mind, should a kid make a huge bid on a signed book, the parent has the responsibility to inspect the auction, the sellers history, and feedback, and make a decision about the book in question.

If the parent is even the slightest bit worried about the signatures authenticity, then the parent has the chance to say no. Older fans don't have parents, but if they are serious about getting a signature, then chances are they can (or have) done their own research, so they're on their own. But as you can clearly see, there is QUITE a bit of things going on, that should a child wind up with a fake signature, then it was because too many people weren't doing the jobs they were supposed to be doing! Then, oddly enough, the person I blame most for this mess is J.K. Rowling herself. No offense to Jo, I know that Harry Potter is this HUGE thing now, and signing books must not be her top priority, but for all the warnings she gives people about signed books, I think that maybe people wouldn't get scammed as much if there were easier ways to GET a signed book!

There hasn't been a real book tour for Harry Potter since "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban." Since then, there have been even fewer signings. Jo doesn't really want to do signings anymore, and that contributes more to the problem then it does solve it. If Jo wants people to not go to eBay to get signed books, then she needs to work on an alternative way for people to get signed books. For example, Scholastic released a limited, leather bound editions of "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" and "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets." They only made 75,000 copies of these books and they retailed for $75.00. Why not (as a start) plan to make a limited, leather bound edition of "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban" with one small twists: That these books will be signed.

Yes, I know it must be painfully boring to have to sign 75,000 books, but this would guarantee fans that if they wanted a legitimate signed book, then they need to buy a copy of this particular book. Not only that, but make this edition of the book an online exclusive, which would make it a fair game with people trying to get the book. How's that for a start? And how about more signing tours? I know not everyone could get their books signed, but what you could do is make it a charity event, where people will have to buy a $40/$60 ticket, which would guarantee that person meet J.K. Rowling, have her sign her book, get their picture taken with her, and the money would go to charity. This could be an all day thing or a weekend thing.

Either way though, Jo's got to have a better response to her fans then "don't shop on eBay." Quite frankly, her refusal to do book signings is not only annoying, but it is one of the contributing factors for all the fakes out there. I know it's unreasonable to expect her to be able to provide a signed book for everyone that wants one, but there are several things she could be doing that would prevent people from going to eBay in the first place. So (at the moment anyway) I'm siding with eBay. Oh, and just for the record, I'm going to lend you my personal autograph expertise and let you know that this auction right here is selling a genuine J.K. Rowling signature. Happy bidding.