Yuku free message boards

Regarding 'fakes' being sold on eBay, everyone needs to remember that eBay is merely the selling venue. They state on their site the following: "These items are not verified by eBay; caveat emptor." eBay also advises:
"Know the item you are interested in. If you're not sure what an item is worth, do a little research before you decide what you're willing to pay." And, eBay advises if you have any questions, you should "contact the seller to resolve them before bidding".

All that is excellent advice whether we're looking to buy jars on eBay or any of the other online auction sites, or even in a traditional antique store setting.

Regarding sellers on eBay offering so-called 'fakes', one of the most important things to do before bidding on a jar is to read and understand what the seller is saying. If a seller states a jar is marked McCoy on the bottom, it is totally up to the potential bidder/buyer to make sure it is the jar they want. The 'real' McCoy Companies never registered their trademarks, so anyone can produce a cookie jar and mark it on the bottom "McCoy". Now, as to whether it's a 'real' McCoy, yes, it is, technically, a real McCoy, just as a jar produced by a company named Smith is a 'real' Smith. It may or may not be the vintage, old, original, 'real' McCoy, but by a seller stating it as marked on the bottom as McCoy, they actually aren't stating anything that isn't true.

As collectors, we can face this dilemma many times in our collecting. Fakes, reproductions or retros may not always, however, be a bad thing. If there is a particular jar we truly want in our collection and we know the vintage/original jar is out of reach within our spending limit, then it's okay, in my opinion, to purchase a fake, reproduction, retro jar, as long as you know it isn't the original. However, a problem arises when a collector purchases a jar at a 'vintage' price and that jar turns out to be a fake or reproduction.

In short, take eBay's advice, and know what you are buying, do your research on the jar before you bid, and ask the seller any questions you have before you decide what you're willing to pay. If we all take the time to do this, we can all have happy collecting!

Smoky