The following is an actual listing on an online auction site that shall remain nameless, although it rhymes with me-say. Anyway, the following posting under “art for sale” is reprinted here without any alteration:

(TITLE) “DALI signed art print twins? virgo?”

(DESCRIPTION) “This was an estate sale find… NO idea if its real or anything.. its a signed print. is it Salvatore Dali ?? million dollar question, i dont know , but the signature says DALI and it looks like pencil over the etching. ie - original signature. I did not examine this out of the frame and have no idea of any authenticity.. did not get it ‘checked out’ soo good luck !!! and happy bidding , its matted and framed nicely 18 x 20 ” my auctions are sold AS IS, I am not an antique expert, just a novice collector of wonderful things. so please be sure you ask all and any questions and be certain you want it!! I dont do returns…i am honest and upfront about everything im selling!! i welcome questions and comments….

I only ship on saturdays from my ups zip code . Packing and boxing are included in the shipping price. thank you CHECK OUT MY OTHER COOL STUFF.” (end of description)

Besides from the obvious spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, what does this seller’s posting tell us? Is this a Dali or not? Well, if he isn’t sure, how can we be? I rarely see a title that ends with a question mark, so that’s troubling in itself. You can be certain he’s no art expert because he even says so. Therefore, why should you buy from him versus an art gallery or dealer? The fact that the starting bid is listed at $9.99 should be a dead giveaway. It’s a cheap piece and well worth ten bucks, for the frame alone. Heck, I’d buy it for that reason, but for no other. And remember his “no return” policy. That’s rather common among art sellers that are pushing something of little or no value without any letters of authenticity.

As of this writing, there are no bids with 3 days left. Small wonder. By the way, Dali’s are some of the most faked prints around and very hard to verify. But there are legitimate publishers and dealers with proper certificates available. What have you learned form this example? Perhaps that all is not as it seems. Beware of copy that is full of terms like, “in I have no idea, I don’t do returns, it looks like an original and I am not an expert.” Also watch for out for very low prices and a total lack of paperwork. That’s not to say there aren’t terrific deals online, but you need to do your due diligence and research first so that you don’t get taken to the cleaners. I’ll have other examples in future articles, but for now, class dismissed.

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years.
He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master’s Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, “Pursuit of the
Phoenix.” His latest book is, “Inside the Yellow Pages” which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com Currently, he is the Marketing Director for http://www.thenurseschoice.com a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.