Spectacular Kilij!!!

[ALEX]

Originally Posted by Bill Marsh

Something in ths auction does not pass the "Nose Test." Just smells wrong!
...However I was just given some incredibly bad advice from a Curator of Arfican Arts on the purchase of a few African items, so I am not in a trustng mood.

Very Well Said about the "Nose" test Bill. In addition, these swords are Way more expensive in Russia/Ukraine than elsewhere, and will sell for much more without any problems, so why would one list it without even any reserve?Enough said.

Sorry about your African items. This is why I like wootz so much, no surprises here.

[ausjulius]

Originally Posted by ALEX

Very Well Said about the "Nose" test Bill. In addition, these swords are Way more expensive in Russia/Ukraine than elsewhere, and will sell for much more without any problems, so why would one list it without even any reserve?Enough said.

Sorry about your African items. This is why I like wootz so much, no surprises here.

, hmm yes i would say , no matter how bad you want the swor, if it is listed from russia or the ukrain or belarus dont buy it,
1 , it is illegal to send them in the post anyway, as in these areas there is a law against sending edged items in the post,
so if found it can be taken by the state,

2, these items sell for as much as 2 x the price in russia than for wha they do in the rest of the world, . so it makes no sence that a owner would list it on ebay,
he coulld sell it to a collector for a good price in the country, and wouldnt have to worry about having the money taxed when he receved it (incoming money is harsly taxed, dosnt matter how you get it.. , if you arnt a businness and are getting money from anohter country the government wants some)

even in islolated places , like dagestan , ther eis in the large cities many big well stocked antique shops selling all manner of bulat bladed anrique arms, old flintlock postolr sheilds , ect ect, and mostly for rather high prioces, as ther eis a good market of collectors even in out of the way places,
dont buy these thigns, yes maybe if you come to russia it is good, see the thing and buy it, but no over the internet, there is a 100% chance that is a scam

[ALEX]

Ausjulius,
Thank you for sharing the information with us. It confirms what I heard from several other Russian and Dagestani dealers and collectors. Particularly, taking an antique Russian sword into Russia is no problem, and even encouraged, BUT taking it out by any means is very difficult.. and expensive on and under the table:-)

[ausjulius]

yeah, no kidding they pay 500$ or so for the soviet military shashkas :S...
and a good condition caucascian shashka,, no a folded or bulat bladed one, will cost 800 or more, .. 1000, for a bulat one the prices are interesting, if it is in condition, supply and demand i guess,
it swith all such things, like bayonets, military issue knives , ect ect, russians pay big prices for german trench knives and russian zik military knvies and such , in russia there is a large amount of nazi dress daggers and such, but still the price for such things is high,
same with all other military swords,
guess lots of people after such things,
even russians will buy shashkas and such in the west and bring them back home, as most of the time the price is lower,

id not trust any russian selling a sword or any old weapon on ebay, hes either a fool and knows nothing of these things (very unlikely) or hes a fraud...
sorry to say it..
then ofcrose also there is the laws........ :S.. knives and swords and such ,

[ariel]

Well, boys, here is another one: gorgeous Russian "Klych", sold for peanuts.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=160114907693
And, surprise, surprise, it was sleeping all these years in Kiev, Ukraine.
Who is willing to bet a dollar that the lucky buyer will actually get it?
Any takers?
But what is interesting is the feedback record: very respectable, but quiet since 2002. The comments of the seller in the feedback section were in colloquial English. In contrast, description of the "sabre" is stilted and illiterate. In the past, the seller sold a lot of furniture, this time it is only swords. A question: is it possible for a faker to kidnap a dormant e-bay account ?

[Rick]

If you can imagine it Ariel it is probably possible.

[RobT]

Hi all,
Perhaps kidnapping isn't necessary. I imagine that a respectable account of a retiring or deceased seller would have market value in much the same way that a well regarded brand or company name does. So a seller (or the dead seller's relatives) could sell the account name. This sort of thing goes on all the time with brand and company names in the brick and mortar world. I wouldn't be surprised to see it become a common practice on the internet...if it isn't already. If ebay is lax in investigating and shutting down sites that commit the kind of fraud discussed in this thread, a respectable account would be especially valuable to con artists.
Sincerely,
RobT