Many veteran dealer's long list of pet peeves includes the common mis-use of terms. I could blog, and blog, and blog about various terms being mis-used. "Fumed Oak" is one that, for some reason, seems to really "get in my craw"...(whatever that means!)
The terms RARE and ONE OF A KIND (also even more misused is the term in its popular abbreviation OOAK) are two that get tossed around a fair bit, and the majority of what you see posted on websites like eBay tend to be neither rare, nor one of a kind, despite the sellers proclaiming that.
We all make mistakes. Some make more than others. However, research is part of this game, so if you don't do your research and you arbitrarily declare something is "rare", you list it on eBay as such, and when you do a search fr the item, yours appears amongst 3247 identical 1995 McDonald Happy Meal toys...well, then you're just an idiot.
If there are only 2 others, and they don't have the same color combo yours does...well, we can excuse that.
I do, however, suggest you change "Rare" to "Scarce" or "hard to find".
If you had put ONE OF A KIND on your listing...well, then you are just a complete, moronic idiot.
If you know that yours is the prototype for those pieces, and can prove it is the one and only one ever produced, OK, then "One Of A Kind" is warranted......slap "OOAK" all over the place at your hearts content. If they made 2 prototypes, and they are identical....slap OOAK anywhere...then I get to slap YOU.
We can not really lay the blame so much at all those sellers' feet, though. As I recall, I remember when eBay actually SUGGESTED you use those very terms! I remember shaking my head when I saw the suggestion of using "RARE" (among other terms not really applicable to most items sold on eBay)....seems to me it came up mainly when you were re-listing an item. Not sure if they do still, they might have finally nixed that little bit of "advice."
Anyway, instead of me going on and on...I suggest you check out this article on Worthpoint.com, as it covers the bases!
Happy picking!
The terms RARE and ONE OF A KIND (also even more misused is the term in its popular abbreviation OOAK) are two that get tossed around a fair bit, and the majority of what you see posted on websites like eBay tend to be neither rare, nor one of a kind, despite the sellers proclaiming that.
We all make mistakes. Some make more than others. However, research is part of this game, so if you don't do your research and you arbitrarily declare something is "rare", you list it on eBay as such, and when you do a search fr the item, yours appears amongst 3247 identical 1995 McDonald Happy Meal toys...well, then you're just an idiot.
If there are only 2 others, and they don't have the same color combo yours does...well, we can excuse that.
I do, however, suggest you change "Rare" to "Scarce" or "hard to find".
If you had put ONE OF A KIND on your listing...well, then you are just a complete, moronic idiot.
If you know that yours is the prototype for those pieces, and can prove it is the one and only one ever produced, OK, then "One Of A Kind" is warranted......slap "OOAK" all over the place at your hearts content. If they made 2 prototypes, and they are identical....slap OOAK anywhere...then I get to slap YOU.
We can not really lay the blame so much at all those sellers' feet, though. As I recall, I remember when eBay actually SUGGESTED you use those very terms! I remember shaking my head when I saw the suggestion of using "RARE" (among other terms not really applicable to most items sold on eBay)....seems to me it came up mainly when you were re-listing an item. Not sure if they do still, they might have finally nixed that little bit of "advice."
Anyway, instead of me going on and on...I suggest you check out this article on Worthpoint.com, as it covers the bases!
Happy picking!
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