Recently we have seen everything from 1960’s jelly glasses sporting cartoon characters to ladies white nylon slips from the 1980’s being described as ‘Rare’. Statements to lend credence to the applicability of the term are sometimes made. Such as, “I couldn’t find another piece like this ANYWHERE on the internet!” or “None of the china matching services carry these plates.”

We have noticed that many Internet shops dealing in furniture and bulky item sales state only, "…buyer responsible for pickup…" in the item listing. And they give no clue anywhere as to how this might be accomplished, which makes us wonder if they really wanted to sell the item?

Before safe, reliable central heating units were commonly installed in homes, coal and wood burned in stoves and fireplaces were the norm for comfort in winter. But staying warm into the wee hours of the morning, as fires turned to ashes, meant having a bed that was well appointed for the task. Even wealthy families with servants to lay and feed the household fires for them, depended on their beds to keep them warm and carry them safely through the night.

As described in a previous article on this topic, "Preventing False Item Substitution: Part One – Your Photos," illustrating specifics about an item with multiple photos is the primary way you can protect yourself from return item substitutions. There are others ways to prevent fraud which when combined with good quality photos can reduce your risk even more.

Many experienced collectors and dealers of pottery say it is important to not only research the mark or backstamp but to consider the shape, decoration, and type of ware as well, before coming to a definitive conclusion as to maker.

Often, new Internet shop owners are concerned that unscrupulous buyers will purchase an item, and then under false pretenses return the item, and once it arrives the shop owner discovers the item is not the item they sold and shipped. More experienced online dealers have stated they feel the old ‘switcheroo’ scam is actually an urban legend and that it doesn't’t really occur, because it has never happened to them.

Collectors of antique photography can find the Internet a particularly fertile, and sometimes frustrating, place to shop. This is because many sellers have no idea by what photographic process the photo they are selling might have been made or what to call it. And because some sellers are not familiar with the characteristics used to identify each type of image, they may call a daguerreotype an ambrotype, or vice versa.

When reading item descriptions in some online antique and collectibles shops, the age or authenticity of items sometimes appears to be based on the age of the person from whose estate it was acquired, or the length of time that person had been collecting.