The great majority of transactions are made in good faith between honest sellers and earnest buyers, but cracks have appeared in the iconic company's auction model. Quality controls, human interventions, built-in safeguards, or any other filtering mechanisms are virtually nonexistent when it comes to preventing spurious sales from appearing online. Anyone can attempt to sell anything on eBay in spite of the site's regulations. Unless bidders notify eBay authorities in time, these sales can and do progress to completion and no one's the wiser.
Problems are particularly evident with higher priced art, antiques, and collectibles.
Seasoned dealers and collectors know how to spot and avoid questionable pieces, but unsuspecting and inexperienced buyers who think that this is all fun and games and maybe even an occasional bargain thrown in are the ones who get victimized. Back in the old days before the internet, sellers had to appear in person alongside their merchandise. They sold by conventional means like offering to dealers, advertising in the classifieds, consigning to auctions, having house or yard sales, or setting up at flea markets. Regardless of the methods they chose, buyers almost always knew who they were, what they looked like, what their reputations were, and how to contact them. Higher priced items rarely changed hands without first being inspected and evaluated by experienced professionals like dealers, collectors, appraisers, and auctioneers.