eBay Fakes Devalue the Craft of Tomb Robbing

James McP writes "According to an article on Archaeology, fake artifacts being sold on eBay have caused the bottom to drop out of the low-end artifact market. This outcome is exactly opposite to what archeologists feared would happen when eBay came on the scene. A side effect of more and more forgers getting in on the act has been a dramatic increase in high-quality fakes that can fool experts and illicit collectors alike, lowering the price for high-end artifacts as well. It's a lot less cost-effective to go tomb raiding than to make your own fakes, especially since selling fake artifacts isn't really illegal."

fake or not?

[Anonymous Coward]

So wait. Are you telling me that Lara Croft's are fake?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw

[Dachannien]

"eBay Fakes Devalue Lara Croft of Tomb Raiding"

Re:fake or not?

[UnknowingFool]

Well her guns are USP 9mm, and the variants of the USP are used by the German military. However, the extended barrels and weighted match are only used in competition shooting and never . . . oh you mean her other guns. Definitely fake.

Re:Disagree in part!

[AvitarX]

But it is not "really" illegal.

Just as stealing $5.00 out of your girlfriends wallet may be illegal, but selling drugs to schoolchildren is "really illegal".

My fake auctions suffer

[SnarfQuest]

I sell fake artifacts for the fake ebay artifact auctions, and have noticed this. I used to get three times as much for my fake artifacts (with aged certificate of authenticy). Because of this, I now write "This Artifact is Fake, Hoser" in the appropriate runes on each one I produce. They still sell well, and noone has caught on yet.

Shrubberies

[Ukab the Great]

I wondered that original Holy Grail I bought of eBay was so gosh-darned cheap.

Re:Not Illegal But Definitely Misleading

[SatanicPuppy]

Heh. It's like Ms. California's boobs(psfw) [krmg.com]...Real, but not natural.

Well, my Egyptian Mummy is authentic . . .

[PolygamousRanchKid]

I know, because he often rises from the dead in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping. He then proceeds to drink my beer, eat my chips and generally make a mess of the apartment.

He seems to have a penchant for microwave burritos as well. I can't remember any references to burritos in the Bible's chapter of "Exodus."

And he has been downloading porn on my computer, as well. Mummies seem to be into some weird kink. I'm kind of glad that I can't read Hieroglyphics . . . that's probably some nasty stuff that scholars have mistranslated.

If he was not such a valuable archeological artifact, I probably would have tossed the bastard.

Re:Shrubberies

[ArsonSmith]

cover your self with a wet bed sheet (for safety) then light the crosses on fire.

Ok

[Locke2005]

So, the way to wipe out the illegal stealing and smuggling of ancient relics is to flood the market with cheap fakes. What other areas of unlawful exploitation can this principle be applied to? Drugs? Child porn? Bootleg music and movies? I believe flooding the prostitution market with fake girls has already been tried, but it hasn't been too successful at curbing demand.

Failed oportunity

[pavon]

This headline totally should have been:
eBay Fakes Lower Craft of Tomb Raiding.

Re:Shrubberies

[Arancaytar]

I'm sure that among my ten skulls of Leonardo da Vinci, there is at least one fake. If only I knew which one.

Re:Disagree in part!

[Tanktalus]

What if you steal the drugs from your girlfriend's wallet and sell THAT to schoolchildren?

How about selling your GF to schoolkids for drugs?

[SmallFurryCreature]

Why think so small?

Re:Not Illegal But Definitely Misleading

[ZarathustraDK]

Windows Genuine Advantage?

Re:Not Illegal But Definitely Misleading

[elrous0]

Fake artifacts?!?!? Back in *my* day, grave robbers had ethics!

Re:Not another Lara Croft comment, I promise

[Sinter]

Where's +1 "Indiana Jones" when you need it?

Won't someone please think of the tomb raiders

[Capt.DrumkenBum]

Think of all the hard working honest tomb raiders hacking their way through a jungle somewhere so that you can have your trinket from some dead culture collecting dust on your mantle.

Re:Well, my Egyptian Mummy is authentic . . .

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't remember any references to burritos in the Bible's chapter of "Exodus."

Exodus 16:14-16:21 [biblegateway.com]

Re:Not Illegal But Definitely Misleading

[Jane Q. Public]

I was talking to a model once, and had to ask: "Are those things real?"

She said, "They had better be, considering how much they cost!"