Beware Online!

It’s easy to think that you can trust what you find online. However, always bear in mind that the information you read there may well be misleading, or just plain wrong. Never has the familiar auction term ‘caveat emptor’, or ‘buyer beware’, been more applicable.
The internet is open to everyone to post information – and also their opinions and beliefs, regardless of what they’re founded on. It goes without saying that some people are more knowledgeable and reliable than others.
As an example, I spotted this vase on eBay last night. Described by the seller as being Murano glass, it has a 1960-70s foil label on the base to prove it. But that’s wrong. It is, in fact, a 1980s Isle of Wight Studio Glass Azurene range small Lollipop vase, in the hard-to-find ‘Azure’ colour. As to how the Murano label got there is anyone’s guess.
I’m certainly not saying that the vendor (who has thousands of positive feedback ratings) intends to mislead or deceive but it’s not what it the label says it is! The interesting thing is that if it was catalogued correctly, the seller would almost certainly sell it, even if he didn’t quite reach his £150 + P&P asking price.

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