Chinese sword for comments

VANDOO · 1st June 2006, 05:33 PM

I WOULD NOT BUY FROM EBAY DEALERS FROM CHINA AS IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL ANYTHING 100 YEARS OR OLDER. THE PENALTYS FOR GETTING CAUGHT SELLING REAL 100 YEAR OLD THINGS IN CHINA IS FATAL OR WORSE, SO IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THEY WOULD TAKE THE RISK. THE SALE OF REPLICAS AS OLD ANTIQUES IS ENCOURAGED AND COMMON SO THE CHANCE OF GETTING A GOOD OLD SWORD ARE ALMOST AS GOOD AS WINNING THE LOTTERY. SOME OF THE REPLICAS ARE WORTH HAVING DUE TO GOOD WORKMANSHIP BUT OTHER MORE RECENT ONES ARE VERY POORLY MADE. I USED TO BUY SOME THINGS FROM CHINA AS THEIR ART AND CRAFTSMANSHIP IS OF GOOD QUALITY AND WAS A GOOD VALUE ON EBAY A FEW YEARS AGO. BUT THEY STARTED CHARGEING A VERY HIGH SHIPPING AND HANDELING FEE ON EVERYTHING MAKEING THEM TOO EXPENSIVE SO I STOPPED BUYING ANYTHING FROM CHINA ON EBAY.

I WOULD FIND A GOOD DEALER OR ONLY BID ON EBAY ITEMS FROM CHINA COMING FROM COUNTRIES OTHER THAN CHINA. BUT BEWARE AS SOME DEALERS FROM OTHER COUNTRYS BUY IT FROM CHINA AND RESELL IT ON EBAY AND YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING FROM CHINA. . SO LOOK AT THE SELLERS FEEDBACK MAKE SURE THE PICTURES ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO SEE AND IF THEY LOOK LIKE THE SAME TYPE OF STUFF COMING OUT OF CHINA AVOID THEM. THE SAFEST WAY TO GET SOMETHING YOU LIKE IS TO BUY FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER. GOOD LUCK

IainN · 1st June 2006, 07:15 PM

Let me just sum up the actual regulations for exporting antiques for China as is my understanding of the situation.

An antique is defined by the Chinese government as made before 1949. Anything dated before 1795 is illegal for export. Period. To export something dated between 1795-1949 requires two things. A Certificate for Relics Export from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau, and a red wax seal will be fixed to the item. Usually government stores are set up to provide the paperwork etc... Items without the proper seal and paperwork will be seized by Chinese customs.

I have seen a few Chinese ebayers with purported photos of an export license in their listings which is claimed to allow them to export antiques and is used to try and create a sense of authenticity. This means NOTHING, what you need is that wax seal and the export papers specific to the item.

I suppose it is possible for something genuine to come from a private Chinese seller and clear customs by shear luck, but who wants to take the chance.

1st June 2006, 05:33 PM	#1
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	I WOULD NOT BUY FROM EBAY DEALERS FROM CHINA AS IT IS ILLEGAL TO SELL ANYTHING 100 YEARS OR OLDER. THE PENALTYS FOR GETTING CAUGHT SELLING REAL 100 YEAR OLD THINGS IN CHINA IS FATAL OR WORSE, SO IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THEY WOULD TAKE THE RISK. THE SALE OF REPLICAS AS OLD ANTIQUES IS ENCOURAGED AND COMMON SO THE CHANCE OF GETTING A GOOD OLD SWORD ARE ALMOST AS GOOD AS WINNING THE LOTTERY. SOME OF THE REPLICAS ARE WORTH HAVING DUE TO GOOD WORKMANSHIP BUT OTHER MORE RECENT ONES ARE VERY POORLY MADE. I USED TO BUY SOME THINGS FROM CHINA AS THEIR ART AND CRAFTSMANSHIP IS OF GOOD QUALITY AND WAS A GOOD VALUE ON EBAY A FEW YEARS AGO. BUT THEY STARTED CHARGEING A VERY HIGH SHIPPING AND HANDELING FEE ON EVERYTHING MAKEING THEM TOO EXPENSIVE SO I STOPPED BUYING ANYTHING FROM CHINA ON EBAY. I WOULD FIND A GOOD DEALER OR ONLY BID ON EBAY ITEMS FROM CHINA COMING FROM COUNTRIES OTHER THAN CHINA. BUT BEWARE AS SOME DEALERS FROM OTHER COUNTRYS BUY IT FROM CHINA AND RESELL IT ON EBAY AND YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY SHIPPING FROM CHINA. . SO LOOK AT THE SELLERS FEEDBACK MAKE SURE THE PICTURES ARE GOOD ENOUGH TO SEE AND IF THEY LOOK LIKE THE SAME TYPE OF STUFF COMING OUT OF CHINA AVOID THEM. THE SAFEST WAY TO GET SOMETHING YOU LIKE IS TO BUY FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER. GOOD LUCK

1st June 2006, 07:15 PM	#2
IainN Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 31	Let me just sum up the actual regulations for exporting antiques for China as is my understanding of the situation. An antique is defined by the Chinese government as made before 1949. Anything dated before 1795 is illegal for export. Period. To export something dated between 1795-1949 requires two things. A Certificate for Relics Export from the Beijing Cultural Relics Bureau, and a red wax seal will be fixed to the item. Usually government stores are set up to provide the paperwork etc... Items without the proper seal and paperwork will be seized by Chinese customs. I have seen a few Chinese ebayers with purported photos of an export license in their listings which is claimed to allow them to export antiques and is used to try and create a sense of authenticity. This means NOTHING, what you need is that wax seal and the export papers specific to the item. I suppose it is possible for something genuine to come from a private Chinese seller and clear customs by shear luck, but who wants to take the chance.