eBay "liquidated" my antique blade!

[adamb]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hello Adam,

I woke up at 4 a.m., took a look at this thread, and was deeply shocked when I saw the auction photos you posted. I am quite certain that you knew full well that both the hilt and the foot of the scabbard are made of some variety of ivory.
Even if the keris had somehow managed to leave the USA by some fluke, it would almost certainly have been confiscated by Australian customs. It wasn't for nothing that I posted the attached thread; you could have known that this was a gamble. Incidentally, the seller also violated eBay's rules.
I couldn't find any other words this morning—sorry. It wasn't meant to be rude! I am sorry that you perceived my words as rude, but I am a person who speaks plainly.

Best regards,
Detlef

I am not interested your sorry-not-sorry apology, just an explanation as to how one would go about applying for a CITES permit through the relevant authorities in both the US and Australia when the materials in question are unidentified.

"I am quite certain that you knew full well that both the hilt and the foot of the scabbard are made of some variety of ivory."

You are quite wrong: I have seen components that, based on the (usually poor) online images, look very much like ivory (these are Australian auctions I'm talking about) that turn out to be modern resin.