Our Two Cents Worth
By Don Seamans

When is enough -enough ?  Quit playing the "Musical shipping charges Game."
 
In the buying- selling World, there seems to be the time honored practice of "Buyer Beware"  This amounts to an open invitation for the seller to shaft  the buyer.
An example would be : Buyer wants to buy an artifact that is advertised as guaranteed authentic, or your money back, for any reason, with a 14 day return privilege, and extra time if needed for authentication.  This sounds really good, doesn't it ?
But actually the buyer is being set up for a lot of expense when he sends the artifact to an authenticator. 
Here is the way I believe this transaction should go to avoid all this expense for the buyer : Yes, I would like to buy your point, but I will not except any "in my opinion" COA, but if you will send the point to an Infrared Laser Spectrographic Authentcator, of my choice and receive a COA from him, I will buy the point at the agreed price and pay all shipping and Insurance costs(unless agreed other wise), and the cost of authenticating.  This will cut out the game we have all played and hated--the shipping charges game on a bad point, and the Killing fee for the point, both are a loss for the buyer, and not the seller, who is claiming that the point is good.  This would make the seller responsible for all the expenses if the point was bad, and not the buyer. 
It would also cover the seller if the point was good, and he would be  reimbursed for the shipping and authenticating.
Think about this : If you ship a point to an "opinion authenticator" you pay for the shipping to him, and his Fee, either way, good or bad, and the return shipping.  If you add all the shipping both ways, and the the Authentication or Kill Fee, it does not  make $75.00 for a Laser tested point sound so bad.  The way it is now, the buyer is the the one it costs a lot money if the point is no good.
And if the point is good, and a Laser COA is issued, then you have for sure an authentic piece of History for your collection, and peace of mind that your collection is authentic.
Of course every one would need to use this system, and stick to their guns, to make the change, but it can be done.  This will also help clean up phony stuff being sent off to the authenticators, because the seller better be sure his stuff is good  before he sends it or it can cost him money.
And the terrific thing is that the Infrared Laser cannot be fooled by anything the artifakers can try.