We all know that many&many talented artists like Cesar Buenaventura exist
In the PH, but they have been used for decades by auction houses and galleries and
Others to run SCAM for decades: Leon Galley and others created scams where they
Participated, organized and controlled counterfeit art of Cesar Buenaventura using his
Fake art as REAL, auctioning it, controlling the price and the supply.
On July 17 a Market Scene was auctioned 93% above mid-estimated dated 1983 the year
The artist passed away...?
Reed Antiquers Verybred's comment is attached,
While there are certainly similarities, I don't immediately see that these are by the same artist. There are enough differences stylistically to cause some pause. The signatures do look similar but also have some differences. (Cited from: https://www.antiquers.com/threads/help-with-siggy-on-fighting-$#*!-painting.7653/page-2?fbclid=IwAR0BrlQlqYWHiIZuFReHzU5fWxWi95zVk7YyPeRa1Qt0aasU3GMVy0wTmpQ
Help With Siggy On Fighting $#*! Painting | Page 2 | Antiques Board
Found this one more similar to yours that was attributed to Ceasar Buenaventura but, again, it doesn't quite match stylistically. The signature, again, is a bit different.
www.antiquers.com)
Why-why we paid for a real painting of Cesar Buenaventura 400 US Dollars 40 years ago and no appreciation Why, bustards!
Bidders should read every auctions TERMS AND CONDITIONS PRIOR TO REGISTERING AND BIDDING!
I am an auctioneer and will answer some of these complaints.
1) Shipping is a CONVENIENCE provided to the bidders by an auction house. Many auctioneers will not even touch shipping. They will either flat out refuse or some will send to a 3rd party company like UPS Stores. If an auction house ships, you should expect to pay a small boxing fee, postage cost to cover Priority Mail INSURED. This is why shipping is expensive. Read the Terms and Cobditions.!
2) Buyers Premiums:. When you attend an on-site auction that doesn't have a bidding option via online auction hosting platforms (Invaluable, Auction Zip, Live Auctioneers, etc), premiums are usually around 10-15%.
When you have an ONLINE BIDDING OPTION, the auctioneer has invested in photography and editing, lot descriptions, estimates, condition, and other fees such as premiums paid to the auction platform in addition to the expensive listing fee.
Lots you lost:. Many auctioneers list the same auction on multiple online platforms. If it's also being held live in an auction house, you have serious competition because those bidders took the time to attend in person. They can also touch and hold an item and you can't.
Why you didn't get approved to bid: perhaps you registered too late or your registration is incomplete (most often bad phon numbers and no credit card verification).
You may also have a strike(s) against your account that auctioneers around the world can see. If you fail to pay within the time stated in the Terms and Conditions, if you fail to pay, if you do not reply, if you fail to complete the sale... It's a little emoji type of icon next to your name. It lists all your strikes.
EBay is not Invaluable, Live Auctioneers, Auction Zip, etc. Bidders think every platform is eBay. It isn't. The platforms above are real auction houses that auction for a living and offer many lots per sale. They are not resellers scouring Goodwill to sell some items on eBay.
Why your bid was not accepted:. The auctioneer may have seen another bid before yours. Waiting until the last second is not the way to bid on these platforms. The auction is happening quickly and there is a lag on the internet. Bid your maximum amount and leave it. Auctioneers never see your max bid amounts. They are private. Another reason is there was a reserve on that item and it didn't reach the reserve price. Only auctions that clearly state "ABSOLUTE AUCTION" ARE REQUIRED TO SELL EVERYTHING IN THE SALE REGARDLESS OF BID PRICE.
You should also be aware that not all states require auctioneers to have a license. Wow is you who buy from unlicensed auctioneers
Finally, bidding on online auctions is a CONVENIENCE the auctioneer has offered the public. Period. The platforms themselves are just the software host and are not like eBay where a buyer can complain and return anything at anytime.
Always read the Terms and Conditions of the auction before you bid. By registering, you are entering into a contractual agreement. Bidders can find themselves in legal trouble when bidding and not paying once you reach a certain dollar value. Laws everywhere protect people from scamming them.
Finally, Buyer Beware. The photos and descriptions are there to help you make an educated decision based upon your own experience. Expecting an auctioneer to be a certified expert in anything other than auctioning is your issue.
I purchased about $2086 in autographed sports items at ridiculously great prices. All items were told to have a "Certified COA". That COA is a company that has been busted for selling Fraudulent items known as GAA. I spent $1100 at JSA to certify & all failed. The Owner is not Randy. It's Tom using Dave Steed's email. As shady of a company as every. I sent all items back with letters of rejection and was called and told he'd make it right for the kids. I got Yankee stuff including a Framed Mickey Mantle picture with a COA from InPersonAuthentication. Problem is the number was a different item. I contacted him and he said more items were on the way but his truck broke down. Same truck has been broken down for months. It's completely shady and corrupt business practice and Invaluable did nothing about it. Still allows him to do business.
Horrible, abusive company. Alloes sellers to sell fakes. Offers NO BUYER PROTECTION. STAY AWAY! CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Fist I want to make it clear that there are good, reputable auction houses using Invaluable- Like ebay and other auction sites, it is made up of hundreds of sellers, each of them different. HOWEVER, Invaluable itself has customer service problems when dealing with the buyers and they do very little to vet who is using their service. If you are using them simply to bid on your favorite local auction house's items from the comfort of home, you'll be fine. But if you are bidding from far away & need your items transported, you have a good chance of being scammed. I have had a few good experiences there, even shipping the stuff from far away, but the two bad ones and Invaluable's response was enough to scare me. One auction house would not run my creditcard through the site and insisted on taking my creditcard information over the phone, from a foreign country- that set off red flags, so I canceled & didn't pay, for which I got a ridiculous "dispute" that I ignored, like any other cautious internet shopper. Flash forward a couple of years, and I got an even worse seller- Bruneau Auction- who gives you the names of two firms to pack & ship your items if you win, but those firms are like phantoms and never respond. I'm not sure they were even real businesses. But the user Bruneau, through Invaluable's site, claims that you have to pay them anyhow, because you agreed to a contract and won the bid. This is actually illegal. It's like the wild west days of ebay 10-15 years ago where buyer's could be lured by conflicting auction terms and unenforceable "contracts" into paying for something they'll never receive. I asked Bruneau to simply contact the shippers for me, since they didn't respond to me, but they must have used them many times and been in contact with them, and they completely ignored me and kept trying to get me to pay, without any hope of ever receiving anything. It was severe, sleazy used-car-salesman tactics, and it's really odd that no one at Bruneau would even address the possibility of calling or emailing the shippers they advertised. ALL of the correspondence was "it's a contract, just pay it" to paraphrase. Invaluable customer support was aware of this and never did anything to help me at all. Once again I got "disputes" for this on my Invaluable account and no way of removing them. Again like any savvy internet shopper, I ignored the disputes from the shady auction houses & kept on shopping, until one day I didn't get an invoice from the last auction I won, so all of a sudden I get a notice from Invaluable that my account was suspended for having too many unpaid items! Not only that but they said I have to pay for the items through their site but I can't log onto their site to pay. My jaw hit the floor. They clearly do not care about the buyers at all, and Invaluable does nothing to ensure that the auction houses you are buying from on their site are honest or trustworthy. Buyer support needs a serious overhaul.
The following is an email that I sent to Artfact the sister company of Invaluable in which I had sent several times without even a response;
To whom it may concern,
I have been a member of Invaluable for about 2 years now and along with access to your database of past auction results, I use the on-line bidding feature on a daily basis. I am grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me as it has helped me financially by purchasing items for resale. However, it does not come without a cost. I don't mean the regular fees associated with on-line bidding and buyers premiums. I am talking about your member auction houses taking advantage of on-line buyers because they cannot see the items in which they are bidding, in person. We have to rely on honesty from these auction houses and I must report that that honesty is a very gray area. Most of these companies have an area of "Small Print" in their on-line bidding contract that states they are not responsible for the condition of items and that it is our responsibility to ask if an item is damaged in any way. By doing this, it becomes a clever numbers game for that auction house where a certain percentage of Invaluable on-line bidders might not ask if a valuable item has a crack or a dent that is conveniently not photographed or disclosed in the item description. I know first hand of these practices as I myself have suffered losses due to such practices. I am a power seller on EBay where there is a well oiled system in place to protect buyers, more so than the seller. It is not only my duty as a seller on EBay to disclose each and every detail concerning condition in my listings, it is a matter of my being ably to continue the privilege of being able to use the valuable services that EBay offers me as a seller. In fact my membership depends on it and could be in jeopardy.
This is the third time in several months that I am writing to Invaluable with these concerns and have yet to receive a response from anyone. I was once told about a year ago that basically it is not Invaluable responsibility as Invaluable is only a liaison. I must inform you that if this continues on a large scale which it will, you will find out eventually that it is your responsibility because you could have done something about it. Like myself as an Invaluable member bidder, These auction houses are also members that Invaluable provides a valuable service in which they greatly rely upon. If you do not currently have rules in place to protect the buyers who use your service, then I believe it to be in every ones best interest to implement some changes in policy. In the long run, and I mean long because your service is so wonderful, I believe that Invaluable will be around for a long time, "it will pay off". Why, because morally, its the right thing to do. All I am asking is that member Auction houses be required to disclose proper condition reports in their listings if they want to continue to use the services of Invaluable and Art fact.
If you would like, I would be happy to consult with Invaluable concerning these serious matters and help in any way I can.