COLLECTORS EXPERIENCE IN BUYING WASHED BANKNOTES FROM SINGAPORE ON EBAY
RHODESIA 5 POUNDS PICK 26 SOLD AS UNCIRCULATED BUT A WASHED NOTE* SEE BELOW
*SOLD ON EBAY BY anneqkcollection* (ERIC HUANG CHUNMING) 27TH OCTOBER 2008.*name has since changed
I had won a banknote from Rhodesia on EBay; the next day an email I received says take care, many banknotes ,especially those from dealers in Singapore, are washed or chemically cleaned. They are often hermetically sealed in plastic covers to exclude air to prevent deterioration and to make it difficult to retrieve the notes for closer examination. A simple check exists to determine whether a note has been cleaned. Examine under an ultra violet lamp, or bright light the washing becomes clearly visible
RHODESIA 5 POUNDS SHOWN ABOVE SHOWN UNDER UV LIGHT
Note the white blotches along the borders indicating washing or chemical cleaning. Washing or cleaning a note to improve its grade without disclosing it to the purchaser is clearly dishonest. This does not stop several dealers based in Singapore to continue to sell washed notes on eBay, and to continue to fail to disclose a note is washed in the product description. Retrieval of money even though the purchase was done through PayPal is a tedious and frustrating experience. So buyer beware!
When buying watch out for:
-No grade given, says buy as is, see the scans rather than using the accepted UNC, EF, VF, designations
-No return policy identified
-Private listings (provides more room for collusion between the bidders)
-banknotes from Singapore
-in sealed airtight plastic cover
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EBAY COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE FOR BANKNOTES