Posted by Louise Rogers on Mon, Jan 16, 2012 @ 02:58 PM
If you collect Trollbeads and haven't yet checked out the most positive gathering place for Trollies...Trollbeads Gallery Forum you are missing something. Put in the most simplistic terms it is an online dialog for Trollbeads collectors to learn all things about Trollbeads and to converse with other Trollbeads collectors from all over the world.
This forum is going into its third year this spring and we are nearing 3000 members and we have over 17,000 photographs of our member's Trollbeads collections. What better way to find out about a brand then to hear it from the hundreds of collectors? The environment is one based on friendship, honorable dealings (if you venture on to our swap group) and a deeply routed interest in Trollbeads.
Our members are collectors of all kinds. Some members just like retired Trollbeads, some just want one bracelet although that is rare and then there are some who have dozens of bracelets and who would sell their mother to get more! With joking aside we are a group of Trollbeads fanatics who want to share (with anyone!) our love and interest in Trollbeads. Below I have written about our gatherings and will be writing more interesting forum aspects on the other features in future blogs. If you would like to write about your experience on the forum please write a story and I will publish it here as a guest blog.
Gatherings: Since its inception Trollbeads Gallery Forum has been the conduit between many "meetings" large and small taking place all over the world. Many members in the U.S. will plan a meeting place, usually at a local dealers, and meet and greet the friends thay have had on-line for a long time in person for the first time. As a dealer and as the forum's founder I have hosted 2 Trollbeads Fests during the last two autumns here in Massachusetts with notable guests from the People's Bead Award winners to Trollbeads designers from Denmark to the CEO if Trollbeads Worldwide, Peter Aagaard. Each year at out gathering based aournd our forums membership, we display our Trollbeads Museum which has many of the retired Trollbeads from years past and that are now hard to find. Every chance we get we love to learn more about the history and we love to share [our knowledge at these gatherings. In the photo above you will see me (the shortest in the front row) in Copenhagen, Denmark at a gathering of the forum's members when I traveled there in early December 2011. They were wonderful to me and treated me to lunch and to a fun group of Troll type gifts. It was an amazing day for me and as you can see from the back row Soren, the original Trollbeads silver bead designer joined at the Tivoli Trollbeads store. If you are a member have you planned your next gathering? We will be releasing information on Trollbeads Fest! 2012 soon so check the site in a little bit. Trollbeads Fest
Thank you for reading our blog! Louise Rogers
Posted by Louise Rogers on Fri, Jan 13, 2012 @ 01:52 PM
What is Standard Trollbeads With a Twist?
Sometime last year I created a new category on Trollbeads Gallery entitled "Trollbeads With a Twist" and while it's been a quiet category it is also hard to keep Trollbeads on there for long before they are snapped up. Recently a forum (not my own "Trollbeads Gallery Forum") mentioned our Twist Trollbeads and I have received a few emails asking me what they are. So with this blog I can offer a definition for people to come and read.
They are just what they are called, standard in-line glass or stone Trollbeads with a twist or something that makes them unique from what the average in-line bead is supposed to look like. For me it is a labor of love as I have to sort through all the Trollbeads that come in then photograph them and then process the photo through photoshop and then spend the time listing them...all for the same price as the bead is if you were to buy it sight unseen on the website. There are 2 definate pluses for my customers when I can sell like this. First a website buyer is usally only able to buy sight unseen as the beads all pretty much look similar and with the twist category they are buying the bead that is photographed which is similar to the Unique Trollbeads listings where I list 1-3 photographs per bead. The second benefit is if you are collecting a bead such as the bead shown above, the Blue Desert, andif you are looking for a variety of versions for a necklace then this is way you can shop for the unique versions. Many collectors don't have the luxury of a Trollbeads store close by. I also think of it like another sort of unique bead.
Both of these Trollbeads shown on the left and above left, believe it or not, are both the "Blue Desert" Group 1 Trollbead for $31.00. See how extraordinary the differences are? The difference here shows just how much one bead can appear in the line. It is true that "Blue Desert" is one of the most variable beads in the line but there are plenty others that can look different bead to bead.
The Azure Bubbles is a great one for this "Twist" category. I think the one I just listed is #42 which means I have listed 41 other uniuqe Bubbles that have all sold. Organic Bubbles is another great bead for me to list. Sometimes the stripes in Khaki Stripes aren't khaki at all but rose,light blue and even yellow.So if you want your Trollbeads jewelry to have a creative twist to it just check out this out this category from time to time!
The three glass Trollbeads above are unique versions of
1.)Fireflies-You don't often see the two wings with 2 distinct colors.
2.)Black and White Stripe-Usually the black stripes are larger and more like maroon.
3.)Azure Bubbles-This bead is always wonderfully different from bead to bead. Below shows just how different the Azure Bubbles bead can change.
Posted by Louise Rogers on Sun, Jan 08, 2012 @ 12:17 PM
I know it's hard to hear but by now most Trollbeads collectors know there is a price increase coming on January 27th. This is true but the fact is 2/3rds of the line has remained the same. Unfortunately since the beginning of business, as we know it, price increases are a fact of life. When an increase happens, no matter the business, it sparks anger and disappoval from all those who will be affected by it. As in past price increases with Trollbeads this increase has set the fans complaining and asking why and while some of it is negative and not productive, it is very good to ask why. In the age of the internet we are given tools to create a dialog with the people at the head of companies we would not normally be able to easily communicate with. So I am suggesting if you keep your comments to more of an inquisitive nature you may in fact get some answers. I don't know anything more than you do on this increase but I am guessing if an insult is a part of your comment I don't think it's should get a response but that is just my opinion.
One comment I thought deserved some attention was made by an astute collector who pointed out that Pandora raised prices and has lost a lot of business and Trollbeads should pay attention to their competitors and reconsider the price increase. This is a constructive comment and I understand the source. I have been very fortunate this year to become close enough to observe some of the management of the company and I can assure you that they have adept skills at monitoring the market in respect to the bead/charm segment and know fully who they are within it. A lot of consideration goes into any decision and the price increase is no exception. It's a very challenging and disruptive thing to decide upon but to maintain the business at the present level of quality I am sure it was a decision they had to make. As for the Pandora situation I know through reading articles and business papers published internationally that Pandora's problems go a lot deeper than any price increase can take the blame for. Pandora is owned by a international multi-conglomerate that makes decisions based on what the board and investors want. Their IPO in Denmark was presented on facts and numbers not quite accurate and the stock has reached the lowest ever and has hurt all of the initial investors. In contrast Trollbeads is privately owned and the owners are the decision makers armed with industry and financial knowledge not many other small companies possess. Owners are always much more responsible to their customers where in contrast the conglomerates or publicly held companies such as Pandora all decisions are based with the profit for the stock holders in mind.
Many other comments on this price increase mention the current price of silver being down over last year's price but it is not to see the prices see below. The price of raw metals is an important factor but just one of many costs incurred to create, produce and market a product. Running a jewelry line today is like walking a tight rope never knowing what the market is going to do and there was a time when raw goods were more stable as was pricing. I personally know how the cost of doing business has increased straight across the board and more so in the last 10 years than ever before. Year after year I watch as bank charges have increased, the cost of offering payment by credit cards has skyrocketed, insurance costs which include health, casualty, autos, disability have all gone through the roof and this is just the obvious costs. For example our disposal costs for our retail stores have increased to over double what they were 6 years ago. These mounting costs go right down the line from management to the distributing companies to the representatives and finally to the store.
Silver per ounce
Oct 2010: 23
Oct 2011: 32
Jan 2012: 29
And gold:
Oct 2010: 1350
Oct 2011: 1680
Jan 2012: 1610
In processing all of the factors that goes into pricing I think we can consider the path taken by Trollbeads to be the lesser of two evils. Increase prices and continue on the same successful path or stay at the same prices and end up having to lower the quality or the size of the beads or the production. In the end we know it is your choice to buy Trollbeads just as it is the choice of Trollbeads to risk losing some of its collectors in order to stay true to its mantra and true to a large portion of its collectors.
Posted by Louise Rogers on Tue, Jan 03, 2012 @ 02:43 PM
Here is one side of the Trollbeads Gallery/Rogers Gallery free standing museum. The museum has a total of 4 sides. We display it at Trollbeads Fest each year and many attendees love studying the older beads and learn a lot about the Trollbeads line this way! Each year we add more of the very old and hard to find beads.
The museum is comprised of only Retired Trollbeads and in the next few weeks there will be a large retirement of Trollbeads so we need to add an addition to our museum! Every couple of years or so Trollbeads decides which beads they will retire. With many new beads introduced through out the year and where it is the aim of Trollbeads to keep the line to around 400 beads the retirements are essential. Trollbeads has had a history of retiring beads every 2 years or so.
We all have opinions on which beads we love and which we will be sorry to lose but many factors go into deciding which beads will earn their "gold watch" and be retired. Obviously the beads that sell the less or the beads that have ended up difficult for collectors to work into a design. With this retirement we will see that there are many "Glass 1" Trollbeads going as well as silver beads and gold beads.
Sometimes is may be the size or weight of a bead that determines a retirement as many of the larger beads use a lot of gold or silver and where the raw precious metals market continues to increase it makes the large beads expensive so they sell less. With this retirement the "Snowman" is a good example of that. I have always sold this bead well during the holiday time and I am very sad to see it go. Another bead I will miss is the "Jellyfish" bead and I sell this one very well but my store is on the coast so this may be why but I know it is a heavier bead also. "Mouse With Cheese" as heavy is going to. Other heavy silver Trollbeads to be retired include "Find Your Pet", "Magician" and "Circus Elephant". As far as slow selling beads go I think maybe 95% of you will admit we won't miss the "Twister". Funky though it was it was also scary for many!
In the gold beads I will be very sorry to see the 18K Jugend leave the line. It was a slow seller due to it's size and price but I for one have set aside for myself. Both of the 18K "Transformation Man" and "Transformaiton Woman" are being retired as is the 18K Unity bead. With today's high gold prices selling any of the gold beads have become more rare then when I started selling 6 years ago. The 18K Pearl Lock is going and I know many who love that lock but perhaps they will introduce another gold lock to replace it!
The Glass 1 beads list heading into retirement is the longest list. It has over 15 items and while it has a lot I've never used it also includes beads I adore. Make sure you pick up "Black Squirrel", (Shown on left) "Deep Bubbles", "Wild Cat", "Brown Desert", "Red Feather", "Blue-Green Feather" and some of the others that are on the list. I will have a complete list on Trollbeads Gallery.
Click To view the list of beads set to retire on January 26, 2012
Below are some of the older Trollbeads we added to the Trollbeads Gallery museum in 2011.
Posted by Louise Rogers on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 @ 10:16 AM
As the year comes to a close and as the holidays are upon us I find myself thinking about what Trollbeads will create for us in 2012. I just received an email from Trollbeads United States outlining the new approaches and new ideas and this has definitely got my mind going and my imagination wandering.
Just imagine what great things are coming our way! Each year we can look forward to new beads, new limited edition releases and new surprises through out the year. Just think of the surprises we got this year! I think my favorite release this year had to have been the Silver Whorl and second most favorite the Anniversary Coin!
No definite plans except for the National Trunk Show events. I know many of you have been discussing the pros and cons on discussion panels and when the holiday is over I will go and read all about them. There will be a total of 3 during 2012. You may be missing the opportunity to go to more trunk shows but on the flip side of that Trollbeads is giving retailers the choice of offering other specials through out the year.
No more serious business today because I am actually writing to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for whatever days you want to celebrate. Below are some new holidays that you might want to add to your list of days to celebrate.
1.December 26th is national "Play With Your New Trollbeads Day".
2.December 27th is "Buy New Trollbeads With Your Christmas Money Day".
3.December 28th is "Return all that other jewelry you got and buy a lot of Trollbeads Day."
OK, you get the idea. How can you not celebrate being a part of a line of jewelry that brings people together from all over the world, gives back in many charitable venues and is simply the most exquisite line of beads ever created.
I have just added a page to Trollbeads Gallery about the company and it's philosophies. If you are want to read or see the page and you aren't near this blog you can find it on the site's home page on the top row of features on the far right. I hope you will go and read it, here is the link. About the Company.
(The photo above show the holiday decorations inside the food concession at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen where I shared glogg with my favorite Trollbeads designer, Soren.)
Posted by Louise Rogers on Fri, Dec 09, 2011 @ 12:21 PM
Copenhagen, Denmark 12/2011
What do they say about mixing business with pleasure? I say it’s a perfect way to spend a week. Hunting shops in Copenhagen for special Trollbeads for myself and of course my customers. There were many highlights and I would like to share with you just a few I personally enjoyed the most and I am sure it will take more than one blog to complete them.
1.On Monday we on a Trollbeads artist’s studio tour where we visited Soren (the original Trollbeads designer), Mette Saabye and Kim Buck. Each artist works within an environment that is reflected by their creations and the correlation was so fascinating to see. Soren works within a very textural and tribal space where he works with his wax and unending ideas. Between visits we warmed up in a café and we got to try Glogg, a hot mulled red wine with raisins and nuts, it was delicious. Mette’s studio is open to the public and feels like the interior of a Faberge Egg with its delicate tininess, gold leaf walls and jewels with filigree and whimsy. We had lunch at a classic Danish café where you point to the plate of food you want and unknowingly I had chosen tongue. I dug in and enjoyed it! Below is Isabel and Lise Aagaard with Soren at Soren's studio and the right hand picture is Mette's studio.
2. Meeting our Trollbeads Gallery Forum friends at Café Nyhavn 17. Having been on the Forum for a couple of years it seemed like we were immediate friends and seeing all of their Trollbeads bracelets in real life was a visual treat. After our lunch we grabbed taxis to the Trollbeads Tivoli shop. The very special interior was created by Soren and Soren joined us so I got to hear about his creative process in designing the space. He took in the magical history of Trollbeads and made it an environment perfect for the Tivoli magical amusement park location. The shop in managed by Lene and I was so happy to meet her and she was very helpful showing us all the special beads. Below is Trollbeads Gallery Forum Ladies with Soren and me with Soren in Tivoli Trollbeads store.
3.After our visit with Lene at the Trollbeads shop Soren took me through the winter wonderland of Tivoli with lights, music and so many fairyland scenes of reindeer, elves and I think I even saw a Troll. We went into a large open building with dancing life size elves and bears with long tables and benches filled with many children of all generations all eating treats and getting warm. While I found us a place to sit Soren ordered up some traditional Danish treats and glogg, my new favorite drink. I sat and enjoyed the sounds, sites and tastes while Soren described how every year his parents would bring the family to Tivoli to enjoy the season with the rides, the sweets and the excitement of the Christmas lights. I wondered how much of the magic I felt around me contributed to his lifelong fountain of imaginings and ideas from which his bead are born.
The band was playing above us and the Glogg was hot and spicy as was the yummy Danish pastries below! Thank you my dear Soren!
Posted by Louise Rogers on Mon, Nov 14, 2011 @ 02:50 PM
What an amazing time the last few months have been for Trollbeads!! Starting with the Anniversary Coin, on to the remarkable Autumn release and now to the brand new just released Christmas 2011 Trollbeads. Phew it has been a busy time for Trollbeads and forTrollbeads Gallery/Rogers Gallery. While all of these releases were occurring we managed to host the second Trollbeads Fest! (which although on paper it is only a two day affair... but with people coming early and leaving late it ended up a whole week long!) and just this past weekend we had a very busy Special Event at Rogers Gallery. It’s true Trollbeads is more professionally advertised by the marketing team at Trollbeads-United States but also by the retailers who have received a lot of support from the graphic design team at Trollbeads-United States. While the newest beads were just released and while the stats have only given them 4 days to perform but we have one of them already showing up on our top 10!! I have included links to each bead so you can quickly check them out if you don't know about them!
- Anniversary Coin –hands down this bead is the biggest selling bead we have ever had in 6+ years!!
- Rolling Waves (2011 People's Bead Winner)
- Organic Bubbles
- Silver Whorl
- Purple Armadillo
- Lake Eye
- The Diamond Bead, Blue (shown at left)
- Coral Flowers
- Autumn Splendor
- Purple Wave
The New Christmas release has been very well received and the two limited edition kits have been exciting a lot of collectors. The solid red and blue beads with the gold on them are outselling the other beads and I think that the other beads in the kit are being overlooked because everyone is so head over heels in love with the glitter. So if you haven't focused in on the other beads go do it now as you're missing out.
The green flower on red looks like it is literally floating in water! It's sensational. The bead from the blue set that you need to focus on is the one that looks like stained glass.
The Red Tiger Eye is another winning Precious Stone bead to add to the other great stones. I adore it as did many that we had at our special event this past weekend!
Of course the new silver Mistletoe is already a favorite but I expected that knowing how sentimental Trollbeads collectors are!
The Amber and ANniversay Coin photo was taken by Ginger from Trollbeads Gallery Forum.
Posted by Louise Rogers on Sun, Oct 30, 2011 @ 09:12 PM
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All the Forums are buzzing about the upcoming Trollbeads release and the excitement is buzzing around the globe. When this time comes it's always a race to try to find out before anyone else does what the beads will be and hoping you get to see the images BR (before release). It seems to be the quest of collectors as so many try to get the images or descriptions out before the release, which is before Trollbeads, the company, according to a well conceived schedule,wants them out.
I wonder if the people who have this drive to discover what the beads are BR, when young, were the kind of kid who peeked under their parents bed to see what they were getting for Christmas because the suspence was killing them.
Or were they the kind of kid that got home on Halloween night and ate all the candy in one sitting.
Come to think of it we are all like anxious children wanting to know what beads are coming out and it's this excitement that makes us want to share our discovery with the world. How frustrating they don't want us to see the beads befor they come out, but I get it. The time is required so all retailers are on an equal playing field and can all start selling close to the same time. It takes time to create marketing materials and ship the product to all of the retailers around the world...or maybe it's some kind of ploy to get us all so worked up waiting for the release...we can't think of anything else! I doubt it but it sure helps in upping the excitement. As a retailer I am required not to show any images before the release but it's hard not to talk about it and here I find myself talking about it for a few paragraphs without giving anything away. Sorry about that.
For anyone planning to be near S.E. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Cape Cod*
Rogers Gallery is hosting a Trollbeads Special Event on 11-11-11.
For you our planning has worked out well. On the day of the release you will be able to include the new Trollbeads in your special purchases.
Besides the deals we will be offering dozens and dozens of new Unique Trollbeads, both Universal and Classic Unique!
Purchase 3 Trollbeads, receive one of equal (or less) value free.
Receive $100.00 off any Gold Trollbeads* not including the Mini Heart Drop.
Receive $50.00 off any Silver and Gold Trollbeads.
Receive $50.00 off any Fantasy Chain when you purchase any Fantasy Pendant.
*This will include out very specially made Gold "Trefoil Knot" and "Two Sides to Everything" by Kim Buck in honor of his visit to Trollbeads Fest! 2011 last month.
*We are within an hour ride from many parts of Mass, including the Cape and Rhode Island.
Rogers Gallery/Trollbeads Gallery
Event Hours 9:30-5:00 Friday and Saturday 11-11-11 & 11-12-11
Route 6 (Next to the South Coast Diner) Mattapoisett, Ma 02739
508-758-3641 or 888-758-3641 For information and directions.
Posted by Louise Rogers on Tue, Oct 25, 2011 @ 06:23 AM
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As a U.S. retailer for Trollbeads my head is spinning and I feel like I'm on a rail climbing the highest peak of a roller coaster and I only hope I can keep up with the gaining momentum. I'm holding on with both hands, knuckles white while struggling to keep my head on straight. Sounds dramatic doesn't it? Well that is exactly how selling Trollbeads right now seems to me. It's exciting to be a part of the new regime by way of being a retailer but I must say the specials that are in effect and the future specials will keep all of us retailers jumping just to keep up and to keep you all "in the know". Beyond the product specials being offered the company is also working on furthering its brand recognition. The planning and hard work set in motion by worldwide CEO Peter Aagaard and now by the new United States CEO Michael Belleveau is coming to the surface and every day brings new events, new media exposure and new recognition daily.
Just to mention a couple of the recent public events:
Trollbeads announced their partnership with Oprah Magazine to be a sponsor of O You! Trollbeads U.S. is proud to partner with this fine company which will bring heightened awareness to the Trollbeads brand. This year's O You! event was at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia on October 15, 2011. As a sponsor of the event, Trollbeads personally met many of the 5000+ attendees.
Trollbeads attended, as an exhibitor, the Teen Vogue Fashion University on October 22, 2011. Trollbeads was a sponsor to this event and was recognized as "the" bead brand among some of the nations most influential young women, Teen Vogue readers. The 500 fashion savvy students learned about style-education through seminars and were exposed to the current branding trends. The parent publication Vogue Magazine is the leading consumer publication for the fashion industry.
A couple current Trollbeads product specials:
Trollbeads Ring promotion: If you purchase a Trollbeads ring you will receive a free $31.00 glass Trollbead. If you haven't familiarized yourself with the rings...do it! They are quite remarkable and remarkably affordable.
Free Bead Promotion: When you purchase a chain and an upgraded lock you will receive a free $31.00 glass Trollbead. What better way to start collecting or start your Autumn bracelet or even your Holiday themed bracelet!
I will continue to relay information on the activity of this climbing momentum and suffice to say there are some very exciting events lined up for the new year. To our collectors who enjoy wearing what they consider a quiet and exclusive brand fear not, the powers at be understand why you collect Trollbeads and will always keep quality as the number one priority, as you can see by the quality of the events it parnered with. Trollbeads will never follow in the steps of the other brand of beads as it over-sold itself, always running our of product and by turning to huge jewelry "box" stores, shutting out the smaller retailers. From what I gather from their basic philosophy, Trollbeads will not go down this road. They understand the close communication the smaller retailers can achieve and Trollbeads understands the importance this is to the brand. Yes there will be greater recognition but won't you be happier when someone looks at your wrist and asks "Oh, are those Trollbeads?" instead of what you have been asked in the past?
Posted by Louise Rogers on Sun, Oct 16, 2011 @ 01:41 PM
You may have noticed various discussions about the negative side of Ebay. A lot has been discussed on Trollbeads Gallery Forum or on this blog. Usually it is warning about the fake beads being sold on Ebay by unscrupulous sellers who are making a killing on the brand’s name. We’ve had many collectors reporting the sellers who continually sell counterfeit beads closing down one selling I.D while opening another. But this discussion isn’t about erroneous beads it’s about erroneous listings. I spent some time cruising around the Ebay site and saw a definite change from when I last looked around about 6 months ago.
I was so aghast at what I saw I thought it was wise to bring it to your attention. As I read each listing it appeared every other one had something untrue about it. How did this happen so quickly? But then I considered the huge upswing in Trollbeads awareness and I think this is one of the natural steps a product takes as it matures in the marketplace. First you have your “counterfeiters” who closely follow the market and try to recreate a product before it hits its tipping point and this we have seen over and over again. Now the curve has widened and the people who are next in line, we’ll call them the “taking advantage” group has now joined the fray. These people are listing beads on Ebay but by twisting words and the truth and they catch people’s eyes and these people want the product to be what it is so badly they don’t recognize the warning signs. I took a quick and brief snapshot of the listings that disturbed me and I have listed them below. These are Ebay listings that to a trained eye would stick out as wrong but to a new collector they seem like everyone’s dream bead. If you are a “newbie” before you go on Ebay remember there is more than just counterfeit beads to worry about, it’s counterfeit listings also. Please just remember you need to do your homework.
1. Retired Eye Bead. The truth: The Eye Bead is not retired.
2. Authentic Grey Prism Trollbead. The Truth: The Grey Prism is not retired
3. Authentic Sterling Penguin Trollbead-Retired.: The Truth: The Penguin has never been a Trollbead so hence it is not a retired Trollbead.
4. Retired Troll Baby. The truth: This has not been retired at this time.
5. Original Authentic Retired Red-Green Dot OOAK. The Truth: This bead is an OOAK, not retired. 6. Authentic Trollbeads “Orange Bubbles” Rare, Retired. The Truth: There has never been an orange bubbles in the line.
7. You’ll find sellers like “collect a troll” selling a retired Rooster for $225.00. The product is real but the price is unreal. Check around at the authorized dealers and you’ll find it for half the price. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $79.00
8.The retired Clown, on this site, is $169.00. Again look around. Other prices are half this amount.
9. The retired “Striped Bud” is $129.00 with the same dealer. Other prices with authorized dealers are always lower. Trollbeads Gallery has it at $45.00. But people must be buying from these dealers and my question is why?
In closing I want to remind you of one basic tenant in the marketplace, Ebay destroys the brands it proliferates. History shows it’s true. Ebay doesn’t mean to but their platform for selling offers the counterfeiters and the “take advantage” people the chance to strut their wares to those people who are unaware. Again, do your homework or better yet, buy from Authorized dealers .
*Not all Ebay dealers are unscrupulous.