Thoughts on this seller

[Schwerpunkt]

In all reality and with due respect, show me a dealer that has never offered a fake by accident, lack of knowledge or carelessness ..

If it's an accident it will be infrequent , if it's lack of knowledge he should not be a militaria dealer , if it's carelesness he does't give **** about what he sells and to whom.
You'll find a bunch of other dealers in my blog too. But Weitze is the one that returns every time.
Good dealers will learn from their mistakes , I get asked for opinions by dealers and it means some pieces you'll find on Weitze's site are not on theirs , well maybe that's why they end up on Weitze :-)

[TWS]

In all reality and with due respect, show me a dealer that has never offered a fake by accident, lack of knowledge or carelessness ..

For sure. Even the most honest and well-intentioned dealers will occasionally have an item that is questionable. It's the difference between those that have one once in a great while versus those that have multiple questionable or outright fake items routinely.
Frank has been doing this a long time and I believe he's talking about the latter and not the former.

[Watchdog]

For sure. Even the most honest and well-intentioned dealers will occasionally have an item that is questionable. It's the difference between those that have one once in a great while versus those that have multiple questionable or outright fake items routinely.
Frank has been doing this a long time and I believe he's talking about the latter and not the former.

I agree entirely and as we are all fond of saying here, the onus is very much on the buyer to know what he is buying which, in a hobby like ours is absolutely crucial and it goes without saying that if you don't know what you are looking at you are not doing it right. Even if the pictures are not good enough and you still buy it on the dealers promise well, same thing really.

However, as to the question of price yes HW is "high end" but does to some extent offer some good quality items (notwithstanding the contamination of his stock by fakes) but he has a high street "shopfront" and therefore staff as well which equals overheads. He does seem to carry a very large stock inventory so more place for fakes to hide. Whether or not one feels there is any sharp practice or even incompetence / negligence it is still very much a case of "Caveat emptor" and the situation might work in your favour if you "know your onions".

The short answer to the question is yes his prices are on the high side and you do stand a chance of coming unstuck if you don't do your homework

Regards

Mark

[TWS]

Hi Mark,

I was trying to talk in generalities and not comment specifically about HW. I hear you about the shop. I have been to his store in Hamburg in person a couple times and did some additional trading and dealing with Herr Weitze at the bigger shows in Germany when I was stationed there. Anyway, yes, his shop is impressive with a large inventory. I always walked out the door poorer than I arrived.

[Watchdog]

Hi Mark,

I was trying to talk in generalities and not comment specifically about HW. I hear you about the shop. I have been to his store in Hamburg in person a couple times and did some additional trading and dealing with Herr Weitze at the bigger shows in Germany when I was stationed there. Anyway, yes, his shop is impressive with a large inventory. I always walked out the door poorer than I arrived.

Hi Todd, yep I know that feeling!
Yes my point was general too but I mentioned HW because he was the subject of the opening post

Regards

Mark

[Schwerpunkt]

Caveat emptor is all very fine , that's what every experienced collector knows.
An experienced collector can buy everywhere safely.
But the answer of buyer beware is very individual and easy as if dealers are allowed to get away with making mistakes intentional or unintentional.
It makes us seem very docile customers and it does not help people jumping into the hobby nor does it help the hobby in general.
Dealers should account for their fakes and mistakes even if you and I know how to avoid them :-)

[Watchdog]

Caveat emptor is all very fine , that's what every experienced collector knows.
An experienced collector can buy everywhere safely.
But the answer of buyer beware is very individual and easy as if dealers are allowed to get away with making mistakes intentional or unintentional.
It makes us seem very docile customers and it does not help people jumping into the hobby nor does it help the hobby in general.
Dealers should account for their fakes and mistakes even if you and I know how to avoid them :-)

Absolutely true and customer protection legislation should work just as well with militaria as it does with a new pair of trousers etc if something is misrepresented either deliberately or unwittingly. The trouble is in most cases that the authorities are just not interested in militaria generally which is by definition "used" or 2nd hand and as soon as you factor in the "TR" element you have more chance trying to plait fog!
It shouldn't be so but sadly it is and it seems to me that the only defence is for collectors to stick together and vote with their feet to force dealers to be fully accountable (which some voluntarily are). Sadly that doesn't work too well either when the inexperienced collector thinks he sees a "bargain" because he will be sure in his mind and will not ask others or listen when he is told until it is too late.

Another well used expression might be "look before you leap" or "all that glitters is not gold"

Regards

Mark

[PaddyD00]

All good points by all!! But a message to OP in regards to this single dealer. I bought from him recently a couple months ago. Price was fair after negotiation. And I got a really cool piece w character. I did my research beforehand. There were some very bad Helmets on there that it looked as if a baby had painted the emblems. Scroll down on this forum to see “Well preserved M35 Re Paint” Thats a Weitze Helmet. Story of obtaining it in there too (mislabeled ... he wasn’t sure what kind of helmet it was etc)
Zach