That Probably Isn't Really Michael Jackson's Stuff You're Buying, BBB Warns
We know how it is. As soon as a big star dies, you feel the immediate urge to buy his old stage-used sweat rag on Craigslist.
Alas, the cranky-pants Better Business Bureau warns you to hold off for a while — like, forever — when considering such purchases, the St. Petersburg Times reports:
The Better Business Bureau just warns consumers who want to purchase some Jackson memorabilia to carefully evaluate the source of the product and the transaction as classified advertisements and e-mail solicitations are soaring.
At times like these, scams become abundant. And while collectors and fans want to snag a great piece of history, it behooves consumers to be cautious.
"The cause of Michael Jackson's untimely death still needs to be determined, and already people are seeing suspicious and awkwardly written e-mails appear in their in-boxes offering supposedly authentic items from the pop singer's life," Steve Bernas, chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau office in Chicago, said in a statement.
Either the BBB is looking out for your best interests here or they're secretly trying to hoard all the sweat rags for themselves.
Better Business Bureau warns against Michael Jackson memorabilia scams [St.Petersburg Times]
(Photo: Paxton Holley)
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Comments:
Buyers regret set to kick in, in 3...2...1...
@FangDoc: My friends own a small screen printing business and two days after his death, they had RIP Mikey shirts. It features the classic MJ pose of him holding his hat with one leg bent in the air, and angel wings on him.
Somewhere, there is a warehouse filled with the other glove from every pair the MJ bought.
@FangDoc: Maybe, like newspapers and their pre-written obits, the vendors had those t-shirts in stock?
Seriously, though, that was some major just-in-time manufacturing & distributing. The shirts were already made, I guess, and it was just the 'simple' matter of getting the images on the shirt.
@FangDoc: I work for a custom t-shirt company, and when we got word that Michael Jackson had died, we started trying to guess how long it would take before someone would call in to have shirts made.
The answer is: three minutes.
Wow.
Here are stories from 2004 on the "real" stuff:
$1.4 million in 2004 will probably be like $30 million now that Mike J. kicked it...
@koreanforrabbit: Wow, that is great how quick they were able to secure license and copyright approval to make and sell the shirts.
/snark
I can't wait for a Chia Michael Jackson to put next to my Chia Obama.
You mean to say that my Michael Jackson colostomy bag may not be legit?
Did Michael Jackson die? I wondered why they were playing his music non-stop. I saw "Liberian Girl" at least 3 times over the weekend.
It's funny how no one gave a shit about him last week. In fact, I bet most people thought he had already died.
hey, i have the book pictured! unless i tossed it into one of those free book exchange things, in which case, someone else is making money off of it...
Yeah, I saw somebody yesterday by the NYC Macy*s selling Michael Jackson CD's.
They were clearly printed on with a home printer...
I was reading a comment on another board where someone was considering buying the VHS tape of the Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller that he could have sworn was in the $5 bin a week or two ago, but now the retailer was asking $25 for it. Checking Amazon.com, there are no new ones for sale, but individuals are selling copies for over $100.00.
@SeniorPonzologist_GitEmSteveDave: .... and the other parts of his nose.
Oh c'mon! That wasn't bad. He had plastic surgery on his nose! Give me a break!
His house and all his belongings will be up for auction if no one pays it off since he was in serious debt. If people really want to shell out the cash, why not pay $4 million for the lyrics to "Bad" written on a napkin?
@ThinkerTDM: Clearly the thousands of people who paid to see his 50 concert series in London knew he was alive.
I'm astounded that anybody would want (let alone pay a premium for) MJ "memorabilia." Ugh, the guy just creeps me the hell out and I can't wait for this post-death media surge to die down so I can never think about him again.
@ThinkerTDM: Seriously I envy you. I WISH I didn't have to hear about him every 5 fucking minutes from someone.
I felt the immediate urge to hit up the pirate bay. I am now the proud owner of his complete discography and then some!
I'm just impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit of some people. Michael Jackson died, completely unexpectedly, Thursday night, and there were street vendors selling Michael Jackson memorial t-shirts near the Smithsonian by Saturday morning.