Why does nobody talk about those fake fossil kits on eBay?

I dropped $120 on what was advertised as a "genuine triceratops horn fragment" last month and it turned out to be carved plaster with some bone dust mixed in. The seller had over 500 positive reviews too, so I thought I was safe. Took it to a local geology professor at the university here in Tucson who laughed and broke it in half with his bare hands. Has anyone else gotten burned by these online fossil scams, and how do you spot the fakes before buying?

3 comments

3 Comments

oscarc1212d ago

Have you checked the reviews carefully for people who actually know what they're talking about? The problem with platforms like eBay is that most buyers don't have the experience to tell real fossils from fakes, so they leave positive reviews for junk. I always look for listings that show clear, high-resolution photos from multiple angles, and I stay away from anything that looks too perfect or has that "freshly carved" texture. The geology professor was probably not surprised at all, these scams have been going on for years now.

taylorshah12d ago

Did you confront the seller with the video of the professor breaking it?

seth_singh2011d ago

And yeah, what finally worked for me was taking the fossil to a local university geology lab before even buying it. They ran a quick acid test and X-ray scan for free, and the seller actually backed down when I brought the results to them. Saved me from a $300 mistake that the professor would have laughed at too.