It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 40 Results

Week 40 Results

Well, I need to do this review, but I am so steaming about IAW right now, that I have decided to make it short. I have a fun weekend of paintball ahead of me with about 400 other players on a field in Florida, so I am not going to let all this crap with IAW ruin that.

The Saavik Maroon lot went for $ 5,600. This had previously gone to a zero feedback bidder. I think this is overpriced considering the jacket isn't Saavik's. Cool none the less. I am a huge Robin Curtis fan, so I like that the elements are hers.

The White Radiological Suit at $ 2,717 is marred by being bid up by a zero feedback bidder. The winner is contesting the sale with IAW and after getting bid up on the Gorkon two weeks ago, I know he is not happy. This appears to be shill bidding. I don't kn ow who is doing this, but these are items that were won by zero feedback bidders a few weeks ago and are being relisted. Usually IAW gives bidders over a month to pay for items, but interestingly, they are relisting these after only 2-3 weeks.

The Maroon Starfleet Officer's uniform went for $ 2,247 which isn't bad. It had no belt, but was otherwise rather nice.

I love the Valkris Klingon Operative costume that my buddy Aaron won. A great costume with the head dress too! At $ 2,125 a fair deal for a great costume.

Now, after the top 5 we start seeing some very good deals.

The Worf Starfleet Uniform lot at $ 1,779 went to my good buddy Dana and it was a good deal for a screen used Worf.

I won the Enterprise Klaang/General K'Vagh costume at a fantastic $ 1,525. This costrume comes with boots and we have rarely seen that with a Klingon costume!

The Joachim costume lot, which included the iconic vest went for a reasonable $ 1,324, which I think is a very good deal for what you get here.

The tan Class A costume from ST: TMP was a beauty and went for $ 1,280. Incorrectly listed as a male costume, the high heels indicate it is a female costume.

Amazing deals were to be had below $ 600:

A Brown Class B Starfleet uniform at only $ 587 was a great deal for a cool uniform. The Epsilon IX patch is not correct, but still, this is a great deal. But the deals get better....

A female TNG Red Command Uniform jumpsuit went for only $ 566. An awesome price for a beauty of a uniform.

The adult Naomi Wildman uniform from the Voyager episode "Shattered went for an insane $ 520. This was crazy. I can't believe a character costume went so cheap!

The Hirogen costume went to Martin from Berlin at only $ 511. These went for over $ 3,000 at Christie's!

A Voyager Red Command costume went to my good buddy Jeff at only $ 510! Jeff has scored some great deals lately. A wise bidder.

The Starfleet Crewman jumpsuit at $ 483 is crazy as well. These two were going for twice this a month ago.

My friend Jason won the Gold Operations Uniform from TNG at only $ 480. That is half what these sold for in Vegas.

The Voyager Blue Sciences Uniform went for $ 471. Pretty darn cheap and these were going for $ 800 in Vegas which I thought was cheap.

The Biege Starfleet Class B Uniform went for $ 334. Incorrectly listed as a male version, it is a female version in actuality.

A brown Class A Starfleet Uniform went for $ 286. It had a bio-monitor buckle, but an Epsilon IX patch.

I won the ST: TMP Brown Class B Uniform shirt went for $ 255. Considering that the bio-monitor buckle itself went for $ 327.

As far as props go:

You know it is a bad week in props when a non-descript Starfleet Medical Scanner is the top prop. UGH, this was not very interesting, but hit $ 1,250.

The DS9 Starfleet Projection Data PADD went for $ 1,050 to my British buddy Willie, who is a crazy PADD collector.

I won the "Lot of Bottles" at $ 695 and was pretty happy as my max bid was twice this. I have two friends who each want a specific bottle from this lot, so it is fun to win something and help your buddies out.


After this, there was a bunch of weapons, but it is getting late and I need to be up early.


THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:

Best Costume of the Week: The Valkris Klingon Operative costume was clearly the coolest item of the week.

Best Prop of the Week: The "Lot of Bottles" was the best in an AWFUL week for props.

Best Buy of the week: Well, look above. There were a TON of great deals!

Worst Buy of the week: Nothing really crazy this week.

Sleeper of the Week: The adult Naomi Wildman uniform at $ 520. A character costume at this price is AWESOME.


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Star Trek: Saavik Maroon lot at $ 5,600.

Star Trek: White Radiological Suit at $ 2,717

Star Trek: Maroon Starfleet Officer's uniform at $ 2,247

Star Trek: The Valkris Klingon Operative costume at $ 2,125

Star Trek: The stunt Captain Picard costume at $ 1,780.


Alec

IAW Problems Deepen

You know, I have been called an IAW "shill" and "IAW's lackey" because I have given IAW the benefit of the doubt ever since I started this blog. Some have accused me of censoring people on the Star Trek Prop, Costume and Auction Forum whenever someone said something bad about IAW (a lie). In fact I even started a section of the Forum for people to air their issues. IAW is like any business and customer service has been a major issue since the first auctions. I have given them time to get things together, but things have gotten worse, not better.

Now don't get me wrong. I like Tiara, Dom, Colin and the rest a lot. They are GREAT people. But they have serious issues to address and the issues are being ignored.

At the Star Trek Las Vegas convention, many of us got to meet IAW and spend time with Dom, Colin and the rest of their crew. Heck, I even sold about $ 20,000 worth of costumes to Forum members over the phone who couldn't be at the show. At that convention, Dominic (husband of IAW owner Tiara Nappi, and the guy in charge of the auctions) assured us things would get better and customer service issues would be resolved. Sadly, that hasn't been the case.

The internal problems with IAW are obvious to most. As much as I like Dominic, the operation there is in major trouble. And so you all know I have some experience here, I founded Marketworks, which handled some of the biggest customers on eBay, including Disney, IBM, Dell, Home Depot, etc. I know this business inside and out.

Rather than just rant, let's review the problems. And as I always say to my employees, if you come to me with a problem, come with a solution, so I have.

1) Lack of communication - No one can get a return phone call out of IAW. Now Colin is great, and returns every inquiry I have sent him. If you have emailed him and he hasn't gotten back to you,
it simply means he hasn't got an answer for you yet. But Colin is only one guy and while he won't say anything, it is pretty obvious he is not able to change things himself. Dominic is too busy to pick up the phone and he rarely answers emails.

SOLUTION - Hire a Director of Customer Support. Simple. Dom you are buried, get help.

2) Lack of effective Customer Support - No one has a "go to" person for problems. Dom is handling everything and doesn't have enough hours in the day. Plus he admits he is bad at getting in touch with people. Heck, I have been trying to get a hold of him for two weeks, and I have spent over $ 100,000 with IAW!!!! How the heck is anyone else supposed to get problems resolved when one of their best customers gets ignored?

SOLUTION - Same as # 1. We need ONE person who can GET STUFF DONE.

3) Lack of cooperation between departments - Colin has helped solve problems I have had, then he can't get anyone to ship out my stuff. I pay for stuff, but whoever executes the order won't take it to shipping. Problems are known, and no one does anything. Basically there is no one cutting across departments.

SOLUTION - Give Director of Customer Support cross functional authority to get things done.

4) Items being shipped that are not paid for or shipped to wrong person - Yesterday I got a package that wasn't mine. The winner of the item was actually a zero feedback bidder! I know of 4 people who have gotten something they won but didn't pay for. That isn't good for IAW, as they are losing money. I have now received three items that weren't mine. And that is just me!!!!

David supposedly comes in once a week to manage payments. What is the process by which stuff then gets shipped? I have no clue but it is BROKEN.

SOLUTION - Process analysis by a third party, which will probably recommend a single person responsible for printing out packing list from Paypal, collecting items in a bin and then dropping off at shipping.

5) Zero Feddback bidders and Shill bidding - This is looking like shill bidding more and more, and IAW has got to make it clear the problem is not them and understand that the credibility of their auctions is being undermined. People are refusing to pay when bid up as such and I think they are right.

SOLUTION - Follow eBay procedures to resolve this, require a Paypal account, or require prior-registration. When someone objects, work with them, rather than giving lame excuses.


OK, IAW needs to change now. By my estimate, they have well over 200 outstanding issues with their current customers, and that will NEVER get taken care of if major changes aren't made and a Director of Customer Support isn't hired. My advice to Dom and Tiara, is to remember what the great John Wooden always says: "Feedback is the single most important element of learning". Take the feedback and take action, because NO ONE is happy right now.

Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 39 Results

Week 39 Results

Well my hard drive crashed, and I had to go get a new computer while they try and recover my hard drive (NEVER go to Geek Squad for that as they were worthless and wasted 2 days telling me they had to send it to a professional shop that specializes in recovering hard drives.) Just Google it as I went to a specialty firm and they were awesome. Should be back and running next week.

So I bought a new MacBookPro and I am getting used to it. Microsoft still sucks, even on a Mac.

Anyway, forgive the shortened version this week.

We are seeing a drop in prices for all but hero costumes. Background costumes are dropping, as are props. Why? Well, some trends are obvious.

1) Lack of Interest - The charm has worn off. People are tired of bad service from IAW and the frustration is causing many people to sit out, or limit purchases. Just look at the Star Trek Prop, Costume and Auction Forum. People are burned out. The Zero Feedback problem, which some still blame on IAW, has caused a lot of distrust.

2) Duration - With another 6-12 months of this, most people are really focusing and only buying what really turns them on.

3) IAW - I like these guys (and girls) as they are nice people. But until they get a Director of Customer Support, and get that off Dom's plate (as he has way too much to do and is buried), service will suck, phone calls and emails will go unanswered and problems will mount. Colin is awesome, but he is only one person. Lots of people have emailed me, or posted on the Forum that they are cutting back because of the service issues with IAW. Frankly, I can't blame them at this point. I have outstanding issues that are 4-5 months old.

Believe me, I still love this stuff, but my patience is wearing thin.


And now on to the auctions...

The T'Pol Season 3/4 jumpsuit went to maharanidiva who constantly has bid high for items on a regular basis. She paid $ 8,601 for this T'Pol, and she has won one before!

My friend Lyn outbid me on the Major Kira costume which went for $ 2,358. This was a beauty and I am jealous! I like this style best I think.

The Klingon Warrior costume went for $ 2,281. It was interesting in that it had seperate sleeves and a set of spats, rather than boots. A fair deal I think, as it also came with a Klingon head mask.

The Reman Warrior costume went about where they usually do at $ 2,137. This has a really nice multi-piece head application, which the winer needs to do a good job of preserving lest it fall apart in the future.

The Enterprise Klingon costume also came with a Star Trek VI Klingon head mask, as well as a holster and spats. But he spats are wrong as they belong to a TNG era Klingon, not an ENterprise era Klingon, whose boots are grayish. At $ 2,101, a fair deal I think.

I loved the Data Holodeck Naval Uniform and passed on it so my buddy Jim could get it. At $ 1,943, a great deal I think. It is a beauty.

The Tom Paris complete Starfleet Uniform was interesting and had a comm badge and pips as well as boots. So at $ 1,903, a good deal I think.

Another Kirk Climbing costume went for $ 1,680...HO HUM. How many of these are there?

I was a bit surprised that the Nemesis Lt. Branson costume went for $ 1,625, but it was to a new bidder. These are very nice, and anyone who buys them loves them, but I think this is a $ 1,200 costume based on previous sales.

As far as props go:

The Shinzon "Blood Draw" Knife was very cool as it gives you an inside look at how Hollywod works. At $ 1,803 a good deal for a very cool prop, so it gets my "Prop of the Week".

The Enterprise Mess Captain's Serving Set was not very interesting in my book, but someone paid $ 1,800 for it.

The Klingon Centrifuge was a beauty and went cheap at $ 1,525 to my buddy Jason. Originally from the Doctor's sickbay in Voyager, this was redressed and used in Enterprise.

Jason also won the Borg Set Design Blueprints, which were a good deal at $ 690. I hope Jason shows us some photos, as the ones in the auction were awful.

I won the Dominion Emblem Sign for a reasonable $ 1,026. Probably on the high end of what I wanted to pay, but a cool prop which wil go nicely in my DS9 collection behind my Breen and Cardassian costumes.

I should also mention that I won Sisko's Creole Kitchen menu for $ 461, which I thought was an awesome deal.


THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:

Best Costume of the Week: The Data Holodeck Naval Uniform at $ 1,943 was in fact the nicest of the group.

Best Prop of the Week: The Shinzon "Blood Draw" Knife at $ 1,803 was a nice piece of movie history.

Best Buy of the week: The DS9 Bajoran Engineering uniform at $ 431 was a steal! Boots and Comm Badge included.

Worst Buy of the week:The T'Pol jumpsuit at $ 8,601. Way too high for this.

Sleeper of the Week: The stunt Nog Uniform at only $ 292 was a greta buy for my friend Martin from Berlin.


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Star Trek: The T'Pol jumpsuit at $ 8,601

Star Trek: DS9 The Major Kira costume at $ 2,358

Star Trek: Klingon Warrior costume at $ 2,281

Star Trek: Nemesis Reman Warrior costume at $ 2,137

Star Trek: Enterprise Klingon costume at $ 2,101


Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 38 Results

Week 38 Results

I know I am getting this up AFTER Week 39 closed, so my apologies. But I am traveling again, and it is just really tough on my schedule. I have two interviews I will be adding, one with Brett Jones of Federation Surplus, and one with Jason Stevens, a big collector friend and one of the first members of the Star Trek Prop, Costume and Auction Forum.

The issue with the zero feedback bidders has slowed down a bit, though isn't gone entirely and one really needs to check your bid history after you win something. I don't know that IAW has actually done anything, and maybe the zero feedback bidder who ruined dozens of auctions is gone for the moment. IAW still isn't requiring a PayPal account.

One of the top two items of the week, the Scotty Class A Starfleet Uniform from ST: TMP was won at $ 7,100 by a zero feedback bidder and so it will be interesting to see if this is re-listed. We are starting to see re-lists in Week 40 of items from that zero feedback bidder of a few weeks ago.

Week 38 saw some great bargains. Prices are coming down for anything that isn't a key hero prop/costume.


On to the auctions:

The top costume was the T'Pol Season 3 jumpsuit that was distressed. OK, I might be able to understand $ 7,100 for a T'Pol, but when it is distressed? No way, this one went way too high.

The Cardassian Legate Damar costume caused quite a stir as it is such an important costume for DS9. At $ 3,050 I think it went about right. It has both a wrist communicator and a rare Cardassian badge. A candidate for Costume of the Week.

Right behind the Damar was the Gorkon costume. It sold for one penny less at $ 3,049.99! A nice costume, though the belt is wrong, this is cool in that it has the phaser wound hole in it.

The Captain Picard Civilian costume from "Starship Mine" went pretty strong at $ 2,325. I think civilian costumes, even a Picard, shouldn't be much higher than $ 2,000, because I think it will be tough to get that in a subsequent sale. But if that isn't what you are concerned about, then no problem.

The basic Cardassian military uniform went for $ 2,325, which is about right. These are great costumes and I know a bunch of my friends were after these. I highly recommended these, especially if you like DS9!

The Trip Tucker Starfleet uniform was nice in that it had the rank pips, and it went for a reasonable $ 2,026.

I thought the Hoshi Sato civilian costume lot went high at $ 1,825, but there were 8 pieces, including a cool jacket.

The Original Series Sciences Jumpsuit is cool in that it is from TOS, but still quite unimpressive. Still, a TOS item under $ 2,000 is a good deal.

The Distressed Captain Archer jumpsuit from "Zero Hour" was quite reasonable at $ 1,682.

The stunt Spock Commando Uniform went at the reasonable price of $ 1,259. I think that is about right considering it had no belt or boots.

The Enterprise Ladies Starfleet Uniform boots went insanely high at $ 1,225. The winning bidder, maharanidiva has bid high for items on a regular basis, but needs to learn some patience. IAW has a bunch of boots and we have just started to see them.

Great deals to be had.........

OK, this is where the great deals started. It was an amazing week for good deals....

The Tom Paris dress uniform at $ 1,211 was a steal. These costumes are rare, and to get it so cheap is just a great deal.

The Captain Janeway Sciences Uniform from "Author, Author" went at $ 1,125 which was an AWESOME deal for a Janeway.

We have seen the Star Trek V Captain Kirk climbing costume a bunch of times, but at $ 1,050 is just too good to be true. I am amazed itr went so cheap.

The Terran Empire blue sciences uniform with the awesome "Avenger" patch went at only $ 1,035.

The White Engineer Radilogical Suit at $ 1,009 was a good deal as it was a beautiful example, though without boots.

The Harry Kim Starfleet Uniform at $ 920 was INSANE. My buddy Dana got this as well as the Paris dress uniform, so he was keeping a sharp eye out.

The Tuvok Starfleet uniform at $ 865 was even crazier, and shows the fatigue that is setting in on these auctions. For two key costumes to go show cheap shows you how people are getting tired and their bank accounts running low.

The Travis Mayweather costume went at $ 811. WHAT IS GOING ON????? This is crazy, and I think I need to start bidding on these. Granted it had an imperfection, but still.....

Finally, my good buddy Jeff Young STOLE a Gray Starfleet Class D Jumpsuit at $ 207!!!

As far as props go:

The Voyager Tricorder with Holster was definitely top prop this week and went for a reasonable $ 3, 829. Used by Neelix, this was a nice example with a character-specific holster, which makes it interesting.

The Captain Picard Desk Tools lot went way high at $ 2,025. My buddies and I were bidding on this and quit around $ 1,400, as I thought these weren't worth more than that. Someone obviously wanted them badly! Almost $ 700 each seems high for these to me.

The Tom Paris Quarters three pictures went for $ 1,225. Probably about right as these are nice looking and will display well. I guess it would cost you $ 500 for something like this at Z GAllerie, so not bad.

The Enterprise Starfleet Communicator was an Art Asylum version, but had a holster, so pretty cool. At $ 910 a good deal. HOWEVER, I am very disappointed that IAW didn't state that it was an Art Asylum version, instead claiming it was "cast in plastic". That is pretty deceptive in my book, and though probably unintentional, it is unforgivable at this point considering the expertise that they have in the form of Colin and Brian.

The Giant 24th Century PADD was a beauty and a great deal at only $ 909. I stepped aside for a buddy on this one, and I know he was prepared to go to $ 2,000 on this.

The Star Trek VI Klingon Linguistics dictionaries are very cool and well worth the $ 889 they went for.

Finally, the Klingon Bat'Leth at $ 860 was about right and a great purchase as these are so iconic.


THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:

Best Costume of the Week: The Scotty Class A Starfleet Uniform from ST: TMP was a beauty and even had the sleeve braid.

Best Prop of the Week: The Voyager Tricorder with Holster at $ 3,829 was a great example of a coveted prop.

Best Buy of the week: Gray Starfleet Class D Jumpsuit at $ 207 was an INSANE deal! Way to go Jeff!

Worst Buy of the week: Sorry but the distressed T'Pol Season 3 jumpsuit at $ 7,100 was way too high.

Sleeper of the Week: The Tuvok Starfleet uniform at $ 865 A main character under $ 1,000 is INSANE!


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Star Trek: TMP Scotty Class A Starfleet Uniform at $ 7,100

Star Trek: Enterprise T'Pol Season 3 jumpsuit at $ 7,100

Star Trek: Voyager Neelix Tricorder with Holster at $ 3,829

Star Trek: DS9 Cardassian Legate Damar costume at $ 3,050

Star Trek: Voyager "Flashback" Lt. Cmdr Valtane costume at $ 3,050

Alec

Assembling a costume

This post is by Federation Surplus owner Brett Jones, who is a good buddy and prop authority.

Many items in the Trek universe were re-used, or "Re-Purposed" for use in later episodes. That brings up an issue that many collectors toil with: After acquiring one of these pieces, do I return it to it's former glory, or do I leave it as it exists today? One school of thought is that you never touch something after it's filmed no matter what was done to it over the years by the studio. The other school of thought is that you can return it to the state that it was most recognized as being. A key prop worn by a main cast member surely trumps the same prop worn years later by an actor on screen for a few seconds .... doesn't it? Do you take an Admiral Janeway belt and return it to it's original Bashir costume? Well, maybe not but I had to make a similar decision a few weeks ago and as it turns out, it was an easy one.

Recently I was given the opportunity to acquire the Kes costume worn in the episode "Warlord". Unfortunately it was missing some key elements such as the boots, holster and most importantly, the collar. So after much consideration and haggling I decided to make the purchase and eagerly awaited it's arrival. When it showed up in about 4 days I was ready to start hunting for the missing pieces. The boots for the "Warlord" are an easy replacement as they are in plentiful supply. The holster could be made if needed but I have someone trying to track down the original. So that leaves the collar - which to me was the linchpin of the entire costume not to mention the episode. I had seemed to remember seeing an article about the collar on www.Ex-Astris-Scientia and how it was re-used on Enterprise by an Orion Guard in the episode "Borderland". I thought, "Ah- ha!!!!!, I'll just wait until IAW sells it and scoop it up!" Well, it's not so simple. I did a search and found that the Orion Guard costume I needed had sold months prior and was now in the hands of it's new owner..... with the collar, for just above 300 bucks! At this point I thought I'd just have a cool costume with some missing or repro accessories, not bad I guess.

After a week of wondering how I'd ever be able to complete this project I decided to write the buyer and ask him if he'd consider selling the whole costume or even just the collar - it was definitely a long shot. He did not respond to my email and I figured it was over. Another month went by and during a conversation with Alec he said, "Dude, just email the guy and offer 250.00 for the collar." So I did, and you know what, it WORKED! I ended up buying the whole costume at the auction price plus shipping.

The Orion Guard costume arrived yesterday and my mission to re-assemble a key costume was under way. To my amazement the entire piece is actually made of metal which makes it all the cooler. It had been lengthened by attaching a piece of leather to the place in the back where it closed. The medallion on the back was taken off and sewn to the new leather piece (but upside down) and the whole thing was kept in place with Velcro. Another new feature was the green paint that was sprayed all over the edges where it would meet the body. I surmised that this was body paint due to the fact that small amounts of the same stuff were inside the costume, so I removed it from the collar with alcohol. I then removed the leather additions and am in the throws of re-attaching the rear medallion to it's original location. I did not however remove or alter the bright green corrosion inside of the front medallion - looks cooler that way and it's probably a throw back to it earlier use.

So now I am happy to report that the collar is back to it's original configuration and sits proudly on the "Warlord" costume, where it belongs. I also have a terrific Orion Guard costume that needs a good home. Wish me luck on the boots and holster!

Regards,

Brett Jones

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 37 Results

Week 37 Results ( A week late! Sorry)

Week 37 saw the zero feedback bidder problem reduced, but it was still there. I specifically did not bid on one item I was going to because the high bid was a zero feedback bidder. It wound up being purchased legitimately, but I know I am not the only one who feels that way.

What we saw this past week was much more like "shill bidding" and a lot less like "interference bidding". Looks at the second highest selling item, the Deanna Troi Civilian Jumpsuit. The Bid History shows the zero feedback bidder slowly bidding the item up in $ 50 increments, but then stopping.

Whoever is doing this is really messing with these auctions and I hope the situation gets resolved soon. Both buyers and IAW are losing out becuase of a lack of confidence in the auction results.

Last week I made special mention of how one bidder was bid up by a zero feedback bidder on the Nemesis Starfleet uniform jumpsuit to $ 2,375. I urged this bidder not to pay that amount as it was a fraudulent bid. At first IAW refused to budge, but then refunded his money (the right move - kudos to Dominic). The item has now been re-listed.

On to the auctions:

The top costume was the Deanna Troi Civilian Jumpsuit at $ 2,601. That was reasonable for such a recognizable costume. Of course, I prefer Deanna in a Starfleet Uniform, but these were seen throughout the early years of TNG (when she had those awful hairstyles!).

The Reman Warrior costume at $ 1,951 went about where it should. These have been going in the $ 2,000 range. They are beautiful, as are the Xindi versions, which are two piece and come with the shoulder cage, rather than the bolero piece.

I won the Garak Civilian costume at $ 1,892 and was totally stoked about that. While not as popular a style as the Garak "Way of the Warrior" mustard one (which was the basis for the 9" action figure) or the one that went to a zero feedback bidder for $ 7,100, this one I think is the bets looking of the lot. I am pretty fired up about it.

The Voyager Barclay Starfleet Uniform was a good deal at $ 1,853. A nice black and gray with yellow undershirt that belongs to a beloved character.

The Giant Tom Paris Lot was interesting and at $ 1,820 pretty reasonable as it had a Starfleet uniform and three other costumes. An interesting lot for IAW to post.

IAW also paired Riker's Starfleet uniform ( a stunt version) with a set of his Pajamas! At $ 1,780 it went a bit high I think.

At $ 1,775, the Lt. Reed lot went pretty much where one would guess. This uniform had pips as well, so a good deal.

I also think the Trip Tucker lot at $ 1,700 was a good deal. Trip is very popular, and so this lot went at a good price. I am not crazy at the items that went with these uniforms, but at least IAW is cleaning out their warehouse!

The Captain Picard costume from "All Good Things" went at $ 1,693, which doesn't surprise me for a memorable civilian costume. It is pretty sharp.

The B'Lanna Torres lot went for a reasonable $ 1,675 bas it had three costumes. The uniform also had a Maquis rank insignia.

I liked the Enterprise Klingon Costume lot at $ 1,625 as it had three great pieces, a Klingon costume, a Klingon mask and an overcoat. A great deal I think.

I almost went for the Dr. Crusher Holodeck Sailing Costume, but sadly, it had no boots. Still a good deal at $ 1,625 and will look great on display.

As far as props go:

My buddy Jason lost out on the Starfleet Medical Computer, which was a shame, as he already has one and was going to sell his old one to me! :-( Well, even the prolific purchaser that Jason is loses out once in a while. This is a great piece, and I think well worth the price. This is a re-tasked DS9 computer that was used in the Voyager episode "Critical Care". At $ 2,606, a fair price for an important prop.

The Starfleet Distress Beacon was another prop I was interested in. However, I knew it would go over $ 2,000 and wasn't interested in blowing my budget on the prop. It is very nice, and from a great episode of DS9 "Waltz", where Sisko and Dukat are stranded on a planet alone. The prop sold for $ 2,281, which was in line with where one would think it would go. A nice piece, that will be cool in someone's media room!

The Starfleet Starship Panels at $ 2,025 was a great deal for a beautiful piece. I loved this, and my Canuck friend Grant lost out on this because he was being a cheapskate and wouldn't go to the wall on it. He was crying in his numerous cocktails all night. all I can say is, when you find that perfect prop, you have to bid high! This was worth $ 3,000 in my book. It is stunning. Sorry to rub it in Grant - we all still love you (in a manly way of course).

The Enterprise NX-01 Tactical Console was interesting in that it was a piece with multiple fittings. It went for $ 1,691. If one were to build a nice display for this, it might be pretty cool.

The Enterprise Button Panel Lot went for $ 1,630 and was cool in that it had so many pieces. Lots like this are typically good deals as the per-piece price is pretty low.

The Ankari Summoning Beacon went for $ 1,234. I am not crazy about this prop, but it is from a great episode of Voyager "Equinox" and so pretty cool.

A rubber stunt Phaser Rifle went for a reasonable $ 1,125. I had one of these and sold it as I got a resin one, and they are pretty nice.


THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:

Best Costume of the Week: The Garak Civilian costume at $ 1,892 was a beauty (and I won it, so pretty cool!)

Best Prop of the Week: The Starfleet Starship Panels at $ 2,025 was a steal! This is the type of prop that will look AMAZING on someone's wall!

Best Buy of the week: The Doctor Starfleet Uniform at $ 1,136. What a price for the Doc!

Worst Buy of the week: No really bad deals this week!

Sleeper of the Week: Voyager Starfleet Sciences Blue Uniform was actually the stunt for Jadzia Dax and only $ 685!


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Star Trek: Voyager Starfleet Medical Computer at $ 2,606

Star Trek: TNG Deanna Troi Civilian Jumpsuit at $ 2,601

Star Trek: DS9 Starfleet Distress Beacon at $ 2,281

Star Trek: Voyager Starfleet Starship Panels at $ 2,025

Star Trek: Nemesis Reman Warrior costume at $ 1,951


Alec

IAW making a move on Zero Feedback Bidders

IAW has started canceling bids of zero feedback bidders. Now that is good news. Unfortunately it treats the symptoms of the problem, and isn't a cure for the problem. That fraudulent bidder can still bid at the last minute if he hasn't been added to IAW's blocked bidder list. And if he has been added, he can bid under a new ID.

I spoke with Colin at IAW yesterday and he said that everyone had read my email to Dominic about the situation, they were acutely aware of this problem, and that it was top of mind. So a step in the right direction, for which IAW deserves credit. I know when I spoke with Tiara last week, she was very concerned about this as well. Do not think IAW takes this lightly.

IAW still hasn't adopted the policy of requiring a PayPal account though. It appears they aren't clear that requiring a PayPal account to bid, DOES NOT mean you require people to pay with PayPal. I know I had to explain that to Colin, so I am sure that distinction isn't well understood at IAW in general.

Unfortunately Dominic hasn't responded to my emails for a week, so I can't get the message through. I still have to urge IAW to take this step to ensure that the auctions are not interfered with.

Some people have told me that they "know" it is IAW shill bidding. Two have said "I have a friend, who has a friend who knows that IAW is shill bidding". Now I just don't believe that for one minute. Why? Well for starters, Dominic and Colin, the two guys I talk to regularly, are great guys and not the type to do that. Second, the fake bidding is not "shill bidding", meaning meant to drive up the price. It really is "Interference bidding", someone trying to screw with IAW.

It is also interesting that the items being bid up are often items that people on the Forum have said they were interested in. One bidder said on the forum she would bid the Garak up to $ 10,000 and then the zero feedback bidder was the winner at $ 7,700 when she changed her mind and bid lower. Items I bid on were bid up by the same bidder. Fortunately the zero feedback bidder was the 3rd bidder on the Garak I won and so the auction result was legit.

I can only urge you to ALWAYS check the bidding results to see if a zero feedback bidder has bid you up. Ultimately, unless IAW takes the simple step of requiring a PayPal account, the auctions will be susceptible to fraud.

Alec

The Klingon Death Sting, Part II

Well, Brett Jones (Federation Surplus) and I talked about this item and agreed it was probably worth about $ 300-350 even though it is a replica, so I bid $ 355 and I won the Death Sting at $ 321. A fair price for a replica with a holster. I am buying a Gorkon Disruptor replica from Daryl Hyde for $ 175, so figure this one comes with a holster and is worth the extra $ 150 -175.

A Real Death Sting (Sold in a Profiles in History auction)

Another photo of a real one.

The fake Death Sting from eBay

Chang/Gorkon Disruptor

I am going to do an article on this and the other replicas of the Death Sting out there. Darryl has been good about sharing information and photos with me, and I talked about this with Scott Brodeen, a prop maker who has been heavily involved with Star Trek over the years and was familiar with the prop. Daryl has sent me a bunch of photos of both real and fake Death Stings and has given me permission to use them in my blog.

A Death Sting kit

Since this is such an old piece, and has practically no screen time, it is a prop that has received very little attention, outside of the Icons piece in my previous post. I will have the photos up as soon as I get it and will dig for more photos of an original prop.

Also, you should note that the seller of this prop is selling ST: TMP patch sets as real. Even IAW doesn't have that many patches. Again, the seller claims they came from someone who worked on the movie. Like this Disruptor, good if you buy them knowing it is a replica.

Thanks to Daryl Hyde for all the photos and info!

Alec

The Klingon "Death Sting"

This seller claims that this Klingon "Death Sting" pistol from ST:TMP is real. I spent about 4 hours the other day going over this with both Brett Jones of Federation Surplus (who thought it was a fake) and then Daryl Hyde, a replica prop builder who actually has a cast off an original. Daryl was felt it was a fake as well. Both point to the different paint job as the key indicator.

There is an interesting story about these. They were never seen more than a brief glimpse in a holster in ST: TMP and so almost every one you see out there in kit or built form that is a replica is made from the recasts that were made off the TMP originals. Few people have actually seen an original. You can go to the Art of Star Trek on page 127 and you will see one that was then heavily modified for DS9. They often reused guns and changed them to represent different alien species weapons.

Also, you can see the original below.

You can see the condition the original is in, and you can also see that the paint job isn't even close. What's more is that the seller has refused to answer questions or supply more details on how he claims this is genuine.

REMEMBER: EVERYONE has a "friend" who worked on the show. It is the oldest line in the book when it comes to passing off fake props. And this seller has nothing to back that up.

Now, I will say the holster is cool and this is worth it if you want a nice replica (albeit with a bad paint job).

Finally, check out the Icons reproduction below from the very rare and limited set of Klingon guns they issued some 10 years back.