Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware
by John Gager (Copyright © 2000 - Fenton Fanatics)

In the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous growth in the amount of Fenton bought and sold over the Internet. Doing a search on "Fenton Art Glass" using the various search engines will reveal numerous dealers, auctions, and other people selling Fenton using the web. The key to buying is to be an informed purchaser, and I hope to give you a few tips on how to make a wise purchasing decision.

Rules that apply to all buyers!

Although some responsibility must be put upon the sellers for items you buy over the Internet, the ultimate responsibility is with you, the buyer. Become an educated purchaser! I can't stress this enough. If you intend to start collecting and buying Fenton over the Internet, then you need to know what you're buying. Spend the extra money to buy all of the Fenton Books you can afford. Buy the Fenton catalogs (and price lists) either through a dealer or Fenton themselves. And if you are buying older Fenton, it doesn't hurt to buy some of the older Fenton catalogs or supplements occasionally found on Ebay. Visit some of the Internet Dealer web pages to compare prices. And if you intend on becoming a serious collector, join one or more of the Fenton clubs. Each one publishes a newsletter that is a wealth of information such as special sales, Fenton QVC previews, classified ads that can help in setting values, etc. You also need to learn how to use Email, and never be afraid to use it. If someone is selling a piece of Fenton over the Internet, and you have a question, then ASK IT! If the seller is not willing to answer, then I suggest you find someone else to buy from. Most of the bad decisions made on an Internet purchase are only because the buyer didn't know their Fenton or were afraid to ask questions.