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ARTICLES

Below are the most recent articles by myself, Raffi Katz, published in the trade press.  Each is exactly as submitted, not necessarily the same as the published version after the editor has 'edited' it - compare and contrast.  Also, the titles I give each article are not the titles thought up by the editor.

Most months there are photographs of the fairs that I have taken - not available here, but see the Antique & Collectors Newspaper.

Below, in order of appearance, are:

PAYPAL
- Antiques Trade Gazette

WHY DO FAIRS CLASH?
- Antiques Trade Gazette

AWAITING PUBLICATION
 - Leon 
- Disposing of 40 years-worth of antiques and junk 

 

PAYPAL

Did you know that if you accept credit cards it is almost certain that the payment will not be guaranteed? Just as a cheque can 'bounce' several days after you pay it into the bank, so a credit card payment can bounce (they call is 'Chargeback' or 'Reversal')…and it can bounce up to six months later.


Some dramatic instances have been featured in the Antiques Trade Gazette where the seller has very carefully checked the buyer's identification and the credit card company has been happy to give authorisation, but 'authorisation' does not guarantee the money and the payment 'bounced' several weeks later. When this happens the bank helps itself to a refund from the seller's bank account - that's the arrangement, those are the terms of accepting credit cards.


The risk is especially high with CNP (Cardholder Not Present) transactions - that is, the customer is not actually standing in front of you, they are giving you their details over the telephone or over the internet.


My bank wanted me to give them several hundred pounds as 'security' against chargeback, they were quite clear about this, they sent a letter reminding all their customers to be aware of the chargeback rules and telling them to make a judgment as to whether they were making enough profit to cover the inevitable losses.


While the High Street Banks might be open about the risks, one company isn't: PayPal.


PayPal is a 'payment system' for the internet. It is owned by eBay and (surprise surprise) it is the only payment system eBay recommends. Buyers use their credit cards to put money into a PayPal account, and transferring money between PayPal accounts is easy. But payments are subject to chargeback just like any other credit card payment. If you accept payment through PayPal and the money 'bounces' PayPal will help themselves to a refund from YOUR credit card, because that is part of the agreement you entered into.


This is quite contrary to the impression you may get from reading PayPal's publicity, "…PayPal protects sellers at no charge from possible fraudulent payment activity by actively screening transactions for fraudulent activity".


PayPal does have a "Seller Protection Policy" which protects sellers from chargeback, but there are two problems.


Firstly, for the transaction to be eligible the goods must be posted using a service that is trackable over the internet (prohibitively expensive for overseas orders!). Secondly, PayPal will only decide if the transaction is 'protected' AFTER it has been paid.


I complained to PayPal that their "Seller Protection Policy" didn't actually offer much protection against chargeback and they replied, "If you accept credit cards, whether in person or through PayPal, you may encounter a chargeback from a buyer - just as a seller accepting personal cheques might receive an occasional bad cheque. Chargebacks are an unfortunate but realistic cost of doing business, and most sellers factor this cost into their business plans".


This might be OK if sellers could charge PayPal users slightly more to cover the risk, but any such surcharge is strictly forbidden by PayPal.


Not knowing if a payment is guaranteed until after it has been paid means that the buyer and seller must agree a price, the seller must take the money, then if the payment is NOT guaranteed, the seller must refuse to hand over the goods then refund the money.


Can this be true? Have I understood this correctly. I asked PayPal. They replied, "We are asking customers to use their best judgment with each transaction. It depends on the product being sold, the location it is being shipped to and the location of the buyer. It is a question of whether the seller feels comfortable about the transaction, if there is in anyway any feelings of discomfort or uneasiness then the seller should not continue with the transaction".


It is as if, before visiting a shop, you telephone to check that they accept cheques and they say yes, they do accept cheques but only with a Cheque Guarantee Card. So you go to the shop, choose goods, go to the checkout, write out a cheque and show them your cheque card. The cheque is processed then, a few minutes later, they tell you that they can't accept the cheque because your cheque card isn't valid for this particular transaction. You ask them what is wrong with the card and they tell you that there is nothing 'wrong' with the card, it is merely that it is not valid for this particular transaction. You want to know why they didn't tell you about this when you telephoned and they explain that there is no way of knowing until after you have paid.


I shall continue the analogy. You are not pleased. The shopkeeper is not pleased either, because customers keep complaining, so he (the shopkeeper) calls the bank. The bank replies that cheque cards aren't really necessary because most cheques are OK, but if the shopkeeper feels 'uncomfortable' he should bank the money, refuse to hand over the goods, then refund the money.


You may think that all this is fine providing you only use PayPal for PAYING for goods. Think again!


One day when your total spending with PayPal reaches £1000.00 you will be asked to provide proof of identity (proof of your name, proof of your address). That's fine. That's to comply with the government's anti-money-laundering laws. HOWEVER, at the same time PayPal will insist in setting up a Direct Debit to your bank account so that all future payments will be, by default, taken directly from your bank instead of your credit card....and if you refuse, then you can no longer operate a PayPal account.


PayPal is an incredibly good idea with a large number of useful features - but, beware, when you accept a payment through PayPal it is not guaranteed, PayPal can help themselves to a refund many months later; and if you use PayPal for buying goods, you will eventually have to give them access to your bank account.

 

A SOLUTION TO FAIRS CLASHING: A NEW CALENDAR 
 (Editor's title: How to produce a clash-free calendar)

Note: the photograph in the paper is mis-labelled, it is of Kempton not Sandown.
The two paragraphs to the right of the article are not by me, they are by Joan Porter.


A scene in an organiser's office, perhaps not so uncommon, this particular office was at the Sandown Park fair and the organiser was Alan Kipping. He was being berated at point blank range and only afterwards did he fully realise the implications. His 'assailant' really thought Alan was trying to single handily ruin the antique trade, that he was motivated by greed, or vengeance, or even stupidity. The subject of the conversation: why do so many Sandown and Kempton fairs clash?

Alan explains, "It might look to outsiders that Exhibition Centres lie empty for most of the year. Nothing could be further from the truth. At Sandown, for instance, there is a whole world of trade shows that most of us are blissfully unaware of. Petrol Pump World, National Quilt Championships, the Army Catering Show, even a cake competition. And any noun you can put an ex behind also has an exhibition, firex, liftex, stampex, ofex to name but a few. So if someone wants to have a five day trade show, a one day antique fair comes a very poor second".

Three racecourses (all nearby) have the same owners, Kempton Park, Sandown Park and Epsom Downs, they are all owned by United Racecourses and they all host antiques fairs, a total of 35 fairs per year. So what, I asked Alan, happens when his Sandown fair clashes?

"Moving Sandown dates away from Kempton dates doesn't always help, it can mean tucking in after a bank holiday weekend or running against fairs at other venues, the choice of dates is very limited."

There was a time when United Racecourses helped by not clashing fairs at their own venues, a good, but short-lived, idea.

Edward Cruttenden, organizer of the Kempton fair elaborates.

"Fifteen years ago racecourses made their money from racing, with dinners and banquets as a sideline. Today a large part of their income is non-racing events, and maximizing profit comes first, being helpful to the antiques trade is no longer part of the equation."

The Kempton dates are fixed: the second and last Tuesday of the month, there is no choice. That also adds up to a lot of Tuesdays. So what, I asked Edward, happens when his Kempton fair clashes?

"When Kempton clashes with Sandown it doesn't really affect us, we start at 6.30am, Sandown starts at midday, buyers go from one to the other, sellers do too - they pack up early. Visitors complain about the number of stallholders who have gone by 10.30am, I say so what? - they've paid their rent, they've turned up, I'm not going to double-book their stands!"

He's right. Kempton and Sandown clash, but they also compliment each other. It isn't much fun for sellers at Kempton who have to start packing up at 10am then dash the six miles to Sandown ready for an 11am setup, but it's good for buyers who can visit two fairs and be home in time for tea.

The clash between Ardingly and Kempton isn't so happy, this is the one time that the Kempton fair isn't fully booked; even organizers DMG acknowledge that their fair isn't quite as vibrant when it clashes with Kempton.

"We do liaise with the Kempton organizer and we do TRY not to clash but you must understand that our hands are tied, the Ardingly showground hosts other events and there aren't enough Tuesdays in the year" said a DMG spokesman.

When Alexandra Palace and Shepton Mallet clash each fairs appears to be just as full with stallholders but behind the scenes the organizers are working hard to fill gaps where sellers have left their regular stall at one fair to stand at their regular stall at the other.

Alexandra Palace organiser Lindy Berkman is sympathetic, "It really is a great shame for the sellers who are forced to choose between two good fairs. As regards the buyers the two fairs are not in competition because they are 140 miles apart."

Now that Newark and Swinderby are ten days apart, there is a disincentive for overseas buyers to stay for both fairs. Will the introduction of Lincoln Showground between the two giants lead to a new 10-day buying spree for serious trade buyers? Do these fairs compliment each other or do they 'clash'? Discuss.

There is, however, a solution to the issue of fairs clashing. A very simple solution. A new calendar. The same calendar for every year.

Take the Sandown and Kempton clashes for instance, they involve Tuesdays. You see most months have four Tuesdays some have five, which means the Kempton fair (always the second and last Tuesday of the month) dodges about all the time. The last Sandown fair was on Tuesday May 17. There won't be another May 17 on a Tuesday until 2009.

The answer is for the civilised world to adopt the world calendar proposed by Elisabeth Achelis in 1930. It slightly alters the number of days in each month to produce four equal quarters so that every year starts on Sunday January 1st.

This is done by having one World Day (not a conventional day of the week) after December 30th and another after June 30th every leap year. The April Sandown Fair would fall on Tuesday 24th April and 24th April would be a Tuesday every year, no more clashes with Kempton.

Your birthday would, of course, be on the same day every year, but if that bothered you could always keep the old calendar rolling in the background. You could have an official and an unofficial birthday and be just like the Queen.

We forget we made up the calendar in the first place often in a very arbitrary manner, so we can make it up again to better suit ourselves couldn't we?