2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 7th Division of the Iraqi Army Scout Sniper Platoon

Hence why I do not post much anymore. Very sad.

Can't blame you on that, it's turning into a bashing forum. I just want to see different patches! Wow...alot of focus on this guy. I’m one of those guys who’s never posted to a forum or anything, I just like looking mostly. When I saw this thread it felt like I needed to add a 2nd opinion from someone who knows. I’m familiar with Militrader, I worked with them on some custom stuff. My experience was very positive, the goods were high quality and they were extremely professional to deal with. I gotta say, this guy remembered my son’s birthday and sent him a custom patch to commemorate his unit FOR FREE! My son still wears it on his pack.

A couple things aren’t adding up for me though with the original post. First, what would make you think that this site is the only place to find these patches (not descriptions, but actual patches) or that people like me aren’t asking for him to make particular patches? Second, I looked at the listing you posted and nowhere are they suggesting that this particular patch is an original. In fact, it’s listed as NEW. If they were listed as original I would jump on the bandwagon with you! On the patches that are original, they seem to list those in a completely different category, or at least mention it in some way in the description. Everything else is listed as “NEW”, just like the one you bought. Also, the one you bought is listed under “Other Militaria,” not “Originals” which is an option when listing as I understand it. If I was a “collector” that wanted original items I’d stick to the Originals categories.

You stated that you own all of them, or something like that, so common sense on my part dictates that you must know what they look like. The photo is perfectly clear, you own most of them apparently, gotta ask why you bought it? Ignoring that still leaves the question why you didn’t contact them so they can properly address your issue. Of all the work I had them do I’ve only had 1 issue and they fix it immediately…and gave me 10% off the next thing I bought because of it. Instead of addressing the issue properly you go to a forum and complain about a mistake you made? You even have other people asking if you tried to fix it, I’m assuming cuz other people think that’s the step that makes the most sense.

I’m not a terribly educated man, but I am a thinking man, and something doesn’t sound right here. If I had to guess and thought anybody might care, I’d say you’re a fellow seller and they’re in your way. If not, in the future if the $7 is that important to you, I would suggest simply paying attention to what you buy, ask questions if you have specific needs as a “collector”, definitely stick to the appropriate eBay categories, and unless you had every intention on bad mouthing folks, at the very least you should have talked to the actual person involved and handled it like a pro. I’m willing to guess most people would agree to that. But this was all a year ago wasn’t it?

Now that I’ve fully gone on my little tangent, I just have to say that Militrader has stuff that I’ve never seen anywhere else. I was never confused about whether their stuff was original or not. And if I questioned it...I'd ask. I’ve gone to them to replace my own unit patches because they’re so beat up, I like putting them in a case together so I can remember what they used to look like. The range of foreign SF stuff is great. I don’t know how they do it but you just show them a photo and next thing you know it’s in your hand. AT least this is my 1st hand experience. I got to talk to the person in charge and they like listing items that ARE sometimes hard to find so at least people can have access to that stuff if they cannot afford or find originals.

Apparently, some of their stuff is custom and they continue selling it incase other people might like it too. I don’t know you but you seem to really have it out for this company. I found out all this just by talking to them. Personally I’d focus on those guys selling stuff as “original” but aren’t. That’s where I’d have a BIG problem! I don’t see a big issues here except that you bought a patch that you’re saying you thought was original for some reason, but nothing was saying that it was. Makes me think.

Anyway, you suggested looking at feedback, I would encourage folks to do that with anything on eBay. I always look at feedback, which can say a lot about a seller. Militrader’s feedback is pretty damn good for all those sales. I’m impressed. I'm also done, I never typed so much in my life! I would love to see this forum get back to talking about people's collections and bad-ass patches.

Halcyon123 wrote:Can't blame you on that, it's turning into a bashing forum. I just want to see different patches! Wow...alot of focus on this guy. I’m one of those guys who’s never posted to a forum or anything, I just like looking mostly.  When I saw this thread it felt like I needed to add a 2nd opinion from someone who knows. I’m familiar with Militrader, I worked with them on some custom stuff.  My experience was very positive, the goods were high quality and they were extremely professional to deal with. I gotta say, this guy remembered my son’s birthday and sent him a custom patch to commemorate his unit FOR FREE! My son still wears it on his pack.

A couple things aren’t adding up for me though with the original post. First, what would make you think that this site is the only place to find these patches (not descriptions, but actual patches) or that people like me aren’t asking for him to make particular patches? Second, I looked at the listing you posted and nowhere are they suggesting that this particular patch is an original. In fact, it’s listed as NEW. If they were listed as original I would jump on the bandwagon with you! On the patches that are original, they seem to list those in a completely different category, or at least mention it in some way in the description. Everything else is listed as “NEW”, just like the one you bought. Also, the one you bought is listed under “Other Militaria,” not “Originals” which is an option when listing as I understand it. If I was a “collector” that wanted original items I’d stick to the Originals categories.

You stated that you own all of them, or something like that, so common sense on my part dictates that you must know what they look like. The photo is perfectly clear, you own most of them apparently, gotta ask why you bought it? Ignoring that still leaves the question why you didn’t contact them so they can properly address your issue. Of all the work I had them do I’ve only had 1 issue and they fix it immediately…and gave me 10% off the next thing I bought because of it. Instead of addressing the issue properly you go to a forum and complain about a mistake you made? You even have other people asking if you tried to fix it, I’m assuming cuz other people think that’s the step that makes the most sense.

I’m not a terribly educated man, but I am a thinking man, and something doesn’t sound right here. If I had to guess and thought anybody might care, I’d say you’re a fellow seller and they’re in your way. If not, in the future if the $7 is that important to you, I would suggest simply paying attention to what you buy, ask questions if you have specific needs as a “collector”, definitely stick to the appropriate eBay categories, and unless you had every intention on bad mouthing folks, at the very least you should have talked to the actual person involved and handled it like a pro. I’m willing to guess most people would agree to that. But this was all a year ago wasn’t it?

Now that I’ve fully gone on my little tangent, I just have to say that Militrader has stuff that I’ve never seen anywhere else. I was never confused about whether their stuff was original or not. And if I questioned it...I'd ask. I’ve gone to them to replace my own unit patches because they’re so beat up, I like putting them in a case together so I can remember what they used to look like. The range of foreign SF stuff is great. I don’t know how they do it but you just show them a photo and next thing you know it’s in your hand. AT least this is my 1st hand experience. I got to talk to the person in charge and they like listing items that ARE sometimes hard to find so at least people can have access to that stuff if they cannot afford or find originals.

Apparently, some of their stuff is custom and they continue selling it incase other people might like it too. I don’t know you but you seem to really have it out for this company. I found out all this just by talking to them. Personally I’d focus on those guys selling stuff as “original” but aren’t. That’s where I’d have a BIG problem! I don’t see a big issues here except that you bought a patch that you’re saying you thought was original for some reason, but nothing was saying that it was. Makes me think.

Anyway, you suggested looking at feedback, I would encourage folks to do that with anything on eBay. I always look at feedback, which can say a lot about a seller. Militrader’s feedback is pretty damn good for all those sales. I’m impressed. I'm also done, I never typed so much in my life! I would love to see this forum get back to talking about people's collections and bad-ass patches.

  First off, thank you for adding a second opinion to this discussion.  It is always good to have a different perspective on things.


  With all that being said, I am happy you have had such a good experience with this particular eBay seller.  Since I have never bought anything from him, I can not comment on his customer service.  However, I can comment on a few things.  


  You are right, he does not list his items as original nor does he list them as being reproductions and that is where the problem I have lies.  Nowhere in his listings does he ever mention these are copies.  He leaves it up to the buyer to determine that for themselves.  Like many sellers, the old adage of  Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware) is how this seller operates or maybe he lives by the quote by P.T. Barnum saying "There's a sucker born every minute."  By pointing out that his copy is a fake, I am educating the collectors who are looking for original items to add to their collection.


  As to my patches, I bought mine directly from the MARSOC veteran who had these made for the Iraqis.  I know exactly where mine come from and it is not like there were a ton of these made.  These were made for a specific MARSOC unit to give out to the Iraqis they trained during a specific deployment.  Until I posted this patch, it was unknown in the collecting world.  The only place this was showed, other than here, was eBay and that was until they sold out, which was very quickly.  As you can tell from the original post, my patch was posted here in January 2010.  Almost five years before the eBay seller had his fake patch for sale.


  it is very simple what happened here, the seller came to this forum and others, took the photos which had been posted, and then copied them to sell on eBay.  Again, the problem here is not that he reproduced them, it is the fact he is not labeling them as such.  He purposely words his auctions to be ambiguous.  He isn't saying they are real, but he is not saying they are fake either.  He leaves that up to the buyer to figure out.  Would you call that an honest seller?

  As to me being a seller who is threatened by this particular eBay seller, that couldn't be farther from the truth.  As many of the forum members know,  I do not sell or trade anything from my collection anymore.  I don't have the time to deal with all that entails.  In fact , I haven't sold anything in 4 years. 


  Seems to me the problem here is that this particular seller doesn't like the fact this forum has called him out on his fake patches (which he won't admit are fake in his auction listings).  If anything, we have cut into his profit margin by getting the word out here and other places about his patches.


  This forum was established by collectors and is run by collectors.  I will add that the administrators, moderators, and members bring years of experience to the table.  Our aim is to preserve history and to research the artifacts used by soldiers in the GWOT.  If we find a fake item being sold on eBay or other places, you can rest assured we will talk about it on here.  


  Again, I have never bought anything from this particular seller nor will I ever.  I have the originals and I will stick with that.  There is no need to add reproduction items to my collection.  Have I ever contacted this seller?  No, I have not.  What is the point of talking to him?  I know his items are fake and he took photos from various forums to make the patches he is selling.  Do I think he will start labeling his patches as reproductions because I ask him?  Hell no.  

  Thanks for the "collecting" advice.  Been doing that already for years and I am trying to pass along what I have learned to other collectors, hence why we called out this eBay seller on this post.  


  Lastly, I did a check of eBay just now to see if there were any more of this particular patches for sale and there is none except for the one offered by this particular seller.  Wouldn't surprise me to see some from a different seller after this comment.


  As always, this is my opinion.

Halcyon, thanks for your input. I would like to add from my own perspective: The purpose of this forum is to educate each other and we have few individuals who never participated nor contributed anything, exploited active members of photos and knowledge, for their own profit. That is what I find disturbing.

And because this has became problem, it has negative cause; active members like myself are no longer motivated to share anything special. It is unfair for good members who want to learn and see cool stuff.

Mercenary25 wrote:Halcyon, thanks for your input. I would like to add from my own perspective: The purpose of this forum is to educate each other and we have few individuals who never participated nor contributed anything, exploited active members of photos and knowledge, for their own profit. That is what I find disturbing.

And because this has became problem, it has negative cause; active members like myself are no longer motivated to share anything special. It is unfair for good members who want to learn and see cool stuff.

  Excellent point, Merc.  I have many items in my collection that will never make it to the forum for the exact reason you posted.  Unscrupulous people troll these forums and are just looking for items to reproduce in an effort to separate the collectors from their money.



  What also pisses me off is when these sellers then turn around and blame the collectors for not being knowledgeable enough on the subject.  The sellers on purposely make their descriptions ambiguous.  That way, when their hand is called about their fake patches, they can say they never said it was real or fake.  It is all semantics.  These sellers know EXACTLY what they are doing and how to do it.  That is exactly why this forum exists........to educate other collectors.

Halcyon123 wrote:Can't blame you on that, it's turning into a bashing forum. I just want to see different patches! Wow...alot of focus on this guy. I’m one of those guys who’s never posted to a forum or anything, I just like looking mostly.  When I saw this thread it felt like I needed to add a 2nd opinion from someone who knows. I’m familiar with Militrader, I worked with them on some custom stuff.  My experience was very positive, the goods were high quality and they were extremely professional to deal with. I gotta say, this guy remembered my son’s birthday and sent him a custom patch to commemorate his unit FOR FREE! My son still wears it on his pack.

A couple things aren’t adding up for me though with the original post. First, what would make you think that this site is the only place to find these patches (not descriptions, but actual patches) or that people like me aren’t asking for him to make particular patches? Second, I looked at the listing you posted and nowhere are they suggesting that this particular patch is an original. In fact, it’s listed as NEW. If they were listed as original I would jump on the bandwagon with you! On the patches that are original, they seem to list those in a completely different category, or at least mention it in some way in the description. Everything else is listed as “NEW”, just like the one you bought. Also, the one you bought is listed under “Other Militaria,” not “Originals” which is an option when listing as I understand it. If I was a “collector” that wanted original items I’d stick to the Originals categories.

You stated that you own all of them, or something like that, so common sense on my part dictates that you must know what they look like. The photo is perfectly clear, you own most of them apparently, gotta ask why you bought it? Ignoring that still leaves the question why you didn’t contact them so they can properly address your issue. Of all the work I had them do I’ve only had 1 issue and they fix it immediately…and gave me 10% off the next thing I bought because of it. Instead of addressing the issue properly you go to a forum and complain about a mistake you made? You even have other people asking if you tried to fix it, I’m assuming cuz other people think that’s the step that makes the most sense.

I’m not a terribly educated man, but I am a thinking man, and something doesn’t sound right here. If I had to guess and thought anybody might care, I’d say you’re a fellow seller and they’re in your way. If not, in the future if the $7 is that important to you, I would suggest simply paying attention to what you buy, ask questions if you have specific needs as a “collector”, definitely stick to the appropriate eBay categories, and unless you had every intention on bad mouthing folks, at the very least you should have talked to the actual person involved and handled it like a pro. I’m willing to guess most people would agree to that. But this was all a year ago wasn’t it?

Now that I’ve fully gone on my little tangent, I just have to say that Militrader has stuff that I’ve never seen anywhere else. I was never confused about whether their stuff was original or not. And if I questioned it...I'd ask. I’ve gone to them to replace my own unit patches because they’re so beat up, I like putting them in a case together so I can remember what they used to look like. The range of foreign SF stuff is great. I don’t know how they do it but you just show them a photo and next thing you know it’s in your hand. AT least this is my 1st hand experience. I got to talk to the person in charge and they like listing items that ARE sometimes hard to find so at least people can have access to that stuff if they cannot afford or find originals.

Apparently, some of their stuff is custom and they continue selling it incase other people might like it too. I don’t know you but you seem to really have it out for this company. I found out all this just by talking to them. Personally I’d focus on those guys selling stuff as “original” but aren’t. That’s where I’d have a BIG problem! I don’t see a big issues here except that you bought a patch that you’re saying you thought was original for some reason, but nothing was saying that it was. Makes me think.

Anyway, you suggested looking at feedback, I would encourage folks to do that with anything on eBay. I always look at feedback, which can say a lot about a seller. Militrader’s feedback is pretty damn good for all those sales. I’m impressed. I'm also done, I never typed so much in my life! I would love to see this forum get back to talking about people's collections and bad-ass patches.

You know if I were a shady seller on ebay, and I wanted to defend my product, I'd post exactly what you have. God forbid someone googles "Are miltrader patches on ebay real?" and suddenly this forum post pops up. Every argument made makes it seem as if miltrader is conducting a public service instead of hoping to pull the wool over peoples eyes. You're "not a terribly educated man, but I am a thinking man" but guess what? So are most collectors (or should I write "collector" like you have since apparently no one collects this stuff?) on this forum. Some are well educated, some aren't but we all can think on our own and come to our own conclusions. We BUST fakes, scam artists and those seeking to do a bit of damage control for their shady businesses. While you thought a thin smoke screen would save you, it hasn't.

Halcyon123, I am a little disappointed that you registered here and posted for the purpose of defending your eBay actions. Lets call it what it is, you have contributed nothing to the growth or content of this forum, and you expect people to be swayed by your explanation? It only further lends to the appearance of unethical business practices.

Looks like their turning on me now...that’s my cue to exit. I’ve dealt with disrespect for too many years to volunteer for it, I’m retired from the military and too old for this type of thing at this point in my life. I see where this is going. Just want to say to redleggi, no one loses from more research, I’m in TX, Militrader isn’t. I suppose this is why I’ve avoid this type of thing in the past. I would hope opposing views are welcome, especially ones based on personal experience.

Mercenary25, I appreciate your tact especially since I’m new to this forum business. And nkomo, I was initially addressing you and you handled it with respect, I thank you sir.

Just want to point out, while just a blurb, his store home page, where a seller describes their business, it does seem to say “reproductions” along with other things. I guess that may have been missed, I hate to think it was ignored. Instead of putting it on all the hundreds of listing he seems to simply asks for people to ask questions in the description…works for me. My son’s been having it rough and he and his wife did right by me and I stick up for those who do right by me and mine. Won’t apologize, not that anybody asked me to.

And guess what I found while looking for more Australian stuff? Looks like Militrader should be upset if anybody. Some guy bought a patch from him (no mention of it being original as usual) for $5, and you can tell it’s the exact same patch because of the thread connections on the skull, same patch I bought from him awhile back. This guy is selling it at auction starting at $13 (Aus), that’s like $10, double! You’ll enjoy this nkomo, in the “Item Specifics” section it’s listed as ORIGINAL! Sorry I can only put the item #, no external links yet I’m too new to the forum apparently:

Militrader: 261874487892

Other guy: 321949411702

He’s got the E squadron there too, just jacked up the price to make people think it's original I assume. Militrader even put that it’s an unofficial patch, guess the other guy missed that. No bidders though, that’s something I guess. See THAT’S the people I have a BIG problem with. The snake oil salesman that purposefully says something is one thing and it’s not. Now I’m feeling myself getting upset. I’m out guys. No more of this for me…have a good one.

Halcyon123 wrote:  Just want to say to redleggi, no one loses from more research, I’m in TX, Militrader isn’t.

Good thing your IP traces you to California.


Also thank you for completely ignoring every point I made. Have a great day miltrader <3

How is this turning into a bashing forum?  We appreciate the input and different perspectives but having an honest conversation about the authenticity of a patch is part of what this forum is about - we want to have a through discussion and educate any who wants to read a thread.  Thanks!

Halcyon123 wrote:Can't blame you on that, it's turning into a bashing forum. I just want to see different patches! Wow...alot of focus on this guy. I’m one of those guys who’s never posted to a forum or anything, I just like looking mostly.  When I saw this thread it felt like I needed to add a 2nd opinion from someone who knows. I’m familiar with Militrader, I worked with them on some custom stuff.  My experience was very positive, the goods were high quality and they were extremely professional to deal with. I gotta say, this guy remembered my son’s birthday and sent him a custom patch to commemorate his unit FOR FREE! My son still wears it on his pack.

A couple things aren’t adding up for me though with the original post. First, what would make you think that this site is the only place to find these patches (not descriptions, but actual patches) or that people like me aren’t asking for him to make particular patches? Second, I looked at the listing you posted and nowhere are they suggesting that this particular patch is an original. In fact, it’s listed as NEW. If they were listed as original I would jump on the bandwagon with you! On the patches that are original, they seem to list those in a completely different category, or at least mention it in some way in the description. Everything else is listed as “NEW”, just like the one you bought. Also, the one you bought is listed under “Other Militaria,” not “Originals” which is an option when listing as I understand it. If I was a “collector” that wanted original items I’d stick to the Originals categories.

You stated that you own all of them, or something like that, so common sense on my part dictates that you must know what they look like. The photo is perfectly clear, you own most of them apparently, gotta ask why you bought it? Ignoring that still leaves the question why you didn’t contact them so they can properly address your issue. Of all the work I had them do I’ve only had 1 issue and they fix it immediately…and gave me 10% off the next thing I bought because of it. Instead of addressing the issue properly you go to a forum and complain about a mistake you made? You even have other people asking if you tried to fix it, I’m assuming cuz other people think that’s the step that makes the most sense.

I’m not a terribly educated man, but I am a thinking man, and something doesn’t sound right here. If I had to guess and thought anybody might care, I’d say you’re a fellow seller and they’re in your way. If not, in the future if the $7 is that important to you, I would suggest simply paying attention to what you buy, ask questions if you have specific needs as a “collector”, definitely stick to the appropriate eBay categories, and unless you had every intention on bad mouthing folks, at the very least you should have talked to the actual person involved and handled it like a pro. I’m willing to guess most people would agree to that. But this was all a year ago wasn’t it?  

Now that I’ve fully gone on my little tangent, I just have to say that Militrader has stuff that I’ve never seen anywhere else. I was never confused about whether their stuff was original or not. And if I questioned it...I'd ask. I’ve gone to them to replace my own unit patches because they’re so beat up, I like putting them in a case together so I can remember what they used to look like. The range of foreign SF stuff is great. I don’t know how they do it but you just show them a photo and next thing you know it’s in your hand. AT least this is my 1st hand experience. I got to talk to the person in charge and they like listing items that ARE sometimes hard to find so at least people can have access to that stuff if they cannot afford or find originals.

Apparently, some of their stuff is custom and they continue selling it in case other people might like it too. I don’t know you but you seem to really have it out for this company. I found out all this just by talking to them. Personally I’d focus on those guys selling stuff as “original” but aren’t. That’s where I’d have a BIG problem! I don’t see a big issues here except that you bought a patch that you’re saying you thought was original for some reason, but nothing was saying that it was. Makes me think.

Anyway, you suggested looking at feedback, I would encourage folks to do that with anything on eBay. I always look at feedback, which can say a lot about a seller. Militrader’s feedback is pretty damn good for all those sales. I’m impressed. I'm also done, I never typed so much in my life! I would love to see this forum get back to talking about people's collections and bad-ass patches.

Halcyon123 wrote: Just want to say to redleggi, no one loses from more research, I’m in TX, Militrader isn’t. 

  I am sure most people know what an IP address is, but in case you don't, I will give a short definition.  In a nutshell, an IP address is a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network. (Google definition)  Each computer has a unique IP address that allows people to track where the user is from.  



  On this forum, the administrators have access to members IP addresses.  Every post you make is recorded from the IP address that it originates.  As administrators, we can also check where an IP address originates from.  Even though we can't get an exact location like law enforcement can, we can get a general vicinity of where the IP address is from,  usually within 50 miles or so.


  I ran your IP address to see if you really where from Texas as you said.  Oddly enough, your IP address says something totally different.  Your IP address says that you are somewhere near Sacramento, California.  I checked Google and found that the distance from Sacramento, California to Texas ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 miles.  Something seems amiss here.  You say you are from Texas, yet your IP address says you are from Sacramento, California. 


  I also decided to check the location of the eBay seller in question.  Guess where he is located? He is located in Elk Grove, California.  Checked the distance between Sacramento and Elk Grove and it is 15.2 miles.  Hmmmmm.


  I am posting a picture of the auction in question and showing where this eBay seller says he is from.  I will gladly post pictures of the IP address I have access to here and also post a picture showing where the IP address is from.  I will post these if I feel it necessary to prove my point.


  At this point, I am going to leave it here for the forum members to make up their own minds.  I know that I let the facts be my guide when it comes to situations like this.  We have posted pics of the original patch, we have posted pics of the reproduction patches, and we have posted links to the actions where the seller REFUSES to admit the patches are fakes that he has produced.  If needs be, I will gladly post pictures of the IP address evidence.  


  As far as I am concerned, this matter is settled and I know exactly who Halcyon123 is.  My opinion, fellers.

Ok promise last one, this was too good to pass up, it did make me giggle though. I am from TX, but I'm not currently there brother...I'm visiting family near the capital for the holidays. But you probably felt like you were really on to something I can tell. Stalker.

Stalker?  Who is the one who came to this forum throwing a fit over the fact that we (in your opinion) have slighted this specific eBay seller?  Who came on here with an attitude problem attacking the members on this forum?  All we said is that the patch was fake.  Not one person impugned the reputation of this seller.  We merely pointed out he was selling fake items, which we proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.


Every person who has posted on this forum or who has read this thread knows damned good and well that halcyon123 IS the same seller from eBay.  You, halcyon123, are the same seller on Ebay.


Since you couldn't or wouldn't let it go, I will gladly post up the evidence that you are denying.  You have shown yourself to be a rude individual on this thread by insulting not only me, but the members of this forum.  I will not tolerate you making excuses for this seller's unethical behavior.  Furthermore, you have a lot of nerve coming on here saying that it is up to the collector to educate themselves on items.  I will admit that is a partially true, which is WHY this thread has exposed the seller.  You conveniently left out the fact that the seller also has a duty to let the buyer be aware his items are FAKE.  From what I have seen, you have side stepped that little fact of admitting the items from the seller are FAKE.  Pot calling the kettle black?


As to your assertion of me being a stalker, the aim of this forum is to preserve the history of the GWOT.  When we see an item that we feel is a fake or reproduction,  we will discuss it here.  If checking out the claims of forum members, like those you have stated, makes me a stalker in your eyes, so be it.  Giggle all you want.  I call it fact checking and keeping our members safe from sellers who sell fake items.  In fact, that is a responsibility of running a forum like this. You know who you are and so do the other members on this forum, halcyon123.
 
Again, my opinion.

I will make a comment or 2 here....first off...I have known nkomo personally for close to 30 years....and for your information Halcyon123 he is NOT a seller....if you truly knew him...this is one thing you would know...he very seldom sells anything...so the ebay seller is NOT in his way....& secondly you should figure out something isn't right...when you specifically say...
"I don’t know how they do it but you just show them a photo and next thing you know it’s in your hand" THAT in itself should sufficient to say that the seller is either making them up or having them made one. And before you accuse me of siding with nkomo or this forum.....while it is fact that I made this forum along with imput from several folks...I NO longer even collect militaria... I see absolutely nothing wrong with pointing out that a specific item on ebay is NOT genuine...I know I have been saved many times back in the day...because experienced collectors set me straight & showed me why a particular item was not authentic or correct..And as far as stalking goes....as the makers & administration of an online forum...we have the privledge of having access to info about our members, including to but not limited to their IP addresses. There is nothing "stalking" about that....it is used for safety & security of our members & our forum. If someone doesn't like this then don't bother to utilize an online forum or the internet itself. Also it might be worth noting that if you think we stalk....then you should also realize that our forums are also browsed by DHS & several other Government entities...