URGENT! EBAY DEALERS FOLLOWING PAUL ON U.S. TOUR!
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This is to let Paul & his people know that he is being followed from city to city by ebay dealers coming out of the east coast of USA! They are hiring around 100 people off of craigslist or similar sites specifically to get Pauls autograph and then pays them for their service! They primarily will be at the airport or hotel when Paul is leaving to go on to his next show! I have read reports of these individuals specifically hiring young women and children and having them pose as being disabled to play on Pauls sympathy to better their chances at an autograph! These individuals are also having these "volunteers" get the clear plastic of newly opened vinyl records signed by Paul so that they can later transfer it to high end items such as Hoffner guitars! If Paul and his team can see this please be aware of this! THIS IS FROM AN ACTUAL TWEET STILL ON TWITTER OF ONE PERSONS ACCT OF BEING HIRED AND PAID AFTER RECEIVING AN AUTOGRAPH FROM PAUL ON THE CURRENT TOUR! On 30 May @CadyKendall wrote: Paul McCartney chose them to give them a signature. They just gave it to their "boss" for $200. He resales the sigs for thousands. What. I know there is no way to stop these things from happening and I hope Paul knows there are still people who would be thrilled to have his autograph and not sell it for profit! However this particular circumstance of hiring 100's of people to do this is despicable and needs to be stopped! Fans trying to meet Paul for that rare autograph be aware of this and pass it on to others to try to stop these losers from ruining it for the rest of us!
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That's just wrong. If Paul gave me an autograph, I would treasure it for the rest of my life, and I'm sure the same goes for members of this board. What if Paul gets fed up just like Ringo and decides not to give autographs anymore because of those dealers?
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Fuck them.
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Completely disgusting!!!! I've seen these people in action. I lived in Manhattan for 2 years and worked in Midtown, near the Ed Sullivan theater. Most guests of David Letterman are kind enough to stop and sign autographs as they are leaving, but unfortunately, a large number of those getting the autographs are professionals. They push their way up and are very agressive. Some celebs can recognize these people and I think Paul does, as was suggested in the documentary, "The Love You Make". Everyone once in a while I would go over there after work to see guests leaving the show, but only got autographs 2 times (George Clooney and Robin Williams). I mainly went to watch if it was someone who interested me. One time I got a tip off that Paul and Heather were getting some kind of award at the Hilton next door to the building I worked in. I didn't have anything for him to sign and no time to go home, so I bought a Beatles postcard in a shop. There was just a tiny group waiting there, but they all appeared to be professionals, some even using their children. I got the postcard signed by Paul, but since I was lucky enough to get his autograph once before, I gave this one to my friend Linda. I would never think of selling an autograph I personally received. Those people ruin it for the real fans!!
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Trust me, he's no rookie, he knows this, and it's nothing new. I literally heard him saying sarcastically "straight to eBaaaaay" after signing some LP when I saw him for the very first time, outside the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Also see the plenty of footage of signings outside his yearly visit to LIPA, in which McCartney ignores certain people by saying "nope, you're a dealer".
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Glad he has told some people they are a dealer. It's the reason Ringo doesn't sign autographs.
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I agree if I had his signature there would be no price that would cause me to sell it...and Yes that is screwed up..big time..ruins it for others like me.
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nobodytoldme:
Trust me, he's no rookie, he knows this, and it's nothing new. I literally heard him saying sarcastically "straight to eBaaaaay" after signing some LP when I saw him for the very first time, outside the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Also see the plenty of footage of signings outside his yearly visit to LIPA, in which McCartney ignores certain people by saying "nope, you're a dealer".
Im sure he is able to spot the sellers as well but now with hiring women & children they dont even need to be seen while others are doing their dirty work. Which is why I mentioned the tactic of getting the shrink wrap signed instead of on the actual record. People who are volunteering to do this are just as much to blame as the ones who put them up to it.
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I saw Beatle autographs for sale and I told my husband the ONLY way I would EVER sell something like that would be if a family member needed a kidney. After thinking the situation over, I changed my mind. I mean, people can still live with just one kidney, right?
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It's not a Paul specific issue. It is just the state of the autograph market today. I recall a reported conversation in a Paul signing queue some years ago... Two teenage boys on their mobile phones.... "we're in the queue outside Virgin Records for somebody's signing..... turns and asks another queuer "who's this for?" on reply... "It's Paul McCartney, apparently we have to buy something, how many of what do you want?" ... Obviously Paul is a big target for these professionals, but every celebrity at every event can expect to find the pushiest clamouring for their attention from amongst these numbers. Paul continues to sign despite this knowledge possibly in the hope at least some of what he does sign will be rightfully treasured by the first hand recipients, Ringo on the other hand has declared himself out of the game. We can do our bit by not buying from the commercial market, after all once the "signature" is marketed away from Paul it also enters the murky world of forgery, facsimile and deception. Deny them a market, deny them a profit. Martin
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I'm not knockin' autographs for sure, but if I had to pick, I'd rather get a photo with someone I really wanted to meet over an autograph ... though I definitely wouldn't pass it up! But I definitely wouldn't shell out big bucks for an autograph either.
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Autograph-hounds is an "industry" as old as the hills.
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That's just disgusting that someone would do that. I hope Paul won't stop giving autographs to the real fans though! I will be waiting for him with my BOTR LP as he drives into Fenway Park on Tuesday hoping to get very very lucky!
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I got a chance to meet Ringo (briefly) back stage at DTE music theater in the Detroit area back in 97 (show was released as an official VHS). We were told not to approach him, but i figured, hey, how many chances am i going to get to meet a Beatle? so i went up to him & asked for an autograph! he politely declined. i wasnt mad, i figured he wouldnt sign them due to Lennon doing just that & getting killed. i know if my best friend died dong something, i wouldnt do it anymore either. didnt realize he wont do it because of dealers.
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This is as ridiculous as the prices those ass clowns put on tickets, if i were ever lucky enough to get an autograph from Paul or anyone else i think is an important person it would be something i'd cherish and left to future generations, not sold to see how much money i could get!!
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For me personally the whole point of an autograph is in the meeting of the person signing it,Paul for instance,i can think of nothing more meaningless than a bit of paper signed by someone i haven't met utterly pointless,but hey thats just me. So the only way perhaps stopping this sort of thing is not to buy them and put in the hours in the hope of getting them to stop and sign,think of the story you'll have to tell too
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hengirl:
For me personally the whole point of an autograph is in the meeting of the person signing it,Paul for instance,i can think of nothing more meaningless than a bit of paper signed by someone i haven't met utterly pointless,but hey thats just me. So the only way perhaps stopping this sort of thing is not to buy them and put in the hours in the hope of getting them to stop and sign,think of the story you'll have to tell too
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billyshears:
I got a chance to meet Ringo (briefly) back stage at DTE music theater in the Detroit area back in 97 (show was released as an official VHS). We were told not to approach him, but i figured, hey, how many chances am i going to get to meet a Beatle? so i went up to him & asked for an autograph! he politely declined. i wasnt mad, i figured he wouldnt sign them due to Lennon doing just that & getting killed. i know if my best friend died dong something, i wouldnt do it anymore either. didnt realize he wont do it because of dealers.
That is such a good point, never really thought of it that way before.
...and I agree it's more about being up close and personal when getting the autograph, and then having that as a souvenir of the occasion. -
Looking at it both sides i am an autograph collector and an autograph dealer. I have been collecting autographs for 30 years and never sold any of mine and only would if i desperately needed the money. I have been lucky enough to get about 10 items signed by Paul over the years, and Dealers getting stuff to resell isnt new. When i was at one of Pauls book signings there was someone coming along the queue giving out flyers saying they would pay £200 for each signed book and we hadnt even got them yet! I am also an autograph dealer but i dont get them in person and then sell them, i buy colections on ebay and in auctions and resell them, problem is with paul they are big money. I recently sold a 12" vinyl single signed by Paul with first name one and wasnt a great sig for £120 and sold a signed book with 2 signatures in it for £600. So you can see how dealers are tempted to get as many as they can I think what they are doing is wrong but the only way it can be stopped is by Paul stopping signing for everyone like Ringo has done but then that spoils it for the genuine fans
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amandala85:
I'm not knockin' autographs for sure, but if I had to pick, I'd rather get a photo with someone I really wanted to meet over an autograph ... though I definitely wouldn't pass it up! But I definitely wouldn't shell out big bucks for an autograph either.
I'm with ya on that. An autograph is just an autograph... A photo WITH Paul is personal, and captures the special moment for a lifetime. That's all I dream to get one day. No autograph desired.
