Caveat Emptor (essay)
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| Title: | Caveat Emptor |
| Creator: | Mandi Schultz |
| Date(s): | July 1976 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Caveat Emptor is a 1976 Star Trek: TOS essay by Mandi Schultz.
It was printed in Spectrum #26.
"Caveat emptor" is a Latin phrase means the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made." In other words, "buyer beware."
For some context, see Timeline of Fandom and Profit and Fandom and Profit.
Schultz begins with: "ST is already legend, but the purpose of this article is not to talk about the show itself, but rather about the sub cult that surrounds it, sf fandom's bastard child, ST fandom. I feel reasonably qualified as I've been in and out of active ST fandom since 1967.... Like all children, ST fandom is coming of age as it reaches its 10th years; and sadly, it's delinquent, and in some areas bordering on degenerate and decadent."
Some Topics Discussed
- Star Trek fandom is coming of age, is uncontrolled
- a plug for Enterprise Enterprises, a fan-run company
- a plug for the author's volunteer duties as a fan liaison for disgruntled fans and recourse and education
- much about film clips, their popularity, how some dealers make crummy ones
- how to evaluate purchased photos and other merchandise
- if fans don't get their act together, fandom will suffer a demise
From the Essay
In the early days... Contrary to common opinion, we weren't as loosely organized and searching for a leader-leader-cum-mouthpiece as some would have you think. We were a smaller group then - or, more precisely, a lot of small groups. While we didn't have our own cons, we heavily infiltrated established ones, most notably such worldcons as the 1968 BayCon and the 1969 St. LouisCon. Fanac wasn't as orchestrated in those days, it was in the heart and mind, not on stage. Fans functioned in small clubs (tho they also invaded large ones like LASFS), published some ungodly awful as well as some incredibly good fanzines, and wrote letters. Tons of letters. (In this instance I mean to each other, not to officials to bring back ST.) The need to communicate, not just about the show but about themselves to each other, was almost desperate (and considerably more intense than it is these days). Finding another ST fan, and hoping he was like you in other ways too, and then miraculously finding out he was, was literally like finding an oasis in the Sahara.
From being interlopers at others cons, we moved to having our own. First small ones that were truly fan gatherings, but as the number of fans increased, so did the number of con attendees. Add to this unfortunate influx of off-the-street curiosity seekers for even greater numbers and what have you got? The genesis of the Super-Con, the $25 weekend with stage shows, featuring the stars, massive dealers rooms, flash and trash, plus the usual con happenings such as panels, lectures, all-nite movies, and massive overcrowding (this last point being usually primarily at ST cons). Which is great, if you want a floor show type of con, but $25?? For a con?? I'm as familiar with inflation as the next guy but that still offends me, particularly when, pre-con you're told how expensive costs are so the fee has to be high, and, post-con, you hear the concomm brag about their profits.
ST fandom of today is not what it was. Perhaps it's better - we really did need the increased numbers to sway The Powers into bringing the show back.'And it is nice to have more brains to pick and enjoy. But somewhere in our pilgrimage we've lost sight of something - quite incredibly simply: the value of the dollar.
The dealer's room is usually the center of activity at a ST con and this is some thing that has changed over the years. In the early days there were a handful of dealers who sold a few pictures and slides once in awhile. Now there are literally hundreds of dealers, from the small-time fan that operates from his mail box, to the big-time entrepreneur replete with PO Boxes, stores, neon signs, supporting themselves by selling grossly overpriced poor quality pictures, buttons, posters, t-shirts, you-name- it - for as one such of these told me: "Trekkies will buy anything."
The sad thing is that for the most part, it's true. I've watched. In a dealers room even the most quiet, conservative, cost-conscious fan turns into a glassy-eyed maniac, wallet agape, dollars scattering left and right, buying the most ludicrous items at exorbitant prices. Con fever. Or more likely, just being conned.
I have to state that not all ST dealers are vultures. There are some very good ones that sell fine merchandise at reasonable prices.... But good dealers are often lost to a large percentage of buyers because they're
adrift in a sea of pirates. Melodramatic but true. A tour of any dealer's room at a ST con can prove that. You'll find, primarily, table after table of poor to mediocre quality pictures. I say pictures, not photographs, because in most cases these items are litho prints, not photographs. Briefly, a photo is taken, a metal plate is made from it, and once it's on the press it can produce 1000 copies an hour. What's wrong with this? Theoretically nothing if quality is maintained. More often than not, it isn't.
I've been told that if people buy junk, it's their own fault. To an extent, I dis agree. Con fever is real, but the time has come to be cautious. Just because someone is at a con doesn't guarantee he's a fan, or a Good Guy Who Won't Rip You Off. Still, many fans don't know quite what to look for in selecting material. A few guidelines could help.
There's a catch to all this however. You can't buy good material for a pittance. Supplies' cost, especially paper, are rising, and people work hard to make good material. You don't run off 1000 photographs in an hour in your private darkroom, no way. A negative has to be put on the enlarger, the picture has to be composed, arranged properly on the paper, colors have to be checked, filters have to be selected, test prints have to be made. Quite simply, it's a lot of work.
So it's your decision ultimately. Do you want five pieces of garbage for $3.00 or two good prints? My personal feeling is that garbage is no bargain at any price.
Fandom is a hobby, at least it should be. There is nothing wrong with a reasonable profit, but charging $l-$2 for items that cost 5^-1l<tis pushing it, don't you think?
Talk to the dealers before you buy. Look at the material. If you can't tell whether it's litho or a photographic print, ask. Will he refund your money if you aren't satisfied? Ask him. Does he have a WSA number? Look for it.
I have become more or less a liaison between ST fandom and NCB because I feel very strongly about all of this. Many people have expressed complaints about dealer's and merchandise, among other things, and have nowhere in fandom to turn to, so I'm trying to help. If you need advice or aid, feel free to write (SASE, please) and I'll try to help. In most cases, if anything can be done, I usually have to refer you to NCB's legal dept., but at least it's a start.
The real start, however, is in becoming a conscientious consumer. Con fever not withstanding, think before you buy. Get receipts and addresses when you pay money in advance. Never ever send cash through the mail. Never send money to an ad until you've written to make sure they're still in business and that the merchandise is still available. Keep complete records of orders.
Last but not least, have pity on the dealers. At least some of them. There are many good ones but they're not supermen. An order you mailed Monday can't possibly be returned to you on Friday. Dealers are people too, they have families and other jobs, they get sick, they get tired, they take vacations, they get backed up with work. They can't spend every waking hour on their hobby. When writing to a dealer about an order, be sure to include all the necessary information - the items ordered, the date, the amount of money you sent, copies of receipts and cancelled checks, your full name, address, whatever, and enclose a SASE.
I don't know what the outcome will be. We need a change and we need it soon or this, atop the other problems fandom has, will surely bring about its demise, or at least a degeneration that will turn away all the serious fans. I no longer attend cons because I'm a dealers room addict, I spend a lot of time in it, and most of what I see upsets me beyond bearing. I'd like to see it change. And only the buyers can do it.