[djohn]

There are a lot more online, as it's easier to sell when someone can't hold the item in their hand to inspect it prior to paying for it. However I have seen plenty of fakes at card shows and shops. Most shops get their inventory from buying from others, if the person is a regular they might take him at his word and not do a thorough examination of the auto (or they might not know enough about the autograph). I examine an autograph carefully before buying it at a shop, and have found fakes in some very reputable shops. The better shops will pull the item off the shelf and try and contact the person they bought it from if the item is pointed out to be forged. However there are plenty of other shops that turn a blind eye and simply say, they don't know but aren't going to not attempt to sell it to some sucker.