Without a doubt, the worst side of the autograph business rears its ugly head when a famous athlete or celebrity dies suddenly. It's worse when it's completely unexpected and worse still when the person dies young.
Everyone suddenly is a huge fan of the deceased celebrity and wants to buy their autograph immediately -- at the same price when the person was alive. They often get angry when their order is canceled or they are unable to buy the autograph at the old price.
They often accuse the autograph seller of "gouging" or "taking advantage" of a tragedy. They even threaten to sue. I've been on the receiving end of that negativity more times than I care to remember. I understand it goes with the territory, but it's still the most unpleasant part of being in the autograph business.
These days, most full-time autograph sellers use more than one platform to sell their goods. Thus, when tragedy strikes, it's possible that more than one customer buys the same item almost simultaneously even if only one is in stock on a particular website.
This issue is exacerbated by the time lag between when the customer places the order and the order is processed and sent to the seller. It can be almost instantaneous, but it also can take an hour or longer depending on the platform. Obviously, this creates a situation when overselling becomes possible through no fault of the seller.
But try telling that to the angry customer who thinks he or she is "entitled" to buy the item no matter what because it was showing "in stock." When Sir Patrick Stewart passed away October 28 (the news became public the next day), I had three different customers try to buy the same autograph card on three different platforms at almost the same time.
I certainly understand being disappointed or frustrated if your order is canceled even in this particular situation. But being rude and accusatory to the seller is unacceptable.
Stewart passed at the ripe old age of 86. He debuted as Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987. He first portrayed Professor Xavier in 2000. While Stewart was never the easiest autograph to obtain, he still signed PLENTY since becoming famous and popular in those roles.
If you waited until the moment you found out he had passed to finally buy his autograph, and didn't get your order filled, sorry -- that's on YOU for waiting. If you thought you could make a quick buck by jumping on his autograph at the "old" price before anyone else, and didn't get your order filled, sorry -- it's YOU trying to "take advantage" of a tragedy.
Finally, I'm willing to bet all my Star Trek autographs that we're unfortunately destined to go through this again and again because people never learn. William Shatner is 95 years young and hopefully lives to 100 and beyond. But you and I both know what's going to happen when the inevitable occurs.
