My EBAY pet peeve (or rant lol)

psj · Oct 31, 2016

You know what i can't stand about ebay and some sellers? When I ask an easy question like "does the card have any scratches or creases?", and I get an answer back saying "it looks ok, but I'm not a grader." Well thanks, but no ***t, neither am I. I can still look at a card and tilt it in the light and see if theres any creases or scratches on it. I used to ask if there were any creases, scratches, dents, dinged corners, or any other flaws cuz I was so tired of getting cards listed as "brand new", "mint", and then getting them to see 10 scratches on it. I dont think its that hard of a question, or that hard of a process to check for me. I am after all willing to give you my hard earned money for your card. I dont want to fork it over for a beat up piece of cardboard. Why do some sellers seem incapable of grasping this concept? From my earliest days collecting, I knew condition was super important, and how to look/tilt the card to see for any flaws. Some sellers would get angry when I asked that, saying "why dont u just buy graded?" Well, I'm looking to buy your card, and its not graded. I think I have the right to ask, and get an honest answer. Plus, if your selling cards on ebay, you should 100% know how to look at a card and judge its condition. There's so many cards I've passed on cuz sellers have given me that lame ass answer of "I'm not a grader". Just pisses me off.

Pinbreaker · Oct 31, 2016

I've had buyers get a card that I thought was pretty good.. near mint or mint, but when they got the card they said the card wasn't and sent back a card that they had bought in a previous auction and swapped it out with my mint card and I had to eat the price of the card..

If you are looking for a steal and getting a gem mint card for pennies on the dollar, then you have to take the risk of getting a card that isn't gem mint..

mrdallas · Oct 31, 2016

While I understand wanting to know about issues there may be with the card. as a seller when someone asks a question like that my guard goes up a bit because as pinbreaker says, my opinion and your opinion can be completely different. I have also had someone send me a card back "stating" it was not a mint card. I even posted a thread about it. Buyer complained saying that I misrepresented the card and sent it back.

tenballer · Oct 31, 2016

I'm going to have to agree with pin and dallas. I sold a nice lot of early chipper cards on eBay once. Clear description that the cards would range from near mint to mint. This meaning that I thought they would grade 7-9. I also stated what you hate, "I am not a professional grader and this is my opinion." My assessment was of the corners, scratches, dents, and the other bla bla bla that everyone looks at. I got them all back and eBay made me refund the money.

The cards I got back had fuzzy corners, off centered, clearly not mine. I sent scans of the returned cards and the scans from my listing to eBay and still nothing changed. I recognized the return address and it was that of another eBay member that I had bought from. So I watched both user id's. Within a month this guy/s was selling a dozen graded chippers that ranged from psa 8-9. Pretty sure those were mine.

Sad part, I think this guy/multiple people, is a member here. Makes me very cautious of any ungraded purchase and I rarely sell anymore.
I'm sure the seller didn't want to commit in the chance you try to hold him to his "word". Good luck with the card...if you end up buying.

Sent from my VS986 using Freedom Card Board mobile app

bcubs · Oct 31, 2016

If I get a message like this I normally try to discourage the buyer. This is a signal to me that somebody is looking for a 9.5 or 10 and if they can't get that grading then it's coming back. Sorry but I don't think you're gonna find many people here who agree with OP.

bstanwood · Nov 1, 2016

I exclusively buy on ebay, not a seller whatsoever, I expect when a seller says "mint" if I sent it to be graded it would probably not be a 9 or above, just because that's how it goes. Having said that if, on occasion there isn't something I can make out in a picture and I send a question, I try to be as specific as possible, noting that I can't tell from the picture and yes if someone tells me that "I'm not a professional grader" my first thought is thanks very much, that's not what I asked. I understand why sellers will say it but its just irritating, like when someone says "in my honest opinion" well in what circumstance are you giving your dishonest opinion? When is that useful?. Its not really a helpful response but unless I can hold something in my hand at a show or a store I know I have to accept most of the risk in the transaction.

psj · Nov 1, 2016

I'm not looking for "gem mint 10" cards, but if I ask a question, specifically asking about damage, I expect you as a seller to be able to tell me if there is. I can accept chipping, especially if the cards are known for it, such as thick black bordered cards. I can accept fuzzy white-ish corners, but not creases or scratches. If a seller wants $ for a card, I want something that's worth that money. Thats also why I only ask about creases and scratches now. I've only become this way, because of the the amount of cards I've gotten that are in horrible shape. I've made threads on here giving all the damaged cards I've gotten away. Also, if the seller just answers me saying "card looks good" awesome im buying that card. Ill take that over "I'm not a grader"

Pinbreaker · Nov 1, 2016

psj said:
I'm not looking for "gem mint 10" cards, but if I ask a question, specifically asking about damage, I expect you as a seller to be able to tell me if there is. I can accept chipping, especially if the cards are known for it, such as thick black bordered cards. I can accept fuzzy white-ish corners, but not creases or scratches. If a seller wants $ for a card, I want something that's worth that money. Thats also why I only ask about creases and scratches now. I've only become this way, because of the the amount of cards I've gotten that are in horrible shape. I've made threads on here giving all the damaged cards I've gotten away. Also, if the seller just answers me saying "card looks good" awesome im buying that card. Ill take that over "I'm not a grader"

If I list a card that I know has a crease or corner ding, I make note of it and I put large scans in my images. I have had customers ask for a specific corner, etc and I rescan the card corner and post that on on the auction as well.

If you are asking the question, there are others that would like to see the same..

phillyfan0417 · Nov 1, 2016

mrdallas said:
While I understand wanting to know about issues there may be with the card. as a seller when someone asks a question like that my guard goes up a bit because as pinbreaker says, my opinion and your opinion can be completely different. I have also had someone send me a card back "stating" it was not a mint card. I even posted a thread about it. Buyer complained saying that I misrepresented the card and sent it back.

100% agree with this. I've spoken and know so many sellers who have had this question come back to haunt them over and over.

It seems like these types of questions are just the start of issues with a seller since so many buyers will return anything that wont gem.

jcmint · Nov 1, 2016

When you answer condition questions it usually comes back to bite you in the ass with new cards
use 600 dpi scans and list all cards as nm/mt just to cover my ass. It sucks but too many buyers expect flawless cards these days
with eBay's stupid return policies it really don't matter anyways

psj · Nov 1, 2016

I dont grade any of my cards, and Im not asking the seller to grade it either. I'm only asking the seller to tell me if there's damage to the card. I think as a buyer, I deserve that courtesy. I've gotten cards, covered in scratches, and when I tell the seller, his answer was "sorry, I haven't looked at that card in years". Things like that are why I ask about the condition. I ask because I'm tired of getting cards that are ruined. Then I have to either eat the cost, or go through the hassle of returning it. All that could have been avoided by the seller telling me, "yes, there's a big creases on the left side". Ok cool, ill pass. Thanks for the honesty. I know there's physco buyers out there, that ain't me. I just dont want a card thats damaged. I've been buying cards on ebay since 2004, and its just something I've learned the hard way to ask. I understand everyones point of view, but as a 99% buyer to 1% seller, my views are way more buyer oriented. Sucks that crazy buyers make it hard for me to get a straight answer. I never have and never will return something cuz it doesn't grade gem mint 10. Any of the cards I've given away to members here have real damage to them

D-Lite · Nov 2, 2016

So glad I'm not the only one that has this issue. I fully understand where psj is coming from and as a seller I try to answer questions that are asked about condition. And yes, if it's a generic "how does the condition look?", I get nervous. Asking specifics is always better.

With the Gary Sanchez phenomenon, I had more returns than you can imagine, on cards that looked quite nice. And the biggest issue is they wait 1-3 weeks after receiving the card to ask for a refund. I know it's clearly been the buyer sending the card out to be graded and then asking for a return and refund. I take large scans, post them in auctions, and then I have to meticulously check the returns, which so far have been the originals, thankfully.

I am not a grader and I've never sent anything out to be graded. But now, I have to consider that since it's really the only way to combat this. And it sucks because that difference between 9 and 9.5 is HIGHLY subjective.

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My EBAY pet peeve (or rant lol)

psj

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Pinbreaker

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mrdallas

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tenballer

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bcubs

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bstanwood

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psj

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Pinbreaker

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phillyfan0417

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jcmint

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psj

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D-Lite

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