Bought a rare card on ebay - need advice.

ArtVandelay · Feb 9, 2011

It came damaged! The seller has not contacted me back about my request.
Obviously I can open a case if need be and get my money back - Im not worried about that.

My question is could I send this back to Topps and claim for a replacement? It is still a current product - as the 2011 version of the product hasnt been released yet. I only ask because of the low numbering on the card this may be my only chance.

reljac · Feb 9, 2011

When I had a damaged card, topps requires the UPC from the box it came in, along with the wrappers from the pack it came in, and the reason you think it's damaged. If you bought it on the bay, then I'm guessing you don't have that.

js0000001 · Feb 9, 2011

Can we see a scan of the damage?

ArtVandelay · Feb 9, 2011

reljac said:
When I had a damaged card, topps requires the UPC from the box it came in, along with the wrappers from the pack it came in, and the reason you think it's damaged. If you bought it on the bay, then I'm guessing you don't have that.

Couldnt I buy a box/blaster with receipt/wrappers to send in? Even so, I have several boxes/wrappers as I busted alot of this product. Card damage speaks for itself. I just dont know about what Topps keeps on hand for replacement purposes, and from what I hear you can only do it while the product is "current". It could have been pulled from the pack this way - I dont know. I certainly did get a lot of chromes in my breaks that were damaged - lines, miscuts, bent corners etc. Even though Im not the one that physically pulled it (pack exiting condition unkown except to the seller), but given the above, how would Topps ever know in any situation whether the person sending in a card is the person who actually pulled it? All they know is the product is current and we can send a replacement. I dont believe the wrappers or UPC have any markings to trace back to the lot that the card should have been in - (and I dont think Topps is that sophisticated or cares).

I know there was a guy here who pulled a Posey orange out of 2010 chrome or draft that sent one in that was damaged and they sent him back a new stamped one.

200lbhockeyplayer · Feb 9, 2011

What is the card?
What was the damage?
Was it visible/mentioned in the auction?
Was the seller's shipping method at fault?
Was it a production problem?

A_Pharis · Feb 9, 2011

Can we get a link to the auction w/ pic and a scan of the card as you have it?
I mean, it kinda' depends on how it looked in the auction pic as to how you should go about this. Should I go and purchase a nice high end pull with signs of damage off of eBay and send it in hoping for a gem that's gonna net me a huge profit?

autorook · Feb 9, 2011

If you knew the card was damaged (shown on ebay auction) then you can't do anything. Unless he specificed it was perfect condition I'd just give topps a ring.

ArtVandelay · Feb 9, 2011

A_Pharis said:
Can we get a link to the auction w/ pic and a scan of the card as you have it?
I mean, it kinda' depends on how it looked in the auction pic as to how you should go about this. Should I go and purchase a nice high end pull with signs of damage off of eBay and send it in hoping for a gem that's gonna net me a huge profit?

Who said anything about grading or reselling the card?!?!?!?! Please pull your head out and dont assume that your motives/intentions regarding cards are shared by everyone else.

I wasnt expecting it to be damaged, nor did I buy it thinking or knowing it was damaged. This is all an afterthough of what are my availiable options with the card in hand. I can send it back and get my $, but I do want the card (my reason for buying it in the first place). Would I be happy looking at it given the damage?

I dont assume that Topps goes and prints a replacement when they get something sent in. No, they print off extras at the time of production and they lay in waiting for claims. They stamp the replacement the same as the damaged one and destroy it. Once the product is not current and past the claim period, the remaining extras should be discarded. So given the chance there is a spare on the shelf, could it be mine?

A_Pharis · Feb 9, 2011

I asked that in regards to what could be done in that given situation if this sort of thing would be acceptable -- not that it's what you were doing.
I would say the thing to do would be to contact the seller and ship the card back for a refund. Id you wanted to nitpick, I'd say passing off a purchase as a pull to get a better copy would be hand-in-hand with defrauding. But that's assuming the type of damage is post-production damage.

It'd really make advice easier if we could see scans and a link to the auction.

A_Pharis · Feb 9, 2011

Oh, and I also think Topps has tightened up on replacing damaged cards recently, anyway. They tend to reject things that aren't considered both considerable and production-style damage.

nyc3 · Feb 9, 2011

#1 I would bet the seller already tried this.
#2 If rare it would take Topps CS department 2 mins to check ebay's completed sales, is it worth being blacklisted over? I say start a refund and move on.

JEA2880 · Feb 9, 2011

In this case, it's not right to ask Topps for a replacement. Nothing they did contributed to card damage, it would be setting an awful precedent. "Oh I bent the corner, better send it to Topps for a replacement."

In my opinion, it's the seller's responsibility to make sure the card arrives to the buyer in the same condition it was sent barring extenuating circumstances. For example, if it's a really high end card, I will always send it in a box to eliminate the chance that a piece of USPS machinery can bend a padded envelope. As long as the seller did his reasonable due diligence, you might have to take up a claim with the post office for damaging the card during shipment if anyone.

ArtVandelay · Feb 9, 2011

A_Pharis said:
I asked that in regards to what could be done in that given situation if this sort of thing would be acceptable -- not that it's what you were doing.

I would say the thing to do would be to contact the seller and ship the card back for a refund. Id you wanted to nitpick, I'd say passing off a purchase as a pull to get a better copy would be hand-in-hand with defrauding. But that's assuming the type of damage is post-production damage.

Ok thanks for clarifying!

We have no way of knowing whether the damage was post-production or pack pulled. Ive pulled countless numbers of damage cards that I didnt send in becuase I didnt know you could at the time, or now that I am aware - didnt feel it was worth the hassle. Did this person know they could try to send it in for replacement? I dont know. I guess it may be defrauding because I know I technically didnt pull it that way, but I also cannot say with certainty that it did not come out of the pack that way either. So would it be a shame in the end if a possible spare copy that could replace mine is discarded in the next 6 months? Is it really costing Topps anything if a spare already exists.

ArtVandelay · Feb 9, 2011

nyc3 said:
#1 I would bet the seller already tried this.
#2 If rare it would take Topps CS department 2 mins to check ebay's completed sales, is it worth being blacklisted over? I say start a refund and move on.

Its not a 1/1. Exact xx/xx serial number was not specified. Even if it was and I wanted to roll the dice on getting my refund from the seller, couldnt I wait and send it in 1 or 2 months from now when they cant look at completed listings? Maybe they have the waybacktimemachine or what ever it is that can go back further.

Its not an extremely high dollar card, just a short printed copy.
Sucks to have this happen to a card you really want, knowing one of only a few existing copies is damaged. Thanks for all the responses, Im not saying I AM doing this, just throwing it out there.

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