[the 'stache]

John, I want to echo Adam's sentiments. I'm sorry your brother is going through such a hassle with Ebay and that seller. I can understand why one awful experience might leave a bad taste in his mouth. If I could offer some advice, however, it would be for him to stick with graded cards, at least until he gets a little more comfortable buying vintage. It's an unfortunate commentary on the hobby we love that there are people who could do things like this, but overall, collectors that are new to vintage collecting are safer with graded cards.

I think some of the best advice I've seen on our forum is to buy the card itself, not the grade. That has become my mantra. If a card is graded a PSA 6, and it's got a noticeable crease, something's fishy. I always keep the PSA grading standards up in another browser tab when I'm looking at a slabbed card. I look at the grade, and then look to make sure that it meets the benchmark requirements that PSA have established for that particular grade. I pay close attention to the slab (the plastic case itself), and the flip (the information card at the top of the case). Does the slab show any signs of tampering-ie, is there "frosting" along one of the edges that would indicate it's been broken open? Does the typeface describing the card look right? If needed, I ask the seller for another picture, or scan. I look, too, at their feedback scores as a seller. Have they sold similar vintage cards before? If I'm buying a '56 Topps Roberto Clemente, and the guy's never sold a vintage card before, I might move on.

Remember, you (or in this case your brother) as the buyer have the right to ask questions. If the seller is legit, they should happily allay any concerns you might have. If something still seems off, you can always ask for input from the members here. Start a thread asking for help. If you'd rather keep the auction private, ask a few members to message you directly, and get their input. I haven't been a member on Net 54 for long, but since signing up, I've spent a lot of time reading through older threads, really enjoying the love for the hobby that everybody clearly has. And the collective knowledge of the members here is unlike anything I've ever seen before. This forum is one of the best weapons at your disposal as a collector. If a question can't be answered here, it can't be answered. Just remember that every one of the fine people here started out their collection at some point with the same questions you and I (and your brother) will be having now. They've been there, and can help steer us through the choppy waters that could lie ahead.