Quote:
Originally Posted by MattyC
I think it's all about managing one's expectations of ebay and also parsing out the known, safe sellers. I would only buy a high end card in any major TPG holder on ebay from a known, reputable seller with a return policy. Sellers with rock solid feedback profiles containing high dollar cards stand to care more about their reputations over the long haul than one staccato score. Thus I tend to separate the tonyetrades, and would buy high-end from such a seller on ebay with no hesitation. Ebay has its Canal Street hustlers and its Madison Ave shops, and it definitely helps to parse the two when browsing ebay for high dollar cards. I have never bought a bad slab from a top notch seller and if one slipped by the goalie, so to speak, they'd make good immediately, so for me the salient aspect is point of sale. Being very picky about where to buy high-end is a great way to avoid getting scammed; in this way some of the onus (or is it Honus  ) is on the shopper/collector. |
Very very true. When I see a card for sale, the first thing I do is look at the seller's history...not his approval rating, but history. See what kind of cards he's been selling. If he deals in quality vintage, I take that as a good sign. But if he's selling Nascar and junk cards made in the last decade, and all of a sudden he's offering a PSA 5 '52 Mantle....very, very bad sign. Because those guys couldn't spot a phony card if it had "Repro" printed on the back.
And as for the Mantle card...that is a special case...I'd only buy from a top notch death like Probstein or the likes, or a specialty auctioneer like Mile High or Heritage Auctions. I think it's worth the buyer's premium to have the provenance of an auction guide and a highly reputable house.