How to be protected on Ebay form buying fakes?

[Shortstopguy12]

If there is already a thread on this I apologize. I know for many, the rule of thumb is to simply buy graded.. Especially for the bigger cards. However, I am wondering how to be protected if you do decide to buy raw? If I get a card and it is not authentic, how do I file a dispute and prove that it is in fact not authentic to get my money back? What if the seller has already taken the money out of their Paypal account? I would love to hear some people's experience with this, as I can only imagine there are people on here who unfortunately have gone through this. Thank you all for your wisdom!

[pokerplyr80]

I've found it helps to email the seller first and ask if they guarantee the card to be authentic and unaltered. At least it gives you something to send in to ebay if you have to file a dispute. This has helped me on a couple of occasions, and if the seller refuses to offer that guarantee I know to stay away.

[the 'stache]

There are several ways to protect yourself when buying on EBay. First of all, get to know the seller. Before you click "buy it now", or make an offer on a card, look at the seller's history. If you're buying a 1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle, and the guy has never sold a vintage baseball card before, while anything is possible, I'd run the other direction. You're investing too much money on that card to incur so much risk. If the seller has a history of dealing in cards, and has sold other valuable vintage and/or pre-war cards before, then you can proceed to the next step. Look at the card itself. Always look at the card itself.

The seller should have clear scans of the card, front and back side, for you to look at. If it's a valuable card, they should have something including their EBay user name included in at least one of the pictures. This proves that they have the card in hand. If they do not, message them, and ask them to provide one. Look at the card itself carefully, and compare it to other examples of the same card, examples you know are legit. Go to Google images, and search for the card. You should be able to find several examples of the card sold previously. I like to look at images when a card has sold at an auction house. If you can find pictures of a card that has been graded, look at those. Do not assume, however, that just because a card has been slabbed, it is authentic. There are crooks out there that will take advantage of people who think like that. Once you feel you've found reliable pictures of the card, compare those pictures to the card you're buying. Look at things like logos (ie the Goudey or Topps logo), the type used for printing on the front/back of the card. Make sure you're not buying a reprint. Look on the lower back of the card. See something out of the ordinary, or minor paper loss, or odd discoloration in one spot. It might be an amateurish attempt to remove the word "reprint", or some variation of. Examine the card's edges for "waviness", which might be evidence of trimming. Look the card over well, and if you're not sure about something, ask a member of our forum to look at it for you, especially if you're looking at plopping down a considerable amount of $$. You learn what to look for by asking people that have a lot of experience buying.

Once you have vetted the seller, and examined the card's scans to the best of your ability, if you have questions, ask the seller. A legit seller will communicate with you. If you need an extra/better picture of something, you're not at all out of bounds to ask for it. If you feel a seller is being at all evasive, then don't deal with them. Listen to that little voice inside your head.

Look at the auction information on EBay. Check the returns and guarantee verbiage. If you get something that is not as described, you are covered by EBay. I'd have to check to see what Paypal's coverage limits (if any) are with Paypal and Ebay now separate companies. But if you get a $1,000 card in the mail, and you look it over when you receive it (and you will do this, yes?), if it's not as described, you'll get your money back.

Make sure that anytime a card comes in, you look it over, carefully, with a loupe. Measure the card, look for signs of trimming/doctoring/bleaching, etc. You want a jeweler's loupe of at least 10 x magnification. You also want a black light, which would reveal any chemical alterations done to the card. Again, if you have questions, take a picture (or better, scan the card), and ask for help here.

Good luck!

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

I've found it helps to email the seller first and ask if they guarantee the card to be authentic and unaltered. At least it gives you something to send in to ebay if you have to file a dispute. This has helped me on a couple of occasions, and if the seller refuses to offer that guarantee I know to stay away.

What Jesse said.

[Mick]

Agree with all of the above. The MOST important thing is when you file a claim, is NEVER to mention you sent it for grading. Once it's out of your hands, the seller technically doesn't have to offer you a refund. It's best just to say that you doubt its authenticity. Say that, and you will get a refund. I once sent back a BVG 6 graded 1952 Topps pafko because it looked shifty. PayPal and eBay take care of the buyers. They will pay the refund to you and take it from the sellers account. If the sellers account is empty, they take care of it.

Honestly, I rarely buy nice vintage cards raw.