ebay's authentication service - looking at more than just authenticity

[raulus]

That is definitely interesting.

I recently purchased a card graded by SGC that went through the eBay authentication process. When it got to the 3rd party, they noticed that the case had popped open, although the card was undamaged. They gave me the option of proceeding with the purchase, or rejecting it.

I also recently sold 2 PSA graded cards on eBay in 2 separate transactions, within 24 hours of one another. One for $3k, and another for $1.95k. The one for $1.95k was a tallboy case, and went to the authenticator. The one for $3k was a jumbo case, and didn't go to the authenticator. Not sure if the size made a difference, or if there were other features that caused one to go through the authentication process, and the other to skip it. Obviously it wasn't the price that drove the different outcomes.

Personally, as a seller, I would have preferred that they both go through authentication, just to avoid having the possibility of the buyer claiming that they never got their item, or that there was something wrong with it.