More additions at PSA Autograph Authentication

[Bcwcardz]

I really doubt any of these people actually give up their business when hired by TPAs, they just arent in their name anymore. Thats my gripe with these companies is all the conflict of intrest that comes up. The job is too subjective and lucrative for me to have any faith in them.

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[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by Bcwcardz

I really doubt any of these people actually give up their business when hired by TPAs, they just arent in their name anymore. Thats my gripe with these companies is all the conflict of intrest that comes up. The job is too subjective and lucrative for me to have any faith in them.

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IMO you are wrong.
I do not endorse the corporation at all but I trust the three people to do the job right. What happens outside of their authenticating is another story and that is why I do not endorse the corporation but I have known those three guys for a long time and I do trust them.

[HexsHeroes]

.
.
... found the following notice posted to Kevin Keating's
Quality Autographs and Memorabilia of Virginia website this morning:

[packs]

Can I throw a hypothetical situation at the TPA detractors?

Person A is a well respected authority on autographs in the hobby.
Person A is someone people turn to for opinions.
Person A charges a fee for his opinions.
Person A is able to sell his own merchandise to collectors with his name attached as insurance that the item is real.

Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.

Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by packs

Can I throw a hypothetical situation at the TPA detractors?



Person A is a well respected authority on autographs in the hobby.

Person A is someone people turn to for opinions.

Person A charges a fee for his opinions.

Person A is able to sell his own merchandise to collectors with his name attached as insurance that the item is real.



Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.



Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

I would assume so...

[packs]

That's exactly why I see TPA's as a necessary evil.

[Lordstan]

Originally Posted by packs

Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.

Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

It's simple really.
Yes, someone in financial trouble certainly could be tempted to defraud collectors, but these TPA's are in the same position. They want to make money period. What separates an individual from a corporation is that I can look a person in the eye and discuss things with them. I know who to blame if they defraud me. Who is to blame for the errors in the TPA? The fact is no one knows. You trust a corporation to provide you with an expert opinion without the knowledge that they actually are experts.
Sure, if I knew that Kevin saw my item and said it was good or bad, I can trust that, but we don't know who is handling our items. The buyer gets a letter from a company with all the authenticator's names, but that's it.

Paying for an expert opinion, like Kevin, Bill, or Rich's, is one thing. They each have 30ish yrs of autograph experience to draw from not just a group of photos on a hard drive to compare to. Do I really want to pay the exact same amount, or anything at all for that matter, for some guy who's experience is a mystery? No. I don't. It is a good thing for PSA, etc that you and many others like you do. If I am paying for an opinion, I'd like to know who is actually giving it and what their level of expertise is.

One last difference is that if someone defrauds you, you have financial and legal recourse. If the TPAs make a mistake, it's "Whoops. We're sorry, but you are only paying for our opinion." There is NOTHING that should make you feel more secure than a money back guarantee from a dealer. TPAs guarantee nothing.

[packs]

I disagree. A major corporation is not under the auspices of a single individual. If the head of PSA got into financial trouble it would be extremely difficult for them to use PSA to authentic bogus material for personal sale. There are too many moving parts and you'd be relying on too many people to keep it to themselves. You'll also have your bogus items in your own registry. There's no way that would happen in my opinion.

[Lordstan]

Originally Posted by packs

I disagree. A major corporation is not under the auspices of a single individual. If the head of PSA got into financial trouble it would be extremely difficult for them to use PSA to authentic bogus material for personal sale. There are too many moving parts and you'd be relying on too many people to keep it to themselves. You'll also have your bogus items in your own registry. There's no way that would happen in my opinion.

You mean you cannot believe that a company would bow to financial pressures to do things in a less than above board way? Really? You mean like power companies who dump toxic waste. Have you not heard about the fairly large and well known Oil company(BP) who took shortcuts to save money that resulted in the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

No, you are right. It's silly of me to think a large publicly traded company would ever do anything underhanded. (Hmm. How about the Mastro Wagner? Nah. they didn't give a grade to a card they knew was trimmed. NO way)

Edit: To me, Any authentication company who does not focus and make accuracy their prime directive is not doing their job. At least an individual puts their reputation at stake with each customer encounter. A private dealer has much more to lose by making mistakes than any of the big companies. If a private dealer had made all the mistakes that any of the TPAs have, even if done honestly, they would be out of business.