Buying Auto Balls

[TedWill1939]

Sorry for a question that has been asked a million times.

What is your advice when buying TPG balls on ebay?

[Lordstan]

In what way do you have questions? Is there something specific you are interested in learning?

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[TedWill1939]

How good are TPGs? Some better than others? I have heard that 80% of autos are fake, does this apply to PSA/ JSA items? I guess I have always thought the only way to know if its real is getting in person. Any general info would be great.

[todeen]

First, always buy from a trusted seller! I like to buy my autos from Mill Creek Sportscards, in Seattle. I trust them. Sometimes there is a premium to buy from them, but it helps ease my conscience. There are a couple other sellers I trust, some of them are Net54 members.

If the seller is not trusted, you will always question the auto you bought.

I always try to find what I consider to be authentic auto examples. PSA usually has some examples on their site. There are examples floating around usually from redemption cards, or certified on-card autos. Etc. When I find a TPG auto, I then compare that auto to the authentic examples. Then I look at the item, does the item look authentic as well?

If no bells or whistles are going off in my head, I then tell myself, if I buy this, I just have to trust that it is authentic, because even TPG get it wrong sometimes.

There are others who post TPG autos on Net54 asking for advice, but if you haven't noticed, some opinion givers are tired of giving their opinion.

[Lordstan]

2 things come to mind.
1) Educate yourself on what you want to buy. Leaving decisions on authenticity solely to others is fraught with problems, imo. Using the expertise of others to help you verify/clarify your own thoughts is very wise. Using a TPG as the sole opinion, imo, is foolish. Are they correct Most of the time? Yes, but they are far from perfect as has been discussed a million times on the board already, so i wont bore you rehashing it all.
This segues nicely into the point 2 which is buy from sellers you trust. Develop relationships with sellers and they will help you grow your collection smartly and safely. The best defense you have against forgeries is knowing that a seller will stand behind their product if something goes wrong. If you buy something that turns out to be bad, the seller is the one that is most likely to refund your money, not the TPA.
Imo, ebay is not the place to develop relationships with sellers. It can be a great place to buy things if you are already comfortable with your knowledge of what you are buying.

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[TedWill1939]

Appreciate your replies. It seems a bit tough for someone as myself who is only intrested in a couple autos, not collecting. Hard to put time and resources into it as its just for a couple balls.

I also noticed that Showpiecessports on ebay has a few of interest. Anyone had a dealings with them?

[Case12]

Which autos are you looking for? I trust NET54 over any TPA. Some, like Mantle, Williams, DiMaggio are easy for the forum members to give a quick thumbs up/down.