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Lesson learned buying unopened packs on Ebay

54topps54topps Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum

Nothing for sale here. Just a warning to those who buy unopened off Ebay. Took 4 months to get this sub back. All of the N5 altered stock was purchased on Ebay in the last year or so. The 1984 OPC Mattingly PSA 10 takes some of the sting away.

1 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1985 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Roger Clemens-Top Pack
2 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1985 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Roger Clemens-Top Pack
3 1 44829470 NEAR MINT 7 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Mike Schmidt-Back Pack
4 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Mike Schmidt-Top Pack
5 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Mike Schmidt Recored Breaker-Top Pack
6 1 44829473 MINT 9 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Lou Whitaker-Top/Steve Garvey-Back Pack
7 1 44829474 MINT 9 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Jim Palmer-Back Pack
8 1 44829475 GEM MINT 10 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack George Brett-Back Pack
9 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1980 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Terry Bradshaw-Top Pack
10 1 44829477 MINT 9 1982 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Ronnie Lott-Top Pack
11 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1981 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Art Monk-Top Card
12 1 44829479 MINT 9 1985 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Warren Moon-Top Card
13 1 44829480 MINT 9 1985 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Richard Dent-Top Pack
14 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1983 Fleer Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Ryne Sandberg-Top Card
15 1 44829482 MINT 9 1983 Fleer Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Ryne Sandberg-Top Card
16 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1983 Fleer Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Tony Gwynn-Top Pack
17 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1985 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Kirby Puckett-Top Pack
18 1 44829485 MINT 9 1985 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Dwight Gooden-Back Pack
19 1 44829486 NEAR MINT 7 1978 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
20 1 N9: NOT GRADED 1978 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
21 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1977 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
22 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1977 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
23 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1977 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
24 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1977 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
25 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1977 Topps Basketball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pack
26 1 N9: NOT GRADED No Grade, No Charge Card
27 1 N9: NOT GRADED No Grade, No Charge Card
28 1 44829495 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1985 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Wax Pack Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series Pack
29 1 44829496 NEAR MINT 7 1985 Topps Garbage Pail Kids Wax Pack Garbage Pail Kids 2nd Series Pack
30 1 44829497 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Darryl Strawberry-Back Pack
31 1 44829498 MINT 9 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Darryl Strawberry-Back Pack
32 1 44829499 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Cal Ripken Jr. All-Star-Back Pack
33 1 44829500 MINT 9 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Mike Schmidt-Back Pack
34 1 44829501 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Ryne Sandberg-Back Pack
35 1 44829502 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Wade Boggs-Back Pack
36 1 44829503 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Wade Boggs-Back Pack
37 1 44829504 MINT 9 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Nolan Ryan-Back Pack
38 1 44829505 GEM MINT 10 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Nolan Ryan-Back Pack
39 1 44829506 MINT 9 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Pete Rose-Back Pack
40 1 44829507 GEM MINT 10 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Don Mattingly-Back Pack
41 1 44829508 MINT 9 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack George Brett-Back Pack
42 1 44829509 MINT 9 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Robin Yount-Back Pack
43 1 44829510 NEAR MINT 7 1984 O.P.C. Baseball Wax Pack Wax Pack Mike Schmidt-Back Pack
44 1 44829511 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1988 O.P.C. Hockey Wax Pack Wax Pack Card
45 1 44829512 MINT 9 1980 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Card
46 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1980 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Card
47 1 44829514 MINT 9 1981 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Dan Fouts-Back Pack
48 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1984 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Darryl Strawberry-Top Card
49 1 44829516 MINT 9 1987 Fleer Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack Barry Bonds-Top Card
50 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1980 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Joe Greene-Top/Mel Blount-Back Pack
51 1 N5: ALTERED STOCK 1984 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Dan Marino-Top Pack
52 1 44829519 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1983 Topps Football Cello Pack Cello Pack Walter Payton-Top Pack

Comments

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    gemintgemint Posts: 6,069 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Yep. Unfortunately you have to be very careful with cello packs having stars on top. Most of those on the market are fakes.

    https://ebay.com/sch/gemint/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
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    JBrulesJBrules Posts: 2,116 ✭✭✭✭✭

    That is a lot of N5’s. I always figured that is what would happen with some of the packs if purchased ungraded on EBay. Congrats on the PSA 10 OPC Mattingly.

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    JakeR2234JakeR2234 Posts: 236 ✭✭✭
    edited March 9, 2020 11:44AM

    Yikes. I've had a few come back altered- 80's packs are pretty easy to re-seal as they are loosely wrapped as it is.

    Quite the bummer but nice grades on the good ones.

    I have a few sellers I'll only buy raw packs from on ebay. Pretty scary buying them from others.

    Edit: do you have documented who the sellers of the bad packs were?

    PC Walter Payton - Bear Down!

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    jersterjerster Posts: 828 ✭✭✭

    Yep...I also would like to see a list of who sold these. Please PM if you don't want to post. We need to help police out the bad apples if possible.

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    softparadesoftparade Posts: 9,271 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oy Vey.

    @grote15

    ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240

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    grote15grote15 Posts: 29,521 ✭✭✭✭✭

    8 1 44829475 GEM MINT 10 1981 Topps Baseball Cello Pack Cello Pack George Brett-Back Pack

    This is a good hit, too.

    Sorry to see this. As unopened prices move higher and higher, there are a lot of scammers out there, unfortunately.



    Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    For 1960's "unopened" packs found on Ebay or elsewhere which are not slabbed, i've come to the inescapable conclusion that unless you are certain of the provenance behind the pack, then just presume it's been opened and resealed.

    With 1970's packs it isn't much better. Especially a year with an extremely valuable rookie card.

    Deviate from this basic strategy and it's virtually a money losing guarantee.

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    54topps54topps Posts: 1,144 ✭✭✭

    Unfortunately I did not keep track of the sellers. Im sticking with PSA slabbed cellos moving forward.

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    ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You couldn't pay me to collect 1980s cello packs with stars/rookies showing. The amount of bad material out there (especially on eBay) is overwhelming. Anyone remember StarPax and his thread? Just stay far, far away from that stuff.

    Arthur

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    gemintgemint Posts: 6,069 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @stevek said:
    For 1960's "unopened" packs found on Ebay or elsewhere which are not slabbed, i've come to the inescapable conclusion that unless you are certain of the provenance behind the pack, then just presume it's been opened and resealed.

    With 1970's packs it isn't much better. Especially a year with an extremely valuable rookie card.

    Deviate from this basic strategy and it's virtually a money losing guarantee.

    Agreed! I don't trust anything from the early 70s back that isn't already graded (and even then you need to do your own homework). The rare exception would be when an auction house or BBCE sells a newly discovered find, which doesn't happen all that often these days.

    My vintage unopened packs are probably the last part of my collection I'd part with because it would be the hardest to replace. Much of it I picked up in the 90s and early '00s from reputable sources when it was still available. These days, even BBCE is pretty devoid of the good stuff.

    https://ebay.com/sch/gemint/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
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    coolstanleycoolstanley Posts: 2,455 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 10, 2020 10:21PM

    Getting your packs graded is just one opinion. Graders make mistakes on cards and autographs. So some of those packs listed above could still be good.

    Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!

    Ignore list -Basebal21

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    stevekstevek Posts: 27,721 ✭✭✭✭✭

    One thing I've noticed on various Youtube videos with a 60's or 70's slabbed pack being busted, and based on knowledge gained over the years from other forum members here such as Grote15 who are kind enough to share their expertise, is that PSA slabbed packs always seem to be legit unopened packs. I can't say the same for other grading companies slabbed packs, and frankly, PSA slabbed packs is all that i will ever buy.

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    JakeR2234JakeR2234 Posts: 236 ✭✭✭

    @54topps said:
    Unfortunately I did not keep track of the sellers. Im sticking with PSA slabbed cellos moving forward.

    I'd be sure to do your homework on the early slab/serial numbered packs. Elsipep/Starpaxman/Jose made and sold a lot of packs that are no good and proven so. Knowledge of collation and sheet placement on packs is good to know. There may be some aberrations to the "correct" collations but you won't find them in my collection.

    Lots of great people and resources out there to ask questions and pay close attention, I have learned a lot this way.

    Good luck!

    PC Walter Payton - Bear Down!

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    RyansRustRyansRust Posts: 179 ✭✭✭

    @JakeR2234 said:

    @54topps said:
    Unfortunately I did not keep track of the sellers. Im sticking with PSA slabbed cellos moving forward.

    I'd be sure to do your homework on the early slab/serial numbered packs. Elsipep/Starpaxman/Jose made and sold a lot of packs that are no good and proven so. Knowledge of collation and sheet placement on packs is good to know. There may be some aberrations to the "correct" collations but you won't find them in my collection.

    Lots of great people and resources out there to ask questions and pay close attention, I have learned a lot this way.

    Good luck!

    Wow! I never knew that. Sad, but good to know. Thanks.

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    grote15grote15 Posts: 29,521 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Buying raw vintage unopened on ebay is like navigating a virtual minefield, especially with wax. You may get lucky at times but more often than not you will get burned, too, unfortunately.



    Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
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    mexpo75mexpo75 Posts: 1,912 ✭✭✭

    Amen, Tim.

    PackManInNC
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    chaz43chaz43 Posts: 2,128 ✭✭✭

    @coolstanley said:
    Getting your packs graded is just one opinion. Graders make mistakes on cards and autographs. So some of those packs listed above could still be good.

    Steve at Baseball Card Exchange who is the preeminent expert on unopened packs and has been doing it for many years is exclusively used by PSA to warrant if any packs have been opened or not. I would bet that they are no good if it says they are no good.

    chaz

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    GansetttimeGansetttime Posts: 219 ✭✭✭

    BTW what ever happened to Jose?

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    dan89dan89 Posts: 484 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here you go

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    MikeyPMikeyP Posts: 990 ✭✭✭

    When I first began to build my 1978 Topps Baseball set six years ago, I purchased some unopened packs. I am certain that quite a few of those unopened packs were tampered with.

    "Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood."
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    ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm convinced there are more 1980s cellos in existence now than there were when Topps produced them in the 1980s.

    Arthur

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    fiveninerfiveniner Posts: 4,109 ✭✭✭

    I have not bought an unopened pack since the early 80s before the hobby became a business and in came some dirtbags who knew nothing about the hobby or the sport but used our hobby as a get rich quick scheme. I am sorry to say we are not a hobby anymore especially for a person on a limited income.
    New releases have become very over priced with less product.

    Tony(AN ANGEL WATCHES OVER ME)
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    burghmanburghman Posts: 805 ✭✭✭✭

    I learned my lesson last year in my quest to find a Lemieux rookie. Was so hyper-focused that I bought something at a great price and didn't even notice that the listing didn't say "unopened", "sealed", or anything. Opened the package and found a pile of cards in a wrapper that the seller didn't even pretend to reseal. Looked back at the listing and realized I screwed up royally - couldn't even ding the guy because he never claimed the pack was legit. So dumb of me. Cost less than $10 bucks so it wasn't an expensive lesson, but it sure was a lesson.

    Jim

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    erbaerba Posts: 285 ✭✭✭✭

    @fiveniner said:
    I am sorry to say we are not a hobby anymore especially for a person on a limited income.

    Sure it is. You collect what you enjoy and collect within your budget. My collection isn't going to drop any jaws, but I love it.

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    fiveninerfiveniner Posts: 4,109 ✭✭✭

    @erba said:

    @fiveniner said:
    I am sorry to say we are not a hobby anymore especially for a person on a limited income.

    Sure it is. You collect what you enjoy and collect within your budget. My collection isn't going to drop any jaws, but I love it.

    Would you believe I have been a hobbyist for 60 years? I could care less if we went back to the days when you could buy wax boxes with just cards and maybe a random special card. There is too much of everything. I like my oldies, and goodies.

    Tony(AN ANGEL WATCHES OVER ME)
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    MikeyPMikeyP Posts: 990 ✭✭✭

    I could not agree more, Erba. Well said.

    "Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed, and if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin', I'm gonna know for the first time in my life, see, that I weren't just another bum from the neighborhood."
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    Pacman70Pacman70 Posts: 68 ✭✭✭

    I have been feeling that way myself for decades. At least when I buy these boxes of cards, I can sell these overly abundant inserts on eBay as i have no use for them whatsoever.

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    paulb71paulb71 Posts: 282 ✭✭✭✭

    I usually only buy pre graded wax and cellos from the 70’s and early 80’s. the only time I would pay up for raw ungraded unopened is if it is a wax pack tray. For example Whenever I see a 71 raw wax pack for sale my first question is why isn’t it already graded ?

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