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Rick Probstein
pose1974
Posts: 23 ✭
Hi all
Thinking of using Rick Probstein for a listing of mine. Any negative experiences from the group? For those that have used him have you been pleased with ease of the transactions.
Cheers
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grab your life preserver:
almost 7 years / 0 problems
you get paid quick
Does he consign raw cards?
Hopefully he won’t list your most valuable cards first and never list the rest of them then lose them because of a complete lack of organization.
I have used with success.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
I have never had an issue using his services. I like that he pays out quicker than PWCC. Plus, he writes in the description that your card is perfectly centered or has four sharp corners when it clearly doesn't so that can help you achieve a higher sale.
I had a negative experience.
Do not recommend because of it.
in
If your cards have OC or bad looking backs, he's your guy because he rarely posts a pic of the back of a card or slab!
I consigned couple 1990 Minor League Mariano Rivera PSA 10s several years ago and no issues. Fast payment. I would consign with 4SC, PWCC, or an auction house now. Too many horror stories.
Used him 3 times, once he lost some of my cards then found them, once everything went well, once he lost some of my cards and was very very rude when I inquired as to some kind of refund. It was a small set of cards valued at about $100.00.
I always enclosed a packing slip, his employees didn't bother to confirm the items.
One of my absolute worst experiences in the hobby.
I don't consign. A good friend has sent Probstein items on several occasions. On at least 2 he has lost items and they learn a good lesson on peeing into the wind. Never makes things right. He will list high demand items and not put on lesser selling things. Now he will not send him items.
He purchased a Oneonta Yankees John Elway card and we all said it was fake. The Oneonta is spelled wrong even. He sends it back and does get a refund. However the same fake card was back up weeks later. Somebody bought a fake card.
Probstein knew it was a fake as the reason was well stated on return. To me that speaks volumes.
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
POS
i think for the instance of this thread, it's for protection purposes and headache avoidance. for someone that doesn't sell often or is a big card to them, consignment services are probably the way to go.
eta: unfortunately the 2 biggest consignment shops on ebay let their egos and dollar signs effect their practices and morals. it's sad having to pick the lesser of two evils.
Putting aside the character qualities of each, I would simply look at a few auction listings from Probstein and then a few from PWCC. If that doesn't convince you of which way to go, then I don't know what to say. I can't imagine there's a person on the planet that works "less hard" at what he does than Probstein.
As a side note, 4 sharp corners has now entered the consignment fray.
I sell on my own. I list "No returns on graded cards". Also, I ship fully insured USPS. If something is lost, stolen, damaged, USPS has always refunded, and that has been very rare anyway. It's not that much of a headache to sell on your own, if you just do a few things proactive and correctly.
I sold 4 items with Probstein last summer
and it was pretty smooth. The total was > 10k and I was paid quickly. However, there was very little communication along the process which was a little concerning.
don't know why i'm even entering this pool, but you realize your statement of "no returns" means absolutely nothing, right?
As blurry said, saying “no returns” means exactly nothing. If someone wants to return something, they can. In fact, I would say by saying no returns, you scare away some buyers. I know as a buyer, I think every bad experience I had was with a seller that didn’t offer returns.
"No returns" you're killing me.
I've used Probstein once in the past and it was "ok". Communication was poor throughout the whole process, which is a little concerning when dealing with any amount of money, especially a couple thousand. But, the process was relatively painless as far as mailing in items and having his group throw it up and get it sold.
Im currently have several items slated in this March auction with PWCC. MUCH better system. MUCH better communication. I feel confident that they know what they are doing. very professional. only problem is that the timeline is much slower. Mailed the items in February...gets listed and sold in March...should get paid by mid April.
If you are in a time crunch and want to use a consigner to sell your stuff....Probstein is ok.
If you aren't in a time crunch and want to use a consigner that actually communicates with you and you want to get max value (typically)....PWCC seems to be the winner at the moment.
Personally, I'd use PWCC based on my experience so far. I would rather sell the items myself instead of using Probstein just because of the lack of communication.
pcsportscards also does consignment. I have never used them or any consignment service.
I have done great selling, made great profits. I don’t think I have scared anyone away. I have great feedback. And it says “no returns on graded cards”. I have tried to return graded cards to seller who listed the same. Ebay did not make them accept a return. The seller is not responsible for third party grading. I am not responsible for third party grading. Sometimes I forget that there are many smart people on this board who know everything, and are great keyboard warriors. I have lost interest in this thread, not because of the person who started the thread, I just don’t waste time with those who look to bash. I like most people in the forums, and forums are very helpful. I just don’t have all the free time to argue and be a keyboard warrior. Have fun bashing this reply!!
I don't think they were bashing. If a buyer wants to return an item they file SNAD (significantly not as described)for a return thru Ebay and they allow it, even if the auction says no returns allowed.
Here's a good apples-to-apples comparison on 2 current auctons:
Probstien
[https://ebay.com/itm/1953-Topps-82-Mickey-Mantle-New-York-Yankees-HOF-PSA-4-VG-EX-LOOKS-NICER/383991956052?hash=item5967b44254:g:~iAAAOSwMz1gPU2g&LH_Auction=1]
PWCC
[https://ebay.com/itm/1953-Topps-Mickey-Mantle-SHORT-PRINT-82-PSA-4-VGEX/402729290693?hash=item5dc4894bc5:g:lPIAAOSwsOFgQXvB&LH_Auction=1]
This is a rare case where Probstien invested some actual thought and time in the description (i.e. "LOOKS NICER"), plus the buyer has the extra assurance that Nic knows where the card is, and that he needs to see Rick at some point.
The buyer of the PWCC card cannot be sure who knows where it is, but he / she can sleep well knowing that the card not only has stunning print, color, and focus, but it is also woefully undervalued.
Why did you try to return it?
I consign with Probstein often, usually $50 - $500 items. I ship to his PO Box and include a packing list. He typically lists the items within two weeks of receipt. I admit those two weeks can be aggravating because communication isn't happening. However, every time I've had a problem, he's responded to my email shockingly quickly. Payment comes within two weeks of the end of the last auction. I suspect on VERY high end items, that payoff process might go differently depending on buyer behavior.
Look, it's not perfect. I believe the horror stories. But my personal experience has been excellent and his rates make it a no brainer for me to keep on using his services.
I should mention I've also used PWCC and PCS once each. They were fine. I prefer Probstein.
tis true, but unless you have a big feedback number, you aren't going to get near the sales price that Probstein or PWCC will get..
Because people are stupid.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
I'm thinking about consigning some cards and a case of unopened. Going to choose either PWCC or 4SC.
Terry Bradshaw was AMAZING!!
Ignore list -Basebal21
"the grinch didn't hate christmas. he hated people. which is fair."
😉
Many posts on this topic. Will never use him again. Unprofessional. Slow to respond. No return of cards if not sold.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/06
Sell myself, no worries. Returns suck. Very professional, not nice to noobs. Screw returns, blocked.
I've used Rick and Brent and have never had a problem with either. I don't use them anymore. I simply list
my items on ebay with a buy it now at a price I am comfortable with. All three have been problem free for years.
I have used probstein dozens of times and never an issue. I did send him some junk once and he wouldn't list it...send it back to me and said it wasn't good for him to list.
must not have been fake enough?
It was a Lrge box of 5000 commons
If they’re raw cards that look mint but have undisclosed flaws you can’t see in the scan, he won’t disclose them in the listing. Then I’ll likely win them and I’ll definitely return them.
I spoke with an eBay rep recently regarding high end cards sale (over 5k) and they said there will be changes coming to how they sell high end trading cards in the future. More protection for sellers and they will potentially have high end sales or returns first got through an eBay verification (i.e. send it to them to verify and then it is sent on to the customer and vice versa on returns). While I have bought from Probstein, heard horror stories of selling through him.
That makes a ton of sense. Above a certain dollar amount, there needs to be an intermediary to eliminate the BS of either claims of empty boxes arriving or scammer sellers actually sending empty boxes. I wonder what they'll charge for that service though.
Great idea, and I wish they’d done that sooner. That’s essentially what they do with the global shipping program, which takes all the pressure off the seller.
So how would an intermediary prove or disprove an empty box claim?
Edit- I see you said that sales would go to the intermediary first and then onto the buyer. That answered my question.
that's my> @gemint said:
but he will list fakes? then when outed and returned, relist them?
just a colon blow bowl full of moral fiber there.
They already do something like that with watches and sneakers.....
https://pages.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee/?showVid=false&showShopCTAs=false
CONSIGNMENTS, Coming Soon!!!
BIGLEAGUE SportsCards
"Respect The Hobby"
www.bigleaguesc.com
https://www.ebay.com/str/bigleagueseller
I did not know that.... but makes sense with high end items. As another seller mentioned, they have their distribution centers set up... would not be hard to implement and would eliminate a lot of risk. Though will they be able to spot fakes?
I also wonder about cost.... this will likely not be cheap.
This would be great, and I think it would be worth paying an extra fee if they decide to charge more. It would be similar to an "Escrow" Service, and I'm fine with that for high-dollar cards... (I would add to my listing that I'll split the "Escrow" fees with the Buyer)
With eBay Managed Payments -- they probably want to eliminate the Returns Shenanigans -- so offering something like this makes alot of sense... (imo)
Probstein has a 1983 topps BB wax box BBCE listed on ebay right now at auction and
its at $1325 currently. The problem? The picture shows a 1983 OPC wax box.
There is a BIN 83 opc bbce box listed for $995 by a seller on ebay.
So if probsteins pic is correct it appears his box is overpriced already.
In the course of every human endeavor since the dawn of time the risk of human error has always been a factor. Including but not limited to field goals, 4th down attempts, or multiple paragraph ramblings on a sports forum authored by someone who shall remain anonymous.
Now its up to $1600.
Maybe you get both a topps and opc box, who knows, its as clear as mud!
In the course of every human endeavor since the dawn of time the risk of human error has always been a factor. Including but not limited to field goals, 4th down attempts, or multiple paragraph ramblings on a sports forum authored by someone who shall remain anonymous.