Not a Fan of New eBay Authenticity Guarantee
70ToppsFanatic
Posts: 2,106 ✭✭✭✭
Just received some cards purchased on eBay from Greg Morris that went through eBay’s new “Authenticity Guarantee”.
From my perspective all this service really does is add cost (extra shipping charges due to sending the card off to Florida first), delay the time it takes to get the card and then encapsulates raw cards in a Card Saver I with a fancy seal on the back which cannot be broken if you want to have the guarantee honored. But for those who build sets and put the cards in 9-pocket pages you have to break the seal and nullify your the guarantee to do so.
I’m not interested in displaying cheaply encapsulated cards in eBay magnetic holders.
This service would make much more sense as an optional choice that could be selected at checkout by the buyer, and for which eBay could charge a small fee to perform.
In my case, between Greg Morris’ expertise and my own experience I don’t really get any additional value from a guarantee, especially one that I am going to have to nullify in order to store the cards in the way that I wish to keep them.
One vote against this mandated benefit being forced on us by eBay
Dave
Comments
CLEARLY one of, if not the, STUPIDEST things done by ebay ever. At best the service should be optional.
Example of what eBay Authenticity Guarantee card looks like
Dave
Dave
hey 70ToppsFanatic,
I hear what your saying....cool looking Nolan...
And for slabbed items.......it's just pointless. What are they checking? If it's a fake slab?? please
I'm for the service if the threshold was around $1000 or optional. I think it offers the seller protection from scammers, which is what stops me from listing $1000+ cards on ebay.
Agree
what a stupid idea.
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
It is stopping a lot of the aged reprints being sold. I hope. Which is constantly increasing even with this option. It was starting to get out of hand. So they did need to try and do something. Not sure if it will solve it. But damn there are so many aged reprints on ebay now and before.
didn’t like at first but now I’m a fan. seeing a lot less fake cards so less people getting scammed. I don’t have to worry any scam packages going to the wrong address ect…
as a seller I like it cuz there’s no more buyers remorse returns or empty box scammers. also I’ve had returns from buyers that swapped out the cards with fake ones so that is gone now.
I've gotten 2 of these so far, and in both cases I took them out of the sealed Card Saver because I wanted them in the magnetic one-touch holders.
This.
I cannot fathom this level of ridiculous. Ebay is like a guy that WON'T STOP tinkering with his car until it won't run anymore. Everything they change is for the worst.
I was upset about cards I sell being put through it because I package and present them in a way my buyers really like, but at least they "Authenticate" my stuff.
"You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella
I actually like this service, even for graded cards. It acts almost like an escrow service in protecting both the buyer and the seller. It eliminates many of the scams that we all complained out. As with any service there will be a cost so it only makes sense for items over a certain value.
I agree that the costs associated with doing business on Ebay are not cheap. But I am willing to pay those costs for a safe selling platform that provides me with a large pool of potential customers. In the old brick and mortar days you always paid higher rent for high visibility locations in good neighborhoods. That's what Ebay is, a high visibility location. And them implementing better buyer / seller protections makes sure the neighborhood stays good.
the extra week to receive the card is not worth it to me
I thought it was like 750 for graded cards.
I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/
Well said. Personally I feel more comfortable buying a high dollar card on eBay than other platforms.
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball
I saw several $5K - 20K fake slabs get auctioned off before the ebay guarantee for slabbed cards. I bet those buyers don't even know they got taken...
The eBay Guarantee for slabbed cards should help prevent those situations moving forward...
...and because of those few people who are irresponsible enough to spend $20k on a card from an unknown low-feedback seller, now we ALL get to pay an extra couple of points more on seller fees for a non-optional service. Great. Ebay says the service is free (for now) but we all know where this is headed, and they already raised rates since implementing this disservice.
I just got back a few high dollar cards back from PSA, I’m sending to REA
I’ve sold expensive cards to folks buying for a husband or son’s birthday ect. they shouldn’t have to worry if the slab is fake or not. it’s ridiculous it’s come to this but the amount of money involved has brought out the worst in people.
I've only had a card I bought go through this service once but thought it was weird as it was a certified Topps autograph card from a current set that was just released. I guess anything can be faked but just thought it was strange.
www.questfortherookiecup.com
Especially when they stopped doing Ebay Bucks
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
95 Ultra GM Sets: Golden Prospects,HR Kings,On-Base Leaders,Power Plus,RBI Kings,Rising Stars
Say when did Topps start doing those Christmas cards? And how do you get them? Inserts? Specially marked factory set?
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
95 Ultra GM Sets: Golden Prospects,HR Kings,On-Base Leaders,Power Plus,RBI Kings,Rising Stars
It's a Holiday set that they've done the last few years. I've seen the blasters in Wal Mart around the holidays but not sure how else they were issued.
www.questfortherookiecup.com
Walmart megas only. Cheap fun rips. You'll see hockey skates on Tatis, candy cane bats, mittens, snowballs, and santa belts just to name a few. Sort of like and opening day set, geared mainly towards kids, but the are some $$ hits now and then.
They still do Ebay Bucks... just not as good as what it used to be. I get usually a 5% offer at least once a month as a buyer.
clearly the dumbest thing EBAY has ever done is require authentication at the $250 and up level for graded cards. At most make it optional. I ended up paying $86 for 7 graded cards with an average value of $500. Normally that would have cost me $20 at the most. I called ebay twice. Obviously the dealers dont like it because they are not allowed to combine shipping and they have to use FEDEX.
Here is the email I received from my seller:
We apologize for the frustration and inconvenience. eBay’s new policy does not allow us to combine orders once they are in this program.
We have been providing customers with eBay’s contact information and encourage them to provide feedback to eBay in regards to the new program. I know when we spoke on the phone you said you already spoke to eBay, but I’ll provide them again just incase:
******_eBay Customer Support Number: 1-866-540-3229 _******
I encourage every concerned collector to call and voice their opinion one way or another. I also think we should contact PSA as well. I saw them at the national but forgot to stop and complain. I certainly will next year. LOUDLY.
I called EBAY and complained about the entire program. Ebay put me in touch with the person who is responsible for the authentication program. He listened but was unapologetic about his position that they are providing a valuable service and that it is not costing me anything. Thats a lie. It cost me another $70 in shipping.
He said the cards are shipped to a PSA office where the authentication is performed.
I suggested that only sellers and buyers with limited feedback be subject to this penalty and that it be optional for everyone else.
The notice on the relevant items for sale says its free for a limited time. This is a scam just to extract more money from the hobby. Soon they will be charging the dealers for this and that will be passed along to us.
We all should push back on this insanity and at a minimum make it an optional service for those who feel they need the protection. I have purchased over $200,000 of graded cards on ebay over the past 15 years and have never had a problem. I attribute that to dealing only with people I know, reputable dealers or sellers with a lot of positive feedback. There are so many people joining the hobby who do not know what they are doing. The prices have also encouraged thieves to jump in. Pretty easy to spot the thieves. If the deal is to good to be true then offer to pay for it after you get the card or better yet just move on. If you are getting ripped off then thats a clue you probably shouldnt be in this hobby.
pretty easy to spot a reprint.
PSA and EBAY are equally responsible for this nonsense. Its their intent to torture everyone in order to capture a couple of people who are selling fake holders. Obviously they haven't thought through this very well. They are content with treating all of us like fools and criminals in order to find a couple of bad people
My perspective goes against the tide I guess.....Aside from protecting my purchase against fraud which is meaningful..... I also prefer the card I buy off ebay coming directly from PSA and not any possible dubious sellers with packing issues and insurance issues if its lost.....that is solid peace of mind.... esp. having lost cards in the mail and dealing with "He said, She said" nonsense with ebay in the middle......that is anxiety ridden when it actually happens and thousands in some cases are on the line....
Can you explain how ebay/paypal/etc is not protecting you against insurance or mail issues if using the system properly? In what situation could you lose both the card and money and have no recourse if following the procedure correctly?
In the scenario above, where PSA (the blue holder) makes a mistake and loses or damages your card, do you believe just because it is PSA that you wouldn't need ebay to be the middle man until it is resolved? Do you believe PSA has never damaged a card by mistake or worse and not reported it? There is always a possibility that this verification (which will have a cost eventually) takes away all of your rights to refuse the card if it arrives differently than you expect in the future since you trusted their opinion...
I trust PSA and CGC (the two places your cards are going) more than Joe EBay Seller.
Pure madness with a recent purchase. A raw 2021 Panini Chronicles NFL Trevor Lawrence RC & Pat Freiermuth Luminance Error card with sold value of $11.78 was sent to Florida for authentication. I can see higher value raw cards. Boy, this is a waste of time and money.
It’s a bad deal and an unwanted one. It should be an optional service only for anyone who may want it. I would of told them to keep their cards rather than spend almost an additional 20% on shipping
Just wait until the fee charged for this service is released. Shareholders may start to get excited about the 5% increase in fees, but get pretty pissed when they see the tremendous drop in sales.
The auction houses are a much better deal anyway in my opinion. Now more than ever
Not only is this an unwanted service, but look at the low quality of how they “encapsulate” a card. Sticky residue dead center at the top on the sleeve and the damaged sleeve on the upper left by the glove making it hard to tell if it’s the sleeve or the card. Then on the back the “authenticity guarantee” sticker covers a portion of the card back.
Pathetic!
Dave
dude just get a P.O. Box. they won’t AG any card you buy.
I recently purchased a couple raw cards that had to go thru eBay's authentication service. They are currently stuck in Sarasota FL due to the hurricane situation. Did we ever find out what 3rd party service is doing the authentication service? Hopefully their facility is on the second floor..
I don't like one thing about this.
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
CGC does raw
PSA does all graded
myslabs.to/smzcards
I know you cant combine, but I don't think you have to use FedEx exclusively.
Is that correct? A PO Box and your purchases don’t AG?
PO Boxes aren't free, so why would you pay for one just to circumvent the AG process? Seems like you would pay more for the PO Box.
It's good to know that PSA looks at the graded cards.
Not familiar with CGC's reputation.
I still think the service should be optional.
When I first heard about this requirement I thought it was pretty stupid for graded cards that I sell to have to go through this process. When I thought more about it I stopped thinking of it as an authentication service and thought of it as more of an escrow service. When I sell a card for a few thousand dollars on Ebay I used to sweat that I was selling to an honest buyer who wouldn't try to scam me. Now the card goes to the authenticator. Once they receive the card and authenticate it I no longer have to worry about false claims of damage or not as described. The service definitely gives me a little more peace of mind when selling higher dollar items.
I do wish that Ebay would come up with a plan for the PO Box loophole. When a buyer uses a PO box for shipping items don't go through the process so sellers are exposed to the scammers if they use a PO Box,.
Sent you a PM
We can endlessly debate the pros and cons of the eBay authentication service. All I know is, I bought a tough PSA 9 1972 high number common from a seller 45 minutes away from me. Because the card cost $250 instead of $240, I will now wait two weeks to get my card instead of two days as it is shipped all over the country and back. For what? I know the slab isn’t fake, it’s a total waste of time, an increase in the risk of loss or damage, and with no upside.
Please make it optional, at least below a certain dollar value. 🙏
I received a stabbed 9.5 2016 McCaffrrey xrc tie-dye on Tuesday that was not in the stretchy hold downs so it was sliding around.
I wonder what they do for larger sized holders for oversized cards.
I definitely wish this was an optional service.
I sold a pair of 2019 retro6 bred Jordan's which were never removed from the box on Jordan's bday last February in 2022. The authenticator had to remove the shoes and inspect the tongues and all. The seller wanted them without the box opened anymore and he was irate. Some shoe guys are meticulous like some of us card guys.
What do you guys do with the holders? I am keeping my cards in the for protection.
I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/