An Ebay experiment
Love of the Game
Posts: 250 ✭✭
I recently decided to start collecting 1938 Goudeys. So today, I searched Ebay for '38 Goudeys, and found someone offering one of those Dover Reprint Joe D's with an opening bid of $200.
Those Dover Reprints are the worst and most obvious reprints I've ever seen, and any nitwit can tell what they are just by looking. So the person who's selling the card is clearly trying to scam someone who doesn't know anything about cards.
I sent the person an email asking if he was offering the card as authentic, and he responded with one of those "It's a friend's card and he told me it was real" lines. So I just sent this back to him:
"Even when it clearly states "A Dover Reprint" on the back?
This card is clearly a reprint that you are selling as an original, at an opening bid of $200. They both come from a book of reprinted cards that were on perforated sheets. You can see the perf marks on your scans of the card, as well as the word "reprint" on the back of the card. It is worth about a nickel.
Considering that your listing contains a scan of the back, I am assuming that you looked at the back of the card. If you looked at the back, I'm sure you saw the word "reprint". Yet you're still selling it as an original, and still trying to represent it as original to me in your emails. This is fraud.
If someone who doesn't know better decides to buy it, you might get lucky and make a quick $200. Then, they'll receive the card, leave you negative feedback, and nobody will ever bid on a high-dollar card you offer again. You are hurting your chances of future business by continuing to offer this card.
I'd like to suggest that you revise your listing and call the card what it is, or cancel it altogether. What you're doing is unethical."
I know this kind of thing happens on Ebay every hour, but it still makes me angry. Lots of people just getting into collecting get taken by this stuff, and it's bad for the hobby. It will be interesting to see how he responds.
-Al
Those Dover Reprints are the worst and most obvious reprints I've ever seen, and any nitwit can tell what they are just by looking. So the person who's selling the card is clearly trying to scam someone who doesn't know anything about cards.
I sent the person an email asking if he was offering the card as authentic, and he responded with one of those "It's a friend's card and he told me it was real" lines. So I just sent this back to him:
"Even when it clearly states "A Dover Reprint" on the back?
This card is clearly a reprint that you are selling as an original, at an opening bid of $200. They both come from a book of reprinted cards that were on perforated sheets. You can see the perf marks on your scans of the card, as well as the word "reprint" on the back of the card. It is worth about a nickel.
Considering that your listing contains a scan of the back, I am assuming that you looked at the back of the card. If you looked at the back, I'm sure you saw the word "reprint". Yet you're still selling it as an original, and still trying to represent it as original to me in your emails. This is fraud.
If someone who doesn't know better decides to buy it, you might get lucky and make a quick $200. Then, they'll receive the card, leave you negative feedback, and nobody will ever bid on a high-dollar card you offer again. You are hurting your chances of future business by continuing to offer this card.
I'd like to suggest that you revise your listing and call the card what it is, or cancel it altogether. What you're doing is unethical."
I know this kind of thing happens on Ebay every hour, but it still makes me angry. Lots of people just getting into collecting get taken by this stuff, and it's bad for the hobby. It will be interesting to see how he responds.
-Al
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Comments
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31722&item=5137074176&rd=1
If that didn't work, the item number of the auction is 5137074176. Or you could just search "1938 Goudey".
I know that as far as Ebay fraud goes, this one is kind of a slow-pitch softball, but this is the one that makes me the most angry, because it's designed to screw people who just don't know any better.
-Al
Just thought you should know that the Joe D card you are auctioning is a reprint. It is clearly perfed and has the word "reprint" on the back. I suggest you amend your listing to clearly inform potential bidders that this is NOT original. Now that you have been informed by me, if you continue to list it as original, you are intentionally committing "intent to defraud" and should some unsuspecting bidder buy it, you will graduate to felony wire fraud. This is a federal crime.
<< <i> They both come from a book of reprinted cards that were on perforated sheets. You can see the perf marks on your scans of the card, as well as the word "reprint" on the back of the card. It is worth about a nickel.
>>
I had that book as a kid. Anyone know if they're still printing it? I wonder how much this guy wants for the Honus...
Chris
Though the perferation is obvious, he could have smoothed that down a bit.
Current Sets in Progress:
1956 Topps Master Set PSA 6 or better
1978 Topps PSA 9 or 10
1981 Donruss Golf PSA 9 or 10
1989 Upper Deck PSA 9 or 10
Nolan Ryan Master Set
Pete Rose Master Set
That auction is for the grandmother who knows her grandson collects baseball cards, and here's a great opportunity to get him a REAL, LIVE, JOE DIMAGGIO for Christmas, for only $200. This is the worst kind of lie, in my opinion - he's not even presenting a card that can easily be mistaken for real.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a scan of a trimmed 1953 Mantle that I bought on Ebay. When I bought it, I figured it was about a 50-50 chance that it was real. When I received it, it seemed real in every respect, but STILL wasn't sure, so I posted it here, and got confirmation that it was, indeed, real. If it had turned out that it was a fake, well, it was a GOOD fake, done by some scumbag who intended to dupe even a long-time collector. I took a stupid risk by buying it from an unreliable source, I should have known better, c'est la vie.
This Joe D is a REPRINT. Most long-time collectors are very familiar with those Dover Reprints. None of us would buy a '38 Goudey with black type on the back and perf marks all around it, even if the "Reprint" designation was not visible in the scan. This guy put the card up there to dupe someone who doesn't know any better. To me, that's the worst kind of sleaze there is. And he can't even take responsibility for his own lack of integrity, choosing instead to feed me with the "my friend told me it's real" line.
No response to my email yet, BTW.
-Al
Good job. Always like to see people getting involved - hopefully the item will be pulled.
your friend
Mike
<< <i>Question about your item
Dear stone193,
You asked:
"Hi the card in question is a reprint - I know this was an over-site on your part. Thanx your friend Mike"
I error, thanks
View this listing now to bid or purchase this item.
Item # Item Title Listing end date
5137074176 1938 Goudey Joe DiMaggio #250 >>
The guy sends me this email and still doesn't pull the item - so "I error, thanks" - is code for I are an idiot and I hope someone else out there is too!
Stone
Current Sets in Progress:
1956 Topps Master Set PSA 6 or better
1978 Topps PSA 9 or 10
1981 Donruss Golf PSA 9 or 10
1989 Upper Deck PSA 9 or 10
Nolan Ryan Master Set
Pete Rose Master Set