Anyone ever dealt with Robert Edward Auctions?

eadams24

I won this 1952 Topps Eddie Mathews card from them. Do you notice the mark between Eddie's left eye and his nose? Well, before I bid I emailed Robert Edward Auctions and asked if this mark was actually on the card or just on the case or from the scan. They emailed me back and told me it was not on the card, it is from the scan. I looked at the scan again and it really looked like the mark was on the card so I called them to verify. I waited while they went and got the card. The person I spoke to had the scan from the auction on his computer screen and the actual card in his hand and assured me the mark was only on the scan. I asked if he was sure of the mark I was talking about and he described where it was on the scan and told me it was not on the actual card. So feeling that I did my due diligence I felt confident the mark was not on the card, but a result of the scan. Well, I received the card today and I'm sure you can tell where this is going. The mark was there plain as day exactly the way it is in the scan. I definitley would not have bid as high as I did knowing that mark was there. Any suggestions on what to do?

Also, the very slight surface paper wrinkle (visible only on reverse and only upon close inspection when held at the right angle). is extremely visible and I am very surprised this card could grade a 5 with that big of a wrinkle/crease.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Stone193

eadams
You stated they emailed you back - did you save the email?

mike

calleocho

the card looks awesome, nice centering and decent corners, i thought it would grade higher at first glance.

However that little mark its really distracting, it completely messes up his face. I would be really dissapointed as well.

A PSA 5 could have a wrinkle, im not so sure about a crease though. I once owned a PSA 5 that looked perfect except for a wrinkle that took me half an hour to find.

REA its a really nice auction house, i am sure they will work with you and they will make things right.

goudeygold

yea, that mark is an attention getter. Try to work with them and see what they do. Having said that I had a problem with milehigh last year when I spent nearly $3,000 for a card with a "problem free reverse". When I get it, there are 3 wax stain spots on the reverse. I called and talked to brian and because it was professionally graded, they felt that the grade was consistant with the condition of the card. I said "Grade doesn't matter, when you say the card has a problem free reverse, I don't expect to have 3 wax stain spots on it."

Bottom line, he said I should have asked for a scan of the back. So of course I said "So I shouldn't trust any descriptions in your auctions then?" He then went to a scripted statement, "no returns, all sales final, blah, blah..."

Good luck but your stuck with it i'm sure,

GG

jayhawke

GG,

Will that be your last auction with Milehigh? I hope so. Bad customer service. At least he could have cut your buyers premium. All these dealers and not just Milehigh just have to piss off a dozen or so bidders and then the word gets out. Possibility, no more "record breaking" auctions, then no more quality consignments. And so on.

Fletch1750

EA,
I hope you read REA's rules which state that there are absolutely no returns. From their side, you had a scan, you read the rules and you still bid. I think they are going to tell you that you own the card. But who knows.

Lothar52

I wont EVER purchase from milehigh if that indeed is what happened...and im sure it is... If they dont want the card back they need to say in there auction-

ALL SALES FINAL.....IF YOU DONT LIKE THE SCAN ASK FOR ANOTHER.........I KNOW NOTHING..I KNOW NOTHING....YA VOLT ACOMADANTE!!!!

As for the mathews...i personally dont think the mark is distracting...and unfortunately psa 5's do end up with wrinkles on star cards with good corners cause something had to make it a 5.....

im sure in 10 years you can sell it for 5000 though...what a stunner of a card even with that nick!!!!!!


I TELL YA...ITS ONE OF THE ONLY ONES IVE EVER SEEN OF IT!!!! WOOHOOO!!!

Loth

bxb

bxb

I don't know, that's a lot of money, and it's not as if you didn't ask about the defect. You were lied to (not saying intentionally necessarily). IF YOU SAVED YOUR EMAILS, I think you have a good grievance. I would try to work with them on some kind of discount or return, in spite of the no return policy.

An auction house of this caliber should be flexible enough to make an occasional exception to its rules, if for no other reason than to maintain their good reputation among collectors.

Please let us know the outcome of this, as it may affect whether or not I bid with them in the future.

Mantlefan

That's a shame. That mark is very distracting. First decide if you want a refund or some money back. Then call and ask to speak to Rob Lifson [he's the owner]. If you can send him a copy of their email stating the mark is only on the scan, I would hope he would try to rectify the situation. If he stonewalls, then mention this board and all the bad publicity he will get.

Stone193

<< <i>That's a shame. That mark is very distracting. First decide if you want a refund or some money back. Then call and ask to speak to Rob Lifson [he's the owner]. If you can send him a copy of their email stating the mark is only on the scan, I would hope he would try to rectify the situation. If he stonewalls, then mention this board and all the bad publicity he will get. >>


Good advice Frank
I would like to add, IMO, even though there is a lot of money involved here, at first, it would be better to remain calm and polite in the discussions and simply state the case. If emails were saved, forward them to REA.
I have found, in negotiations, when one keeps their cool and shows strength through a calm presentation, people listen better.

mike

Griffins

Rob's always being very straight up in my dealings with him, and from my experience he's more interested in doing things right than just one sale. Call and talk to him, and only him, and I think you'll walk away happy.

Mantlefan

<< <i>

<< <i>That's a shame. That mark is very distracting. First decide if you want a refund or some money back. Then call and ask to speak to Rob Lifson [he's the owner]. If you can send him a copy of their email stating the mark is only on the scan, I would hope he would try to rectify the situation. If he stonewalls, then mention this board and all the bad publicity he will get. >>


Good advice Frank
I would like to add, IMO, even though there is a lot of money involved here, at first, it would be better to remain calm and polite in the discussions and simply state the case. If emails were saved, forward them to REA.
I have found, in negotiations, when one keeps their cool and shows strength through a calm presentation, people listen better.

mike >>



Well Mike, that was my point. Eadams should first speak to Rob himself and send the email. I never advised him not to remain calm and polite. But if Rob "stonewalls", then mention the boards. GAI lost a huge order of mine. I got jerked around for a month until myself and others mentioned to them how the collecting community might react to their poor customer service. Once they got that message, my phone calls were returned and I received my compensation.

Stone193

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>That's a shame. That mark is very distracting. First decide if you want a refund or some money back. Then call and ask to speak to Rob Lifson [he's the owner]. If you can send him a copy of their email stating the mark is only on the scan, I would hope he would try to rectify the situation. If he stonewalls, then mention this board and all the bad publicity he will get. >>


Good advice Frank
I would like to add, IMO, even though there is a lot of money involved here, at first, it would be better to remain calm and polite in the discussions and simply state the case. If emails were saved, forward them to REA.
I have found, in negotiations, when one keeps their cool and shows strength through a calm presentation, people listen better.

mike >>



Well Mike, that was my point. Eadams should first speak to Rob himself and send the email. I never advised him not to remain calm and polite. But if Rob "stonewalls", then mention the boards. GAI lost a huge order of mine. I got jerked around for a month until myself and others mentioned to them how the collecting community might react to their poor customer service. Once they got that message, my phone calls were returned and I received my compensation. >>


Frank
There seems to a miscommunication here - I never meant to imply anything about your advice vs. my addition - it was meant as an addition to the discussion in that we have had some people in the past go bananas on a seller and then realize that if they had stayed calm, the situation would have been done faster.

I apologize for any confusion by using your quote to add onto mine. I should have just added my point alone - I can see where you thought I was reacting to your advice. In closing, if I were criticizing your advice, I wouldn't have said "good advice" as an opener.

mike

Mantlefan

Thanks Mike.

eadams24

Thanks for the advice guys.

I do have the email they sent back to me. However, in the email he wrote that he pulled out the card and there is no mark above his eye. I wrote them back explaining that the mark was between his left eye and nose. I never got an email back which is what prompted me to call and get clarification. I will call tomorrow and ask to speak with Rob Lifson. I will let you know the outcome. Thanks again.

EA

eadams24

I just got off the phone with Rob Lifson and our conversation went something like this:

"Hi, I was the winner of lot 334, the Eddie Mathews 1952 Topps card graded PSA 5."

Rob says, "let me guess, you're calling about the mark."

Apparently, he totally screwed up when I called and realized it after he hung up with me, but didn't have any way of calling me back. He was basically hoping I didn't win. He offered me a full refund and he would pay for shipping. Or, if I want to keep the card, he is offering a $400 refund which comes out to $80 less than the next highest bidder (including buyer's premium). If I take the $400 refund I will have paid $3400 for the card total. His logic is that the next highest bidder was willing to pay $3480 with the mark.

Any suggestions?

Griffins

Glad he was up front and took care of it- all the options are yours now. He's always been really good to work with, and I"m glad to see that hasn't changed.

edited to correct poor grammer.

A761506

That is a beautiful card, the mark is not that big of a detractor... for a PSA 5, it's probably one of the nicest you will find and the price you will wind up paying after the rebate is fine. A very high end example of a mid level grade on a pretty scarce card. I say keep it and be happy you own such a prize.

koby

If you need a 52 Matthews for your collection, it will be a long time before you see another one that nice. The card is beautiful and I would keep it if I were you.