Opinions:Buying ungraded vintage on Ebay

Goodsport40

I know this topic has come up before, but I'm curious as to the number of you who buy ungraded vintage(pre 1969) cards from Ebay sellers.

I haven't purchased any in some time, but the cost of many of the cards I would like to buy graded is getting higher. I think I am going to try some test buys from some of the more reputable sellers. Your opinions and ideas are wanted. Thanks.


Robert

baseballfanatic

Its a crap shoot. Sometimes you win sometimes you dont. There arent many needles in the haystack anymore, but they still are out there......

baseballfanatic

Its a crap shoot. Sometimes you win sometimes you dont. There arent many needles in the haystack anymore, but they still are out there......

dtsa

I totally agree. I have won some and lost others. be picky and make sure you get good pictures.

Bosox1976

Agree - pictures speak louder than words, scans speak louder than pictures.

No scan=No buy.

Regulars on these boards seem grade fairly - keep your eyes peeled for their raw offerings.

jimq112

If you want a good grade you might stay away from the mass submitters, why would they sell you a raw 8 when the graded card would sell for so much more.

I second the idea of shopping with board guys. I bought raw from a few here and got nice cards.

onlyanumber

I have found that it is definitely hit or miss with 60's. I've gotten some great value from picking up raw and submitting. On the flip side, most of my raw disappoinments were on 60's cards that had hairline creases, paper loss, soft corners etc. Watch your scans and don't be afraid to ask for a better scan from the seller. I've found that the Ebay dealers who specialize in 50's cards tend to grade somewhat accordingly to PSA standards I. E. if they say it's NM, you won't get higher than 7 from PSA. but you won't get lower than a 6 either.

yankeeno7

You can always take the risk from newer guys if there are good scans. Thats a real crapshoot. But there are some decent raw dealers that grade fairly. One rule of thumb I use even with the good graders...knock it down a grade. If they say NM+ then expect ExMt or a weak NM. Sometimes you are presently surprised...and thats when it was really worth it.

fiveniner

I have lost confidence in buying Raw cards on Ebay.In more cases than not the cards & sets I purchased were from moderate to very overgraded.I too like Goodsport would like to purchase nice raw cards and submit for listing however I am finding this to be very difficult.There are sellers out there that do list SO CALLED NRMT/MT to Gem Mint raw cards however the prices are comparable to a card already graded and then the card ends up being overgraded,EXAMPLE LISTED NRMT/MT 59 Francona sent for grading only for it to come back as a 4.
Of all the sellers I have dealt with I would say Mike Wheat has had the most accurate grading of all.I have sent several of the cards that I purchased from him and have had nice results.There are a few good sellers of raw that are outsatnding graders however they are not easy to find.Scans do not show many flaws on a card.

yankeeno7

Mike Wheat grades accurately but sells for about 2x more than what you can buy it for already graded.

tkd7

Goodsport,
Is your question "can I buy ungraded vintage cards on ebay, grade them, and flip them?" or "are there good deals on ungraded vintage on ebay for my collection?"

I think trying to flip cards off ebay is risky. I've had raw vintage that looked good on ebay grade between 6 and 8.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to build a nice collection, I think you can make many nice raw purchases. I just wouldn't expect to get undergraded cards.

fiveniner

<< <i>Mike Wheat grades accurately but sells for about 2x more than what you can buy it for already graded. >>




I have never paid double the graded prices for any of his cards however I will admit that I probably paid a bit over raw book price on some but the cards were awesome and my submission results were great more than justifying the price I paid.

stown

<< <i>If you are looking for an inexpensive way to build a nice collection, I think you can make many nice raw purchases. I just wouldn't expect to get undergraded cards. >>



Exactly.

My suggestion: Save a few bucks here and there purchasing raw commons / semi-stars and use the savings to purchase graded high-end stars.

Allen

Always buy from users with less than feedback who have many high grade high end cards. Poor scans is a good thing. I also like when they have a disclaimer that they know nothing about baseball cards and found them in a pirate chest on an abandon island, so by ebay rules they have to sell as a reprint. Those are the auctions you will strike gold on......

jimq112

<< <i>Always buy from users with less than feedback who have many high grade high end cards. Poor scans is a good thing. I also like when they have a disclaimer that they know nothing about baseball cards and found them in a pirate chest on an abandon island, so by ebay rules they have to sell as a reprint. Those are the auctions you will strike gold on...... >>



You forgot to tell him to only buy from sellers that don't take paypal and can't get you a scan of the back.

Goodsport40

Tkd:

I'm just looking to find some nice 60's cards. I'm certainly not in any hurry, so I will be careful when buying ungraded. I haven't really ever done much with 60's cards in general. Thanks to all who have responded.

Robert

Archaninator

.

JVette

I have had reasonable success buying raw on eBay. Need to check scans and feedback carefully. Certainly most are overgraded, and I take that into account when I bid. No accurate graders will describe vintage cards as Mint - so we can eliminate all of those. Checking scans will identify many other over-graders. Then bid low, expect some over-grading, and be pleased when somebody surpasses your expectations. You can't build an 8/9 raw set on eBay, but with patience and discipline, you may be able to build a nice 6/7 set. I'm having fun doing it with several 50's & 60's sets. Best of Luck!!

packCollector

it's not all doom and gloom but you really have to do your homework and expect a few disapointments along the way and factor that into your bid prices. these cards recently came from raw on ebay.

dranoz

<< <i>I have had reasonable success buying raw on eBay. Need to check scans and feedback carefully. Certainly most are overgraded, and I take that into account when I bid. No accurate graders will describe vintage cards as Mint - so we can eliminate all of those. Checking scans will identify many other over-graders. Then bid low, expect some over-grading, and be pleased when somebody surpasses your expectations. You can't build an 8/9 raw set on eBay, but with patience and discipline, you may be able to build a nice 6/7 set. I'm having fun doing it with several 50's & 60's sets. Best of Luck!! >>



Same here but with early/mid '70's sets. Gotten some really busted stuff relative to the purported average lot grade, but most people seem to be pretty fair graders.

julen23

nm/mt advertisement = psa 7 (at the most) the majority of the time

Julen