I bought some obviously resealed vintage packs on ebay...
scmavl
Posts: 1,409 ✭✭✭
I bought two ungraded packs recently, a '72 & '73 Topps. The seal seemed fairly light upon opening but when I started going through the cards (especially the '73s), they were damaged in random locations, not uniformly as one would expect from a pack. The cards were also facing in all different directions, much more so than normal. There were, of course, no stars and the gum was in many, many small pieces.
I contacted the seller and told them I was sure the packs were resealed. I did not accuse them of doing it just stated that I felt this was not what I had purchased and I would like a refund. I also said I was writing to them first as opposed to opening a Paypal case. I made no threats or accusations of any type. I did not hear back for 3 or 4 days, then yesterday I received a full refund for both packs from the seller. No email, no note, just the refund. They did not request I send the packs back either.
When I checked their feedback, I see they had some recent feedback accusing them of selling resealed packs. A few said they searched the pack, broke up 80's gum and put it back in the packs & resealed (also saying the gum pieces didn't add up to a full piece). I'm not sure what to do as far as leaving feedback. Since they refunded my money, I will obviously not leave a negative however I have a problem leaving a positive. I guess I'll leave none. Thoughts?
Either way, I think I'll limit my ungraded pack purchases to BBCE from now on. Lesson learned.
I contacted the seller and told them I was sure the packs were resealed. I did not accuse them of doing it just stated that I felt this was not what I had purchased and I would like a refund. I also said I was writing to them first as opposed to opening a Paypal case. I made no threats or accusations of any type. I did not hear back for 3 or 4 days, then yesterday I received a full refund for both packs from the seller. No email, no note, just the refund. They did not request I send the packs back either.
When I checked their feedback, I see they had some recent feedback accusing them of selling resealed packs. A few said they searched the pack, broke up 80's gum and put it back in the packs & resealed (also saying the gum pieces didn't add up to a full piece). I'm not sure what to do as far as leaving feedback. Since they refunded my money, I will obviously not leave a negative however I have a problem leaving a positive. I guess I'll leave none. Thoughts?
Either way, I think I'll limit my ungraded pack purchases to BBCE from now on. Lesson learned.
2.5 is pretty much my speed.
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Comments
<< <i>I bought two ungraded packs recently, a '72 & '73 Topps. The seal seemed fairly light upon opening but when I started going through the cards (especially the '73s), they were damaged in random locations, not uniformly as one would expect from a pack. The cards were also facing in all different directions, much more so than normal. There were, of course, no stars and the gum was in many, many small pieces.
I contacted the seller and told them I was sure the packs were resealed. I did not accuse them of doing it just stated that I felt this was not what I had purchased and I would like a refund. I also said I was writing to them first as opposed to opening a Paypal case. I made no threats or accusations of any type. I did not hear back for 3 or 4 days, then yesterday I received a full refund for both packs from the seller. No email, no note, just the refund. They did not request I send the packs back either.
When I checked their feedback, I see they had some recent feedback accusing them of selling resealed packs. A few said they searched the pack, broke up 80's gum and put it back in the packs & resealed (also saying the gum pieces didn't add up to a full piece). I'm not sure what to do as far as leaving feedback. Since they refunded my money, I will obviously not leave a negative however I have a problem leaving a positive. I guess I'll leave none. Thoughts?
Either way, I think I'll limit my ungraded pack purchases to BBCE from now on. Lesson learned. >>
As far as the way they treated you is what I would take into consideration. You asked for a refund and they gave it to you and did not even ask that the packs be returned. I would leave positive feedback for your transaction and maybe hit them on the condition or something. In my explanation, I would say that they were easy to deal with or something like that because we had a an item that was not as described and they handled the situation. Just my opinion.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Yes, it's a great idea to leave positive feedback for a scam artist. That will certainly warn the public about their counterfeit products.
<< <i>There's a group of sellers selling raw 70s packs they make themselves by buying wrappers and lots of singles under alt IDs. They refunded you not out of generosity but because they know they are selling resealed garbage and hope to keep you quiet. Negative feedback is what they deserve to warn other victims. >>
Exactly right!
Unfortunately the positive feedback seen from these POS sellers is from naive buyers.
<< <i>Hmmm, lots of good info here. I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt and wondered if they were selling packs they bought as-is. But when I see the volume that they're selling (all ungraded and from similar years), what you guys are saying makes sense. However, I still don't feel I can give a negative when I received a refund. >>
<<< wondered if they were selling packs they bought as-is >>>
think it thru man, there's no money in it doing it that way...see what I'm saying? Of course, that's what the scammers probably want ya to think. These scammers can be a clever bunch of con artists.
<< <i>These scammers can be a clever bunch of con artists. >>
Not as clever as you Steve.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Collecting:
Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
<< <i>
<< <i>These scammers can be a clever bunch of con artists. >>
Not as clever as you Steve.
Well, i don't always see the angle, but with the combined effort of many on this forum, makes it very difficult for an ebay scammer to succeed once we set our sights on him.
<< <i>[<<< wondered if they were selling packs they bought as-is >>>
think it thru man, there's no money in it doing it that way...see what I'm saying? Of course, that's what the scammers probably want ya to think. These scammers can be a clever bunch of con artists. >>
I understand that, for sure. But I know I've bought cards before and when I needed to raise some money, sold them at a loss. I'd assume packs could be the same way. But again, when that's the main thing you're selling... yeah, not likely.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>These scammers can be a clever bunch of con artists. >>
Not as clever as you Steve.
Well, i don't always see the angle, but with the combined effort of many on this forum, makes it very difficult for an ebay scammer to succeed once we set our sights on him. >>
Especially when we can convince summerof68 to take the case.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Collecting:
Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
<< <i>
<< <i>[<<< wondered if they were selling packs they bought as-is >>>
think it thru man, there's no money in it doing it that way...see what I'm saying? Of course, that's what the scammers probably want ya to think. These scammers can be a clever bunch of con artists. >>
I understand that, for sure. But I know I've bought cards before and when I needed to raise some money, sold them at a loss. I'd assume packs could be the same way. But again, when that's the main thing you're selling... yeah, not likely.
Hey, I didn't get some of the scammer angles initially either on unopened packs. Guys like Grote15 showed me the way.
<< <i>There's a group of sellers selling raw 70s packs they make themselves by buying wrappers and lots of singles under alt IDs. They refunded you not out of generosity but because they know they are selling resealed garbage and hope to keep you quiet. Negative feedback is what they deserve to warn other victims. >>
<< <i>Why wouldn't you leave negative feedback? They tried to scam you, you caught them, they refunded your money, so that makes everything okay? You're almost acting like they are doing you a favor by giving you back your money, when in fact they are trying to buy one from you, hoping that you won't give a negative feedback so that they can continue to steal from unsuspecting or indifferent buyers. If ever there was an appropriate case for giving negative feedback, this is it. >>
What if I, instead of opening this pack, had resold it to use the money for something else? I would have never known it was resealed and if the buyer complained and I refunded the money, should I still get a negative?
I don't think there is a way to 100% prove that they are producing the resealed packs. I mean, maybe we all "know" they are, but proving that they are the culprit is another matter. I'm sure they'd say they bought a bulk lot or something if confronted.
Don't worry, I'm not going to leave a positive.
<< <i>
Leave negative feedback. This will warn eBay users who do not visit the forums.
Stick with Steve Hart for your ungraded packs, he's the best. >>
In my feedback, I will describe what happened so potential buyers will know what they're getting into.
And in the couple of dealings I've had with BBCE, I totally agree.
Giving the instant seller the benefit of the doubt is likely waaaayyyy overly generous.
NEGs should be reserved for crooks and overtly negligent sellers. Viewed in the light
most favorable to the seller, the circumstance clearly shows that he was grossly
negligent and indifferent to the consequences of selling a resealed pack "that he did
not know was bogus." Sellers MUST know what they are selling, or they have no right
to sell it on EBAY; the TOS and the SYIF make that FACT crystal clear.
Just because a burglar brings back the stolen merch, he does not earn a pass.
"Molon Labe"
My collecting blog: http://ctcard.wordpress.com
The charade will be up when this seller has so many negatives that nobody will touch his stuff. By not leaving a negative you're only letting his party continue and doing a disservice to the ebay collecting community. The seller has probably ripped off enough people they don't mind issuing refunds in the hopes they don't receive any negative feedback.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
"I apologize for any misunderstanding in your recent purchase. I hope you have seen we fully refunded your purchase and please keep the contents as a gift. these were part of a consignment we handled, so not purchased directly by us but we stand behind everything we sell. Thanks again for your patronize."
So if anyone needs some mid-grade commons for mid-70's sets, you could buy a bunch of packs from this seller, claim they were resealed, get your refund, and keep the cards! Scam the scammer!
<< <i>I received this correspondence from them today. As I said, they issued the refund already and I had not contacted them again:
"I apologize for any misunderstanding in your recent purchase. I hope you have seen we fully refunded your purchase and please keep the contents as a gift. these were part of a consignment we handled, so not purchased directly by us but we stand behind everything we sell. Thanks again for your patronize."
So if anyone needs some mid-grade commons for mid-70's sets, you could buy a bunch of packs from this seller, claim they were resealed, get your refund, and keep the cards! Scam the scammer!
<<< "I apologize for any misunderstanding in your recent purchase. I hope you have seen we fully refunded your purchase and please keep the contents as a gift. these were part of a consignment we handled, so not purchased directly by us but we stand behind everything we sell. Thanks again for your patronize." >>>
It my view, this statement clearly illustrates how little cost they actually have in the product.
<<< So if anyone needs some mid-grade commons for mid-70's sets, you could buy a bunch of packs from this seller, claim they were resealed, get your refund, and keep the cards! Scam the scammer! >>>
This is definitely the post of the day, with possible nomination for post of the year. LOL
<< <i>I'd leave a neutral or none... There's no reason to neg they requested nothing of you and gave you an instant refund, they corrected it no matter how wrong they were >>
This is exactly the reason there are so many resealed packs on Ebay - people like you refuse to neg someone who knowingly sells fake merchandise.
To me, their story reinforces the idea that they are nothing more than scammers.