Where's the good raw cards?

SayitaintsoJoe63

Has anybody besides me noticed that on eBay whenever someone advertises near mint to near mint-mint cards for sale, and even have pictures of the cards in the listing.......more times than not....you receive cards that will grade no better than ex-mt.
What is up with most sellers not knowing how to grade cards........it gets frustrating to order 20 cards from a guy, and if you're lucky only pulling one out that might go a 7.

69topps8

It's gotten much worse in recent months. The more popular grading becomes, the fewer legitimate high grade raw cards appear on eBay. When I first joined eBay back in 1997, There were alot of high grade raw cards advertised. Although you still had the scam artists, you could find nice singles/sets if you were diligent. I bought my mint 1973 set on eBay for $750 and it was literally factory fresh. I also built up alot of my other sets through eBay. Today, I usually have to pay through the nose while expecting to receive poorer quality than advertised. There are still deals to be had on eBay but the majority of the "NM-MT" or "Mint" raw card auctions are grossly overgraded.

SayitaintsoJoe63

And the worst part, is most even have scans of the cards....and even close ups.....cards look great, until you get them, and go thru them.
This isn't to say that all sellers don't know how to grade.....some I've dealt with are right on the money.........maybe what used to be considered near mint and better, is just not close enough anymore, what with the grading services being so strict.
Near Mint just aint what she used to be.

NickM

Sometimes I think the cards were NM-Mint at the time the auction was listed, but got damaged a bit during shipping, since half the sellers seem to think putting a card in a Card Saver II without a sleeve is a good idea.
It's not limited to high-end cards. If you buy a lot of cards from someone that are advertised as VG-EX, probably half the cards are less than VG.

Nick

Mefer

I have had fairly good success purchasing raw cards in Teletrade auctions. Grading is fairly consistent and I return few lots. Recently, I purchased some raw 71s baseball, lot advertised as NM, and sent in a Matlack Rookie and Richie Allen card from the lot. The Matlack pulled a PSA 8 while the Allen pulled a PSA 8 (oc). I was pleased; I found the rest to grade about NM. In the past, I also purchased some 57s that looked to

I have about given up on eBay for raw cards. To the extent I buy raw any more, it has to be in person or from Teletrade.

SayitaintsoJoe63

I've also had trouble with a couple of eBay'ers that have sent cards with just a regular envelope and a top loader......so far thru some kind of miracle...the postal service didn't destroy them.
On the other side of the coin, I've bought a few cards listed as NM and sent them to PSA and received 8's!! Those are the sellers I like!! Opening up a package of cards like that just make ya smile

TheCARDKid

One thing I've noticed about Teletrade is that their centering descriptions in the title often aren't what's on the card. They'll say "70-30", yet it's really 60-40 or maybe even a bit better. Or they'll say 50-50, yet it's 55/45 with a slight diamond cut. Don't let the title's fool you.

Also, has anyone bought any unopened packs from them? Are they legit? They don't offer them that often (at least the really good one's from the 60's or early 70's).

69topps8

I bought a '69 cello pack from them once that was an obvious reseal. The corners had been refolded and there was delamination all along the seal. I returned it to them. You can probably get a good pack through them but I don't know if they have a resident pack authenticator to screen consigned material. My one bad experience could have been an exception.

mikeschmidt

Gee -- on the other board, Backdoorslider mentioned something about purchasing over $100,000 of raw cards from BMW over the past two years....

(ducking the oncoming missles....)

mikeschmidt

I would not, generally, trust Teletrade as a source of vintage unopened backs. There are no controls to prevent re-seals, and it is a pain in the butt (with much $$$$ lost), if you are burned (Even if it is just the costs and annoyances of shipping, etc.)

FB

Have most of you guys been finding your raw cards at shows, online, or from a local dealer? I've been striking out with most of the local stores looking for 60's and 70's material. But, if I ever decide to collect Pokemon or Magic the Gathering carsd I'm set.

SayitaintsoJoe63

Hahaha Frank......Yeah....if Pokemon gem mint 10's ever explode, then I think we're all set for life, as they can be had on every street corner.
As far as good raw cards in NM and better.....I only have marginal luck on eBay. Probably for every 100 raw 60's era cards I buy in so called NM and better condition, only 10 to 15 per cent ever make the grade to at least a 7. Most of the time I end up re-eBaying these extra cards in EX to EX-MT condition and just taking the loss, I won't pass the trumped up grades on to the next guy.
I haven't been able to find any top grade 60's stuff at shows.....don't know where the best places would be to look.