Ebay seller opinion needed

bowlarama

I recently began selling some of my raw, ungraded vintage cards on Ebay. I refrain from using words like Near Mint, in my descriptions. I also post large scans of both the front and backs of the cards. I have the standard verbage that I am not a professional grader and encourage prospective bidders to view the scans before bidding. My auctions also clearly state that all sales are final and no refunds will be given.

IMO this is very clear and straight forward.


But what i have been running into is the following scenario:


Thank you for the prompt shipping. I really like all the cards I won with the exception of the XYZ card which appears rougher than whatI thought I was buying and thus I would like to return it for a full refund.

digicat

A scan will never give you as much detail on a card as looking at it in-hand will.

The "I'm not a professional grader, look at the scan, no returns" isn't something that I'd ever use. In fact, I would probably never bid on an item that had language like that.

Anyone who collects sports cards and can read the grading criteria will have a decent idea as to what range a card will grade in, so I'll give my own opinion as a collector. I'm not saying that I'll get specific and say what exact number grade I think the card will get, but I'm confident enough in my own ability to inspect a card to say if it's nm/mt, nm, or worse. Plus I'll detail any difficult-to-see-flaws. I'll never call a raw card "gem mint" though.


Also, "all sales are final" is meaningless. It's an empty statement that has no authority or weight on Ebay. In the event that the buyer thinks that what they got wasn't what they expected, they can file a "not as described" case and will likely win, and Paypal will take the money from you and give it back to the buyer.

ShootyBabitt

I used to sell only graded cards to keep the guesswork out of it. However, I recently started selling a bunch of mid-grade vintage and it has gone OK so far. I assign a grade (VG, EX, etc.) and note anything that is not visible in the scans (tiny surface wrinkles, dimples). I also offer a refund if people don't agree with my grading.

itzagoner

leave out the part that says "ready for grading" as well as any reference to PSA or other TPG's.

describe each and every detail of the card, front and back, as well as including clean scans.

personally, i feel it's an albatross to tell potential buyers that you are NOT a professional grader, while still rendering some kind of opinion about the card.

since you are the mercy of the return policy anyways......you do the best you can to protect yourself from a second chapter to the story.

JoeBanzai

I agree with digicat. Especially the part about no returns. You might as well just accept returns eBay wants it that way and will support the buyer everytime.

Joe

bowlarama

As usual guys, your feedback was honest, straight forward and extremely helpful. Thanks again for providing a relatively new seller like myself with some valauble first hand knowledge.

JoeBanzai

Good luck with selling on eBay. It can be frustrating at times, but there's really no other way to get your products in front of so many so cheaply.

Joe