Opinions needed on how to proceed on a grossly misrepresented auction

maddux69

Recently I won a lot from an auction house, which will remain nameless at this time, and upon receiving the item it was far from what I thought it to be. The 1950's card I received looked very dull in appearance with brown/smeared blue ink borders and also used for bb gun practice. At first, I chalked it up to purely my mistake as I may have been confused since 10 days have passed since said auction. Now, just over a week later as I have had a chance to settle in and take stock of my recent pickups, I re-evaluate the situation. I take a look at the auction and the images posted and the difference is staggering. The borders in the image are bright white, the card presents very well and it only shows very minor surface issues/creasing. I understand that I should have realized all of this right from the start and if I take a hit so be it. My question is, should I even attempt to contact the auction house to point out this gross misrepresentation and what can I expect as far as similar experiences others may have had?

bobbyw8469

If it is Lew Lipsett, prepare to be blocked from future auctions.

vols1

So your saying there is a large difference in the price you paid and the price the card usually sells for in the same graded condition? Do you have a price and picture to post?

msassin

What is the auctions return policy? That and price of item would help determine if you should return or take the loss on it.

Brick

<< <i>If it is Lew Lipsett, prepare to be blocked from future auctions. >>



If the gentleman misrepresents his product, is difficult to get along with, and is generally a scoundrel why would this be a problem?

bobbyw8469

<< <i>If the gentleman misrepresents his product, is difficult to get along with, and is generally a scoundrel why would this be a problem? >>



Because Lew Lipsett is "old school" and old school dealers handle things differently.

esquiresports

I had an issue with an auction house purchase where I received cards represented as issue free. About 1/4 had creases. I contacted the auction house and explained the situation and that it was something I had not dealt with before so wasn't sure about the best way to proceed. I returned the cards to the AH for review and the AH agreed. To be a good sport about it, I said I would accept a credit for future auctions. If this is something you can do, I think AHs will usually be very happy with this proposed solution because they keep their cash. It is a decent middle ground solution.

bobbyw8469

FYI - For Lew Lipset, I never complained to him personally about my misrepresented product, I ended up keeping it anyway, even though it was nothing like the description. I got blocked anyway, because I started a thread. Some auction houses seem to think it is perfectly OK to state things in a better condition that it really is. The best policy is just to not do business with them anymore. For me, it didn't matter that I was blocked, because for two auctions in a row I got misrepresented product (the first auction had trimmed cards sold as authentic). I never would have given him a third chance to burn me.

churchiscool

that was lipset's last auction so won't be a problem if u get blocked.

bobbyw8469

Good riddance.