I got this letter from a cello pack seller. Had to chuckle.

dtkk49a · August 24, 2015 11:08PM

So I saw this auction on eBay and sent the seller an email asking for a pic of the other side of the cello. The seller replied back, asking why I wanted to see the other side of the cello. I replied back stating that I wanted to make sure it was not tampered with. This was his reply:

Dear dtkk49a,

Hello again,
This may sound rude and I want you to know it
is not intended as such. But I do feel I need to be honest with you.
I
have been selling older unopened packs since the early 1970's. Long before
the internet - ebay. made their way into our world. Through the years I
have found that some people don't trust our statements of unopened and want
to see all kinds of angles of the packs they are thinking about buying.
They even want to send the packs they buy to third person graders before
they are convinced that the pack or packs are as advertised. We would not
have been able to stay in business for 45 years and sell the tens of
thousands of unopened packs over those 4 plus decades, if we sold tampered
with or remade packs of cards.

I have learned long ago that when I
have a potential new buyer that has so little trust in what we say in our
descriptions that they want to see the backs of the packs to try to
convince themselves that it is not as described, then I don't really have a
customer at all. At least not one that I want to do business with. We don't
even photo the backs of wax packs we sell on Ebay for this very reason.

In this case I just got done stating to you that the pack is authentic
and as Topps manufactured it back in 1976. And your reply is that you need
to see the back of the pack so you can tell if the pack has been tampered
with in any way. Again to be honest with you I would rather not do business
if that is what you are thinking. By the way I have owned this pack since
1976, so I know where it has been.

Take Care,
Dan Tupper
Diamonds Are
Forever

Is this guy a board member? Was I out of line saying I wanted to make sure it wasn't tampered with? And he never sent a pic of the back of the cello

MantleFan23 · August 24, 2015 11:17PM

Not out of line at all. I find it amusing that it took him longer to draft that reply instead of simply sending you a picture of the back. I looked at the auction, and I as well, would have requested a photo of the back.

Jeremy

EagleEyeKid · August 24, 2015 11:18PM

You were not out of line. The seller is an idiot. Rather than his long rant back to you, he could of stated there was no scan available and that would of answered your question/suspension. Just because he's been in business for X years doesn't mean a whole lot these days.
I'm going to ask him for a scan myself. I think everyone here should ask as well.

begsu1013 · August 24, 2015 11:24PM

<< I find it amusing that it took him longer to draft that reply instead of simply sending you a picture of the back >>

exactly what i would reply with.

...and i'd still make him send it and go thru your process.

KendallCat · August 24, 2015 11:30PM

Checked the link and his store site is interesting. He has items priced originally at say $860 and then prices is at $215 and says 75% off!! Looks to me like we should have several board members ask if we can see scans of the back of this pack.

Like the earlier poster said if would have been faster if he had sent the photo versus writing War and Peace!

Stone193 · August 24, 2015 11:37PM

<< We would not
have been able to stay in business for 45 years and sell the tens of
thousands of unopened packs over those 4 plus decades, if we sold tampered
with or remade packs of cards. >>

Unfortunately Dan is sounding a little like a hobby dinosaur.

He has been advertising in SCD way back in the 90s for sure - maybe even in the earlier days but I'm not sure I can remember.

Someone can just as easily be a very, very accomplished crook for 45 years (not saying he is).

In the 21st century, his logic is flawed IMO.

You don't command trust and respect, you have to "earn" it.

Sorry Dan - the 70s is calling and they want their SCD "seal of approval" back.

jfkheat · August 24, 2015 11:55PM

<< Checked the link and his store site is interesting. He has items priced originally at say $860 and then prices is at $215 and says 75% off!! Looks to me like we should have several board members ask if we can see scans of the back of this pack.

Like the earlier poster said if would have been faster if he had sent the photo versus writing War and Peace!

>>

Everything he lists on Ebay is first listed at an outrageous price then "marked down" 75%. He has been doing this for a while. Because of this listing practice I never look at his listings.
James

Sdub · August 24, 2015 11:55PM

If he said nothing, I would probably think the packs were legit. His reply makes him sound complicit.

49ersGuy · August 25, 2015 12:27AM

It kind of seems like he does not want to sell the pack to dtk now due to the fact that he knows how to verify if it is legit or fraudulent. The whole 75% off thing as well seems very sketchy as well.

jeffcbay · August 25, 2015 12:30AM

<< 

<< Checked the link and his store site is interesting. He has items priced originally at say $860 and then prices is at $215 and says 75% off!! Looks to me like we should have several board members ask if we can see scans of the back of this pack.

Like the earlier poster said if would have been faster if he had sent the photo versus writing War and Peace!

>>

Everything he lists on Ebay is first listed at an outrageous price then "marked down" 75%. He has been doing this for a while. Because of this listing practice I never look at his listings.
James >>

This is what Khol's does, why not ebay sellers? lol

Tangalang · August 25, 2015 12:43AM

Don't go for that junk about I've had this back from 1976 and all that! I've bought packs on the bay from guys who literally had thousands of feedback & 100% at that & came back from PSA....No Good! Pretty high dollar cellos too! Both times the claim was I had this from the respective year! I don't buy ungraded wax or cellos on the bay anymore needless to say! I like to learn lessons without a cost but I bought a few lessons on ebay years ago!

skrezyna23 · August 25, 2015 12:48AM

Thank you for this. Very amusing.

Dpeck100 · August 25, 2015 12:57AM

I do like his tag line.

Diamonds are forever.

MULLINS5 · August 25, 2015 1:09AM

<< I do like his tag line.

Diamonds are forever. >>

But not their "value"!!!

esquiresports · August 25, 2015 1:33AM

I had asked a question about seeing the back of a 1971 pack a while back and received a very similar response - pasted below. I bit my tongue and just let it go. I imagine this guy is missing out on a lot of sales with this approach. He should probably understand that a significant percentage of unopened material on eBay is resealed, and asking for a reverse photo is just basic due diligence. Oh well.

Hi, Sorry I am out of town and would not be
able to send a photo until next week.
The back is nice and is in the same
condition as the front. And further the pack is unopened. Usually when
someone wants to see the back of a pack we have found that they are leery
in doing business because they think the pack may be tampered with. I have
sold unopened packs for 40 plus years ( hundreds of thousands of packs ).
We do not have issues with buyers thinking our packs are repacked or the
like.
To be blunt if that is your thoughts then we will pass on your
business. Ebay has a good feedback system that if you check my feedbacks
out you will see that we sell tons of packs and we don't have issues with
our packs.
Take Care,
Dan
Diamonds Are
Forever

mlbfan2 · August 25, 2015 2:06AM

<< Ebay has a good feedback system that if you check my feedbacks
out you will see that we sell tons of packs and we don't have issues with
our packs. >>

Well, not exactly....

pack was resealed, gum stain on middle card, thanks for ripping me off for $200 i***k (private)
During past 6 months
Reply by diamondsareforeverasinbaseball (Jul-22-15 19:41):
nothing said is true! - NOTHING. Must be a reason for making feedback private?
1971 OPC Opee Chee Baseball Unopened wax Pack Clean (#311388173931)

MULLINS5 · August 25, 2015 2:21AM

My response....

Sorry I am out of town currently. I would think that it will have sold by the
Time I get back. What is important about the back? This pack as well as Ll of our unowned packs are S the manufacturer produced them. We so not sell tampered with packs. I have owned this pack since -1976.. Is three something else you need to know About the back other than distrust in that it night be reseated in some way? Dan

DJJazzBass · August 25, 2015 2:21AM

It seems like you would have gotten better results if you asked for a picture of his sock drawer.
I may be off here, but if he is so positive about the pack, why not brag about it by showing the back of it? That would certainly increase the value, if legit, and also cut down on the questions about it. No accusations at all here. Just a thought.

dennis07 · August 25, 2015 2:26AM

"Unfortunately Dan is sounding a little like a hobby dinosaur.

He has been advertising in SCD way back in the 90s for sure - maybe even in the earlier days but I'm not sure I can remember.

Someone can just as easily be a very, very accomplished crook for 45 years (not saying he is).

In the 21st century, his logic is flawed IMO.

You don't command trust and respect, you have to "earn" it.

Sorry Dan - the 70s is calling and they want their SCD "seal of approval" back. "

+1
The seller is totally out of touch with reality in the year 2015.

esquiresports · August 25, 2015 2:52AM

<< 

<< Ebay has a good feedback system that if you check my feedbacks
out you will see that we sell tons of packs and we don't have issues with
our packs. >>

Well, not exactly....

pack was resealed, gum stain on middle card, thanks for ripping me off for $200 i***k (private)
During past 6 months
Reply by diamondsareforeverasinbaseball (Jul-22-15 19:41):
nothing said is true! - NOTHING. Must be a reason for making feedback private?
1971 OPC Opee Chee Baseball Unopened wax Pack Clean (#311388173931) >>

This was the exact pack I inquired about!

rcmb3220 · August 25, 2015 2:52AM

His response to me is nearly identical except now he has over 50 years of selling experience.

thunderdan · August 25, 2015 4:12AM

Sounds like a top-notch businessman who has it all figured out. Likely a Wharton MBA.

lawnmowerman · August 25, 2015 5:12AM

Your inquiry about the pack was warranted. You did nothing wrong and not even close to being out of line. The seller is just a moron plain and simple. He sounds like one of those guys that talks just to hear himself talk.

JoeBanzai · August 25, 2015 5:24AM

I met him years ago when he had a store. I was looking at a Kellogg's card of Killebrew. His price was too high and when I tried to negotiate with him, he went on and on about how rare the card was and I would likely never find another (1971 is a little harder to find). I just passed on the deal.

Tried to do a couple of other deals with him with no success, he is one strange guy!!!!

Raulsmaster · August 25, 2015 6:49AM

something tells me they've pasted that reply to a lot of inquiries. I highly doubt it was unique to you less a few modifications

flcardtrader · August 25, 2015 7:21AM

I got a kick out of his signature line:

Dan Tupper
Diamonds Are
Forever

Diamonds, like sealed packs, are forever....except when they are neither diamonds or sealed packs.

Come to think of it.....he may have a very broad understanding of the word "sealed" as he knows they are sealed, after all, he sealed them himself.

pjb103183 · August 25, 2015 7:37AM

i have purchased multiple 1981 opc baseball pack lots from this seller and they were all legit(in fact they were all gray backs, and yielded a psa 9 nolan ryan!)...i wouldnt take the gamble with ANY high end raw pack from ebay...too much crap out there, and have been burned a time or three as well

i do agree that his response was totally rude and he seems awfully defensive about the matter...

Constantine · August 25, 2015 7:39AM

It seems he added another pic of the cello to the OP listing.

LarkinCollector · August 25, 2015 7:57AM

<< It seems he added another pic of the cello to the OP listing. >>

and raised the price significantly

seebelow · August 25, 2015 8:05AM

they just may be legitimate...something tells me that he is just a strange guy (who def believes in his product and is offended). we've run into those guys where their product is one of a kind and want top dollar. but will pay you bottom for essentially the same thing. id just move on.

begsu1013 · August 25, 2015 8:47AM

and so are the horsemen!

woo.

it's almost to easy:

dan tupperbeware

these are not the packs you are looking for. move along. move along.

his lips are sealed, but his packs are not.

diamonds are forever, my return policy is not.

back photos? we don't need no freakin photos

lawnmowerman · August 25, 2015 8:50AM

<< I got a kick out of his signature line:

Dan Tupper
Diamonds Are
Forever >>

I wonder if Dan buys his diamonds sight unseen or doesn't inspect every aspect of them beforehand?

Better yet, when the jeweler tries to show him the quality of the stone does he refuse and turn away? No no, I don't need to look at that because you have been in business for 50 years. I don't need to inspect it to ensure it's not cloudy and is every bit the quality you say it is.

What a db.

TNP777 · August 25, 2015 9:26AM

grote15 · August 25, 2015 9:29AM

His response to your legitimate inquiry and request for a back scan was poorly handled, but I have bought a few packs from him over the years and they have been authentic. There are many sellers hawking more obviously resealed or questionable product on the bay these days.

Stone193 · August 25, 2015 9:34AM

double post

Stone193 · August 25, 2015 9:36AM

<< pjb103183 i have purchased multiple 1981 opc baseball pack lots from this seller and they were all legit(in fact they were all gray backs, and yielded a psa 9 nolan ryan!)...i wouldnt take the gamble with ANY high end raw pack from ebay...too much crap out there, and have been burned a time or three as well

i do agree that his response was totally rude and he seems awfully defensive about the matter... >>

<< Grote: His response to your legitimate inquiry and request for a back scan was poorly handled, but I have bought a few packs from him over the years and they have been authentic. There are many sellers hawking more obviously resealed or questionable product on the bay these days. >>

Based on his record, SCD reputation and experience, I think he's OK overall.

But, as I said, I think he's a dinosaur - a relic of the 70s - who still thinks people trust based on how many years someone is in the business.

Instead of being insulted, why not just scan the back and send it to the requestor or better yet? Put both scans in the sale.

He's trying to rely on a somewhat arcane and archaic "SCD seal of approval" as a basis of trust. Geez that ship sailed and it's the Titanic! People are being robbed on ebay every day.

I do agree with you Phillip and Tim.

LarkinCollector · August 25, 2015 9:38AM

<<

>>

That's hilarious!

lawnmowerman · August 25, 2015 10:21AM

<<

>>

Lol! I agree wholeheartedly Geordie.

mcolney1 · August 25, 2015 11:22AM

Listing now has pick of front and back of pack.

dtkk49a · August 25, 2015 11:26AM

So funny!! He added a scan of the back but also jacked the price up to $888.88

lawnmowerman · August 25, 2015 11:31AM

<< So funny!! He added a scan of the back but also jacked the price up to $888.88 >>

Compensation for his time and labor lol

JWBlue · August 25, 2015 11:35AM

It was a completely appropriate question.

Seller was insulted.

Some people just have a certain mindset.

mikelowell25 · August 25, 2015 11:40AM

<< His response to your legitimate inquiry and request for a back scan was poorly handled, but I have bought a few packs from him over the years and they have been authentic. There are many sellers hawking more obviously resealed or questionable product on the bay these days. >>

Agree with tim. I bought a 73 baseball wax and a bunch of other early-mid 70's packs from him last fall for what I felt were pretty good prices (not great but not bad either--and tim can vouch for me that I don't overpay for stuff lol)(well maybe just his stuff because it's unique!

) and the packs were fine. And if I remember correctly, I asked him for a back scan of the 73 and he graciously obliged. Maybe you just caught him on a bad day??

brendanb438 · August 25, 2015 1:26PM

I am drunk right now and feeling lazy as hell. Can someone post a link to the auction in question or PM it to me?

I wanna send some requests to him including that I need pics of the sides of the pack from odd angles and also that I need his bare feet to be in the pics so I can judge whether he can be trusted or not.

EDIT: Pretty sad I completely overlooked the link at the beginning of the OP.

Sent him some interesting requests though so we shall see if he responds to them.

jfkheat · August 25, 2015 2:56PM

It looks like the seller has a couple more Ebay user names.
James

User name #1

User Name #2

I got this letter from a cello pack seller. Had to chuckle.

Comments