My experience buying Raw ungraded cards via Ebay~ what are some of yours?
Odessafile
Posts: 440 ✭✭✭
Most of the dozen cards I have bought raw have been of the '17 and '18 topps Heritage versions...... No base cards whatsoever...mostly SSP's and RC's with auto's. I'd say 8 of 12 of them are not Gem Mint 10 quality or about 75% or so BUT not b/c I didn't expect they could be ..... which is why I'd surmise they are being sold to begin with ....Unclear photos are an alarm for sure.... photos cutting off corner views are common as well and then lighting is an issue for sellers apparently trying to hide details too. Ive asked sellers in a couple cases to take a clearer photo but they dont even respond in my mind b/c they know if I knew the true condition they would never sell it to me. 4 of the 12 I've purchased I'd say have a valid chance at a PSA 10. And I'd be happy if 3 of them arrived safely to that grade. These are the last ungraded cards I will be buying as this kind of speculation just isn't cost effective and with delays at PSA currently on the grading of them alone I am looking at two- three months turnaround time from ebay ordering to getting a finished PSA graded return. IMO save your money unless its a special card you are particularly confident about. If you are looking for a BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 wait until its graded....ITS NOT WORTH THE AGGRAVATION....Just my opinion ~perhaps you all have other perspectives.
Comments
In many cases most of these sellers are asking graded prices for ungraded cards ..its a big risk ON HOPE and its not worth it..... IMO
Trying to buy raw 10's can be very tricky. I think most who collect older cards are thrilled when they land a 10 and don't expect it.
I have self submitted quite a few of my best cards so it also depends on the cards you collect and who is looking for them. Buying modern stars means you are dealing with people who are hip to card grading and that complicates matters significantly. Why would they sell you a raw 10?
Never give up on buying raw cards though. Outside of a few already graded cards the only chance at homeruns most of us have are self submitted high grade cards.
I think it’s worth the aggrevation for newer releases. You have to be selective and pass on poor photos or print defects that are probably scanner lint. The good thing is there’s lots to choose from. It’s more cost effective than opening packs and I really don’t get quite the same joy when an already graded card comes in the mail. It’s still a joy, though don’t get me wrong.
Uggh! Am i the only one here that has comments disappear after editing them? Lets try this again.... Since December I've bought roughly 60-70 ungraded Michael Jordan 1990's inserts that most of arrived looking as good if not better than the auction pics but a huge part of that is spending hours poring over multiple auctions of each card looking for the best one. I haven't subbed any of these yet though.
I try to buy cards that will at least grade a 9 for my PC and if i get a 10 i usually sell them. I try to pick out cards with enough eye appeal that if they come back lower than a 9 i'm ok with it even though it probably hurts my resale value. Everything i buy is intended for my PC and not resale but sometimes hitting on a Jordan 10 then selling it is to good to pass up.
I'd have to say my biggest ebay complaint is how little effort some sellers put into shipping the cards. In the past 2 weeks i've had a run of cards arriving either damaged or luckily to not be damaged. Had cards in separate deals arrive in toploaders that weren't sealed off causing the cards to slide out,one had to be returned while the other was ok. Had another card slide out of a card saver that surprisingly wasn't damaged. Had a card arrive in a magnetic one-touch that opened during shipping causing a dinged corner,seller just had me keep the card with a refund. Had a graded card arrive bouncing around loosely inside an 8x10 bubble envelope that luckily had no damage to the card's corners or the slab.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I like to buy raw RC's for signings.
So I'm not looking to necessarily grade out 10's.
Most times it's cheaper to wait and pickup modern 9's versus raw and crackout them out.
I've found the biggest killer in scoring a nice modern raw card is the surface. Great scans can show corners, edges and centering. But only in hand do you see the print line or pock mark on the surface. Especially the shiny ones
This!
I don't understand this. While I have been fortunate not to have anything damaged coming to me, I can honestly say I don't know how. Seller sending in top loader and PWE or graded cards with no cardboard surrounding them. I take the utmost care in shipping everything I send to make sure it is going to arrive undamaged and will even spend more than what I have charged in shipping(if I don't offer free shipping) just to make sure something is protected. I do have to give credit to the guy that sold me a 93 SP Jeter PSA. Received it today in a PSA box, not with cardboard around it, but still fully, if not overly protected!
lol Its funny that you of all people pointed my comment out, I actually won your Jordan 1995 Fleer Total D PSA 9 auction a couple weeks ago and your shipping was great without any problems at all. When i do sell i try to ship stuff the way i would want it shipped to me. I've been finding out how many other sellers don't think like that. Most of those cards i mentioned above were all in the $5-20 range and they weren't bought hoping for a 10 they were bought because i was happy with the condition. It just sucks spending the time comparing cards then buying one only to have some seller toss it into an envelope and ship.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
I will never understand bad shipping. If you are selling something of value you want the buyer to have the highest confidence in the product the second they see it. The variable cost is minuscule vs. the long term reward.
Yup not to mention normal shipping that has tracking included allows you to better protect the card without having to pay more. For anything over $15, i'd ship the card in a toploader,in a team bag with the open end of the toploader taped off. then taped tight in between two card saver sized cardboard cutouts,all inside a bubble envelope that is folded around the cardboard cutouts inside to prevent any sliding. This all cost the same as tossing a toploader in the same sized bubble envelope. With graded cards i go overboard to make sure there's no damage.
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/408486
@erikthredd We think alike. I have a job and this is a hobby and I have no time for problems with the cards I ship and I also realize buyers will pay more for your cards because the transaction is flawless. If it costs me a buck to have higher customer satisfaction and repeat buyers it is worth every penny.
I've read from time to time complaints stating sellers have over packed the cards for shipping, using too much tape etc. Better to over pack than under pack.
I've been pretty fortunate lately getting some gems out of raw purchases on ebay. It's getting increasingly hard to find these however. I think it is a safe assumption, for the most part, that if a seller sells raw cards as well as graded cards, you won't find any hidden gems. BUT, if you find a seller who doesn't have graded cards for sale, you may have found an outlet for gems.