Do these EX Deoxys packs look fake?

[acebren]

PSA does not have knowledge above the experts and collectors here, their lack of expertise regarding authenticating has been proven again.

[smokemon]

@thatpikachuguy

So I sent one of these booster packs (Rayquaza) to PSA to verify whether they were fakes or not, as that was the agreement between myself and the person I bought them off of originally in order to determine how to deal with it; that they would pay for one pack to be sent off and if it was sent back as fake I would be reimbursed for the original rate I got them at. I was comfortable with this because they are a trusted business partner and I knew it was never an intention to sell me fakes.

In the intermediate months, that person actually bought out my sealed pack collection including the other two Deoxys booster packs - with the contingency that I would still be reimbursed for the three in the eventuality that this came back as a fake pack.

Fast forward to today - I got an email that the pack was graded as a PSA 9. So in this event, I retain the pack when it ships back to me, but I don’t want to sell it now if it’s a fake.

So my question now is do you all think:
A. PSA graded a fake pack (not great)
or
B. It was actually an authentic pack with a different printing quality on the wrapper and PSA knows best.

Essentially, what do I do with it?

I sent it off under the assumption that it was a fake booster after the opinions shared here and that I would deal with being reimbursed for them down the road - but now I’m stuck in a situation where I don’t get reimbursed per the agreement I went into, and I am also potentially left with a valueless asset I cant do anything with.

My friend/business partner was very convinced that they were authentic, regardless of the other opinions I brought to him from online communities, so this will just reaffirm his stance on that. Kinda sounds like I’ll most likely just be out of luck on the whole deal, but just thought I’d share my experience

Wow this got interesting fast. You’re definitely handling it well FWIW

[thatpikachuguy]

@acebren

PSA does not have knowledge above the experts and collectors here, their lack of expertise regarding authenticating has been proven again.

I consider the collector base here to be the most knowledgeable source of Pokémon info anywhere - but unfortunately my business partner barely uses the internet for anything so he is unaware of E4 and doesn’t put any stake in it. For him, the PSA grading should have been the end all be all of authentication, which makes sense for what most people would think - but makes issues for this situation.

[mtajaj32]

Best way to get your money back for all this might be to tell PSA that your are in possession of a PSA-graded pack that you believe is fake. Perhaps they have a guarantee that returns you the monetary value of the item, similar to their guarantee for inaccurately graded cards?

However, since you’re the one who got it graded it might be better for a friend to do it for you instead.

[thatpikachuguy]

@mtajaj32

Best way to get your money back for all this might be to tell PSA that your are in possession of a PSA-graded pack that you believe is fake. Perhaps they have a guarantee that returns younthennonetary value of the item, similar to their guarantee for inaccurately graded cards?

However, since you’re the one who got it gradedz it might be better for a friend to do it for you instead.

I’m not too worried about the money at this point honestly - I mostly wrote it all up as a loss six months ago; and I definitely don’t want to contribute to a precedent where people think it’s a good idea to intentionally send fake items to grade with the intention of taking advantage of a guarantee.

Some kind of compensation from PSA would be cool, but definitely not expected.

[jyscal]

I never liked much the idea of grading packs, as their grading standards are a bit vague and having a barrier towards something that’s supposed to be opened never resonated too much with me. However, if having a pack graded was a guarantee of it being authentic and untampered that would be great. Too bad PSA doesn’t feel like hiring any expert. I don’t have a single doubt those packs are fake.

[zorloth]

Yup, those are 100% fake packs. I’ve owned hundreds of EX Series packs and the bottom crimp is totally off, the flap on the back is too small, the text is blurry and unfocused, etc. The fact that PSA graded these is pathetic and is a stain on their reputation. People trust PSA to know how to authenticate the items they’re sent, and the fact that they didn’t immediately recognize these as knock-offs is just sad.

[thatpikachuguy]

@zorloth

Yup, those are 100% fake packs. I’ve owned hundreds of EX Series packs and the bottom crimp is totally off, the flap on the back is too small, the text is blurry and unfocused, etc. The fact that PSA graded these is pathetic and is a stain on their reputation. People trust PSA to know how to authenticate the items they’re sent, and the fact that they didn’t immediately recognize these as knock-offs is just sad.

Yeah its not great news that they can’t recognize fake booster packs. The very first time I held them I thought they felt off, but I wasn’t very active in the EX era so these would have been the only Deoxys packs I ever saw in person, and I trust the person they came from which is why I didn’t scrutinize them at the time.

[thatpikachuguy]

Well here it is. One PSA 9 Fake EX Deoxys Booster Pack. I’ve given it some thought, and I decided I’m going to hold on to it just so I know where it is.

I just wanted to share because a couple people had mentioned wanting to see it when it got back to me.

[zorloth]

@thatpikachuguy

Well here it is. One PSA 9 Fake EX Deoxys Booster Pack. I’ve given it some thought, and I decided I’m going to hold on to it just so I know where it is.

I just wanted to share because a couple people had mentioned wanting to see it when it got back to me.

Wait, what??? I didn’t realize they changed the pack case! That looks much better than the old case.

But yeah, that’s unfortunate. You’re doing the right thing by holding onto it, though.

[thatpikachuguy]

@zorloth

@thatpikachuguy

Well here it is. One PSA 9 Fake EX Deoxys Booster Pack. I’ve given it some thought, and I decided I’m going to hold on to it just so I know where it is.

I just wanted to share because a couple people had mentioned wanting to see it when it got back to me.

Wait, what??? I didn’t realize they changed the pack case! That looks much better than the old case.

But yeah, that’s unfortunate. You’re doing the right thing by holding onto it, though.

Yeah its unfortunate that one of the earliest returns with the new pack casing is for my fake pack😅

[shadowless]

You´re doing the right thing imo, it´s a great conversation piece nevertheless haha And those cases look amazing, I´ll send some boosters in now.

[ankleguy]

Oh wow just noticed its not folded. Looks much better. Does the pack move around?

[casual]

That pack is now guaranteed by PSA, technically if you sell it to someone for $500 they can send it back to PSA and get money back from them. 0_0

[thatpikachuguy]

@ankleguy

Oh wow just noticed its not folded. Looks much better. Does the pack move around?

Yeah it can definitely move up and down if you shake the case

[cedar]

I like the new pack case! I’ve been holding off till CGC makes one, but this is tempting. I hear packs take even longer than cards, @thatpikachuguy when did you send it off and when did it return?