I have sat on this for a week + trying to decide what is ethical and how to deal with this.
I purchased a sealed envelope Nintendo Power magazine insert containing Black Star #13 Venusaur Promo card. The seller listed this item as “Never opened, Kept safe, Mint Condition! GREAT CARD!”.
However upon opening the envelop the card has a crease down the entire middle from top to bottom. It is hard to capture in an image because of the glare, but it is very prominent to see in person. That is “damaged” condition by most standards, so in my opinion this card was NOT “Kept safe, Mint Condition!” as described. I know I was buying a sealed product and there are no guarantees, so just not sure how to feel about this. I am not saying this was sold like this on purpose - maybe the seller had no idea. Either way, do I return the product after opening or do I eat it? i.imgur.com/pDrpdUi.jpgi.imgur.com/d4nZwDZ.jpgi.imgur.com/KFRDPtC.jpg
Eat the loss. That’s a risk you have to take when opening sealed product. It happened to me recently with some POP Series packs, as well as with an EX Dragon pack (which I posted photos of a while back – all the cards had a bend in one corner). It happens and its not the seller’s problem (unless they intentionally concealed damage that the packaging had).
It doesn’t look too bad but it’s a difficult one. The seller has just sold a sealed product where maybe it was slightly wrong to claim mint when they can’t see the actual card, and you were also slightly wrong to expect PSA 9/10 worthy. I can empathise with you because most people wouldn’t expect a sealed card to have a crease which could significantly affect grading it even if it is minor. I think the moral thing to do is leave it but I wouldn’t say it’s THAT unreasonable to ask for a small partial refund of 10% or so because they claimed it was mint and this is more than just some factory whitening
However if everyone that opened sealed product complained that the card inside wasn’t 9 or 10 worthy then investing in/selling sealed products would be a very scary place indeed
book bind the card for a while. That was just one of the downfalls of those promos. They were bashed around for years. I only collect that promo still in the magazine binding to thwart that issue. Unfortunately I doubt it was a hidden attribute of that particular card
This is a subtle bend as you can’t see actual crease marks. I think if you put it between in book under heavy weights, you may be able to unbend the card. I have seen something similar and was able to fix the card.
I don’t think you should return this. It’s part of the sealed product game.
Thanks for the feedback all. I did not expect a PSA 10 - quality card considering there are only 6 pop. I knew even a 9 was not a sure thing, but was not expecting a damaged card. I was at war with myself over what to do, if anything, so appreciate everyone’s feedback. I did contact the seller, and sent pictures, to see his/her reaction and gauge if I thought it was intentional based on how they would respond. The seller got back to me right away, and was firm in that they did not feel it was their fault and that they had cared very well for the product while they owned it. I believe that to be true. We both acknowledged both sides of the situation as a buyer and seller. The seller seemed genuinely as disappointed as I was and even offered a partial refund and an apology. Very professional eBay seller, and a good outcome. Thanks again.
Very generous of the seller to offer a partial refund. Sounds like a good outcome.
Ultimately the card’s condition is not the seller’s responsibility once unsealed. That is the risk you take in buying a blind sealed product, and opening it. The seller can advertise the condition of the envelope around the card, and comment about the handling of it during the years they have owned it, but ultimately that’s it. And that’s all you can expect from a seller.
This is a 20+ year old product distributed in a flimsy magazine, held between two additional pieces of paper with glue. Some damage is almost inevitable.
