I submitted a Shadowless Charizard to PSA that I bought off eBay back in Nov 2019. Given the crazy turnaround times, I got the result today. Apparently, the card is assessed to be “N3: Evidence of Recoloration”.
Have any of you experienced something like this before? I googled a bit and apparently it’s more common in the sports card scene but not quite sure if it is in Pokemon.
Also, is still it possible to ask eBay seller for refund? – I cannot start a case anymore because of eBay protection expiry.
That’s not one I’ve ever heard of. If you got a really bright flashlight and shined it through the back, I feel like you’d be able to see and perhaps show that to the seller and maybe make a case on eBay? That’s a great question. Good luck!
Look at the back of the card, near where any whitening shows you might be able to see where a previous owner took a dark blue marker to try and touch it up. If you see two different shades of blue (even the subtlest difference) that’s enough for them to assume someone touched it up.
When you get it back, if the recoloration is not apparent, I dont think returning to the seller is the appropriate choice. Its not the seller’s fault that PSA has chosen not to grade it
I agree with PkmnFlyingMaster. Unless the sale specifically included a gurantee that the card will PSA grade, then the seller is not at fault. The card may not be tampered with, or it may have been messed with by someone else who owned the card before they did. You didn’t see anything wrong with the card upon opening it from the mailing package when it arrived, so therefore you found it satisfactory.
Look at the white sides. If a marker was used to hide whitening sometimes it bleeds through to the side.
On another note, I’m surprised so many feel it’s excusable to sell an altered card. If Scott sold me a trophy Pika and it had been markered, I wouldn’t accept it. Would you?
I have contacted eBay but they are strict with their time limit. They get it but are bound by their policy. I will try to pursue this through PayPal.
Just my 2 bits - I personally believe that any prudent seller should voice out or describe in their listing if a card is altered. When someone lists ”Shadowless Charizard” on eBay, presumably that’s what the buyer should get - not a ”Shadowless (altered) Charizard”.
I get that the seller himself may or not be a victim. Regardless, innocent misrepresentation is still misrepresentation in my humble opinion. I would be sympathetic in that case but it does not mean I have not been legally wronged imo…
You’ve had it a few months and also sent it to a third party. Frankly, a return at this point is going to scare a lot of ppl away from doing business with you. Getting an altered card sucks but it’s just been too long. Make sure you closely inspect things when you get them. I wish you the best in this situation but I don’t think a return is really appropriate at this point.
Good point lol. I know of a couple you bought ungraded though. Would you have mentioned it to the seller if one he sold you was colored with a pen? Now you’re a very pleasant dude but something tells me that wouldn’t fly;)
Thanks for sharing those images! When the card returns the easiest way to check for ink is looking at the side of the card. Basically if you see any color on the middle area between the front and back, it has been inked.
Whenever you get it back from Psa feel free to share images of the card from different angles. We should be able to get a strong impression if it was inked.
If you deem the card to be re-colored upon inspection; you should definitely reach-out to the seller explaining situation and ask for a refund. I’d recommend doing this before opening a PayPal Claim - it drives me nuts when people on eBay open an Item not Described Case before reaching-out to me explaining situation first.
I wouldn’t be rude to the seller - it could very-well be something that he / she just missed themselves. However, any reputable “business” would 100% Accept Return despite it being past eBay Return time-frame - I know I would at least!
Zooming in on the back I can see the recoloring, most prominently from the bottom half the backside down on the borders. The altered blue is definitely a different shade, and when looking at the border its so dark it almost looked wet. Shame, the card on the front looked really nice.
It looks to me like inking along the right, left, and bottom rear of the card. Most notably on the lower left rear corner… if you zoom in you can see the blueish purple sheen of what I believe is recoloring.
At this point I would chalk it up as a learning experience, as it’s been three months. If it were more recent I’d suggest addressing listing description and going from there.
