Hey all, just a public service announcement from PWCC, we have been seeing an ever increasing number of fake/re-sealed boxes being sent to us, so we would like to spread awareness to buyers so they aren’t left holding the bag. I know a lot of people didn’t like us opening so many sealed boxes, but the fact of the matter is people are getting better at doing it, and coming up with sneakier and sneakier ways of passing them off. I have a guide that I’ve made of signs to look for, but will not be posting it publicly anywhere to keep scammers from getting a how-to guide on re-sealing. If anyone would like tips on stuff to look for with re-seals, please feel free to reach out to me.
If anyone is buying a box (especially international collectors) and would like us to open it on camera to verify if it is a legit box and have it be re-sealed on camera like we do for our auctions, please dm me and I can walk you through the logistics of getting it done. Currently we will not be charging a fee for it, but there will be a minimum value of the box required.
It may not be the most popular thing, but from a business perspective, I understand why you all are opening. You just never know. I hope the accounts are being suspended that are sending fake boxes.
There was one guy who sent us a fake box last year that unfortunately did not get caught and was sold to a customer. They then tried sending us even more re-sealed boxes to be sold, which were then caught (the wrapper was put back on backwards for these) and the customer was perma-banned. While you can’t definitively prove someone re-sealed a box themselves (and they could have been scammed themselves) so it’s a bit of a touchy subject that’s done on a case-by-case basis. We generally see a few WOTC boxes a month that have been re-sealed or are fakes, and it’s only been getting worse since a certain person who will not be named started selling fake wrappers by the foot online.
Id imagine in the not so distant future (if not already a thing) that provenance holds more and more value.
Almost like, if a random person has 10+ wotc/adv boxes for sale where did he get them and why is he selling?
If i’ll ever be in the market, id pay a % extra to avoid buying from a random. ●On the flipside● as a “random” seller id try to sell to a reputable buyer with the intention of highlighting transparency
An audit trail is critical when buying a box. As well as a conversation with the owner on top of the regular due diligence. The days of finding a reputable box for a steal may end soon as the risk becomes far too great. Though most people buying boxes rhese days just rip them immediately so they may not care for that sealed provenance if they can save a dollar and still be within return times
I still get so nervous when buying a box and im sure i do more digging than most but still its a lot of money to me. I bought 1 from pwcc fixed right before all this and it seems fine.
Tinfoil hat on, but wouldn’t put it past a bigger reseller to be pushing out some of the higher quality fake boxes, or promoting these stories in an effort to deter collectors from making private sales without third party verification. Lots of money to be made as a middle man.
Oh they absolutely could. Some have gotten quite good looking. I only buy ex boxes which I personally have not seen convincing fakes of as of yet. Whether thats because they were not worth as much as wotc for the longest time or the scammers havent gotten good wrap yet is unclear.
@petiparty does pwcc weigh boxes before sale? I have compiled a little bit of private data on box weights but most people keep the info close to their chest. I could share to you if you wanted
This could happen, but it would get sniffed out pretty quick and destroy their reputation for alot of people - backfiring their plans and forcing some to go only to private deals.
With the steps involved to do that the cover would blow one way or another, these arent your master criminals
I recently had a Base Unlimited Box coming in which was heavier than It should have been. Long story short It was opened to verify authenticity and it contained 37 packs.
Had to open one of the heavy packs on top of that to triple check.
It’s gotten to a point where it has become really hard to touch anything sealed without opening it, which kinda kills the whole essence of it.
I imagine that is one in a million though. Most wotc and ex boxes are very standard weights. Nothing is perfect but weight is another good tool to use. I feel much better knowing my boxes weigh the same as confirmed real boxes down to the 1 or 2 grams. Its not 100% but its good enough for me