I’ve been a collector for years but never have gone for sealed packs or boxes as collectables. I just received my dream job and picked up a “sealed” pack as a congratulations gift to myself. I was really looking forward to this one, waiting by the window for the mailman, the 23 year old man I am living my youth again. Then, I open the package (which was well protected), and I find a small hole/tear at the bottom of the pack – not freshly sealed or mint or anything like this. Damaged.
I was devastated. The pack is not resealed, but it is damaged when it was not advertised this way. I was so excited to branch out in my collecting ventures, but now I just am upset. I have created a claim through eBay for damaged goods and have requested a compensation for the damaged product.
Have any of you had issues like this in the past? How did you resolve them? – I do not want to return the item as it is rare and it serves as a momental occasion for me. But I am really upset and would love some insight from more learned collectors.
Do you have pics? Some old wotc packs won’t be mint even fresh out of the box so it might not be considered damage, I wouldn’t be so quick to blame the seller unless he intentionally mislead you.
If you’re talking about the little slits that go all the way up the pack they are air holes and completely normal for packs, almost all of them have them
The first pic is a bit blurry can’t tell if that’s foil reflection or a larger tear
In the first pic, it’s the hole right beneath my index finger on the corner.
I just did some quick research on the “air holes” and couldn’t find too much about them. From what I did find, it seemed like most people were sketched out by them too.
With vintage product, make sure you’re buying from someone reputable and not the cheapest listing on eBay. You’re going to experience the premium firsthand. With sealed, this is 100 times as important as singles because there isn’t a third party option to make sure you’re getting what you paid for like there is with a single.
I really appreciate this insight. As a new sealed collector, this was definitely a learning opportunity. I’ve been assured a full refund by eBay, now it’s a matter if I have to return the damaged, non-minty pack. I appreciate that insight, thanks a ton
that pack would still be eligible for a PSA 10. those little holes on the ends and sides are pretty common for wotc, although i would still recommend buying your sealed product from a trusted seller.
@smpratte, thanks for the response - sorry the link isn’t working. Let me try again! The holes on the orange part of the pack are the same as those you showed me, but the hole in the blue part of the pack is much more suspicious to me. That hole is indicative of damage by the accounts of those who I have consulted on this one. What do you think?
