Have you looked to see if it was tampered with?
I think any good seller would be open to returns (it is part of the business); however, the one thing that doesn’t sit right with me in a situation like this is the impact of returns on sellers. Seller fees are no longer refunded by PayPal, so when a buyer returns a high value item like this it takes a toll (in this case about $75 plus shipping which on a high value item could easily run $25-50 extra).
In my mind, it is the seller’s responsibility to provide detailed photos and the buyer’s responsibility to ensure that they are happy with the item before purchasing. Honestly, it sounds like both you and the seller are at fault here. I and other sellers have been in situations where clear photos are provided and buyers purchase a card (usually a PSA9) with the intention on cracking and regrading in hopes of a PSA10, just to find a dot of edgewear or a factory line and initiate a return at the seller’s expense. There is no room for that in the hobby and I think it’s fair for any seller to block these types of buyers. I realize that this situation is quite a bit different though.
Nevertheless, I would encourage the original poster to accept partial responsibility and offer to cover part of the fees (shipping and/or PayPal) . . . though, of course, you are not required to in any way. This is just my personal opinion on the matter.
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You should have asked for clear front and back pictures before paying. You purchased a card designated as a PSA 10 by PSA and that’s what you got. That being said it’s a clear misgrade, grader obviously did not dock the cards edges, factory damage is still damage.
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Pack fresh, but rough around the edges. Like ordering a 18 year old mail order bride from russia and ending up with a 40 year old Helga with an overbite and two bad hips. Not cool man, not cool.
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I think you are both in the wrong.
For you : Regardless of your trust in the seller, you should at least make sure you’ve seen a clear front and backside photo of the card before you finalize the purchase. I’ve had sellers post up a card I want with terrible photos and I’ve requested clearer ones before I make my purchase and they’ve complied every time. You never want to make an assumption when making a large purchase because you’ll only make an ass out of yourself and the seller.
For him : He should realize that selling this for market price wouldn’t work if the buyer knew about the backside. I’d say that he should send this in for review and try to get PSA to spot him the difference and downgrade this to an 8/9, but assuming PSA decides to keep it as a 10, he should at least make it apparent that there are obvious backside flaws and sell it slightly below market(or he can try to sell it for market while stating that there are backside corner flaws, it’s his card so he can do whatever as far as pricing goes.)
This thread is why I don’t buy graded cards. There is just so much opinion about where fault lies and etiquette and I just don’t see it being worth it.
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At the end of the day someone at psa deemed it a psa 10. It’s totally up to you and you alone if you wanna take it up with them and try to get it regraded or whatever the process is. I’d take it for what it is personally. It got a 10 and that’s that. Yes it’s not the most pretty 10 and borderline 9 but just depends how picky you wanna be. And yes the seller should have sent much more clearer photos and possibly explained the card issues (if he/she personally thought there was any).
Balls in your court to do what you want 
me personally I’d leave it be and learn from it
MooMoo Milk is the best kind of milk
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Well, this is a fun thread and a nice list of people never to sell to. Just want to note that regardless of moral pontificating, we have an explicit policy on this type of stuff on the forum.
Attempting to force a return (i.e. if the seller does not accept, opening an eBay or PayPal case) for a card which you disagree with the PSA-assigned grade is considered abuse of purchase protection and is grounds to be banned or blacklisted. It is very simple, the appropriate path for recourse for something like this is PSA’s financial guarantee.
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You wanted a 10 and thats what you got. If you are unhappy about the condition then you can sell it and buy another one.
Forcing a return will result in a financial loss for the seller just because your subjective opinion differs from the grade.
Suck it up and ask for more pictures next time if you want to scrutinize every single graded card like that.
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Buy the card not the grade. 
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When you are buying a card worth thousands of dollars and you aren’t entirely sure of the condition, you ask for pictures. Do you think the seller would be more upset if you ask for photos, or would they be more upset if you force a return and they have to pay the massive refund fee out of their pocket because PayPal no longer reimburses them for it?
And if you “figured” the PSA grade “should be sufficient,” then that’s on you for not doing your due diligence beforehand.
I obviously don’t blame you for not being happy with the purchase. It sucks, and it’s a crappy situation for everyone all-around. But if you were unsure of the condition/you thought the seller posted unclear photos to begin with, I can’t for the life of me understand why you didn’t ask for more pictures. This isn’t a $40 item. We are talking about a card worth thousands. The whole “well some sellers here say they don’t like it when you ask for pictures” just sounds like an excuse.
I can also tell you that the fact that you don’t appear to be accepting any responsibility for this situation is not going to sit well with a whole lot of people.
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@xdarkfenixx 2 things that would tremendously help this situation:
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Link the eBay listing
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Don’t block the serial number.
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My point is that pictures don’t always tell the story. I have provided the best pictures I can and there are people here who believe it could be a 10.
It wasn’t bought on eBay so I can’t do 1. He’s on Instagram and deleted the photos that he did have up so if you’re looking for backup evidence that won’t really help. What does 2 achieve?
Let’s rename the thread to I was sold a moldy card and see what people’s opinions are. Because if I saw this picture without seeing the card in person I would have thought it was bubbles in the plastic (which HAS happened before and is perfectly ok with me). But I can assure you it is not and on the card itself.
@xdarkfenixx, There is an older thread on here that gives good advice on dealing with mold spores in PSA cases. They mention the use of UV lights, if I were you I would look that up.
I had seen that thread before and I appreciate your attempt at making the best of this situation, but I have a REALLY hard time stomaching the fact that I was sent a moldy card that I paid thousands for. On top of that, I think it’s overgraded and subsequently have basically 0 chance of PSA ever compensating me.
This situation highlights what you are paying for with PSA; an opinion.
When people disagree with a grade they are disagreeing with PSA. IF the seller showed photos of the front and back, there is nothing else they can reasonably provide.
While I personally agree this is a mis-grade (opinion), It’s a dangerous slippery slope to return/blame a seller for a grade disagreement. The seller paid PSA for their service, the buyer is paying for PSA’s opinion. Take the issue up with PSA; I think this one is more than valid.
@xdarkfenixx, Pro- tip, there isn’t a legitimate reason to cover the cert number. It only detracts from the authenticity.
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What about the mold? Why does everyone ignore the mold like it’s not even important? It basically gives grounds for PSA to say this wasn’t properly stored and passing all liability
I can sympathize with XDarkFenixX. I have owned a few rather weak yet extremely valuable PSA 10s, and unfortunately its part of the collecting process. When i target a card i actually want (a real keeper), I am now prepared to own multiples of the same PSA 10 card to find the best one. I understand the Raichu was expensive and while the quality is not ideal, some collectors that hunt purely for the “PSA 10 set” will no dounbt still value that card for about what you paid.
PSA Financial Guarantee: (not likely successful for your PSA 10 Riachu)
The 1st Ed PSA 10 Raichu has visible white corners (that also appear cusped) but they are probably factory. From the pics the card is moderately well centered and the card likely contains no other substantial wear. The card was graded a PSA 10 and these factory defects were probably allowable under the standards of grading at that time (im guessing a very long time ago). Based on more recent grading experience, i think these same factory defects would not be overlooked by PSA graders and I can see why any reasonable-detailed-oriented collector could doubt that the cards condition would result in PSA 10 today (8-9 most likely). Earlier this year i reviewed a PSA 10 1st Ed Mewtwo, i would have personally considered a PSA 7-8 due purely to multiple visible scratches on the holo. The case was old and dirty, so i first spent $35 to get the card recased. The next month I submitted the PSA 10 1st Ed Mewtwo for review ($75)… PSA gladly took my money and they didn’t downgrade the card. I called PSA and requested an explanation they told me the scratches were on the case (needless to say I wasn;t pleased). I would not recommend sending an extremely high value card for review unless its truly an egregious misgrade. The corners on the Raichu are bad, but PSA likely will claim that 1) the card warped while in the case (mold from moisture intrusion?) or 2) the card corners are factory and grading was consistent with the PSA standards of the grader at that time.
I would not recommend returning the card (but i would not judge you if you did). You are clearly a passionate collector that wants to own a real gem mint PSA 10 version (we all do). There will be more PSA 10 1st Ed Raichu available, but i would keep the one you have now until you can replace it. I would also recommend finding a seller that is willing to satisfy your questions and can provide you with real quality pics and videos that will give you the peace and mind you are looking for. There are many sellers like that out there, i deal with them all the time and nothing is more rewarding then the peace of mind of getting what you paid for.
If you do need to sell, I think you should sell that Raichu honestly and find a set collector that is okay with owning as a “PSA 10” as is. Please don’t sell anonymously on Probstein123 (with no back picks)… LOL… this cycle will just be repeating.
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Contact PSA about their financial guarantee. Don’t defeat yourself before you tried that option. Many members have successfully exercised PSA’s financial guarantee.
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