PSA is entirely to blame. However, a responsible owner of this card would regrade it with PSA or disclose the misgrade when selling. It’s alarming how many people would sell this without any added note about a potential misgrade.
Every PSA 10 1st edition base Charizard posted for sale gets scrutinized to the max for a tiny white dot or being a tiny bit off center. Anyone claiming this card is a 10, but scrutinizing other 10s is a hypocrite.
It’s almost like there’s more than one poster on this forum. You can look at my post history, I rarely if ever call a card misgraded. I’m not about to go around and look at all my cards and put my opinion of the card out there. I will post front and back pictures and post what PSA deemed it. If that’s not transparent enough for people so be it, don’t buy from me and we’ll both be better off.
The other day I bought a raw card, it arrived with more damage than expected. I checked the listing, sure enough it was in the photos. It was entirely my fault.
This is the necessary approach that we can’t access because we don’t have the original photos. If the photos were clear, the buyers is at fault. If the card wasn’t clearly depicted, the seller is culpable.
Ultimately this issue only exists because of PSA. Again I think this is a valid case for their financial guarantee. OP should try that route.
@xdarkfenixx if your card legitamately contains visible evidence of mold or moisture damage you need to work out compensation directly with the person you purchased the card from. Buying a damaged card is independent of buying a card thats debatably over-graded. As the buyer, you should return the damaged card (assuming your observations are valid) and PayPal will gladly help you execute the return.
I disagree, you are asking psa for an independent view on the grade of a card and to encapsulate it to prevent further damage. You still are purchasing the card, if you truly want the grade then why not just buy a PSA 10 modern common. Humans at PSA will still make mistakes sure and that’s what the grade guarantee is for.
If I were in your shoes, I would just return the lot (especially if you paid Psa 10 money for the Raichu). Reselling it would just be a pain the arse, and you’d only lose money when people see the back.
I actually just messaged the seller and suggested returning them all. Not because of cherry picking but because there are spots on the back of the others as well. I originally didn’t think much of them but at this point I’m thinking those spots are also mold (they aren’t on the border unlike the raichu so it’s not as easy to tell what the spots are). I only singled the raichu out initially since I immediately had a WTF reaction when I saw it
OP, have you tried talking to the seller and working something out?
I’d say return it. PayPal G&S states that you are eligible when the item was not as described. He didn’t specifically state that the card was severely over graded (which everyone in this thread agreed). It is the sellers job to describe said item. This was a dishonest sale. The dollar amount of the item doesn’t matter. Every e4 member would make a point to state and show the damage of the card if it definitely wasn’t even close to the grade.
You can get in a debate about opinions, but at the end of the day this is what PayPal Good and Services is for. People that get bitter about returns must have had a lot of returns and are not displaying major flaws on the cards. I’ve never had a return eBay/privately in 8 years.
Anyone running a business must accept that there will be returns at one point or another. I assume most e4 members consider themselves a business. Since you’re a business, you must realize some customers will not be happy. They’re an outlier. If they aren’t, and it’s common, you aren’t describing your product well enough and showing enough pictures.
Yes I have. They basically shut down even though I explicitly said I don’t blame them for anything and started making dumb excuses like he used all the money already. He was actually the one that suggested going through PayPal arbitration. So assuming all goes well I’ll probably return everything which I actually feel better about rather than just returning the raichu due to mold issues with the other cards too
All of your points are true, but I don’t understand your point.
OP said they assumed that their card met a certain standard because PSA graded it a 10. That’s exactly how it should work.
PSA’s entire business model is based on their opinion. When a card grades a 10 it should fit within a set of parameters that are consistent and predictable. If those parameters are inconsistent over time then it seriously damages their business, and maybe the market.
Think of it like this: your government creates money from nothing, places a value on it, and stands behind it as legal tender. That allows the rest of us to exchange it with little concern because you know that $10 bill will be valued the same from coast to coast. PSA’s graded cards function the exact same way within the collectibles market. And if they don’t, then well, here we are…
It would be really interesting if there was a way to see who all on here have returned a card in their lifetime. Especially before becoming seller’s or becoming serious.
@nietzsche, Closest situation I had as a buyer was when I received a PSA9 1st Edition Blastoise that was shipped in a envelope without any packaging. It arrived with a cracked/broken case, but the card was undamaged. I worked out a partial refund with the seller who agreed to reimburse me the cost of sending it to PSA to have it reholdered (about $25). Of course, it ran the risk of being downgrading in the grading process, but I’ve got a pretty good eye for grading and was confident it would be alright. The seller was really thankful, and although it was a bit of an inconvenience for me, it all worked out. This was years ago, but I still have that Blastoise.
I’ve returned one PSA thing in the last 20 years and that was at the request of a parent lol. If I’m unhappy with something I just resell or wait for an upgrade, I’ve always believed that PSA returns badly hurt the hobby so I don’t do it. And for those who do I’ll be much more difficult to deal with again;)