Not sure if this has been discussed before, but I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are.
Scenario:
You are selling a card. There is a dent or damage on the card (easy to tell in person and/or in the right light).
You create a listing where the damage is not communicated or clear in your sales post or listing.
The buyer is unaware of the damage.
NM/Mint Price: $2000
Dent/damaged Price: $500
The buyer pays $2000.
Question:
Is the seller shady?
Does the buyer have a case for returning?
If the damage isn’t visible in the photos and/or mentioned in the description, then the seller is absolutely being shady.
The buyer is well within their right to return the item if it had damage that was neither visible in the photos nor mentioned in the description. Almost two years ago now, I won a Mew gold star via eBay auction that was advertised as NM. It looked fine in the photos, with minimal wear. Fast forward to when I receive it – the card has water damage and a giant crease (neither of which were visible/mentioned in the listing). I returned it and didn’t feel remotely bad about it. Returning items that are “not as described” is a sanctioned practice, and is easy for sellers to avoid. All you have to do is adequately describe what you’re selling. I’ve sold many thousands of items on eBay and have never had an INAD case opened against me, and that’s not a lucky coincidence.
The seller is shady if they were genuinely aware of the damage, the buyer is a bit careless to not ask about condition when no verbiage is present, and ebay would side with the buyer in a case.
Only time this isn’t shady is when someone who doesn’t know practically anything doesn’t see the dent. Have bought plenty of cards over the years from first time sellers/people selling their collection that didn’t look for any of those things.
This has happened a lot to me with final fantasy opus 11 Full arts. I got two clouds that had these pen head size indents. Because of the black background and dark design it’s hard to see.
A similar thing is common with DBS. In the back of the cards. The Hit signature card usually had a indent on the border line at the top of the back. That’s easier to see since it’s light er in color.
With Pokemon and MTG we know a lot of the production issues and what to expect. We also have this amazing forum with an intensive amount of collected and shared knowledge. I assume these other card games and the new people selling are unfamiliar with it. Just wanted to provide a different perspective.
From experience recieving an item like this could of been damaged via post.
If you have good feedback as a seller and buyer on ebay i’d imagine you’ll have no trouble getting a refund from the seller or eBay. That’s my experience anyway. The item delivered is not as described.
I hope this doesn’t steer into raw vs graded cards because in the case of slabs you are buying the grade and not the card. Sellers get cards graded specifically so they don’t have to deal with this kind of shit. If it’s a raw card and you paid for a mint price but there is damage, then it’s worth the dispute.
A proper seller would take pictures of the card, any damage/issues and state that in the condition section of the description. I have sold some damaged cards recently, I took pictures of the damage and listed it in the description. “Card has whitening, crease and dent. Price reflects this, please see pictures”
so yes it is shady and hmm grey area with a return. depending on the description you may be able to open a not as described. If the seller is a business or has a return policy then you can go that route.
If I know of any damage or issues of a card I make sure to disclose it. As a seller it’s pretty simple to provide all the info you’d in turn want as a buyer to make an informed purchase
True for folks who are active buyers/sellers in the community.
All the Canadian Pokemon Facebook groups operate on e-transfers (one way payment without any way to open a dispute), and I’ve seen some pretty high value cards be shipped without tracking (lol)
Shady sellers suck for sure, but it’s also on the buyer to do their due diligence and request close-ups, videos, and have a detailed description of the card entered on the PayPal G&S details/invoice
The seller is definitely being shady if he intentionally omits that fact. That being said, the seller has to do his/her due diligence before spending 2k on a card.
I had a seller who had a large number of and fantastic reviews. So I immediately trusted their description plus they provided ample pictures of the card I was purchasing. When I got the card the entire thing was dented, only at an angle the seller did not take any pics of. Messaging them they offered me a $10 refund when the card was $200. It devolved into them accusing me of damaging the card and me just trying to get a $50 refund. Ultimately I took it to ebay and just returned the damn thing.
Extremely shady and an asshole move, nevermind the absolute unprofessionalism in messages. If they were professional or kind I would have worked something out with them.
Completely agree with you, I’ve never had a bad experience when dealing with like minded collectors. Although, I purchased a card from a tcg player who didn’t know to scrutinise to the degree collectors like. Needless to say, the seller couldn’t have been more helpful in the end and all was resolved instantly.
I learned a valuable lesson to not expect everyone’s condition preferences are to the same degree as we all see things differently.
I have returned cards that were damaged and listed as NM+ many, many times and never lost a dispute with eBay. Make sure you always ask a seller if there are any bends dents or creases before you buy, you can post a picture of their response along with photos of the damage in your return case. To be extra safe with high value cards I record myself opening the package and showing the card damage all in one shot. Not that I have ever had to show the video but makes me feel a little safer.
A lot of times it just comes down to sellers not being able to properly assess the card condition. They’re not being shady they just didn’t see the damage. In my experience most of the time they will just accept your return and apologize.