Hey everyone. I have a question about a recent purchase that I made on eBay. I mentioned it in the ‘most recent purchase’ thread, but didn’t want to make it go off-topic.
Anyways, I bought the Umbreon ex (217/187) yesterday morning. Since it was over $250, and from a US Seller, it had the authentication label in the listing. It was shipped yesterday and I noticed it didn’t go to the authenticator, but rather to the usual shipping stops before getting to me. This morning it was delivered to my PO Box.
For context, the seller has 99.9% positive feedback, and honestly I am happy it got here soon, but do I have any reason to be worried? Is this sketchy whatsoever? I am very confident it’s all good, but how do sellers bypass this process? Would like some opinions, but yea let me know if my faintest of concerns is just paranoia lol
Thank you
This is the most likely answer! eBay has improved the automation of authenticity guarantee but certain words like pack, sealed, box, or even “cards” plural might affect the automation process.
In the listing, does it have the blue Authenticity Guarantee logo? I’ve had items sold before, that clearly qualified for Authenticity Guarantee but the shipping address was listed as straight to the buyer.
I was wondering if some buyers had the option of bypassing Authenticity Guarantee at their own risk? I very rarely buy cards on eBay these days, so I’m not sure if that an option?
In the past I have had a couple of my sold listings that had the Authenticity Guarantee checkmark delivered straight to the buyer instead of going through authentication. Each time the item was delivered straight to a PO Box. I believe there are times that Authenticity Guarantee won’t use USPS to ship, but instead only use FedEx or UPS so they can’t deliver to a PO Box address. I think they have the seller ship directly to the buyer in these cases bypassing Authentication. Not 100% sure, but it may be the case.
this has happened to me too. I never really understood why. The explanations help. Very strange. I hope nobody gets in too much trouble. But maybe its a matter of value too. I’m sure a $251 card nobody would care, but maybe a $2500 card they would. Seems like a pretty scary mistake to make as a seller.
Here’s a summary of the possible reasons discussed for bypassing eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee:
Category Listing Error: Items might not go through authentication if listed in the wrong category. Specific categories ensure the process is triggered.
Pre-authenticated Items: The item could have been previously authenticated if shipped from a location like a TCG vault.
PO Box Delivery: Items sent to a PO Box may bypass authentication since some carriers used in the Authenticity Guarantee process don’t deliver to PO Boxes.
Buyer Preference: Some buyers might have the option to bypass the process at their own risk, although this isn’t confirmed.
These reasons provide a range of technical and logistical explanations for why items may bypass eBay’s authentication process. If you have more questions or need further insight, feel free to ask!
I’ve spoken with eBay about this before. P.O. box addresses disqualify the Authenticity Guarantee system. If you want Authenticity Guarantee in the future, be sure to use a non-P.O. box address.
