A gentleman somewhere out there with the eBay account name ”gabrcont_61” has in possession a replica copy of my first edition Shining Charizard PSA 10 and tried to sell it.
The replica looks a bit off, with a label that is in poor alignment (although using the real copy’s serial number) and the slab is too big for the card inside.
My copy is with PWCC and also listed on eBay.
Just want to put this out there so nobody falls for this fraudulent listing. Although the seller put ”custom orica” in the description, it is subtle and definitely misleading since it is left out from the listing title.
Covering the cert number prevents people from using the number in a fake listing, yes. (Of course someone can post a listing with a covered cert number, or no number at all, but having a number lends authenticity.) Some people also cover cert numbers for other legitimate reasons, such as when selling multiple copies of the same card in the same grade but not guaranteeing a buyer receive any specific copy.
So listings with covered certs are ok because those sellers have legitimate reasons, but that somehow stops another seller from stealing the photo and using it in their listing with “legitimate reasons”?
I’m not sure how that follows. Covering a cert number prevents people from using the number in a fake listing (which, of course, would add credibility to the fake listing)
Following your own logic, removing your cert makes your listing less legitimate. So in both cases you would be stupid. Either you are helping scammers by providing them a cert, or making your own listings look illegitimate by not having one.
With your argument you look dumb and wrong in both ways
Yes, covering a cert number could potentially tend to make a listing look illegitimate (but a covered or uncovered cert alone is not conclusive either way, and the other circumstances should be considered to arrive at a conclusion).
Regardless, the relevance of your observations is unclear: The question was whether there are ever any legitimate reasons for covering a cert number—obviously there are. (Apparently some people were under the mistaken impression that there are never legitimate reasons for covering a cert number.)
Sure there could be legitimate reasons, but if you’re wanting to make a sale, I’d think you’re significantly thinning out the number of potential buyers. I’m pretty sure most buyers steer clear from listings with covered certs. Without a cert to go off of, how can you check its past auctions/sales, if it has scans on PSA’s website, or if someone still has it in their set registry?
Funny, if EVERYONE covered their cert #'s I would suspect way more fraud. If anything I believe the Cert# should be in the title or at the VERY least in the description IMO. It makes it easier to see many things like if anyone else is listing the same Cert# or it’s past in a soft pedigree way.
Covering Cert#s make things worse, we should be going the opposite direction.
I think it’s fine to cover certs if you’re just posting pictures of your collection that you don’t want scammers to use. But if the photo is for a listing, it should show as much info as possible to authenticate the item, e.g. the cert number.
The covering certs thing is a funny example of a disparity of thinking between a concerned buyer and a concerned seller.
A concerned seller, wary of their images or information being used for fraud, obscure their details.
A concerned buyer, wary of being defrauded by a counterfeit or misleading listing, would want these details.
I never buy a slab if I cannot see the cert, if not in the listing then at the very least beforehand in private. I “buy the card not the slab”, so that certification number is the only verification I have that I received the card that was shown to me. Otherwise someone could send me a different card of the same grade, which may be a less desirable card. This is especially true as someone who buys a lot of 8s. So without the certification, I cannot buy the card with confidence because I would have no recourse if I received a card other than the one I purchased.
I don’t think there is a correct answer here. People can do whatever they want. I don’t think it’s anything that needs to be litigated in the sense of right and wrong. It’s just something you can make a case for either way and both have shortcomings that can be exploited by someone with a nefarious agenda.