I was advised to reply to this thread with my issue. The simple version is I spend several thousands on an ungraded card from eBay. The seller has perfect ratings and he accepts returns. The card looked very clean. I broke his “not returnable if broken” seal across the sleeve and super expressed it to PSA. I even left the seller a positive feedback. Then came the shocker from PSA. The card is not a 10, a 9, or even a 6; PSA determined the card has been recolored and they won’t even grade it. The seller denied doctoring it, and he said since I broke the seal I can’t return it anymore. To make matters worse even if he accepts a return, there are now scratches on the back that I suspect was done by the grader while he/she was trying to figure out if the card has been recolored. So now I can’t even return it in its original condition. Is it common for PSA to leave scratches while they test if the card has been doctored? What should I do? Thanks
The seller’s “seal” means nothing, if you got a PSA response saying the card was recolored/ungradable then you have proof of what you told the seller, so if the seller refuses to take it back and issue a refund then start an eBay claim for “item not as described”, but of course, only do this if it’s 100% certain, it’s YOUR money on the line, and while the seller may not have known of the card having issues that’s unfortunately been thrown out the windows by PSA when they let you know it was recolored.
“A great way to spot many types of re-coloring doesn’t require a loupe. Take a light source such as a lamp and adjust the light source to point down. With the card’s surface perpendicular to the light source, slowly tilt the card from 45 degrees to 90 degrees allowing the light to reflect off of the card’s surface. Anything that is not the same gloss as the rest of the surface, it will jump out in the reflecting light. This method won’t catch every type of re-coloring but it will spot many of them.”
Is sending the label to PSA the only accepted form for a certified card to be removed from the registry? In other words, if I broke a slab and emailed PSA a picture of the freed label, would they accept this?
Since I can only super express with PSA, I can’t afford to spend another $300 and have nothing to show for it. Even sending it to CGC or Beckett will cost money and time. I just want to cut my losses at this point. Man, never even imagined this would happen. I know about fakes obviously and I’ve seen some bad coloring jobs, but this one is a head scratcher. I looked over the back with a loupe and good lighting and the only thing I noticed are scratches possibly caused by PSA.
Thanks for the input and I saw that article. I’ve looked over the card with a loupe and couldn’t see anything. The only thing I noticed are scratches on it that weren’t on it before. It’d be nice if PSA specify where on the card they suspect has been recolored. I even stated on my submission form to let me know of any defects if the card grades less than 10, I guess that comment section on the form serves no purpose these days, even when I spent $300 on grading. Anyway, this one definitely doesn’t bear the obvious signs of recoloration. I can’t see any color inconsistencies, but perhaps I’m just not looking in the right places. Another thing is like I said this card had no scratches when I received it, not even micro scratches when I looked at it at different angles. It looks like it was handled with care because to date I’m not aware of any way to remove scratches. So having said that if there were spots missing paint and these spots were recolored, I would imagine they be in the corners and edges. I looked there and saw nothing. But PSA has the ultimate say and I respect their expertise. I definitely don’t want to be stuck with this unsellable and untradable card. That’s essentially what PSA’s verdict means for this card.
I’d still contact the seller & attempt to make a claim with ebay if the card was in-fact ‘altered’ – that was not what you thought you were buying. Putting a little seal on it doesn’t do much if you can’t evaluate the card inside the packaging. The worst that happens is they deny your claim and you’re in the situation you’re currently.
I am noticing now that the back seems a bit glossier than my other cards, not too much, but just a little. I don’t know if that’s normal or if that’s what PSA meant by it being recolored.
curious if anyone has had any CGC express orders registered since PSA’s price hike in March. I assume they are up to there gills but wanted to know if anyone had any hands on exp
I have an express order sitting in their warehouse rn. They say boxes marked express get opened first but mine has been there over a week so far with no movement
@fixindan,even without the indent on the back, that card would earn a 9. I always recommend just buying the slab and let the pros take the risks on raw cards
@fixindan , I’m assuming that “dent” is the lighting? This is one of the Charizard’s sold by floridapro right? He seems to have an abundance of Charizards that are perfect, I wonder if there’s something fishy going on. Regardless, I never would pay PSA 10 and rarely PSA 9 price on a raw card. I can’t believe those sold for that much.
That guy is sooooooooo suspect. je just pulls stuff out of his butt. he was claiming to have sold 2 t17s to a cgc grader for 15k each raw. also claimed he bought them each at 13k.
Do you know if this means that turnaround is 144 days for submissions that are received today, or the ones currently leaving? I sent in 100 cards bulk that arrived about February 2 when turnaround times were about 50-60 days and wondering if I’ll get them back in 2021.
