Ebay Shenanigans: Ladies and Gents, It's a Draw

First, keep your eyes peeled for the BIG announcement tomorrow. There will be contests and prizes, and much coolness.

As for the ebay saga: I heard nothing from the buyer for three days. Not the promised pictures, not another message, nothing. But then when I woke up this morning there was a "buyer protection claim" filed against me. So I said, "F#$@ that," escalated the thing to customer service and went to work. The advertised response time was 72 hours, but this thing was solved in 4, specifically via an email that stated 1) ebay granted the buyer a FULL refund 2) ebay said NO ONE was at fault and 3) ebay said I did not have to reimburse the ebay or the buyer.

Of course, the buyer left negative feedback the moment I escalated it, but whatever. I'm glad I'll get no more messages like this:

hi i messaged you last week and i know ypu said i paid on the 7th and that this was shipped but now its the 21st and i still havent recieved the item ,?? its been two solid weeks ,you have to be kidding me.That is just ridiculous .

Again, I feel the frustration, but you've got to be kidding ME. The package was shipped the 11th, at that point it was the final day of the ebay-estimated delivery window, and the tracking number says it was misrouted. Wtf can I do once I've shipped it?!

Anyway, the resolution isn't terribly intellectually satisfying, but there it is none the less. I'm grateful it was resolved (and fairly with regard to yours truly, that's a win!), but on the other side of the coin this is rewarding bad behavior. I mean, what is that?

Ebay shenanigans at their finest.

When ebay goes wrong part x

I really get the basic premise of ebay: it's a national garage sale. You send people money, they send you stuff (or vice versa), it's pretty straight forward. And truth be told, for the most part it works.

Until, obviously, when it doesn't. I'm currently in ebay seller hell. Something was sold, it was shipped, that should have been that. But oh, no, no it wasn't. Three days after it shipped I got an email saying, "where the hell is my item?"

Wait, what?

So I replied, said it was shipped, and said I hoped it'd be there soon. As these things go, the postal service then routed the package via Timbuktu, which delayed the package by a week. Sure enough, another message: "where the hell is my item?"

Now, I get the frustration, but I'm already tempered by the previous communication. This is just someone looking to start something even on the best of days. I sent the tracking number, things should be simmering down now that the package has arrived.

But no, they're not. Now I'm being told the item "is not as described," but cannot have pictures of said item's defects. At this point I'm being threatened with "buyer protection options," because apparently I'm a complete pain in the ass to deal with. Despite my measured tone. Despite not yelling back. Ugh.

How does something so simple go so wrong?

Buying Certified Autos Stinks: Finding the Fakes

Money is tight at the moment, but with the compa's permission I've dumped a lot of cards on ebay. I have a strange fantasy that I am going to purchase a Willie Mays or Hank Aaron auto to mark the passing of this particular semester. So with a good deal of trepidation I'm dipping my toe into the category of "people who pay too much for cards." And that's fine, it's a one-shot deal.

I enjoys autos and send out my share of ttms. I like hearing back from players but let's face it: taking the auto in the envelop at face value is based on the same leap of faith most of us take in assuming our parents are indeed our biological parents. You have no empirical proof of the fact, no photos, no video, and even if you did you take on faith that the baby in the picture is you. It's complicated, but it doesn't bother you too much if at all. TTM autos are like that: I have no proof Bobby Doerr signed my 1938 Goudey, but I sent it to his address and it came back signed. So yeah, I'll take that on good faith.

But certified autos? Blech. For example, you have certified Mays fakes. It's a long story I've posted about before. Then this Mays auto, which has been sold several times by the same seller. And if you think that's nuts, this low-numbered seller has flipped that same Mays 14 times! I read somewhere that card has a print run of 150. At best it's shill bidding. At worst...? What the heck happened at Fleer?

Then you have what appear to be sticker fakes. Gellman used to go off about these. But here's a Hank Aaron ending today, and the price as of 11 AM is definitely right. But wait: the auto is surprisingly clean for a 2008 Hank, it's completely on the sticker, AND a letter or two looks a little suspicious. After some sleauthing (looking up the checklist did NOTHING), I found this card. The auto is classic Hank Aaron from the last five or so years: labored, falling off the sticker. Then you check the back: yup, Donruss did the solid of printing the certificate of authenticity on there. You look again at the first card and oh, wait.....It's a fake.

Frustrating if nothing else, but it always sucks to see collectors screwing each other. It's why a) I love the blogosphere and b) I generally stick to my own ttms.

Have a good one and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Manny, Sammy, Andruw: 3 stacks available

Apparently a generous (!?) ebay seller recently dumped a some extra lots on me: Andruw Jones, Manny Ramirez (mostly Indians uni), and Sammy Sosa.

First come first serve, hit me back with CCs, Prices, Gomeses, Niemanns, mid-90s minor league cards, whatever.

Give me some wood...

and I'll build you a cabinet. (thx Beasties)

There's a funny story behind this card's winding its way into my collection.

A while back reader Joe (who is a prolific trader all across the blogosphere) sent me the CC cabinet card featured here. Again, that thing was stunning. So, after having received that card I remembered that there was a CC cabinet relic/auto out there numbered rather highly that would make a nice addition.

After some waiting one showed up on ebay. I had a number in mind, I was confident. Bidding was down to the final 10 seconds, steady at about $12, I was ready to pull the trigger...when I noticed the seller's handle was something like "BeckPalin2012." Politics aside, I couldn't bring myself to throw in knowing that maybe, just maybe, some of that cash would go to support a cause I'm just not in to.

Anyway, the auction stayed at $12 and I was bummed. Fast forward to a month ago when after some more ebay stalking, this showed up on my doorstep. CC prices have gone WAY out of the normal range since his signing with the Sawx, but this only set me back about $20. AND while I'll never know if the extra $8 I spent went to a political cause I don't agree with, at least I know the seller had enough sense to keep that junk out of peoples' faces.

Here's the card, and it's awesome:

Good night Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Not sure what's funnier...

that we're supposed to think that Gibson signed 2000 of these or the idea that he signed then all on the back.

Real or Fake?: Or why I rarely spend more than $20 on a card

I'm thinking this CC patch card right here. Might be real, might not. If it is real it's the ugliest high-end patch card ever. If it's fake it's so bad why would you even bother? Either way, who would throw down $40 plus for this?

And don't forget the contest over at BA Benny's place. Free cards are always good cards.

Have you ever seen an auction like this?

It's one thing to sell authentic looking reprints. It's quite another to go this far.

CC minor league cards: When ebay goes....right?

Everyone is (quite rightly) pissed and blogging about the Beckett shenanigans admission, so I thought I'd post about something that went RIGHT recently.

We all know ebay is full of nuttiness, and I've posted about it myself from time to time. However, sometimes when you see an auction up you gotta jump in. When I saw an auction for 346 DIFFERENT CCs with 123 numbered cards, including 11 jersey cards and 2 bat cards, I went for it. 

There were red flags, notably the cards were listed as a single, massive lot, with nothing listed save a photo of a 1999 Bowman RC and a Ginter bat card. 123 numbered cards---is that a typo? Moreover, I already owned over 350 different CC cards, so the odds of picking up a lot that had significant overlap were pretty good.

Well, I added over 150 CCs to the pc for less than 20 cents a card. If I were to have purchased these cards over the next few years I would have gladly paid more for many of them. Two examples are these CC A-Ball Minor League cards, one of which was in my COMC cart (at $2.50!) when I pulled it from this lot.

Very cool card. CC running the bases before he was the base stealing machine he is today.

CC (looking 12) with a cat hair left in the scanner for good measure. What I really like about these unlicensed cards, though, are the backs:

They are king of goofy, with no stats, the usual "CC almost went to Nebraska" story, ads for local companies, and that's about it. Reminds you of how transitory A-ball is for some guys. The high draft picks usually aren't around there for long, so the ink is barely dry on these cards before they've moved on.

That said, if you are looking for any CC in particular I now have a TON of doubles. Drop me a line and I'll look through them.

Have a good one and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Fake or UD error: You Decide

Unless the Rays went through some sort of "pinstripe" period of which I'm unaware, is this card fake or a UD error? I'm leaning toward error because no one would fake a simple jersey card and the guy only wants a few bucks for it. Either way it's a pretty ridiculous FAIL.

Ebay Shenanigans Update, Group Break Cards are Mailed!

Quick update: I hadn't heard back from the guy so I wrote him again and told him to tell me what was up. Amazingly (and too his credit) I guess he did what I told him to do: extend 2nd chance offers to the runners up and that way he'd STILL get his sale plus shipping, because he said we are square. I was ready to get HOSED on this (and guess I still might somehow) but wonders never cease.

Anyway, group break cards went out yesterday. I've still gotta random the poker guy patch among folks who didn't get hits, so stay tuned! CCC out!

Breaking Bad: Group Break, Ebay Shenanigans, and Cards from Rod

First, go here and grab a team in the June CCC/SMG Break. Seriously. The May break was sweet and we're looking for more solid pulls next month. Cards from this month's break will start going out tomorrow. There are three teams (White Sox, Twins, Royals) left!


Second, no word yet back from the seller in this post. All I can say is ebay's been a bit disappointing lately and I'm taking a hard line on this one. In fact, I'm gonna go on a small shopping spree ($20) later before they close my account for being a non-paying bidder. 


And speaking of ebay, check out Matt G.'s post on a recent conterfeit he got off ebay. 


Finally, Rod over at Padrographs and I had been working on the acquisition of this card a while back but nothing came of it. I'm busy, he's busy, it's all good. Then I received this and many other Rays in the mail a few days ago.

I can't tell if it's the most ridiculous SB card ever or quite simply the BEST SB card ever. I mean, was CC even trying for this one or did he have it by that much? There's no drama here. Looks like he beat the throw by so much he had time to choreograph a fist pump into his slide and throw in a "Damn, I'm smooth" whistle for good measure. Great stuff. I even dig the raised seams on the card design. Thanks again Rod! Something will be coming your way soon!

Have a good one everybody and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!

Ebay Shenanigans: Here we go....

I score 4 sweet cards on ebay for about $10 from the same seller. I get an invoice for $20+, and respond to this asking for an invoice reflecting combined shipping. In response I am told there is no combined shipping. I just replied....so here we #@$%ing go.

So the question is, am I the one being a jerk? Refusal to combine shipping on 4 cards? You've gotta be kidding me!?!

Ebay Dilemma

Quick question:

You get a solid deal on 'bay ($2, s/h included) and then the card arrives in a pwe with a few massive creases.

I'm figuring on just writing it off because getting into an email tiff with the seller over $2 will be more time than it's worth and sending it back will cost me at least $1. Do I even leave bad feedback for the guy?

The CCC Staff Turns 33!

Last night's lines:

CC: 1-5, 1R

Gomes: 3-4, 3R, 1RBI, 1SB (!)

Another of the guys we used to watch a lot in Durham, Andy Sonnanstine, had a very not so good night against the Red Sox. Bummed about that, but I'm sure he's more bummed. The only game the compa and I have seen at the Trop was his CG SHO of the White Sox last year, so the brilliance is in there!

Anyway, I woke up this morning to find out over at Can't Have Too Many Cards that I share a birthday with Terry Bradshaw and Billy Preston. Good stuff!

There are two weird things I find about birthdays as an adult: 1) as a gift for yourself you are more apt to finally spend money on that trimmer you need than the Goudey Dizzy Dean you are dyeing to have; 2) no one will get the Dean for you for your birthday. You must get it yourself later, after which your partner/wife/husband/significant other will, upon receiving the credit card bill, say, "What the #@#$ is this three-digit PayPal charge on the credit card!"

Long story short, birthday or not, gotta keep things on a budget. Last year I picked up this card for under $20:

Sure, with all the fakes in circulation you never know, but I have seen another of the /5 on ebay, so I feel pretty good about it. I really dig the look of the Bowman card to begin with, and Carl's quizzical expression makes you wonder if he forgot his contacts. Having a sig on it makes it great for me. For some reason the 1999 Topps Traded tends to sell for a bit more, so I was pretty stoked to score this for what I did.

Anyway, have a great one!

Who in their right mind bids on these auctions?

First, happy Father's Day to my dad and all the other dads out there. 

Second, I had a great anniversary at the Twins game and auto party, blogpost and cool scans will follow tomorrow.

Finally, check out this guy's auctions, they are Father's Day related (kinda): http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/johnnybill78

As kids we all dreamed of going up into granddad's attic and hitting the mother load of t206, '52 Mantles, and other assorted goodies. This guy says he actually did it, and is posting the cards on ebay with that story. 

For all I know the story is legit, and his granddad had a whopper of a collection. Including April auctions this guy had Goudey Gherigs, Goudey Babes, the cream of the '49 Bowman set, everything. 

To take a stab, I'm no expert but the backs on the Bowmans scream repro, beginning with the mono-colored back and the font. Here's a real '49 Bowman Robinson's back. The back of this card is all black ink and you can barely make out the special offer mail-order ring. With 18 hours to go bidding is up to almost $57. Maybe the rest of you can ferret out what's wrong with the others. 

Technically the seller is not doing anything wrong, especially since the cards are actually listed as REPRINTS and the guy claims he knows nothing about cards and gives a straightforward caveat emptor in the description. 

So who on earth bids up reprints like this, or am I an idiot and am completely missing something (always, always possible)?

Existential Crisis: What is Mint? Does it Exist?

One of the most confounding things about the hobby is condition. My way of dealing with this is just buying what I want/can afford without paying too much attention to whether or not it's "gem mint." I just use closed sales on ebay to gage what a card in similar condition usually sells for and make my bids accordingly. That's fine for buying.

But selling? Selling is another game, friends. I've had to sell off large parts of my collection over the past few years and have seen a lot of shenanigans on the part of buyers who are looking to scam sellers (never thought I'd say that). The one I'm most afraid of is the innocuous question: "Is the card mint?" 

First, as has been hashed out by millions of folks on the intertubes, condition is 100% subjective, even when Beckett and PSA sit down to hand out grades. There are guidelines, but whether or not a given card meets those guidelines is up to the "grader." I'm no power seller and don't care about condition for my own collection, so I usually just say cards are "pack fresh" or "see scans for condition."

Second, the cards in question are from 2000-on and never go for more than $10 or so. We're not talking vintage kept in a shoebox in someone's attic for 50 years. These are "new" cards in solid condition that have never known the joy of Timmy's bicycle spokes. People understandably want their money's worth, but anyone who has ever opened a pack of Topps Heritage knows that 99% of the cards out of the box are not, strictly speaking, "Mint."

Third, I would think that if you have to ask about basic condition that would be a signal that this auction isn't for you. Just a thought.

Which leads me to this: rather than being a sincere query, I see the question as usually a prelude to some combination of post-auction payment reversals, card switching, and complaints about the listing. 

So help me out, just in case I'm completely misreading a small portion of these folks. Mint? What in God's name is passable mint in the great market place that is the ebay? Is no creases, well-centered, but with a tiny chip on the edge Mint (it's a 9.5 Gem Mint according to my David Price)? Or is that card NM? How about a perfect card with a small printing mark on the back? Or a card whose only flaw is a splotch of stray ink the size of an amoeba which is only visible through an electron microscope?

I honestly have no idea.