Quote:
Originally Posted by Stonepony
I've never heard of this. I don't see " Verify holder" as an option on their submission form. Would it fall under "Review"? What kind of " paperwork" do they send you that essentially says we examined the card in the holder and it is our holder? The card , in holder with a grade IS their verification. Tell me about this paperwork, I've never seen it mentioned before.
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(dave, posting this in verbage and depth for future folks that may stumble across it or have additional questions, i know you are knowledgeable on most of this stuff already)
there is not a "psa" option, just a personal protocol that i follow on certain monetary thresholds.
most of my purchases come directly from sellers that accept paypal or ebay. i don't use the fnf option as there is technically a way around the fees but does require a lil flexibility from the seller and timing if you cant necessarily pay for the card twice in one month. different topic for a different day.
here's the basic jist of my personal protocol.
few additional hoops and monetary costs associated w/ it, but peace of mind is key.
to date, it's saved me 3 times* and has yet to fail me:
1. never meet in an alley or pay in cash.
2. if it's too good to be true, it is.
3. register your cards on psa site. this could give you a quick heads up that something may not be right if the cert doesnt get released and you are asked to send proof scans.
this is basically a crucial heads up that something may not be right.
4. if something is up and someone else has same card/cert and it doesnt get released, psa will send you a prepaid mailing slip. be sure to notify the seller exactly what has transpired and that you were asked to send the card in by psa. this is evidence, so keep it. it also helps the seller know of a potential threat and where there is one bad card, there are probably a few more, ie "scam alert: cardregistry" thread here.
5. purchase w/ reg paypal funded w/ your amex.**
6. even if there isnt a cert issue, send card to psa under the "review" option as soon as it's in your possession. don't be lazy here.
7. this gets you paperwork from psa that it's been reverified while in your possession,
helps you sleep and this credibly assists you in the event you resell. plus you might even get a bump.
it's basically a four'fer.***
* only 1 issue w/ fake holder, but protocol has saved me a few times on ebay scams in which an acct has been hijacked and the seller shipped ups packages to a random address in my same hometown simply to auto-pass the computerized ebay "delivery confirmed" system which buys them more time to sell/withdraw funds as it goes thru the "claim" process you start. so don't rely on web option. pick up the damn phone, immediately ask for hv fraud support and take the few extra 5 mins to make the call so you don't waste 7 days on the auto-computerized claim. you will lose simply because the computer system technically sees that it was "delivered".
** amex has the customers back, not the vendors. while you still have the burdern of proof if something is suspect,
your money isnt hijacked or held. it's credited back instantly.
this is very important though: you have 3 levels of protection here. ebay>paypal>amex.
do not call amex first. if you do, it eliminates the ebay>paypal layers of protection instantly and you're only limited to amex's process/decision.
they will also do a subpar auto investigation where it tracking number shows "delivered to your hometown" and will initially lose there as well.
let those always run thier course. i beleive the ebay return gaurantee is 30 days which could expire considering
the time it takes to get mailed to you, you mail to them, to get logged in, to get reviewed, the "weekend" factor, etc.
but the paypal and amex claim windows definitely exceed the timeframe it should require to get it resolved.
*** might as well get it reholdered why it's there as well. but yes it sucks to pay psa again, but considering the amounts on the altered holders whats a few more dollars to sleep well.
however:
the max cap on a "reholder" is $35, i think.
the max cap on a "review" is $700, i think.
quite a difference, so i also need to press further to if the "reholder" option actually verifies the card itself.
i would assume it does, but do not know for certain. i vaguely remember asking before, need to check though.
its always been in the back of my mind to press hard and get it in writing, but this may be the kick in the arse i need to finally get an answer.