Posted By:
warshawlawAre you saying that you'd have ripped off the retard if he'd had better stuff?? 
I agree that many "finds" are rip-offs. Others are not. It depends on the tactics employed. Someone who lies to a seller about what they have and capitalizes on it is ripping them off. Someone who negotiates a price but thinks that the cards are worth more is just a good businessman. The thing you have to consider is that someone offering a dealer a lot of cards for sale is not asking an appraiser for a value opinion and is not entitled to a value opinion. If a seller wants my expert opinion on the cards he has, he can retain me for that purpose. Otherwise, I have no duty to offer up my views on the items I am being offered. I'll give you an example. I made a deal about 4-5 years ago with a fellow who had a bunch of gorgeous 52 and 54 Topps cards. He demanded 50% of high Beckett on them. I culled what I felt were the best of the lot and paid his price on those cards, figuring that when slabbed they would sell for a hell of a lot more. I think I spent around $2,000 with him and bought around 40 cards. I turned the cards over to PSA and most came back 8's and 9's. I think I had my cash out of the deal on four or five cards. I literally quintupled my money. Did I rip off that seller? Nope. I paid his price based on the reputable reference book he chose, but I felt in my studied judgment that the cards I picked were worth more.