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Posted By: davidcycleback

As a start, eBay sellers should say what the card is, guarantee the authenticity and have a fair return/refund policy. Most scammers don't do this.

If you're nervous about buying reprints, gather a list of good sellers and buy many to most of your cards from them. Good sellers are discovered by asking others and by making inexpensive purchases and seeing how the deal go through. Many of my favorite sellers are folks I started by buying an item from and was happy with the product and service.

With experience, including looking at real cards and images of real cards, you will be able to identify many reprints online. Many reprints of T206s, for example, are obviously reprints.

For more expensive cards, like a T206 Ty Cobb or 1933 Goudey Gehrig, many collectors will only buy the cards if they are graded by reputable company (PSA, SGC, etc) or if the seller is respected. Even if authenticity is not an issue, the buyer may not trust a stranger to grade correctly and identify trimming and alteration.