Posted By:
hankronI think a bidder should have a set of conditions under which he or she will bid. This would include type of guarantee, auction format, type of seller, how detailed the description. Certainly, the conditions for a $1,000 purchase will be different than for a $20 purchase. For example, one might occasionally bid $10 in a private auction or on an item that seller isn't sure is real.
For an expensive, high end item, I have specific conditions that must be met by the seller and auction-- usually starting with the knowledge and reliability of the seller, competency and straightforewardness of the description and guarantee of authenticity. If the seller/auction doesn't meet the conditions I simply don't bid. If the seller uses seprentine language to not actually say anything, doesn't adaquately answer my questions, won't guarantee the authenticity or uses a private auction, I move on. Period.
This is why I said the quality of the card's image in the auction was essentially irrelevant. The seller doesn't meet the conditions for me to spend hundreds of dollars, so the quality of the image doesn't matter to me.