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Posted By: hankron

As someone who deals with these types of authenticity and forgeries issues, I recommend that buyers do two main things. The first is to keep record(2) of the transactions. This can include email, cancelled check and, best of all, a print out of the ebay web page. If the seller is prominent and well respected, this documentation can help when you turn to sell it.

Second, it is best to get a second opinion on the item within a reasonable period of time. I understand that PSA or SGC or whomever is your favorite expert doesn't have overnight turnover, but I think you should act as quickly as is prudent. If, five years later, you come up to a dealer and say he sold you an altered 1971 Topps common card, he may not remember you and may honestly assume that you are pulling his leg. This is also why you should keep records-- to refresh his memory, incuding what was the sell price.

Though it's not often done and some may think it's weird, there's nothing wrong with emailing a seller and asking them what is the guarantee/return policy or to clarifiy it already stated.

All legitimate sellers should explicitly have a resonable guarantee of authenticity and return policy. Resonable guarantees will differ, and I don't think seller A has to have the same guarantee as seller B. Some sellers will have a lifetime guarantee of authenticity for full refund, some two years. A card seller may say "You have four months to get it graded by your favorite grader. No returns afterwards." If this is stated, and the bidder feels that's resonable, then it's a good policy. If a guarantee is stated and resonable, the buyer does not have a right to change the guarantee. For example, the seller can't on his own extend the 4 month period to a year, then complain that other sellers have a year return policy.

Except for extreme exceptions (none which come to mind), all memorabilia auctions come with a guarantee of authenticity. I don't care what a seller says, if a Babe Ruth Autographed baseball is a fake, the buyer gets his money back. The seller can hem and haw all she wants, it doesn't matter.