Buying raw cards on ebay

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Posted By: Bob

I was curious how many collectors here still do it? I know I do, with mixed results. I think my eyes have 25 years of experience in detecting trimming and alteration so maybe I don't get fooled as often as some but it still happens. My most recent raw E94 purchase ended up in a slabbed SGC authentic holder but the seller was good enough to knock some off the original purchase price. One of the E94s I bought in a Mastro auction a while back ended up in an authentic holder although the rest graded out 30s, 40s and 50s, so it is not just ebay.
It seems like raw cards may be a crap shoot but the lower prices often justify the risk. What do y'all think?

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Posted By: quan

tbob my best purchases have always been raw cards...and i think board members have done well also, leon with the n167 ewing and josh with the e95 cobb come to mind. and for those that are afraid of funny business with raw cards, i've bought more altered cards in holders than raw.

one of the great things about buying raw cards is some were passed down from original owners so you get a sense of how these cards were distributed and collected.

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Posted By: Steve

With experience, it can be a boom*. Yes, JK done real good.

*Always use PayPal WITH credit card as an "Other Payment Option" for two layers of protection.

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Posted By: MVSNYC

years back (right when eBay came to be), i was buying raw T206 cards (rare variations that were low-mid grade, so they were usually unaltered)...BUT, in recent years i think i have only bought one raw card, a sharp looking T205 card, it was ultimately deemed trimmed by PSA...every other card i have bought on eBay has been graded.

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Posted By: Joann

I routinely buy raw cards on ebay with no problem. I am indifferent as to whether a card is graded or raw - I'm ususally just buying a card I want or need. I prefer raw b/c price is a bit lower but it seems that more and more graded is the predominant choice - there are simply more of them.

But no problems. I don't think I am at the money levels where there are big issues.

J

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Posted By: Larry

Almost everything I bid on is graded.
I only bid on the raw cards of one seller at this time. They start their auctions at one dollar and shipping/insurance is free. The seller inherited the cards from the original owner and I received the most amazing pamphlet with the last card I won, with photos a short biography and supposedly there is a book in the works about the man who collected them.

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Posted By: Tony Andrea

I buy raw cards whenever & where ever I can. As long as your
careful who your dealing with and have some sort of experience
of what warning signs to look for, it's much more exciting and
rewarding than buying slabbed.

Tony

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Posted By: peter chao

The advantage of buying raw cards is that subsequently you can get the card graded by the company you prefer.

The other advantage of an experienced hobbyist buying raw is that they may pay a little less than they otherwise would for a graded card.

Peter C.

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Posted By: leon

I agree completely about it being a little more exciting to buy raw cards. The only problem is that less and less nice cards are staying raw . Also, on more valuable cards I buy that are raw I always get a guarantee they will grade numerically (unless otherwise stated) so I guess I am my own worst enemy !!


edited spellin'

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Posted By: Shanon Ping

I have resolved myself to buying only pre-war cards on ebay graded unless it comes from a dealer I regulary deal with. I do buy raw post-war stuff.

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Posted By: Tony Andrea

Leon -
So true. Finding quality "Naked" stuff anymore is so rare. I do like your criteria
though of it must having to grade numerically before you purchase.
I have taken a few chances recently on a couple deals and have gotten lucky and come
out successful, but the odds of getting burned if you deal with "Naked product long
enough will eventually catch up to you if your not careful. Knock on wood

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Posted By: TR

tBob, I have bought a few ungraded vintage baseball cards over the years on eBay and I've had 3 or 4 come back from PSA as having been "Trimmed" and "Re-colored". It's funny, but every one of those altered cards were ones that I bought from sellers who were & had been selling only sports cards on eBay. But, I've never had a problem with PSA grading a card that I have bought from sellers who mostly had listed and previously sold items other then just sports cards.

The last 3 ungraded cards that I gambled on buying off eBay; were a N172 Old Judge Jimmy Ryan which got graded a 5, a HR Baker T3 which graded a 4, and a 1887 N28 Glasscock which got graded a 6. The sellers of these initially ungraded cards, had mostly small antique items listed & that's 95% of what they had previously sold on eBay. It stands to reason that a seller like this; would ever so often come across a few old cards at one of the estate sales which he or she goes to every weekend to primarily buy antiques like the ones which they were selling on eBay. On the flip side; a seller who has a nice quality, higher value ($150+) ungraded baseball card listed and whose business has mostly all been selling cards on eBay. Then; it stands to reason that a seller like this, would know that card is much more likely to sell at a much higher price as a graded card. But, why isn't?

This has been my experiences with buying ungraded cards on eBay which I hope sharing this with you, might be of some value to you & any other Net54 members at sometime in the future. TR

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Posted By: George

I've purchased several raw cards in the past and have had mixed results in terms of them being altered. It has been my experience that the raw cards which I thought I got for a good deal have been altered in one way or another and a seller saying cards are "sold as is" may be an indication that the card has been trimmed (although not always the case).

There are clearly trade offs here. If there's a card that I really want to pick up and it's graded, I'm willing to pay the premium for it. And there are other times where the ungraded card is at the right price point as well.

Great thread and excellent points made...thanks.

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Posted By: JK

Ive bought several raw cards on ebay and still do so ocassionally. Ive found that (1) its more difficult to find nice raw material and (2) raw cards are starting to attract higher bids thus eliminating some of the advantages to buying raw in the first place. As mentioned above, I did get one of my best deals ever on ebay with the raw e95 cobby.

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Posted By: Steve Murray

Who in the heck is trimming all of these cards? I bought a lot of 10 cards from a board member who I know for a fact does not trim cards and who likely has had the cards in his possession for decades. I submitted 5 to SGC and three came back "evidence of trimming". It just doesn't make any sense to me. Is it in the manufacture; is it SGC? Hard to figure.

Back on point...I will buy raw cards off ebay only if I am willing to accept the fact that they may be altered in some way. I just set the price that I'm willling to pay accordingly.

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Posted By: Jim Clarke

Steve, could you see where the grading company was talking about? If not, re-submit them. On the flip side in years past, auction companies have gotten great money for altered premium cards....

JC

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Posted By: Brian

I have consistently bought raw cards for the last year. After getting stung on one purchase, I have begun to ask for measurements on the cards. Since then I have gotten some REALLY nice cards, mainly Cracker Jacks, for less than the going rate if they were graded. I think there is an element of "buyer beware", but it you are smart, you can do it pretty easily.

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Posted By: Matt

I've been stung twice recently with buying raw cards on ebay that ended up being counterfeit. The sellers had hundreds of positive feedback and have been selling on ebay for years. It's a dangerous game.

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Posted By: Jason L

I have bought raw with mixed results.
The cards have rarely been very positive great surprises, and one in particular was a stinker (I just sold it - a 68 Mantle, fully disclosed with the EVID of TRIM PSA flip that it came back to me in), and took a 30% haircut on it...

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Posted By: Ricky Y

I buy raw too..there are still a lot of good deals to be had. It's still exciting to get and handle an unslabbed pre war card in your hands. I have two cards coming for my type collection right now. I have had good success with getting them slabbed too. Only one authentic so far an E106 Zimmerman and many others came back higher than I expected.

Ricky Y

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

Large lots (20-200+ cards) of naked BB cards are usually very safe buys. These deals are usually from original collections
and you always get better bargains buying in large lots. The larger the better. And, consider this, there is much less of a
likelihood that some one has spent the time to tamper with, say 50 cards, than one or two cards.

TED Z

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Posted By: Sean BH

I always ask the seller for measurements and a guarantee that they are unaltered, authentic and will grade (always keep e-mails just incase). If I don't hear back, I pass and spend my money elsewhere. No problems yet.

Or if you think it's trimmed I send em to PRO and get 7's and 8's. Ta-da!

sdbh

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Posted By: joe

Before slab grading was invented I bought about a dozen T205 cards at shows in the late 1980's. Submitted to SGC about 3 years ago and 8 or 9 came back trimmed. I just sold those on ebay with the SGC plastic sleeves. So who knows when some of these cards are trimmed.

Joe

Ty Cobb, Spikes flying!

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

Are this many cards actually trimmed, or are the grading companies being overcautious on this subject?

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Posted By: Chris

I buy about 70% of my cards raw. I have had good luck returning cards that have been trimmed or altered. I spend as much time checking out the sellers feedback as their item description.

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Posted By: Tim Newcomb

I don't think anyone should bid on raw cards on ebay anymore. They are at least 90% fakes, trim-jobs, iron-jobs, and anthrax-laced xeroxes(joke). In fact, I hope not to see any of you bidding on anything raw ever again, as that will be more that I can afford (oh what a giveaway)

Tim