Hi Bryan - Since this only applies to raw cards, that scenario will not happen.

Are they simply verifying it is a real card or are they also saying it has not been tampered with in any way such as trimming, recoloring, etc.?

That would actually be a valuable service for raw cards but I doubt that is what you are getting for no charge.

It also says they check to make sure the item matches the description. So if a seller grades the card VG/EX, how will they say it matches the description without grading the card?

I'm guessing going forward that $750 or higher raw cards will have NO description. It will just state the year and make of the card. It would be crazy to give any additional information to be scrutinized by a 3rd party.

I may buy one just to see how well the system works.

I'm guessing they have not considered the complexity of this service and as others have said it will be not be popular.

Ah, I missed that. Thanks for pointing it out.

My other question is what happens for cards the TPG can't authenticate?

I think you are just out of luck in that case because they would have to remove the sealed flip provided by Ebay to authenticate it, and that would void Ebay's authentication.

I'm guessing here, but based on the length of time PSA is taking to grade cards the potential Ebay guarantee window which I think is 180 days would be long gone.

There are many unanswered questions with this policy.

Interview with Bob Means, who is the director of trading cards at eBay
 

Inside eBay's new Authenticity Guarantee for trading cards: 'It'll be a fast service'

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/...914xlepioy0s5v

I will be the “official” Net54 test case :)
I bought a card this morning with the Authenticity Guarantee. I am 99.9% sure the card is fake. I will post updates here as things unfold. This should be interesting!

^^THIS^^ I know it has made i huge difference in the sneakers being listed since they started doing it with them. I only buy Nike and eBay was loaded with high end fakes.

Interesting interview. Thanks for posting. Cleared up some questions not answered in Ebay's explanation of the service.

Ebay claims the card will be authenticated after being received in 1-2 days. Wonder how long that time frame will stand up? I'm guessing not long.

I'm going to buy a card today and see how long it takes from purchase date to delivery to me.

I also bought a card which is definitely authentic but had a grade assigned. The pictures seem to match the assigned grade but just interested to see how the authenticator views the grade since they do not actually grade the card.

I'm assuming they will authenticate it and it certainly looks to be a very reasonable price for the assigned raw grade but could certainly fall a grade lower by one of the major authentication companies.

I'm more interested in how long it takes to get the card in my hands.

Based on Ebay's 1-2 day time frame stipulated for authentication once in the company's hands, it should be less than 2 weeks to get it into the buyer's hands. I highly doubt that will happen but we shall see.

The clock is ticking!

Kris thanks for being the guinea pig!

I am curious whether or not your sales tax will be refunded if the card is deemed fake.

It sure as hell should be. If the card is deemed fake, that should result in a cancellation of the original sale. And if there was no sale, there never should have been sales tax collected. States have provisions for Ebay to file and report such instances where they return sales tax to a customer and can then receive a sales tax refund or credit. But it is up to Ebay to refund the sales tax and then file for the refund/credit. The states will likely not go after Ebay and force them to do that. As customer friendly as Ebay is, I cannot see them keeping sales tax money from a sale that is effectively cancelled, and the sales proceeds are returned to the unsuccessful buyer.

Just when I thought eBay couldn’t make any more stupid decisions (Global Shipping Program, Category Reclassifications), they go ahead and do this. Wow this is really going to drive buyers off their platform. I understand some of the potential benefits, but this is wrought with pitfalls. I sure hope they keep it at $750 level so I don’t have to worry about this service since I’m not a big spender.

That aside, I wonder how this works for non-US sellers.
Edited to add: the FAQ’s indicate this service is applicable only if both buyer and seller are located in the US, with potential to expand in the future.

I have actually used this service for another item.
My wife wanted a certain Louis Vuitton for Christmas. Problem is, they no longer make the specific one .
So I found one on eBay, made sure I thought it was authentic and bought it. Shipping was a normal rate,can’t recall exactly, but was not out of the ordinary.
The seller shipped to a third party, no clue as to who they were, then after 3-4 days, I received notice it was on its way.
Came with an authenticity tag attached and said something to the effect of authenticity guarantee voided once removed.
I rechecked the bag and it was real . Tag removed and she loves it.

Now, not all bags have this “ authenticity guarantee” when you search.
You can actually add a authenticity guarantee to your search parameters..

Going to be a disaster with cards though. If I can’t get an order for 25 cards for 8 weeks,that I paid their grading prices for, how can I expect to get a single card I purchased authenticated and sent back to me in a timely fashion for what I can only presume is a heavily discounted rate? Just imagine the volume of shipping CSG will deal with on a daily basis.
Idea is solid but bet the rollout won’t be.
Thomas

I am sick at the turn this hobby has taken. It is no longer fun anymore.

Update:
The seller has now “been quarantined in Hawaii for five days” so will be delayed in shipping the card for eBay authentication. The excuses stage has set in. We likely will not be able to use this as a test case of the process. I will continue to post updates until it is resolved in some way.

LOL, are packages also quarantined? :rolleyes:

Well, there are definitely worse places to be than Hawaii. Heck, I am looking forward to being in Atlantic City next summer, a statement I never thought I'd write. :D

CSG has unveiled a new logo for the service:

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.i...=0&w=503&h=116

Does anyone know if the seller gets paid like before or do they have to wait for the card to be authenticated before Ebay releases the funds?

So eventually I'd have to send in a $250 card to this service that's already been authenticated by PSA/SGC,...that's mind boggling to me and completely ridiculous. This would definitely make me stop selling everything on eBay that I know will even get close to that $250 dollar mark.
What a shit show.

That's interesting. Did the seller maybe just become aware that his fake card was going to be authenticated? If your sale is canceled that would be evidence the process is working.

I just read the Sporting News article. What the eBay rep stated is not possible. Every card that sells for $250 or more will be sent to a 3rd party grader to be verified, even SGC and PSA cards.
The 3rd party graders would have to hire 25,000 graders to get the cards to the buyer in a reasonable amount of time. Ebay has to let buyers opt out of this. If I buy from someone I know, I don't want any 3rd party involved. It's really none of their business.

I KNOW! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Here is my ebay process now:

1. get email from ebay that my card sold
2. find card and put it in envelope
3. print label addressed to buyer and stick on envelope
4. put envelope in mailbox

Now the new process is going to be:

1. get email from ebay that my card sold
2. find card and put it in envelope
3. print label addressed to CSG and stick on envelope
4. put envelope in mailbox

I DON'T THINK I CAN ADAPT! HELP!!

LOL, that is the post of the day.

It is a huge inconvenience and can see how some just want to throw in the towel.

A third party is going to authenticate cards which have already been authenticated?

Do you have a link to the article, Rob?

RobertK posted the link to the article in post #55. I could see where a seller wouldn't mind it, just shipping everything to the same place for grading.

Maybe it’s the conspiracy theory guy in me coming out, but I think there’s a back door deal between someone working at either CSG or eBay? What makes CSG the know all end all on authenticating cards? I don’t even think they’ve been in business a full year yet. The amount of $$$ going to CSG on this deal has to be pretty high for such a new company.

Here is a card that Ebay is wanting to send for authencity, but I am telling you up front, this Ty Cobb Sport Kings card is a fake. 100%.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40343161313...0AAOSwr1Vh3gQ9

Missed that, thanks. As a buyer I no interest in this service. It just adds time and another layer of BS to the whole experience. I found this quote interesting:

"At its simplest, it’s making sure that when someone buys a Kobe Bryant, they get a Kobe Bryant and they don’t accidentally get a LeBron."

Huh? That has nothing to do with this initiative...

Yes, that’s exactly right. He saw the Authenticity Guaranteed and did not know what it meant. He offered to cancel the sale, thinking he needed a “COA.” I had to explain the program/process to him. As of now, he is still planning to send the card in after he returns from “Hawaii.”

My payment went to eBay for holding until the authentication process is complete. The seller did not receive it.

I understand you're just being a sarcastic smartass, but if you think this is going to go smoothly you are mistaken. You do what you want with your cards but I will not be sending my already graded cards to someone else to be authenticated a second time. Sure this is a free service in the beginning; but it will turn into another way for eBay to nickel and dime sellers before it's over. It will end up being much easier to just send everything to an AH and be done with it.

It might be mind boggling to many on here. In reality several full time dealers have been scammed with fake slabs recently. There are also countless very obviously altered/fake cards in slabs. This is a GREAT thing for 99% of the hobby and I can't figure out all the hate for such a great free to buyers program.

The only bad part is the extra wait. My last experience(sneakers) was 16 days from purchase to receiving in the mail.

Ben,

I understand where you're coming from but what makes this grader any better than PSA or SGC? And sure the service is free in the beginning, but it won't be forever. When has eBay ever implemented a change that benefits collectors without also benefiting their bottom line? No hate here, just not something I'm going to participate in. if others wish to more power to them. And to me cards can't be compared to shoes or handbags because you don't already have millions of slabbed/graded/authenticated shoes or handbags on the market already certified by established graders/authenticators.
Just my opinion.

Not to mention the additional time it will take for the buyer to receive the card despite what eBay is saying about a quick turnaround time. That’s BS of the highest degree. For a company highlighting the explosive growth in cards, they are doing a great job forcing buyers and sellers off their site due to their stupid policies.

I've been on eBay since 1997 and have over 4000 completed purchases. Of these, about 50 were lost in the mail or received but not as described. In most cases I was able to work it out directly with the seller or through eBay's resolution process to get a refund. That's about 1.5% of my purchases where I was not satisfied, which was higher than I thought but probably about as expected. Granted I don't play in the $750+ zone, but is this really that much of an issue where this was required? Seems to me the fakes are fairly obvious, and where they are not they sometimes fool the grading companies which makes the CGC/CSG part a moot point. It's not like this process would have picked up on Logan Paul's fake Pokémon case, the fake authenticated Messi signatures, or the Chrome wiped and re-signed cards that have been in the news recently.

Oh wait ... "Not only is the new card packaging secure and stylish, but it was also designed to be folded into a stand—perfect for showing your cards off." I changed my mind, this is the best thing ever!!! :)

What may seem obvious to Net54 members often passes right under the nose of other collectors. Quite a large percentage of them hadn't even started participating in the hobby until 2020. I believe that's where eBay might have been coming from with this program; to make things more secure for newbies.

In theory, it sounds similar to what PSA/SGC/Beckett have been doing for years...offering peace of mind to people without the experience to properly evaluate their own cards.

I see. Worried about how to sell all your GMA cards now?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

If I sell a card for over $750, I will now have to get it authenticated by eBay. Instead of arriving in 3 - 4 days at the buyers residence, it will now arrive in a week or two.

What happens if I have an impatient buyer who now blames me for the delay in receiving his card? What prevents him from leaving Negative feedback because it took too long for the card to arrive from eBay's authentication process? Will eBay still allow buyers to leave a negative due to the delay in receiving their card?

I'm sure Ebay will remove that negative, they removed tons of slow shipping negatives during the pandemic.

LOL. You must be a miserable individual with nothing to do.
Have a good day and try to relax.

Definitely not my experience pre pandemic. One of several reasons I quit selling on eBay.
Post Pandemic, maybe, but definitely not pre.
Thomas

If I’m reading the policy right, since the seller doesn’t accept returns, if someone buys this Cobb, they are still stuck w the card. It gets sent to be authenticated, they say “yep it’s a fake. Here’s the fake card you bought that can’t be returned.” Did I miss something?

I guess I'm a little surprised that the overwhelming majority of collectors on this thread are viewing this so negatively.

I agree there are definite negatives...mostly the delay in paying for a card and then receiving it. Depending on how backed up they get, the delay might be significant. And they definitely need "authenticators" that know their stuff...especially on rare vintage.

However, there is also a lot of upside. Hopefully eBay scammers will start to think twice now about listing their fakes because they know they have to go through an extra layer of authentication, and can't count on the fact they can just scam a new collector that may not know what to look for in identifying fakes. I'm hoping to see a lot less "found this card in my uncle's attic" Babe Ruth listings now.

I for one have NEVER spent more than $200 on a raw card for fear of fakes...even though I prefer raw cards in binders, I have relied on SGC and PSA slabs for those expensive cards because of the extra protection (I know, I know, they have slabbed fakes....but it is NOT common and you are much less likely to get a fake slabbed card from one of the major graders as opposed to buying raw).

I still may not buy raw cards over $200...however, hopefully I start hearing good things from fellow Net54 members who have gone through this new service and have positive feedback about it protecting them from fake cards. If this service does what's advertised, it opens up a new collecting avenue....which is higher dollar RAW cards in my collection...which I honestly prefer. And on top of that, maybe this will keep prices lower on some of those cards because sellers won't feel the need to grade and then recoup the currently outrageous grading fees for these cards when they put them up for sale.

So after thinking through it, I'll go on record as saying I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll see!

Interesting angle
 

The process will give CSG "access" to people buying a lot of expensive cards - likely will have an opportunity to advertise/market/collect contact information to them in the process!

I imagine the shipping issues will be similar to the global shipping: you are responsible to get the card to CSG, while CSG/eBay are responsible for final shipping.

The interesting thing will be not as described claims after this goes into effect: does the buyer get three days after the item has gone through CSG to then make a claim? Does the CSG thing void the return claims window?

Part of it is also schoolyard rules: punch out a bully or two and the rest go away. eBay has so much fraud and so many item not as described claims that it is trying to send a message to fraudsters: go elsewhere. If it can stop the dozens of fake Wagners, etc., that are causing these claims it will save money in the long run, even if it doesn't end up making this 'free for now' service a 'fee forever' service later. My prediction: a policy where a seller who accumulates a certain # of CSG denials will be banned from the site.

That said, authenticating slabs is over the top. A bit of:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ey-d5p4bx1.jpg

Paul is spot-on: if eBay raises fees or passes through this cost directly to sellers, a lot of them are going to say the hell with it and consign to AHs instead.

Well that is the point. They DO have a lot of fake items, and it is unreasonable to expect them to authenticate every item listed, remotely, in real time. So by adding a layer post sale, they can protect themselves (from chargeback / return risk), the buyer, and the seller.

Great move IMO.

Correct, and when those unsuspecting buyers return the cards, the seller has closed their DDA and eBay has to make the buyer whole. Or, the buyer finds out 2 years down the road the card is fake and will never buy from eBay again. I have to imagine eBay's losses in the collectables segment are huge.

I think that is what most are missing, the financial and reputational risk that is at stake for eBay with high value cards, and the never ending scams taking place in the hobby.

Personally I think this is a good move. And as a new collector, I would have felt this was a great move.

scammers will price at $749 to avoid authentication

During the pandemic, mail was incredibly slow because of lack of employees. Thats why Ebay removed negatives when sellers asked.

Why would Ebay remove negatives for slow shipping, before the pandemic? There were some delays as always, but it was not the system wide problem that it later became.