I was wondering if it had anything to do with the listing having a best offer option so that even though the initial starting bid was over the Ebay authentication threshold amount, it could still go and be sold for under the threshold. Just a pure guess on my part.

That's possible. However, I was commenting on the seller's contradictory return policy:

If you send in the card and it doesn't receive a numeric grade, they will issue a refund.

However, once you send the card for grading, all sales are final...regardless of grade.

Clear as mud, no?

Yup, good point Eric. LOL

I didn't think the seller's return policy had anything to do with requiring the authentication process to be required. My understanding was any card selling over a certain price (I think $500 currently) had to be authenticated.

Bob's comment about the Best Offer option being there to get around it also doesn't seem to make sense since there should be an easy way to set things up to require authentication based on the listed price but then remove it if the selling price went below the threshold. Otherwise, that seems like a real easy way to get around the authentication.

Oh, I agree. I was just commenting on something asinine in the listing. Leaving aside the eBay authentication for a moment, it would give some prospective buyers a moment of pause and/or a reason to seek clarification from the seller.

Didn't mean to derail the thread. Carry on. :)

Maybe this is the reason. Could having box in the title make it appear to be more than a single card so authentication is not required? If so, seems like eBay could do a better job than that at identifying single cards compared to listings with multiple cards.

Don't disagree. As I previously stated, my comment was a pure guess on my part.

Seems like they are trying to skirt the rules. They seller knows and it probably sees it as a lot rather than a single card. Probably worried about it going through authentication and not passing I suspect.

This seller has been discussed earlier this year on the forum:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?p=2182085

Brian

I just received an authenticated card but contrary to the insert, no sticker or QR code on the back of the cardsaver.

That defeats the whole purpose of the program, no?

I wonder how common this is.

It's pretty funny actually.

First - I admit I haven't read everyone's responses here - so I apologize if I am being pointlessly redundant, but this seems like it's an absolutely horrible idea. I do agree with it in reference to trying to protect prospective entrants into the industry - but feel this may provide more professional fraud opportunities, utilizing eBay as a shield.

I sent a card a couple months ago, and realized it was being shipped to some completely different address for authentication.

Here is one of my main worries - it's only going to increase fraud with regard to the alteration of cards, and then eBay will have to deal with that - which they won't.

If eBay is only authenticating, then what will stop people from utilizing eBay as an intermediary to "unknowingly" commit fraud by trimming a card and calling it "NM-MT+ or better!" - it then gets "authenticated" and confirmed as an authentic card. Will contracted entity (CSG) be charged with determining if the card has been altered as well, or just authenticity? If they are, then essentially they are 95% the way towards grading the card too. What happens if the card is then submitted to SGC, PSA, or heck, CSG, and it comes back "Authentic, but altered".

Completely agree regarding the registry. It's baffling to me that SGC hasn't gone all-in on a registry. It is 100% what allowed PSA to just get out to what may be an insurmountable lead. Competition wins - always.

I thought that part of the process was to determine if the card has been altered, but it doesn't explicitly say that if you read all the information provided on eBay. Also, the price is now down to cards that sell for $350 and higher. Some info from the FAQs on eBay is below.

What happens at the authenticator?
After the authentication facility receives the card, the authenticator first confirms the item and collateral materials are consistent with the listing title, description, and images. Then they will perform a multi-point authentication inspection. Finally, the card will receive a tamper-proof sticker sealing the packaging and certifying that the card is authentic. The card also receives a QR code. Scan it with your mobile device to learn more about your card’s authentication journey.

What if the item does not pass inspection?
If the authenticator cannot verify the item’s authenticity or if the item is not consistent with its listing, you will be issued a full refund to your original payment method.

Yes, they are verifying the card is unaltered, to the best of their ability. They are also confirming it matches the listing description. So if the card is listed as NM-MT+ and it's trimmed or lower grade and CSG notices it, they'll reject the sale. I've seen it happen as posted on a couple of different message boards.

Some people who bought would still like the card, even if CSG thinks it's only NM. Some people would like rare cards even if they're altered, depending on what they paid. But in order to streamline their process, they don't contact the buyer with their findings, just cancel the sale unilaterally.

But then, no authenticator is perfect, and some still get "authenticated" even though the year of the card in the listing is 15 years away from accurate.