Advice sought
 

Hi all --

I was hoping to tap into the collective wisdom of Net 54 for some advice. I am a long-time collector; but, am somewhat new to the process of acquiring cards via catalog auction. I recently was the successful bidder for a 1957 Topps set that was advertised as being in (on average) VGEX condition. I received the set a couple of days ago and while very few of the cards had creasing or other noticeable wear that you might expect to see with a VGEX grade, nearly all of the cards seemed to have lost most or all of their gloss and have an ever so slight stickiness to them as a result of being in plastic pages that appear to be less than the caliber of the ultra-pro pages of which I am mostly familiar. When you remove a card, you can even see what look like oil marks inside the slot on the page that formerly housed the card.

I am not sure whether the cards' condition warrants a complaint to the auction house; on one had, the cards have little to no creasing and visually look VGEX or better; on the other, they all seem to have damage -- that was not described in the listing -- that could cause them to have a materially lower grade than VGEX.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts on the matter the Board might have.

Thanks -

Brian

:confused:

post war....
 

I realize this is a post war situation but the question is more geared towards how to handle a situation. I figure the main board will get a few more looks for the original poster. Just trying to help a board member..:)..best regards

If this damage is widespread throughout the group and was not mentioned, you have a legitimate complaint.

You certainly have a right to discuss it with the auction house, but keep it friendly if you can. Buying raw, especially a set where the majority of cards aren't pictured, is a gamble.

True, but if there is a particular type of damage across the set, it should be disclosed.

It absolutely should have been disclosed, Peter, but they are past that point now.

Agree with what was said above, try to work it out with the auction house, I would go into that conversation with an idea of what you expect or are looking to get out of them. Are you looking for a return or a discount?

Because of the non disclosure I think you are correct to bring this to their attention.

Please let the board know the results and the auction house in question when its finished. Its a huge value to many of us to know how each auction house handles situatitions like this.

Good Luck!

Follow-up
 

Thanks to all for the feedback -- I just contacted the auction house and described the problem. We mutually agreed that the best solution would be for me to return the cards. I will keep the board posted on how quickly I receive a refund or if, for some reason, I do not.

The auction house in question is Memory Lane.

Good result, and good customer service by ML.

They did the right thing. Good customer service.

Follow-up on Memory Lane
 

I just wanted to follow-up to say that I returned my cards to Memory Lane and received a prompt refund.

Memory Lane
 

Mental note: Memory Lane is a Class Act

Nice to hear that an auction house did the right thing. Glad it worked out.

Nice to hear about a quick, easy and fair resolution. Kudos to ML for not making it difficult.
JimB

+1

Thanks for calling this to our attention. I am making a note that in the future when I buy a set of cards in sheets from any auction house or even on ebay, to always inquire before bidding about the possibility of "plastic leekage" from the sheets onto the cards.

ML
 

great news!!!!

all the best,
barry

Brian

Thanks for the information. As other members have said, helps me to see how auction houses resolve any issues such as these.

Frank

Memory Lane isn't just classy -- they're suave as well.

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Blue Velvet is a great flick.