A pet peeve
 

It is bad enough that there's at least one poster who doesn't include any scans when posting cards for sale, but I want to know why when someone posts a card (or cards) they don't include scans of BOTH sides of the card? I get tired of posting for the back of the card. Is it me, or is this just some marketing ploy I am not seeing? I would think posting both sides of a card, or photo, or anything else would increase the possibility of a sale?

Thanks...

hi tom your so right I don't mind asking them to email it to me ,,but if you put a scan up it makes life much nicer just my point of view ,,net 54 rocks

Backs
 

As a buyer only, and one who collects variants that can involve fronts or backs, I like sellers who offer back scans. But since I do not sell on ebay or a web site, I have no appreciation or understanding of the time and expense of providing them, particularly if you are a large volume seller

Even if you are a large volume seller, you should still put the care and effort into every listing. I have sold in the past, and hope to do so in the future, and I always give more information and scans so there are no problems later.

I also love it when a seller states "miscut back" then doesn't show the back!

I sell off doubles on ebay, and depending on the type of scanner used, there is no added time to show a scan of both the front and back in the listing. The scanner I previously used was an older model and required me to physically scan both the front and back of each card, and this was obviously more time consuming(took twice as long). The scanner I use now scans front and back and then auto numbers the scans which allows for easy insertion of the images into the listing. With my newer scanner, it takes me the same amount of time to scan and add the image of the front to the listings as it does to scan and add both the front and back to the listing.

My guess is that the sellers who do not offer an image of the back in their listings, either do not have a scanner that can scan f/b on one pass(and choose not to spend the extra time to add the back's scan), or have a scanner that does f/b scans but do not understand how to do so.

My guess is that the sellers who do not offer an image of the back in their listings, either do not have a scanner that can scan f/b on one pass(and choose not to spend the extra time to add the back's scan), or have a scanner that does f/b scans but do not understand how to do so.[/QUOTE]

Or they are simply lazy.

I really love those who sell postcards and don't show the backs. Especially when they have been postmarked and sent. This is vital to the history of the card.

I hate in when sellers delete the entire post after it is sold. I also don't like it when sellers remove the prices after the item sells. I can kinda understand the second one incase the buyer wants to resell it.

I like to use the past sales in the BST section to know what items sell for even if I can't afford them.

Amen to that. If an item sells, the final hammer price should be left up to see what the value is.

Sorry, I have to disagree with both issues. I buy and sell cards. Couldn't care less what the back looks like unless there is some sort of damage. I don't collect what's on the back, just what's on the front. As far as posts deleted after the sale, it's none of anybody's business but the seller and buyer what transpired between them. "I want to use your information for my benefit" is what I'm hearing. Too bad. Sorry if that comes off a bit rough but that's the way it works. I sold it, it's only my info what I got and now it's the other guy's item, now it's only his business what he paid. You can't access ebay sales info after 6 months, how's that any different?

If an auction is public, the information should be left up. If you want to keep it your business, then sell privately. Yes EBay keeps auctions for 6 months, but that is because of the high volume of auctions. There are web sites where you can access EBay auction results long after the auction closes. After all is it public record.

As for the back of the card, that plays into the condition of the card. Would you buy a car without looking at the engine? I want to see it all, before I pluck down my hard earned Benjamin's.

I have to admit to being spoiled. I have attained the bulk of my collection at shows, where I have the card in hand and can see the front and back before committing.

I understand your points. Buyers want as much info as possible to make an informed decision and sellers want as little info as possible available so people can't make an informed decision and overpay.

I know as a former seller I loved finding uninformed buyers.

depends for me. if it's a .25 common, I could care less. don't get me wrong, it's certainly a positive and I am more inclined to purchase from a seller when I know exactly what the card entails on both sides...

however. if it's a card of certain said value I expect high rez scans of both sides! period.

what really bugs me though if a seller has a card of say $1000+ and posts a listing w. pics taken from a zack morris flip phone from a mile away.

hard to see the card attributes, see if the flip or even the card itself is real! ...but I can certainly make out that faux granite counter top they used as a backdrop and the "next" button.

I have not bothered to bid on cards that I would have, had both sides been scanned. Sellers are leaving money on the table by not spending the minimal amount of extra effort to provide back scans.
--tim

Can you please mention what kind of scanner you use? I would love to make my life easier if I choose to post scans of both sides of the cards.

And I love spending money on new toys, so a 2 sided scanner would be awesome.

Rob, the scanner I use is a Fujitsu Scan Snap s1500... it has been worth every penny.

That must crease the cards as they go around the corner to the outfeed right? It may be ok for really thin stuff like 81 Donruss, but I don't think I'd run anything expensive through there.

Steve B

I have run 1000s and 1000s of cards through with never a hint of a blemish on a card caused by the scanner(I tested many beater cards before sending anything of value through). Just think about how cards ended up in their original packaging......by a machine. Think about all of the high grade cards pulled out of packs, all after they were handled/packed by a machine. And yes, there are some cards that were damaged during the packing process, but there were many, many more that went through the process just fine. This scanner is likely much, much gentler than the equipment used to pack cards.

Now, mostly what I run through the scanner are lower priced, mid grade 1950-70s commons...cards like 81 Donruss do not go through as easy as your typical commons due to their (starchy) finish. Much glossier or more rigid (post 1990) cards do not go through at all....at least for me. Vending type cards I run through in small groups or even one at a time, where mid grade commons from the 60s I can run a stack of about a dozen through at a time. Some of the early 50s cards (off grade) I run through one or two at a time also due to their rigidity.