What do you guys like/not like to see in a Vintage Seller?
 

What do you guys like to see when it comes to a Vintage Seller on eBay? (Or anywhere for that matter? I’ll start…

I like to see:

FREE Shipping
Quality Photos
Ship within 2-3 business days
Wide selection in years and sports offered
Buy it now (with best offer) vs Auctions

I don’t like to see:

Stock photos of vintage cards!
Vintage sellers saying vintage is 1987-1992 Topps!
Sellers that don’t respond to questions

Would love to hear your guys thoughts and opinions. I appreciate you all

I often use Free Shipping on eBay. I like it as a seller because it is the lazy way to do it. It makes it so you don't have/need to combine shipping. As a buyer I am not a fan if buying multiple things from the same seller.

One of the things I hate is people putting pamphlets in with the card(s) I bought. I don't care about your make believe religion or that you are 50 and still play D&D, I don't need to know how to join in.

Greg Morris has it nailed down. I am rarely disappointed…. and when I am he accepts returns and refunds immediately upon receipt. Greg Morris is a class act.



I avoid sellers that:

Don’t want to accept returns.
Don’t show pix of back.
Don’t disclose damage to slabs.
Don’t answer questions.
Don’t know what they are selling.
Don’t take quality pix.
Overpriced shipping.
Overpriced BIN with ridiculous overpriced email offers.
Sellers that don’t combine ship.
Cards that haven’t sold in 1yr +.

Sellers that block because they feel they were lowballed…. blocking accomplishes nothing. It can be easily bypassed. But I do appreciate the block because now I know what kind of person they are.

Sellers that deny photographic evidence of obvious damage.

Sellers that refuse to partial refund on damage when the buyer is willing to live with it. It’s not the buyers fault that the seller chose to misrepresent condition whether it was voluntary or not.

This was moved from a different forum as it has to do with vintage sellers.
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Personally I like big front and back scans. Their time on ebay, and feedback, also helps. Good packaging is important as I have had many items ruined because of crappy packing.
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I think everything has more or less been covered on the online front.

I will say though, when I buy vintage in person, at a card show for an example, I typically look at the smaller booths first. Especially if the people running the booths are a bit older. Don't ask me why, I've just had better experiences in the past :D

Thank you guys for your thoughts on this! I appreciate it very much.

I also had a seller that blocked me when I asked a question about what his best price was on a card! Some sellers have attitudes! But at least I know where not to spend my hard earned cash!

I forgot to mention, don’t you hate it when sellers put a card on a bubble mailer with no penny sleeve, no too loader nothing! Just the raw card in a bubble mailer unprotected!

Seconded. I've had nothing but positive transactions with Greg

Great list! I'd add to it:

Ebay sellers who counter your offer with, like, five dollars off on a $500 BIN

Ebay sellers who can't be bothered to set an auto-reject for offers and then get offended/nasty at a good faith, not-unreasonable offer

I agree.

My biggest request for an in person seller is that cards be priced.

Nailed it
Spot On

I like to give cards away once in a while ,it makes me happy

I don't sell much vintage on ebay, I generally sell other lower priced items, but I do run fairly regular vintage auctions of unique items (high numbers, short prints, lots, signed cards, etc). I use as many of my 12 photos as I can. But, I do charge for shipping. It's $3.75 and in general I lose a few cents on it. But if I do free shipping with my BINs, it discourages multiple items from being bought since shipping is factored into the price.

Just to add a couple of things...

1. Using Scotch tape or packaging tape.
A painter's tape shortage? Unsettling to see Scotch tape used to secure a card in a top loader. I also had an experience where the seller used 2 top loaders to hold 1 oversized card, taped the two holders together, but in shipping came undone and the tape ruined the surface of the card... I got a rebate, but still, c'mon now.

2. Doesn't bother removing card from a scratched up holder before taking pictures.
Some might find a deal that way, when others are scared off by the bad photo in an abused screw-down holder. Some sellers will respond with additional pictures, but if they don't, I'm probably better off to just move along.

Like just about everyone, I enjoy fast shipping.

I dislike when delivered cards are over taped and oddly packaged.

2019 prices.


Ba Dum Tsss...

I actually want to see HIGH shipping charges.

I don't think most people are dumb enough to ignore the shipping, and bid/buy based on total price to them. I calculate price+shipping+tax for everything and make my decisions based on that figure. Shipping fees are not subject to sales tax, which is over a 10% rate for me.

A card for $25 and free shipping costs me more than a card for $21 and $4 shipping. I like to see big shipping charges in an auction, the more of the cost applied there the less my total price is.

Speaking of tape, I hate it when I receive a card in an envelope that has been completely covered in tape. It may seem like it would be a good idea when it is raining for days, but man is it a pain to get the envelope open when there is no opening for a knife or letter opener.

I also hate to see every listing for prewar cards on ebay with the word rare in the description. It isn't rare when there are 3-10 more copies of the card available, especially if you are selling the other 3-10 copies.

As far as shipping goes if the seller doesn't combine shipping, I will buy one card unless the shipping is a dollar or less. When I finished my T87 set one seller had 7 of the last 8 cards I needed but didn't combine shipping at $3 each on $1 cards. Another seller had 7 cards I needed and did combine shipping. Guess who got the money.

I also hate that ebay taxes shipping and doesn't give out ebay bonus bucks for shipping that they tax you for. Which is why when bonus bucks are available, I try to buy something with free shipping to increase the bonus bucks I earn, which usually only become available after I buy something expensive.

I dislike overgrading of condition and or vague or nonstandard verbiage to describe cards.
There are many big name sellers on eBay that consistently over grade by 1-2 grades on vintage raw. For example they describe the vintage card as near mint to mint etc and you can clearly see from the scans or images that the card is 1-2 graded lower by psa sgc standards. I can not see myself purchasing from these businesses. This also happens all the time on the bst boards. I am mostly in the 50s-70s sections. Condition is overstated a high percentage of the time. Another dislike on eBay social media and these boards is poor image quality of items being offered for sale trade.

Do you guys like auctions vs buy it now?

Who are the big time sellers on eBay? I know Greg Morris must be #1 and deans cards and the batters box are pretty big. But those are the only three I know. Any others?

Also, does it bother anyone when sellers use a fluorescent color background on their item listings like a fluorescent pink or yellow or green? Greg Morris uses blue and bathers box uses black which I think are the standard. Which color background do you prefer? Thanks

I tend to view it this way. Sellers (especially at card show) have a ton of extra costs behind the scenes. These include fees, travel, food, lodging, shipping materials, shipping costs. So when I see a price, I tend to only ask what is their best price? That will dictate whether I get the card.

Makes big scans. NOT cell phone photos unless the item is oversized.

Packs properly. A raw toploader or card saver is NOT standard of care. Unless I am selling via the eBay $0.79 1st class envelope for a cheap card, I use cardboard and a mailer.

Uses blue tape. I try not to wreck the holder for the buyer or make extracting the card like busting into Fort Knox.

ebay sellers?
 

I'm tempted to say that the thing I dislike most about ebay sellers, is that
they are using ebay to sell:). However, that snide response dodges the
intent of the question...

I used ebay consistently until the early 2000s, then it fell out of favor with
me due to the standard reasons people often cite- which are profound
enough to have driven me away by themselves. The biggest
issue about many ebay sellers for me, however, is that too many have
"flipped" basic selling concepts on their heads, to make it easier on
themselves. Too many think the idea that "the customer is always right" is
somehow absurd or profane, for starters. Some sellers answer a specific
(and common) question about a card by replying "I don't know much about
cards" or "I'm not comfortable answering you". I like to reply, "Then I'm
not comfortable buying" or "When you are asking Mint price for an item,
you need to understand what the term actually means". Then there are
sellers who don't bother answering at all- really smart! In short, many
sellers forget that they need buyers a LOT more than the buyer "needs"
them. It's a basic concept that has sadly been lost to many on that venue.

Trent King

If the seller...

- shows pictures of back
- discloses damage to slabs
- answers questions
- knows what they are selling
- take quality pix
- only charges cost for shipping
- does not overprice their items, and
- combines shipping

Why would you be looking to return a card?

Sellers, by their nature, are trying to sell something. I get that.

Still, it irks me when they use FIRE emojis, buzz words, and other "tactics" to draw attention to their listings. It seems like a condensed version of auction-listing-puffery.

If the item you're selling is priced fairly, it will sell without any of that.

When someone advertises "we are not professional graders, and grading is subjective" this tells me they over-grade and overprice cards.

For vintage I typically buy from sellers that combine shipping or even give free shipping when you hit threshold. Below is an example. All of these cards had $3 shipping. However, once I bought $35 the shipping was free. Getting 11 Red/Blue Backs that I need for $43 is a great deal IMO. The Billy Johnson Blue Back was the most expensive card, and it is in bad shape, but with these not popping up very often raw and for a decent price, I will buy $6 Blue Backs all day long if they don't have paper loss. So, I like BIN, combined shipping, and quality images.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...24d80746e2.jpg

My pet-peeve is when the seller simply states the painfully obvious TPG number grade in the description, and nothing else. Very annoying when they're too lazy to minimally describe is condition.

As an example, creases/wrinkles often do not show up in their provided scans, yet are rarely even described or disclosed. And if the seller fails to answer a very straight-forward question, I just move on to something else. Seems to happen at least 30% of the time.

I had a funny eBay experience just the other day... Made an offer, offer sat there with no response, and then expired. Messaged the seller and asked for their best price, they responded with "why don't you just make me an offer?"

🤣

Any answers to my last post? Thanks

I prefer BIN's and typically that is when I get the best prices. People get carried away on auctions, especially with Greg Morris cards.

I stay away from Greg Morris and Deans cards. Way too expensive compared to other sellers. I know people trust them, but the markup for that trust is insane. There are many sellers for vintage I trust on eBay and they do a great job disclosing issues and giving a decent grade on the card.

I prefer black for the backgrounds, but really don't care. The quality of the image and card being out of the penny sleeve/top loader is the most important thing.

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts on this! I see some cards photo taken in a top loader and some have wild colored backgrounds and I’m like … no no no! I think a black background is just fine. Even though Greg Morris the leader in the vintage card industry uses a blue background!

I am fairly easy as a buyer.

I need quality front and back images and a seller rating of 99.7 or better, ship the card in 3 or 4 days ( people are busy I get that ), and what I deem reasonable pricing then I am good to go.

Free shipping and returns are meaningless to me.

Small sellers on eBay I have taken chances and it has worked out extremely well for me, especially on cards from the 1970's. I bought a lot of cards in 2020 and 2021 when the boom happened with pictures only taken in scratched top loaders, disgusting snap cases, screw down holders, and yellowed top loaders. If a card looked like it had sharp corners through the disgusting plastic, I took a chance if my gut said it was ok and I made out many times. Got tons of PSA/SGC 7 through 10's of a lot of star rookie cards with this technique. Most people on eBay are great sellers and I find that most aren't trying to rip you off. My experiences on eBay have been pretty amazing from almost all the sellers I have bought from. From past sales history, comments, and items the seller has sold, you can really tell a lot about the character of the person and their intentions.

The biggest issue with new sellers is how they ship the cards. I don't care if they tape the top loaders or the small stuff people complain about. I had a beautiful 1952 Bowman card shipped to me in a padded envelope in a penny sleeve and a piece of paper folded around it. Thankfully it arrived to me in perfect condition. I emailed the seller with an email thanking them, but also telling them how they should ship cards.

That is such an outdated canard. The fact is that too many times (especially on the 'net) the customer is a rude, argumentative, self-centered, spoiled man-child who thinks that being an asshat is just fine because 'the customer is always right.' Well, they aren't and I won't put up with that sort of BS from anyone just because that person is a 'customer.'

Ebay sellers
 

Adam- great job of missing the point (I'm astonished.) I'll try easier words...

The problem with too many ebay sellers is that they somehow think the
potential customer should cater to them. Is that an "outdated canard"? Like
it or not, the customer is entitled to make sure 1) the product is as
advertised and 2) the seller has a triple digit IQ. After all, in many cases the
potential customer has no idea who the seller actually is. A buyer who tries
to achieve some small amount of confidence is NOT the issue. It's guys like
you, who are "bothered" to have to type- I know, it's exhausting- who cause
the issues. Are there bad buyers? Of course. But sellers who pop off from the
start are what get to me which, the last time I looked, was the nature of the
original post.

Trent King

Well, then we're both right aren't we?

A mixed group of things for me.

As others have said, good pictures, sensible shipping and combined shipping are a big plus.
As is a fairly concise description that mentions something not easy to see in a scan (which is apparently everything now so many people use the phone where every image is tiny)

But the bargain hunter in me wants the exact opposite.
Annoying description, garish color scheme, barely usable pics or worse, 1 cent start but crazy shipping.... anything that puts other people off a potential bargain.
By all means, PLEASE list more R300s simply as "old baseball card" with a blurry cell phone pic.
Or big lots of valuable bicycle parts with phrasing like "Campagnolo pump head 274 each" - Yes, it really was 274 of them, when they sell for 30-50 each! Plus bunches of other parts. and a 125 buy it now....


I also don't agree with "the customer is always right" but I replace it with "the customer has a right to have all reasonable questions and concerns addressed" And no, asking for a better scan, or asking a complex question with 5 minutes or less remaining is not reasonable. Neither is asking where you item is less than 12 hours after winning it, and days before your mailed payment has any chance of arriving..... Those I wait extra time to be able to answer politely.

My eBay listing screed:

OK, I've decided to make everything clear to everyone right up front by answering the main questions I have gotten on other listings before you ask them again:

--I am not interested in any offers unless I put in a Best Offer option. Please do not PM me asking for my "best price" or asking for an early end to the auction: the answer is "no". If you like the card and think the price is fair then bid on it; if you don't, just move along to a different card.

--I am well aware of what the market is for most anything I sell; trying to "educate" me on pricing is not a negotiation tool, it is just being a tool. Don't be a tool.

--Please don't share your opinion on whether the card is overgraded, undergraded, or graded just right, Goldilocks; I just don't care. Opinions are like...you know the rest.

--The photos are part of the description. Learn them. Know them. Live them.

--I am not going to tell you my opinion of the card. If you are grown-up enough to buy an expensive card then look at the nice big photos (usually 400 dpi scans), put on the big boy pants, and make your own decision. If that does not appeal to you, just move along to the next card.

--I do not know what PSA, SGC, BVG, CSG or any other TPG might grade it. If you want a graded card, then BUY ONE.

--I will not ship internationally except through the eBay Global Shipping Program. Look, I know it costs more than direct shipment but that's for my protection. There are many great, honest, trustworthy people outside the USA who would never dream of lying about not receiving an item, but there are some thieving pigs who lie about delivery and cheat hardworking sellers like me, so the good folks get the short end of things because of the scoundrels. Sorry.

--When you do contact me, a little basic courtesy is always appreciated and politely reciprocated; stupid messages are ignored, and nasty messages are ignored and then mercilessly mocked on hobby chat boards. I am a big mocker (those of you who speak Yiddish will appreciate that one).

--No Partial Refunds! Stuff happens, so if your item is damaged or non-conforming, please contact me. If your plan is to renegotiate the sale after the fact, however, don't bid, because I don't play that.

--I don't do sales tax fraud or customs fraud so don't even ask. Taxes are the price we pay for civilization. Just pay your taxes.

--I combine shipping for purchases with an automatic discount rule. Good for you, sucks for me...

--If I don't receive payment within four days of the close of an auction, I will cancel the sale and block you from further bidding in my auctions, unless you contact me, and we make other arrangements. Sometimes you want to bid on stuff that closes a few days later and save some shipping costs, sometimes stuff happens, which is fine, just let me know. Otherwise, man up and pay for what you purchased, player.

So, now that we're clear on that...

When I did shows in California during the 1988-1991 years, the main thing I did not like to see in a vintage seller was a huge gut protruding from a too-small t shirt.

There are still plenty of 'tm' (third trimester) guys in the hobby. These days it seems like most of them wear the XXXL jersey of an player who would top out 225 pounds max on a good day.

eBay
 

Adam- No, we aren't "both right". The original post topic was someone
seeking information about what annoys buyers/customers most, NOT
sellers. You just turned in two rants about what you dislike as a seller, you
went far afield...

I used the phrase "the customer is always right" not as a personal
manifesto, but instead to emphasize that too many sellers have abandoned
basic notions of buyer/ seller dynamics in commerce. Just imagine a
scenario in which you were the customer- at a restaurant, buying a new
lawnmower, looking for a pet. Answer honestly (to yourself, not to me- I
don't care) how you'd react if the seller vomited forth a laundry list of what
they wouldn't do to make the sale. This is precisely what you have done.

Lots of commenters are making reference to ebay in this thread, and rightly
so. It's common knowledge that ebay is closer to being an outhouse than a
penthouse for card folks. If it twerks you off that someone may actually
"bother" you with a question before they buy something from a stranger
who lives 1500 miles away, maybe you are in the wrong place. In any
case, on this venue perhaps you can start a "customer hatred" thread and
bash the lifeblood of your card enterprise. Sounds about as much fun as
waiting at the DMV, but have at it. Geesh...

Trent King

Wow, Trent, I guess someone has a case of The Mondays?

A customer walking into a store or restaurant would never engage in the shenanigans that we get with e-commerce. Would you pepper the clerks in a store with demands to reduce the price? Would you ever expect a store's management to accept your word that something was damaged and to give you a partial refund instead of insisting on bringing in the item for a full refund or replacement? Demand that the store not collect the sales tax? Bitch out a store manager because the store collected sales tax? Demand that the store fake customs paperwork? Buy an item with a stated shipping price, then insist that the seller reduce or waive it? Buy something at a place with an "all sales are final" stated policy, then demand that the seller accept a return NOT because there is something wrong with the item but because you just changed your mind a few days later? Insist that a seller honor a return after expiration of the return window? Nope. But these are the sorts of things that are typical behavior in e-commerce, especially eBay. The internet emboldens bad behavior, whether it is cards or politics.

What I want from an e-commerce seller is simple: good images and accurate identification of the item, prompt shipping in a secure package, stepping up and making good when something is wrong. We aren't dating, we aren't making friends, we aren't saving the manatees; we are engaging in a business deal, which I want executed in a businesslike manner on both sides. Period.

Buying and selling is a mutual exchange, not a one-way dictatorship. I publish my terms and conditions so that everyone has a clear understanding of the manner in which I conduct myself. If someone takes offense, they can buy somewhere else. If I offend enough people, my business will fail and the market will teach me a lesson. Guess what? It isn't. I've got lots of happy buyers because I use good images, accurately identify the item, promptly shipping in a secure package, and step up and make good when something is wrong.

I agree with this 1,000%. I have had some guys recently on one of the unnamed facebook groups trying to educate me on what my raw cards are worth. Player, I know what my cards are worth better than you.

On an added note, I DO base my prices on what I think it will grade at, and what I think it will bring. If that bothers people, then move along.

One more thing I would like to see from sellers and buyers both: honor the auction format. Sellers, finish the auction. Let it run. Buyers: don't complain on boards like this one that there are no auctions on eBay only to pitch a fit when a seller running an auction refuses to end it early because you offer him three bucks above the listing price.

This as well.....I have had cards go for peanuts on the dollar, and the buyers pay within seconds of the ending. For cards that have done quite well lately, it is like crickets from the buyer. I end up having to get the fees back and blocking the buyer, all because it might have set a new high.

Thanks. When you boil it down, all I am really saying is I won't cheat, won't lie, won't negotiate over an auction, and won't give one buyer an advantage over others by ending an auction early (unless the buyer is a friend and there are no bids yet; that exception I make). I may, on occasion, add a BIN to the mix, or list an item with a BIN/BO.

I'd say 90% of my listings are auctions with a $10 minimum bid, and the rest are auctions with higher minimums instead of a reserve. I like to let things play out. Sometimes I am disappointed in the outcome, most times the last three years, I am not.

I've had several of those too. One guy bid, reneged, NARU'd, then made up a new ID and won the card and reneged again. I ended up selling to the underbidder instead of relisting because I was afraid this twit would screw up my sale a third time if I relisted.

Geez it sounds like a complete nightmare to be a card seller on Ebay.

Completely agree. IMO, there are two types collectors in this market. 1) collectors who only collect and 2) collectors who both collect and re-sell.

Clearly some different prerogatives between these two groups can be seen here in this thread.