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Posted By: Hankron

Personally, I think one of the best things to prevent this stuff is to have published in a widely popular magazine, like Tuff Stuff or Beckett, an article on common sense tips to avoiding baseball cards scams. I would hapilly write such an article, and it would involve easy tips and common sense stuff (buy a Beckett Almanac or Standard Catalog, recommended forums to ask questions, avoid Private auctions, how to differentiate between good and bad graders, etc).

The problem is that unless it was published in that type of magazine, it would mostly be read by people who already knowledgeable. I learned a lot about human beings when I published a small booklet on news service photographs. The people who were most likely to buy it were the ones who already knew the most about photographs. While the people who needed it the most, didn't buy it. Not only does this explain how the knowledgeable got to know so much, but that many beginners have to have advise shoved down their throats before they'll even notice it.

If any of those three contacted me, I will happily write such an article. I also know which side of my bread is buttered, and if Beckett contacts first I naturally will recommend the Beckett Almanac and if Tuff Stuff contacts first I will recommend the Standard Catalog.

If no one contacts me, I won't write it. It's as simple as that.