Posted By:
markWow...seeing the activity on this board the past couple of days, if I ever go into business selling vintage cards I'll be extra sure to keep on the good side of you guys!!!
I've had two very different experiences with Steve. The first was similar to yours, Jim, where I bought two cards at auction that were listed in Ex condition, but had paper loss on the backs and creases. I called, returned the cards, and got a refund with no problem at all (interestingly, I saw them again later for sale in VG condition). Since that time I have always assumed that everything was one level over-graded and bid accordingly.
Later, I bought a 1986-87 Fleer Basketball near-set. The problem was that the four cards used in the catalog picture weren't included. I do believe that the folks at CS Auctions went to some effort to find them but couldn't. I called frequently for the first few months, and while they did find one of the four cards and sent it to me, I kept being told that it was hard to find individual cards in comparable condition...yet they've sold many, many 1986-87 sets and partial sets since. They rarely called back, and eventually I just gave up, stopped calling, stopped buying, and stopped bidding.
I agree that for better or worse it all comes down to customer service, and that customer experiences and recommendations carry a lot of weight.