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Old 11-01-2007, 01:05 PM
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Default OT, eBay NPB strike

Posted By: davidcycleback

It should be noted that saying "Selling as reprints" is not the rhetorical equivalent to "These are reprints." Per eBay rules, the equivalent of "These are reprints" is "These are reprints." "Selling as reprints" is a rhetorical ploy where the seller doesn't actually say what he are selling, even though he usually know exactly what they are selling. And if he really doesn't know if the lot is real or reprint, he's breaking eBay rules by offering it for sale in the first place-- as eBay requires sellers to know and state what they are auctioning.

I've known of folks who bought homemade fakes from scammers, and when you read the auction description the seller never said anywhere that the card was genuine. The seller typically used a lot of rhetorical mumbo jumbo and disclaimers and 'local card shop owner said' and 'looks real but to selling as reprint,' all insinuating but never actually saying the card is genuine. That's why an important rule for bidders is to bid in an auction where the seller clearly states what the item is for sale. Not insinuates, not suggests, not touches on, but states. "This is a genuine 1956 Topps Willie Mays" is a statement of identity. "This is a reprint" is a statement of identity. "Selling as a reprint" isn't. "Selling as a reprint" doesn't say the item is original, but it doesn't say its reprint either. It doesn't state what it is. I've used a book "as a" hammer and I've used a wash cloth "as a" tooth brush, but I won't tell you that a book is a hammer and a wash cloth as a tooth brush. On eBay as in life, "as" isn't a synonym for "is." The bidder should say, "Why cares what you're selling it as. What is it?"

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