eBay Seller tobeeecat

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Posted By: Gary B.

He has a website here: http://shoppingxs.com/oldcards

Also, he sells on ebay under the name tobeeecat - i keep seeing his auctions and am interested, but am hesitant to bid since he has a 98.1% rating - LOTS of positives, but a good few negs too - also he had adamsdad give him a positive rating - not a good sign.

Anyone dealt with this person? Would love to bid on some stuff of his from time to time, but I'm always in doubt. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

from Brian before. No problems...........

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

I bought a Waite Hoyt Butterfinger Premium from him and had no problems at all. He shipped promptly once he received my money order and did a good job of packing, which was really important since those are right up there with T222's for being fragile.

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Posted By: Brad Freeman

I had one transaction with him and it was fine. Quick shipment of ungraded item that was exactly as descrilbed.

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Posted By: Gary B.

That's good enough from me. I LOVE this board...

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Posted By: WARSHAWLAW

he is an honest seller but his written auction descriptions are rather abbreviated and do not give details about condition that may be important to you.

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Posted By: Gary B.

i have asked for better scans on an auction of interest..

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Posted By: leon

Bless his heart he's out there making a living doing this stuff. I have met him once, spoken with him on the phone a few times, and done some deals with him. All were fine....he's one a them "yung un's" though...probably early thirties.....later

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Posted By: Gary B.

i asked for better scans for some auctions he had and he responded with "they are gorgeous" - that's it, no hi or bye, no scans, just three words. i e-mailed him back trying to see if can get more info or at least if he just cannot or will not present scans so i know definitively, but it is a bit of an odd response.

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Posted By: Ben

I've had a less than positive experience with Brian Cataquet. I was the seller in this particular situation, and from start to finish, Brian was exceedingly incompitent. Since then, I've blocked him from bidding on any of my future auctions, and would be hesitant to bid on any of his. Gary, email me if you'd like further details.

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Posted By: runscott

but he never responded to my emails.

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Posted By: tbob

I never had a problem with him in the past but recently
I emailed him a couple of times about a lot of P2 pins which appeared a week or two ago on ebay, simply requesting the last names of the players since the scan was so small, but he never responded.
Not a great way to do business...

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Posted By: Gary B.

While initially encouraged by some people's apparent positive experiences with this guy, I've been hearing some negatives here too.

When I asked him for scans and he replied with "they are gorgeous." I wrote him again asking if it was possible to get scans as there were several auctions of his I was interested in and it would really help, but it wasn't necessarily a make it or break it deal as he did have scans on the auctions themselves, but I wanted better ones. I asked him to let me know if he couldn't provide better scans because even that would help me decide if I wanted to bid or not.

His response to all that: "SURE"

WTF? This guy is coming off a little too flaky for me unfortunately. Some nice cards, but it seems like I'd be gambling my money on someone a little unstable. I'd be very happy to be wrong about him, but it isn't going well so far...

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Posted By: Gary B.

I think I'll give him a call over the week-end and see if I can suss him out a little better to determine how stable he sounds.

This is such a pain. He has auctions of items I'd really be interested in, he is NOT a scammer, but he apparently isn't that stable either - very frustrating!

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Posted By: Brian McQueen

I've heard some negative things about him from a few people. Mostly along the lines of him failing to properly ship an item or pay for an item in a reasonable manner. I believe some of the negative feedback he's received recently backs a lot of this up. Also, I have noticed that his item descriptions leave you with a really vague feeling and can tell you very little in some cases. Oddly enough, he seems to spend more time in his descriptions promoting himself rather than whatever it is he's selling. I'm not saying stay away entirely, I'm just saying to proceed somewhat cautiously....

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Posted By: Gary B.

You know, just to clarify, I seem to remember sending another e-mail to Brian asking if he combines shipping, and I think when he said, "SURE," he was responding to this. My apologies. It's confusing because when he responds to my e-mails, he doesn't attach the original, he just sends his response on its own, so I didn't know what he was responding to, and I completely forgot I had sent that other e-mail asking about shipping. Still a bit odd, but much less so.

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Posted By: Paul

I bought one card from him. He did fail to mention that there was paper seperation on the back. I did get a refund eventually. That is my experience for what it is worth.

Paul

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Posted By: Mike Williams

I know Brian from some years ago and I found him to be a "good guy" but his customer service/grading could be better. He used to help Festberg out quite a bit...but don't hold that against him

Request better scans and ask about his return policy...if he balks at either one, walk.

Take care all,

Mike

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I purchased an N310 from him described as vg. In actuality, it had a big paper pull on the back not described in the auction and was fair at best. So, if you are interested in condition on the cards you are contemplating, do not buy w/o complete scans.

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Posted By: chris n

I had a problem with him after buying some cards which I paid for promptly. When I e-mailed him he threatened to leave negative feedback for me even though I paid immediately. He was very immature in his e-mails and I would never deal with him again.

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Posted By: Paul

Here's my two cents. I've ordered a few things from him. Most items were fine. One was a little disappointing - a premium photo from the 50s where he didn't mention that the original youthful owner had a lot of fun on the blank back of the photo.

Very recently, I had a positive experience. I bought an N28 Ward with 100% back damage. It was described as missing the back, and I was concerned it might be skinned. He responded, fairly cryptically, that it was a full thickness card. I was a little nervous because his response was so difficult to understand, but the card turned out to be great - and only $49.

I think the bottom line is that he's got bad communications skills. For what it's worth, he is a longtime advertiser in SCD and I believe has been featured in one or two SCD articles.

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

If you plan on bidding it sounds like it is at your own risk. I have asked for better scans, no response. He color enhances his scans on ebay, so he obviously knows what he is doing. I now I have transactions with him in the past that were good, but from the sounds of it it is a disaster waiting to happen.

The Festberg link might explain alot of his problems, hopefully he wasn't his mentor.

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Posted By: brian p

I agree with Paul in that I believe Brian Cataquet has bad communication skills--I have never had any problems with him on several transactions, but sometimes he has responded to email inquiries with just a word or two, and I have received emails that just have the dollar total (something like '$15.50') and his address, that's it, for my winnings.

Also, his grading of cards can be what I like to refer to as the East Coast old school grading, and I am not surprised he was at one time associated with Festberg. Being a lower grade collector, that doesn't bother me that much; I just bid accordingly.

Brian

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Posted By: murcerfan

my few e-bay "wins" included an unmentioned trim and an unnoticed tear

.. possibly an alumnus of the Verkman school of card grading.

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Posted By: dennis

when i first started to sell some cards on ebay,i would grade a card nm or ex/mt ex+ and get emails, something on this order.are there any creases,rips,writing on card? at first,i was offended,(i said nm?)but after a while i realized what had happened to these buyers.but still its hard to grade a card ex+ and have to say NO CREASES,CLEAN BACK ETC...but on ebay you have to.scans can lie and tell me...auction house card pics aren't color(bright) enhanced!

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Posted By: Gary B.

brian sent me a more complete response. this is definitely a "tread carefuly" person to deal with from all i've gathered here:

"hello sir, all the scans are up and its the best i can do. i can tell you that these cards are very nice & have been in my collection for
the last 11 years. they were purchased 11 years ago. they are all very nice; i can tell you satisfaction guaranteed & if you are unhappy ill refund $$ if you win anything happy collecting! i explained each cards grade in the description. also read my "me" icon next to tobeeecat so you can feel more secure take care

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I'm not sure I'd ever buy from him again. Isn't worth the trouble.

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Posted By: Tim N

I wouldn't call Brian dishonest, but he definitely cuts corners. Overgrades and overhypes his cards, and his customer service is abysmal.

I operate under this principle with him: if it's something I REALLY want, I'll consider bidding. Otherwise, I stay away.

Tim

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Posted By: runscott

I asked about some cards that didn't receive any bids, and he ignored my email. That, and the ridiculous auction descriptions have me convinced he isn't really that interested in selling anything.

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Posted By: Anonymous

He claims to have discovered several previously uncatalogued cards. One of them (I forget which one) he had purchased on eBay about a week prior to his listing it. The seller had indicated it was uncatalogued. It's OK to make a profit reselling; just don't take the credit.

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Posted By: 823dek

I tried a few years back to buy a E103 Cobb that he had posted in a back section of a SCD, he stated that he thought someone was interested and the card was on hold ...I said that i'd buy it right now and he'd said he would wait for this person's reply ...nothing came of it !

It is obvious that he wants to be a "MAJOR PLAYER", but works at TGIF FRIDAYS or whatever and is a lack of deficiency attention type person player and needs all sorts of attention, afterall... isn't it he who always states that he is on the acknowlegement board of the price guides ?

Tim - you state that you wouldn't call him dishonest ?...hmmm...overgrades , overhypes, ABYSMAL...wouldn't call that being a saint !

He has never made it out of the back pages of the SCD , so he doesn't need to boast about cards that he wished he had.


Pat him on the butt and tell him that you'll trade the Billy Ripken FF card that he gave to the price boys for a Hillary Clinton signed baseball bat and he will feel like the man .

GOOD LUCK COLLECTING !

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Posted By: Gary B.

in auctions he had, I never had the guts to bid on any of them after all this feedback. Shame too - nice looking material, but not worth the hassle...

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Posted By: runscott

He finally did respond to one of my emails, and he seems to have a good sense of humor.

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Posted By: BRIAN CATAQUET

I just wanted to respond to all of the critics out there. First of all, I would like to thank you all for your criticism. To all of good collectors who left nice remarks, it is always a pleasure doing business with you. There are a few things that I would like to clear up. This will be my 1st and only email to the forum. we will start with 1)my name and reputation in the business. Briefly, without getting into detail with my NAME and REP., READ MY "ME" ICON NEXT TO TOBEEECAT ON EBAY- THE FACTS ARE THE FACTS!! MY ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE LISTED FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS. 2) COMMUNNICATION SKILLS- I am sorry that I cannot get to every collector's needs. I get over a hundred emails every couple of days with 75-100 collectors asking me questions. I am only a one man operation. my main goal is to find the material and list it with the exact detail of the item for the public. that goes with my email response to you. In other words, when you ak me a question, I give exact answers. Example "Does this card have a crease?" answer "no crease on card" or "does it have back damage?" answer "no back damage". It is right to the point...I answered the question. If you have a problem with the way I answer questions, feel free to contact me directly at (718) 428-5672. 3) as for scanning an item...Since I am listing atleast 80 items a week (sometimes more) it is easier for me to get my work done quicker by combining small items on one scan. One guy wrote something like I "color enhance my scans". Look at all my scans! They have never been color enhanced...I don't know what he is talking about. That is an untrue statement 4) Another untrue statement...Responding to 823DEK, the E-103 Cobb guy (I have no clue who he is...must be new to the hobby, not a veteran)...This person is not saying the truth. I have only had 1 E-103 Cobb in my life and that was around 6 years ago. It sold to a collector for $400 in a showcase ad. who will remain nameless in California. If anyone wants proof of this, contact me directly at my #. 5) responding to BEN on 10/01...this guy states that I purchased something from him. I rarely buy on ebay and when I buy, I send payment ASAP. I do not recall buying anything from BEN. If BEN could call me and possibly tell me what I have purchased from him, then we could have a nice discussion about it. 6) Grading...I am from the old school. I have been around and picked up a lot of things from the pioneers of our business (and if it wasn't for them, there would be no business) since 1983 where I did my first show helping out a pioneer who is no longer with us. Many of them have been extremely successful. I grade a card the way I have learned to grade a card for 21 years. longer then PSA, SGC, and all the grading services that are out there and making millions of dollars from collectors who pay and rely on a 3rd party eye. Most aren't even collectors in the field. As you guys know, grading is subjective. All I could say to you is that all of my items are SATISFACTION GAURANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK!!! And last of all, to answer the topic question "Is Brian Cataquet legit?" of course I am legit...I have been around a long time and I'll say it again...SATISFACTION GAURANTEED ON YOUR CARD OR ITEM OR YOUR MONEY BACK!!!!
happy collecting to all
TOBEEECAT

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Posted By: dennis

he gets 100 emails from collectors every other day. also,it takes an extra minute to say hi and thank-you--to potential buyers,just common business sense and good manners. 20 years ago there was not much of a price difference between ex+ and nm "FLASH" today there's a HUGE difference. because of this attitude thats way we have 3rd party graders.

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Posted By: Bill Cornell

For anyone who wants to post here, please make sure to identify yourself - it's only fair to Brian, who has come here to respond to a few criticisms.

And "Rea" - you're not helping by posting and not making yourself known.

Bill

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Posted By: barrysloate

I'd actually like to take Bill's comment one step further- I've been following the board for months and I don't really know who anyone is. Nearly everyone uses a pet username but how is someone to know with whom he is communicating? Wouldn't it be helpful if everyone attached their name to their post?

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Posted By: Brian McQueen

I think the forum is currently set up so that both your login name (nickname) as well as your full name and email address may be displayed. It's just a matter of remembering to login and then fill out each of those fields when making a post.

I personally have kept my "Shammus" moniker when posting here because it helps others to distinguish who I am from the other 5-6 "Brians" that post to this forum. In addition, my screen name here matches my Ebay ID, so I can be easily recognized by Net 54 members in that community and vice versa.

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Posted By: Lee Behrens

Brian,

A suggestion:

Have better descriptions and better scans in your auctions and you will do get 100 emails a day. The time you spend doing this will be made up in the increased bidding you will recieve. I personally have got to the point of ignoreing your auctions because of this and your lack of response to emails. I have boought from you in the past to satisfaction but your history set up alot of red flags that could be cleared up by this suggestion.


Gauranteeing a card is great and expected but that also means the buyer usually is out the postage coming and going. Who wants to go throough the hassle.

If in fact you do not alter the color on your scans to enrich them you better get your scanner fixed. The last scan that I looked at in one of your auctions was rich in Blue and Yellow, which happened to be the color of a few of the cards. It's no big deal to me, but it looks like a woman with too much makeup.

If you truly are interested in selling a good product with the least amount of hassle you seem to have alot of items people on this board are interested in but the way you preseent them and yourself has room for improvement. I for one would be more than willing to be on your auctions if you had better scans and descriptions.

I hope you heed the suggestions,

Lee

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Posted By: Gary B.

There are many of your auctions I would have bid on had these slight problems been cleared up. I truly believe you'd be making a lot more money and getting much better word of mouth if you improve the presentation. The extra time and energy this takes should be more than made up for in the results it will bring you.

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Posted By: dan mckee

I have known Brian for years, he is a nice, honest guy. His ebay rating is destroyed 98% but I buy from him with no worries at all. We have always had fair deals. Dan.

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Posted By: Eric

I also wanted to add that Brian is an honest seller. Never the best description, or the best scans, or even a winning bid email that describes the lot I've just won. But the cards always arrive quickly..as seen in the lot, and in the condition seen in the scan he posts.

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Posted By: Judge Dred

Observations made from this thread:

Seller could do a better job with his scans, desctiptions and emails. Also may be a bit liberal on his grading standards.

So the outcome of this is that the seller responded and stated his case -

The seller's reason for the small scans and short email responses is that he has many items for auction and receives many emails regarding the items for auction which results in a limited amount of time to answer all emails and post better scans and descriptions. The seller also stated (and he is correct) that grading is subjective (one persons VG/EX is anothers EXMT - unfortunately).


Seller does offer a satisfaction guarantee on his sales.

Any suggestions for the seller (for example):

Better scans could result in better bids and alleviate a lot of bidder anxiety about having to return it because of dissatisfaction. Also, better scans could reduce the amount of emails regarding the condition of the cards for auction. It's always best to disclose creases and not rely on grading standards to "cover the bases". Just because the grading standard states that VG could have creases doesn't mean that people assume all VG cards have
creases.