Small Traditions? Anyone had issues?

[Piquettethecat]

My brother and I purchased a handful of things in a recent Small Traditions auctions. I was stunned by how they shipped the cards—when we got them, a nice lot of 53 Topps, the cards were partially out of the sleeves, a ruined Jackie Jansen among a dozen or so cards just flopping around. The case for a Lee Smith rookie was cracked. It was a mess.

So we reached out. Once. Twice. Three times. Called. Nothing. Crickets.

Anyone else had this experience with them? Shipping problems happen, but the lack of any response is disappointing.



https://imgur.com/a/whfEiNv

[bobbyw8469]

I am looking at their most recent auction. I don't see any Lee Smith rookies that are graded in their auction. I also don't see any raw 1953 Topps. Do you have a link of what you won?

[Rhotchkiss]

I am not 100% positive, but I feel like Small Traditions was outed by BODA as being a potential (and if so significant) card doctor. So you may have more than one type of condition issue.

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

I am not 100% positive, but I feel like Small Traditions was outed by BODA as being a potential (and if so significant) card doctor. So you may have more than one type of condition issue.

They were!

Fortunately I had only purchased a half dozen cards from them - after measuring and magnifying them I found 1 that was clearly trimmed (and graded by PSA) - a 1964 PSA 9 Kahns Clemente. I contacted them - they took it back and promptly refunded me.

[999Tony]

Recommend that anyone considering buying from small traditions read the entire thread on blowout about small traditions before purchasing anything. I have no other information but there is a lot on the blowout thread.

[Piquettethecat]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I am looking at their most recent auction. I don't see any Lee Smith rookies that are graded in their auction. I also don't see any raw 1953 Topps. Do you have a link of what you won?

The auction is actually not the last one, but the one previous to the last one. Materials took forever to get to us.

I posted this yesterday and shockingly today we finally got a response. They say every auction house in the world packs their cards in binder sleeves and sending across the Canadian/US border must have somehow caused all the cards to fall out of the sleeves.

Right.

Anyway, they did offer to fix the situation, even if it took 6 weeks of emails to get it done. So that's something.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Piquettethecat

...and sending across the Canadian/US border must have somehow caused all the cards to fall out of the sleeves.

Yeah that Canada /USA border has this mystic property, similar to the Bermuda Triangle, where cards fall out of their holders flying in the Fed Ex plane.

[Piquettethecat]

I've done plenty of US/Canada business, both sending and receiving. I don't believe there's a mystery vortex that bumps cards out of the sleeves and wrecks some of the best cards. Sloppiness.

Interestingly, after nearly two months of no replies, I put up a note on here yesterday and suddenly we received a reply and offer of some money back to make it right. I also posted at them on Twitter, and given my background, I actually have a relatively sizeable following, so that surely helped.

Anyway, I'd forgotten the BO Cards note. Should pay more careful attention.