Babe Ruth auto card

[Yastrzemski Sports]

Originally Posted by Michael B

I will not defend the bozo with these listings, however he does have the words 'READ LISTING' in all caps in the title and he does have the words 'REPRINT' in caps and in another color as a separate second line in the description. If you are going to bid without at least a cursory glance at the description you must take some responsibility. The first bidder was one day after it was listed and the last bidder was 3 hours before it ended. This was not a case of several people seeing the listing at the last moment and blindly bidding on a perceived steal. I find it very offensive when people sell reprints of signed items. It is very common on ebay UK in the autograph listings, though they seem to not it in the title with 'RP'. Unfortunately there are going to be people who are going to purchase such items whether it is for legitimate purposes (cheap display) or nefarious reasons (sell to an uneducated person).

As a buyer I sometimes bid on a lot of things quickly and don’t thoroughly read the description - guilty. The last time I got fooled I purchased a Juan Marichal Rookie which had buried in the description somewhere that it was a reprint. I couldn’t tell from the picture and it was around $30-40 so it fooled more than me. When I went to return it the seller threw a fit but in the end eBay sides with me because the title says it is a 1961 Topps and it is not. Similarly, this guy’s title said it was a 1933 goudey and it is not. The title should read Facsimile Babe Ruth Autograph with reproduction card. But if he writes that he doesn’t get $50 from some unsuspecting passerby. I think we’ve all learned to go right by anything that says READ DESCRIPTION but it is still misleading because the item is not what it says it is.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

As a buyer I sometimes bid on a lot of things quickly and don’t thoroughly read the description - guilty. The last time I got fooled I purchased a Juan Marichal Rookie which had buried in the description somewhere that it was a reprint. I couldn’t tell from the picture and it was around $30-40 so it fooled more than me. When I went to return it the seller threw a fit but in the end eBay sides with me because the title says it is a 1961 Topps and it is not. Similarly, this guy’s title said it was a 1933 goudey and it is not. The title should read Facsimile Babe Ruth Autograph with reproduction card. But if he writes that he doesn’t get $50 from some unsuspecting passerby. I think we’ve all learned to go right by anything that says READ DESCRIPTION but it is still misleading because the item is not what it says it is.

That is fair and true. It is easy to get caught up in the title without reading the description. When I look at a lot of items I think that I will go back and read later, but I want to get it saved for the time being and keep looking at other listings. I do agree that his listing is deceptive, but he is doing what many people do. Catch someone with the title and reveal the facts further down. Even U-Haul does it. How many trucks have the $19.95 per day on the side. It is not until you go to rent the truck that you find out that miles are additional and since it is a commercial vehicle you personal auto insurance probably does not cover it. I believe it was Bishop Fulton Sheen who said 'The big print giveth and the fine print taketh away' (later reworded and reused by Tom Waits).