What do you guys like/not like to see in a Vintage Seller?

[Bill77]

Speaking of tape, I hate it when I receive a card in an envelope that has been completely covered in tape. It may seem like it would be a good idea when it is raining for days, but man is it a pain to get the envelope open when there is no opening for a knife or letter opener.

I also hate to see every listing for prewar cards on ebay with the word rare in the description. It isn't rare when there are 3-10 more copies of the card available, especially if you are selling the other 3-10 copies.

As far as shipping goes if the seller doesn't combine shipping, I will buy one card unless the shipping is a dollar or less. When I finished my T87 set one seller had 7 of the last 8 cards I needed but didn't combine shipping at $3 each on $1 cards. Another seller had 7 cards I needed and did combine shipping. Guess who got the money.

I also hate that ebay taxes shipping and doesn't give out ebay bonus bucks for shipping that they tax you for. Which is why when bonus bucks are available, I try to buy something with free shipping to increase the bonus bucks I earn, which usually only become available after I buy something expensive.

[Zact]

I dislike overgrading of condition and or vague or nonstandard verbiage to describe cards.
There are many big name sellers on eBay that consistently over grade by 1-2 grades on vintage raw. For example they describe the vintage card as near mint to mint etc and you can clearly see from the scans or images that the card is 1-2 graded lower by psa sgc standards. I can not see myself purchasing from these businesses. This also happens all the time on the bst boards. I am mostly in the 50s-70s sections. Condition is overstated a high percentage of the time. Another dislike on eBay social media and these boards is poor image quality of items being offered for sale trade.

[hawaiian bam bam]

Do you guys like auctions vs buy it now?

Who are the big time sellers on eBay? I know Greg Morris must be #1 and deans cards and the batters box are pretty big. But those are the only three I know. Any others?

Also, does it bother anyone when sellers use a fluorescent color background on their item listings like a fluorescent pink or yellow or green? Greg Morris uses blue and bathers box uses black which I think are the standard. Which color background do you prefer? Thanks

[parkplace33]

I tend to view it this way. Sellers (especially at card show) have a ton of extra costs behind the scenes. These include fees, travel, food, lodging, shipping materials, shipping costs. So when I see a price, I tend to only ask what is their best price? That will dictate whether I get the card.

[Exhibitman]

Makes big scans. NOT cell phone photos unless the item is oversized.

Packs properly. A raw toploader or card saver is NOT standard of care. Unless I am selling via the eBay $0.79 1st class envelope for a cheap card, I use cardboard and a mailer.

Uses blue tape. I try not to wreck the holder for the buyer or make extracting the card like busting into Fort Knox.

[ClementeFanOh]

I'm tempted to say that the thing I dislike most about ebay sellers, is that
they are using ebay to sell. However, that snide response dodges the
intent of the question...

I used ebay consistently until the early 2000s, then it fell out of favor with
me due to the standard reasons people often cite- which are profound
enough to have driven me away by themselves. The biggest
issue about many ebay sellers for me, however, is that too many have
"flipped" basic selling concepts on their heads, to make it easier on
themselves. Too many think the idea that "the customer is always right" is
somehow absurd or profane, for starters. Some sellers answer a specific
(and common) question about a card by replying "I don't know much about
cards" or "I'm not comfortable answering you". I like to reply, "Then I'm
not comfortable buying" or "When you are asking Mint price for an item,
you need to understand what the term actually means". Then there are
sellers who don't bother answering at all- really smart! In short, many
sellers forget that they need buyers a LOT more than the buyer "needs"
them. It's a basic concept that has sadly been lost to many on that venue.

Trent King

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Too many think the idea that "the customer is always right" is somehow absurd or profane

That is such an outdated canard. The fact is that too many times (especially on the 'net) the customer is a rude, argumentative, self-centered, spoiled man-child who thinks that being an asshat is just fine because 'the customer is always right.' Well, they aren't and I won't put up with that sort of BS from anyone just because that person is a 'customer.'

[perezfan]

My pet-peeve is when the seller simply states the painfully obvious TPG number grade in the description, and nothing else. Very annoying when they're too lazy to minimally describe is condition.

As an example, creases/wrinkles often do not show up in their provided scans, yet are rarely even described or disclosed. And if the seller fails to answer a very straight-forward question, I just move on to something else. Seems to happen at least 30% of the time.

[BobbyStrawberry]

I had a funny eBay experience just the other day... Made an offer, offer sat there with no response, and then expired. Messaged the seller and asked for their best price, they responded with "why don't you just make me an offer?"

🤣

[hawaiian bam bam]

Any answers to my last post? Thanks

[Dandor]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

Do you guys like auctions vs buy it now?

Who are the big time sellers on eBay? I know Greg Morris must be #1 and deans cards and the batters box are pretty big. But those are the only three I know. Any others?

Also, does it bother anyone when sellers use a fluorescent color background on their item listings like a fluorescent pink or yellow or green? Greg Morris uses blue and bathers box uses black which I think are the standard. Which color background do you prefer? Thanks

I prefer BIN's and typically that is when I get the best prices. People get carried away on auctions, especially with Greg Morris cards.

I stay away from Greg Morris and Deans cards. Way too expensive compared to other sellers. I know people trust them, but the markup for that trust is insane. There are many sellers for vintage I trust on eBay and they do a great job disclosing issues and giving a decent grade on the card.

I prefer black for the backgrounds, but really don't care. The quality of the image and card being out of the penny sleeve/top loader is the most important thing.

[hawaiian bam bam]

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts on this! I see some cards photo taken in a top loader and some have wild colored backgrounds and I’m like … no no no! I think a black background is just fine. Even though Greg Morris the leader in the vintage card industry uses a blue background!

[KCRfan1]

I am fairly easy as a buyer.

I need quality front and back images and a seller rating of 99.7 or better, ship the card in 3 or 4 days ( people are busy I get that ), and what I deem reasonable pricing then I am good to go.

Free shipping and returns are meaningless to me.

[Dandor]

Originally Posted by hawaiian bam bam

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughts on this! I see some cards photo taken in a top loader and some have wild colored backgrounds and I’m like … no no no! I think a black background is just fine. Even though Greg Morris the leader in the vintage card industry uses a blue background!

Small sellers on eBay I have taken chances and it has worked out extremely well for me, especially on cards from the 1970's. I bought a lot of cards in 2020 and 2021 when the boom happened with pictures only taken in scratched top loaders, disgusting snap cases, screw down holders, and yellowed top loaders. If a card looked like it had sharp corners through the disgusting plastic, I took a chance if my gut said it was ok and I made out many times. Got tons of PSA/SGC 7 through 10's of a lot of star rookie cards with this technique. Most people on eBay are great sellers and I find that most aren't trying to rip you off. My experiences on eBay have been pretty amazing from almost all the sellers I have bought from. From past sales history, comments, and items the seller has sold, you can really tell a lot about the character of the person and their intentions.

The biggest issue with new sellers is how they ship the cards. I don't care if they tape the top loaders or the small stuff people complain about. I had a beautiful 1952 Bowman card shipped to me in a padded envelope in a penny sleeve and a piece of paper folded around it. Thankfully it arrived to me in perfect condition. I emailed the seller with an email thanking them, but also telling them how they should ship cards.