Riddle me this

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Posted By: TBob

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2748288887&category=31719

Why is this reprint selling for $355.00?

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Posted By: botn

It is tragic that we are living during a time where people actually need to be protected from themselves.

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Posted By: Hankron

Because a fake T206 Matty is so much cheaper than the real one.

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Posted By: Hank

I meant T205 (though applies to T206 Matties as well)

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Posted By: jay behrens

The really sad thing is that the one bidder that looks legit claims to have 30 years of collecting experience. Doesn't give much confidence in buying anything from him if he is willing to bid on that card.

Jay

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Posted By: Hankron

Compared to other auctions, this one is deceptive. This is in particular as there are no telegraphed sings of fakery.

For me, the only real bidder error is bidding that kind of money for the first time in an auction by a seller he/she hasn't done business with before or a seller without a solid reputation (at least I hope this isn't the third or fourth card a bidder is about to win from the seller). Irrelevant to authenticity questions, you don't know know how reliable the seller is, both in shipping/handling, grading, return policies, etc. As the seller is both (apparently) unfamiliar with the material and the seller, dropping that kind of money is, in my opinion, the basic mistake.

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Posted By: Hankron

One of the most deceptive parts about eBay is the feedback rating, as, we all know, it's not entirely reliable (didn't say unreliable). To start, I don't think I've ever seen a feedback below 90 percent for a seller who's been around a while (Kind of reminds you of PRO grading). Yet, for a new person on eBay it would be more than reasonable (especially since eBay touts it) to look at the seller's feedback rating to judge the quality of the seller and the lot.

So, in this sense, I can see how a beginner to eBay would in part (and being reasonable) depend on a seller's high feedback to make a bid.

However, this only supports my contention that beginners should start small, whether to discover a new area or quality sellers. Whether testing out a new seller or area of collecting, the first bids should be $5 or $10 each, not $500. It's like dippping your toe into the lake before swimming.

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Posted By: runscott

This particular reprint set shows up on ebay all the time and is very familiar to those of us who have collected t205's. But besides that, if you've seen even one real t205 Matty it's obvious that this one isn't.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I wouldn't spend the $$ on a card like this with such crappy scans anyhow, but I can't tell if the card is a fake or if the scans are washed out. What is everyone seeing on this particular card?

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Posted By: TBob

The color and registry also, but the corners are the give-away. Real T205s don't have that kind of corner wear.

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Posted By: julie

that's not remotely the color of a T205 Matty.

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Posted By: Bob

Guys who buy '56 and '57 Topps' cards should stay away from vintage pre-war cards if they haven't done their homework. Just my 2 cents, hate to see any one get burned.

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Posted By: Hankron

Bob, I would change that slightly to:

"Guys who buy '56 and '57 Topps' cards should not spend $500 each on a pre-war cards if they haven't done their homework." I would submit that spending a few bucks on cards or other memorabilia (not autographs!) outside of one's realm of knowledge can be perfectly reasonable. At the very worse, the buyer is only out a few bucks.

I think the impetuousness ('I gotta have it now!') nature of some adult bidders illustrates that adults are, in many ways, simply older versions of children.

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Posted By: Brian Weisner

My 18 month old daughter could tell this is fake.
500? This is shill bidding at its finest!

Be well Brian

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Posted By: jay behrens

I emailed the bidder asking them why they are bidding on such an obviously fake card and detatiled everything taht was wrong with the card. This was a few days ago amnd I ahve not heard back from them, but they have not bid again either. the current high bidder seems to ahve no problem dropping $500 or more on worthless insert cards, spending $500 on a Fake Matty would seem to be right up their alley.

Jay

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Posted By: Hankron

A practical problem in these situations (as Brian touched on) is that when you email a bidder you can't be certain that it's not a shiller. Likely one way to contact the seller is to contact all the bidders.

There's all one can do for these immature bidders (I think 'immature' is the opperative word). What really chaps my hide is when you tell someone somethings a fake, and detail why, and they still proceed to buy it. I think we should do the best we can, but, in the end, it's their money and if they want to throw it down the toilet (and a few monthes down the road almost invariably exclaim 'How could I have been so stupid. Why didn't anyone try to tell me something') it's a free country. I tend to find my time better and more enjoyably spent with beginners and experienced people who express a genuine interest in the material (these are people who as a question other than just 'What's it worth?') than those blindly trying to get a steal on eBay. I can think of better things to do than baby sitting adults.

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Posted By: Hankron

In the end, the winners of these types of auctions learn .... the hard way. And, for many of them, that's the only way they will learn.

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Posted By: Hankron

Sold for over $1,000, possibly with the second place winner kicking himself for not winning this choice item. Assuming one is not a shiller, at least one person here will learn a lesson. The second place will have to wait for another day.