Talk about an amazing ROI

[travrosty]

it's the system in use right now and the tpa's are suppose to be impartial third party. I don't think we will see any of them dropped, the system is too lucrative right now, the customer demands it or so we think. There is an auction house owner as a member of psa, and that auciton house employs PSA services, so how does that work?

[ibuysportsephemera]

Things won't change because the general public sees or hears the words COA (it doesn't matter who issued it) and they think that it makes the item authentic.

[travrosty]

The sad part about it is that there is a two party system abc, and xyz co. issuing certs for the auction houses and anybody else basically gets shut out no matter how good they are.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by Runscott

That's what he said.

This Waner is just another example of the state of this hobby - we rely on TPA's to do our thinking for us, assuming they have more skills than we do. First of all, they don't have the incentive we have to get it right - they can screw up and it's no big deal - very few repercussions, if any. Second, in many cases they actually do NOT have the skills that the prospective purchaser has - too many times we've seen examples of someone buying a forgery with a COA, then coming on this forum with it, already realizing that he's bought a forgery - you need to come to that realization before you buy the thing.

Enough people are still buying the COA rather than the autograph, to make it a profitable business to rush through authentications, attaching COA's to pure crap.

At some point I would like to see one of the respected auction houses like H&S say, "We are dropping xxxx - the quality of their authentication service does not fit well with the high quality product we are committed to delivering."

Good post. I'm not sure if it is yet worth it to an auction house to do this.

[shelly]

The big two get the prices. The other guys who are far and above them get crap. I know that even if Jim, Richard and others say it is good they still will send it to you know who. So the can sell it for a higner price.That is what is really sad.

[Leon]

I sold technology, hardware- software and services for over 20 yrs until last year. Ten or so years ago Dell always commanded a premium. Why? They didn't even build their computers and barely designed them. The answer- marketing. That is why, many times, things command a higher price when they are inferior or the same quality as other things in the same category.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by Leon

I sold technology, hardware- software and services for over 20 yrs until last year. Ten or so years ago Dell always commanded a premium. Why? They didn't even build their computers and barely designed them. The answer- marketing. That is why, many times, things command a higher price when they are inferior or the same quality as other things in the same category.

Yes! This is a service just like any other. If you find a TPA's service to be substandard, don't use them.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by shelly

The big two get the prices. The other guys who are far and above them get crap. I know that even if Jim, Richard and others say it is good they still will send it to you know who. So the can sell it for a higner price.That is what is really sad.

Do these guys issue third-party TPAs?

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Do these guys issue third-party TPAs?

They get to maintain their integrity and deal with knowledgeable buyers, but there is certainly a cost to them. I'm sure they can live with it.

[shelly]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Do these guys issue third-party TPAs?

Yes