Joe Orlando is lying fakes flips look real..

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I strongly and respectfully disagree. Anyone so inclined to buy an expensive sports card likely would be led by their desire to do the appropriate homework first. Any reputable auction house or PSA authorized dealer (707, etc.) would be a virtual guarantee of zero exposure to these fakes, fairly close to the aforementioned Rolex store-- the AH would make it right as they are concerned with longterm business and reputation, and the PSA authorized dealer would likely have a return policy and be able to spot a fake.

I am living proof that fakes do not necessarily deter a buyer. When I first decided to buy sports cards, I knew there would be fakes-- like with any desired item. I learned who the trusted sellers were and made sure to have the TPG review the cards after purchase for complete peace of mind. I was not deterred at all. I merely did the homework anyone should do with anything before spending money.

Bottom line, one can choose to react however they want to the existence of fakes. Some collectors find avoiding them a doable task, one that does not at all get in the way of enjoying the collecting they love.

I agree with Leon: that a card is being faked speaks volumes as to its desirability and the demand for it. Avoiding those fakes requires that a buyer seek out trustworthy points of sale. I would wager that the likes of REA and the biggest dealers in the hobby are as certain to ensure the buyer from fakes as the retail stores of Rolex, Gucci, and Ralph Lauren are to ensure their customers.

It's worth noting that in the face of these fakes, the card market is doing very well, and new collectors just embarking on their collections are connecting with fellow collectors every day-- great things for the hobby.

Well this is why we have communities like this to voice our own opinions.

You can walk into a "rolex" store...or a "coach" store and presumably you will be pretty assured you are getting the genuine article. What about how in China there are whole knockoff Apple stores that look identical to the real deal...yet are selling knockoffs.

When any of these items are then sold on the secondary market things can get dicier for the prospective buyer. At this point it becomes prudent to do your due diligence or you may get ripped off.

You can't just walk into a t206 store and order a presumably authentic psa 5 lobert. All available loberts have been preowned...or newly created/fake. So it now is up to the buyer to do his due diligence...or as many do hire A TPG'er to give you this assurance...and we all know this is not a sure thing either.

I got into collecting as a kid with the topps cards of the 50's-70's...these days I'd be reluctant to buy some raw modern cards because there are so many fakes and some are really really good!

So for me...the corruption in the hobby has dimmed my enthusiasm a bit...this is just me.

And I would bet that some who try to enter the hobby...or any hobby for that matter only to immediately get ripped off...may think twice about trying again.

[WhenItWasAHobby]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

You can't just walk into a t206 store and order a presumably authentic psa 5 lobert. All available loberts have been preowned. So it now is up to the buyer to do his due dilligence...or as many do hire A TPG'er to give you this assurance...and we all know this is not a sure thing either.

Exactly. The provenance of 40 to 100+ year old cards is a lot different than Rolexes coming straight from the factory.

With that said, I'm not convinced that PSA adequately trains or vets their dealers for counterfeit detection of holders or cards that show up on the secondary market.