More additions at PSA Autograph Authentication

[Lordstan]

Originally Posted by packs

Now: Person A finds themselves in quite a bit of financial trouble. Let's say Person A is going through a divorce. Person A needs to raise some money.

Couldn't Person A be tempted to use his leverage in the hobby and the grace of his word to defraud collectors in his time of financial need?

It's simple really.
Yes, someone in financial trouble certainly could be tempted to defraud collectors, but these TPA's are in the same position. They want to make money period. What separates an individual from a corporation is that I can look a person in the eye and discuss things with them. I know who to blame if they defraud me. Who is to blame for the errors in the TPA? The fact is no one knows. You trust a corporation to provide you with an expert opinion without the knowledge that they actually are experts.
Sure, if I knew that Kevin saw my item and said it was good or bad, I can trust that, but we don't know who is handling our items. The buyer gets a letter from a company with all the authenticator's names, but that's it.

Paying for an expert opinion, like Kevin, Bill, or Rich's, is one thing. They each have 30ish yrs of autograph experience to draw from not just a group of photos on a hard drive to compare to. Do I really want to pay the exact same amount, or anything at all for that matter, for some guy who's experience is a mystery? No. I don't. It is a good thing for PSA, etc that you and many others like you do. If I am paying for an opinion, I'd like to know who is actually giving it and what their level of expertise is.

One last difference is that if someone defrauds you, you have financial and legal recourse. If the TPAs make a mistake, it's "Whoops. We're sorry, but you are only paying for our opinion." There is NOTHING that should make you feel more secure than a money back guarantee from a dealer. TPAs guarantee nothing.