Omnious sign in market?

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I'm not convinced that it was the words "set break" in the title which caused it in the first place, though it's certainly possible. I think it's plausible that cards which are sold as "variations" within a listing, like when a seller creates a "set break" listing where you select cards from a drop-down menu, could have been immune from this feature as that would require eBay to come up with a way to determine how to handle different prices for different cards within the same listing (easier said than done, programmatically - insert eBay's dev team criticisms here). Or perhaps it could have been both. I don't know. But I do know that implementing a solution on eBay's end is surely more complicated than just making an exception for listings with the term "set break" in the title.

I don't know if anyone on this board ever provided any proof that having "set break" in your title was a way around the Authenticity Guarantee. I kind of assumed that people on this board may have attributed the fact the Greg Morris didn't have to get his cards authenticated to his using “set-break” in their titles. But I had assumed that Greg Morris' outstanding reputation may have allowed them to get a pass for a while. Either way, I don't think there is any way around the authenticity guarantee any more (which I am ok with). But please someone prove me wrong.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

I don't know if anyone on this board ever provided any proof that having "set break" in your title was a way around the Authenticity Guarantee. I kind of assumed that people on this board may have attributed the fact the Greg Morris didn't have to get his cards authenticated to his using “set-break” in their titles. But I had assumed that Greg Morris' outstanding reputation may have allowed them to get a pass for a while. Either way, I don't think there is any way around the authenticity guarantee any more (which I am ok with). But please someone prove me wrong.

I can vouch that it was, but have not thought to keep documentary evidence and dated screen caps to prove it. A hobby pal was using the 'set break' trick to not have to do the authenticity guarantee on a few cards he sold, and it definitely worked then, a couple months ago.

My understanding was that Greg Morris and 1 or 2 other big movers had a separate deal with eBay to not do it for awhile; and that Morris uses 'set break' in all his listings is not related and long pre-dated this issue.

Presumably eBay has just improved their logic to break this workaround trick, as usually happens when users find a way around an undesired new 'feature'.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by G1911

I can vouch that it was, but have not thought to keep documentary evidence and dated screen caps to prove it. A hobby pal was using the 'set break' trick to not have to do the authenticity guarantee on a few cards he sold, and it definitely worked then, a couple months ago.

My understanding was that Greg Morris and 1 or 2 other big movers had a separate deal with eBay to not do it for awhile; and that Morris uses 'set break' in all his listings is not related and long pre-dated this issue.

Presumably eBay has just improved their logic to break this workaround trick, as usually happens when users find a way around an undesired new 'feature'.

Yes, Greg Morris has been using "set-break" in titles long before the loophole.

I believe you that the "set break" in the title loophole was real though. I just hadn't seen any proof. I am also a little confused as to why someone would want to use the loophole, unless they are selling inauthentic cards. I mean, does the seller care that much that their card has to go somewhere to get authenticated? Sorry, there may already be a thread explaining why the seller cares that I missed....

[G1911]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Yes, Greg Morris has been using "set-break" in titles long before the loophole.

I believe you that the "set break" in the title loophole was real though. I just hadn't seen any proof. I am also a little confused as to why someone would want to use the loophole, unless they are selling inauthentic cards. I mean, does the seller care that much that their card has to go somewhere to get authenticated? Sorry, there may already be a thread explaining why the seller cares that I missed....

I imagine it varies, of course. My friend was worried about 1) an item getting rejected because the graders don't know what to do with odd and esoteric stuff (cabinet cards, CDV's, rare items that aren't 'catalogued') that he sometimes sells, 2) buyers whining about shipping speeds with an extra few days delay and hurting his star ratings and 3), the clause that the item must not only be real but "as described"; though he described honestly what he might call "G-VG condition" CSG might call G, and thus could reject and nix a deal both parties wanted to complete. I think there was also a "this is stupid, so I want to opt out because it's dumb" element.

1) has been a concern for me as a buyer too, personally. Doesn't matter for T206's, Goudey and Topps, but if one is buying obscurities in non-Baseball sports that the grading firms don't know much or at all, it might be a problem. I have not heard of 3) being a real problem, but of course we didn't know that clause would have little to no enforcement back then.

[Republicaninmass]

I've had two cards "unable to be authenticated " but they were still sent to the buyer. Ebay sent a note "hopefully the buyer is still happy". For the buyers, they never returned the cards. I think I had an error in the category

[Johnny630]

I could easily see the next nice centered sharp looking SGC 5 311 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle to sell for over $306,000 in the next major auction.

Type I or Type II

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by G1911

I can vouch that it was, but have not thought to keep documentary evidence and dated screen caps to prove it. A hobby pal was using the 'set break' trick to not have to do the authenticity guarantee on a few cards he sold, and it definitely worked then, a couple months ago.

My understanding was that Greg Morris and 1 or 2 other big movers had a separate deal with eBay to not do it for awhile; and that Morris uses 'set break' in all his listings is not related and long pre-dated this issue.

Presumably eBay has just improved their logic to break this workaround trick, as usually happens when users find a way around an undesired new 'feature'.

I just confirmed that I had 3 sales which had the term "Set Break" in the title that all were shipped directly to the buyers and not the 3rd party authenticators. They were individual listings that all should have qualified for the authenticity program, I believe. One was an auction for a raw card that sold in August for about $450, one was raw that sold via 'Make Offer' for about $425, and the other was a graded card that sold in July via a private PM offer for about $1100. All three appear to have usurped the AG program.