eBay's Authenticity Guarantee Rejection - Am I missing something here?

[Fred]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

Let me know if I am missing something here.

This is my latest experience with eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee program. According to eBay, this is how it works for graded trading cards.

If a graded card sells for more than $250, the card will be shipped to an authenticator for inspection. The PSA authenticator will check the sealed plastic holder for signs of tampering before verifying that the holder and label are authentic to the grader. The label is also checked against the listing details.

The item that I sold was a baseball program that was autographed by Vin Scully. It was graded as Authentic by PSA. It sold for over $250, so off to the authenticator it went.

Today I received an eMail saying that they can’t provide their Authenticity Guarantee. The reason was because the item was miscategorized. I had it under Sporting Goods/Sports Mem, Cards & Fan Shop/Sports Trading Cards/Trading Card Singles. They did not say which category it actually belongs under.

Under the Authenticity Guarantee program, it says that the label is checked against the listing details. It does not mention category. I do not see what category has to do with whether an item is Authentic or not.

The actual label says “Program, Vin Scully, PSA/DNA Certified Authentic Auto”. My listing says “Program is Autographed by Sporstcaster Vin Scully. Scully’s autograph is graded by PSA/DNA as Authentic” .

Their decision is final and I cannot appeal their decision. Am I missing something here?

For clarification - the program was encapsulated by PSA as an authentic autograph? Is that correct?

If so, this is just another incident to add to the list of ridiculous actions that occurs in this hobby. If it's in a PSA holder then I'd be scratching my head wondering WTF?

When it comes to fleabay and TPGs, there's probably not much that should surprise anyone.

[Buythatcard]

Originally Posted by Fred

For clarification - the program was encapsulated by PSA as an authentic autograph? Is that correct?

If so, this is just another incident to add to the list of ridiculous actions that occurs in this hobby. If it's in a PSA holder then I'd be scratching my head wondering WTF?

When it comes to fleabay and TPGs, there's probably not much that should surprise anyone.

Yes, it was already slabbed and authenticated by PSA. I understand that they want to make sure that the slab hasn't been tampered with.
It's all leading up to another way where eBay can start charging us another fee.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

Yes, it was already slabbed and authenticated by PSA. I understand that they want to make sure that the slab hasn't been tampered with.
It's all leading up to another way where eBay can start charging us another fee.

[Flintboy]

I’m waiting for the next step by eBay to charge for this great and glorious service. eBay isn’t doing this for the good of the collecting community, it eventually will be a revenue driver for them. It’s coming trust me!

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Flintboy

I’m waiting for the next step by eBay to charge for this great and glorious service. eBay isn’t doing this for the good of the collecting community, it eventually will be a revenue driver for them. It’s coming trust me!

It is new to cards but eBay has been authenticating other items for over 2 years without any fee for the service. I see it as staying a free thing for buyers.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by bnorth

It is new to cards but eBay has been authenticating other items for over 2 years without any fee for the service. I see it as staying a free thing for buyers.

I would be willing to bet a soda that eventually eBay charges for this service. I think there is a 98% chance... They don't do anything that won't make them more money. My guess, and it's only a guess, is they are still evaluating how much they can charge, if they can charge for it at all. If they can't, I see the program going away.

and cards

.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Leon

I would be willing to bet a soda that eventually eBay charges for this service. I think there is a 98% chance... They don't do anything that won't make them more money. My guess, and it's only a guess, is they are still evaluating how much they can charge, if they can charge for it at all. If they can't, I see the program going away.

and cards

.

Well....I hate to break it to them, but Ebay isn't the only place to sell cards. I bet Lee, Al, Scott, and a slew of others would love to pick up the slack.

[Gorditadogg]

Originally Posted by Leon

I would be willing to bet a soda that eventually eBay charges for this service. I think there is a 98% chance... They don't do anything that won't make them more money. My guess, and it's only a guess, is they are still evaluating how much they can charge, if they can charge for it at all. If they can't, I see the program going away.

and cards

.

I'll take that bet. Everybody has their own crystal ball, but my guess is this is already a success for ebay, for a couple reasons. It's probably a lot easier and a lot cheaper to manage their fake card problem this way than before. I expect they used to spend a lot of time and money chasing down sellers for refunds for the fakes they sold, and trying to decide disputes when the seller said they sent a card and the buyer said they didn't get it, or got something not as described. They compensated buyers in many cases even when they couldn't collect from the sellers. I don't know how high a cost that ebay had for fraud, but I am sure it was a lot.

I also expect that ebay is making more money now because transaction volume has likely gone up. Buyers and sellers both can have more confidence that large transactions are legit, which should result in more items put up for sale, and more bidding on them.

Ebay fees are too high already. They need to continue to look at ways to be more efficient, so they can start taking their fees down. Paying a 15% transaction cost on card sales is ridiculous, it suppresses the market. I think many of us would put more cards up for sale if fees were lower. I don't see ebay raising their fees again.