Beware Carterscards2006

[nolemmings]

I do not have the card. It was shipped on Wednesday and has not arrived. The grade as reported on the website was 0-T. I phoned SGC and was told it was trimmed along the top edge. I submitted it in the GAI holder. I expect to receive it in the GAI holder.

Frank, you love taking things out of context. No and again, the holder is insignificant and essentially meaningless. SGC could send the damn thing back to me unholdered with a written report that it is authentic and unaltered and that would suffice--they just do not offer that service, to my understanding.

I did not seek a refund because the card was a m101-4. I seek a refund because I received a damaged card, one that has been altered. And vintagetoppsguy, your comment that I cannot "prove" that it was trimmed because two TPGs have differing opinions is simply incorrect. It is either trimmed or it is not. I accept that I would bear the burden of proving the trim. Surely if everyone on this forum and SGC examined the card and concluded that it was trimmed you would not adhere to the notion that I "lose" because GAI didn't agree.

I acknowledge that a numeric grade is subjective and there should be no guarantees that a "7" is indeed a nm card. That does not excuse the grading company's basic obligation to confirm that a card is authentic and unaltered. Again, that is a confirmation of fact, not an expression of opinion. The misrepresentation of a fact is grounds to set aside a transaction and/or recover damages, and here the TPG and the seller are both representing that this card is unaltered, regardless of whether they expressly state those words. "No returns accepted" does not cut it, and I if seller wants to take the position of caveat emptor on the basis of those three words, well, I'll take my chances with a judge on that.

[iwantitiwinit]

Mea culpa i did not realize that he advertised a M101-5 and you in fact received a M101-4. Given that I retract my entire past statement.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

I acknowledge that a numeric grade is subjective and there should be no guarantees that a "7" is indeed a nm card. That does not excuse the grading company's basic obligation to confirm that a card is authentic and unaltered. Again, that is a confirmation of fact, not an expression of opinion.

If you really believe the card to be trimmed, shouldn't you go after the grading company and not the seller? Even if the seller was the one that submitted the card (which I don't believe is the case), he paid for a professional opinion and the mistake was made the GAI, not the seller.

Let's say you're buying a house and pay for an professional inspection. The inspection comes back okay, but a month later you find the house is infested with termites. Do you go after the seller of the house for compensation or the inspector who missed the problem?

[Fred]

Just my opinion -

* The seller indicates NO RETURNS ACCEPTED.
* The card was professionally (and I use that term loosely) graded by GAI.
* The card is no longer in a TPG holder with a HIGH numerical grade.

Because it was in a TPG holder I would almost assume that the no returns is based on the fact that it was "passed" by a TPG.

I see many sellers using this same ploy/tactic - "hey, if it's in a slab then it's gotta be good". I think we all kind of know that's bull $hit.

A good seller would refund the money (if it was still in the TPG slab - which this isn't). Because the card is removed from the TPG slab I don't think the seller has any obligation to buy it back.

A knowledgable collector would know that a GAI graded card is somewhere between PRO and SGC/PSA. I wouldn't touch GAI cards unless there is a nice discount associated with it because I'm always suspicious of GAI cards (with numerical grades) possibly being trimmed. This isn't to say that SGC and PSA haven't let their share of trimmed cards be given a numerical grade, this is just my opinion that GAI has provided numerical grades to a larger percentage of trimmed cards - and that is what I consider "common knowledge" to advanced collectors.

It's a sad situation because it really makes it difficult to appreciate the hobby when something like this comes up.

Unfortunately, this is our hobby - today. People rely on TPG and swear by it when assigning a value to a card.

[slidekellyslide]

According to Todd the card is on its way back from SGC and he believes it is still in the GAI slab...with that said, I'd like to know how any TPG can tell for certain a card is trimmed if it's still in the slab.

[Big Ben]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

If you really believe the card to be trimmed, shouldn't you go after the grading company and not the seller? Even if the seller was the one that submitted the card (which I don't believe is the case), he paid for a professional opinion and the mistake was made the GAI, not the seller.

Let's say you're buying a house and pay for an professional inspection. The inspection comes back okay, but a month later you find the house is infested with termites. Do you go after the seller of the house for compensation or the inspector who missed the problem?

+1 I was thinking the same thing while reading this thread.

Personally, when I purchase graded cards, I limit myself to PSA, SGC, and Beckett. I stay away from the other companies as I am not comfortable with their grading for this very reason.

[Robextend]

Originally Posted by Big Ben

Personally, when I purchase graded cards, I limit myself to PSA, SGC, and Beckett. I stay away from the other companies as I am not comfortable with their grading for this very reason.

I do the same, unless it is a low dollar card where I can't get burned too much. I would never buy a graded card figuring I could get a refund if I took it to another TPG seeking their opinion.

I have been lucky enough to not have to seek a refund on a graded card except once where the description didn't match up with the picture at all and I was able to get my money back. I am thinking this is the only way the OP can get his money back even though the mis-description isn't as extreme.