jverri01, about my ethic

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Posted By: jverri01

There are a number of people on this board who I respect immeasurably. In fact, I have done business with probably a couple dozen or more of you in the past. I would like to see these relationships continue to flourish. I make every effort to make a customer happy. I feel that this sentiment is strongly reflected in my feedback. I feel that the reason for this is that I am not a "dealer" in the true sense of the word. I do not have "a store". I do not do it "full-time". I am merely a collector who stepped it up to another level. I work full-time. I spend money everywhere. My practice is to purchase a large lot that may have one or two cards I want for my collection, and then sell the remaining items. For the most part, I break even. What little profit there is, ends up in a savings account that is earmarked as a college fund for my daughter (she is 3 now, so I do have some time...). It has worked for me. I have met some brilliant (and also some not-so-brilliant) people, along the way. And - what this has done for my collection....fantastic. My collection is modest - but, without selling as well as buying, it would be even more modest...

My success is based on a simple formula: I diligently search the globe for the rarest pieces I can acquire, and then I "bring them home" and offer them for sale. I am obsessive about these searches. The effort, time, and focus I put into these "expeditions" is enormous. many would say that the "pay off" is simply not worth all the resources I invest in to the process. I adamantly disagree. MUCH of the fun for me is not just in "possessing", but in FINDING. I take great pride in this. I love to be able to come up with a T205 Drum that makes everyone go completely ape-****. I love the fact that I have established contacts solid enough to call me when they have a group of 5 Broadleaf 460's available. I actually enjoy being able to bring "the unbringable" to the table, and offer it up to serious collectors - people I know will adore these items, treasure them in their collection - preserve them. Take a minute and look through my auctions. I start 99% of my auctions at $1. This is not about money for me. The 1% of cards I have a reserve on are items I have invested alot of money in. Typically, my reserve will be what I have spent.

I, too, have dealt with disreputable dealers. Remember, I buy as much as I sell. I hate being burned. Pisses me off to no end. And, I hate sellers that want $8.00 for shipping. I don't get these people. They know there card won't sell for what they really want, so they triple the shipping cost? Ridiculous. I charge $2.00 for ungraded cards that sell for under $50. I encase them in cardboard and ship in a bubble mailer. I charge $2.50 for graded cards that sell for under $2.50, and the packaging is the same. ANY item that sells for $50. or more is shipped by priority. I charge $4.00. I encase the card in cardboard, then place it in a bubble mailer or bubble wrap, and ship it in a BOX. EVERY item I ship priority goes in a BOX. IMPORTANT to note is that, I SEAL EVERY SEAM ON THE PRIORITY PACKAGES WITH PRIORITY LABELS. This way, it is easy to IMMEDIATELY know whether the package has been tampered with. I know how I like to receive cards, and, in turn, I try to provide a superior packaging and shipping service. My feedback reflects this. The overwhelming sentiment is that I ship fast in super secure packaging. And, think about it. The USPS charge for priority shipping is $3.50. I don't exactly make a profit on shipping.

Trust me, I am not "tooting" my horn here. I am simply trying to provide a sense of how I approach this whole thing. That is importanyt, because, on a number of occassions in the past, my name has come up, and the comments have been sour. Those of you that have done business with me know I am fair. I boast a repeat business rate of over 75%. How does one do this if the customer does not feel overwhelmingly staisfied with the transaction? I take cards back when a customer is dissatisfied. I sold a graded card for almost $2,000. a while back. GRADED, mind you. The customer got the card, and said he was unhappy because the card was creased. It was a 2. Alot of the time, 2's HAVE CREASES. We all know this. I would EXPECT this. The listing had a description, a scan, etc. BUT, MY CUSTOMER was unhappy, so I negotiated a lesser price with him. I ended up sending him a check for $300.! If a shipment is longer than I like, I REFUND the shipping fees. Recently, I sent about twenty packages by Priority mail. HALF of them were returned to me as "undeliverable". The postage and addresses were FINE. The USPS made a mistake (they make ALOT of them these days). But, I felt it was unfair for the customer to be punished, so I reshipped every package at my expense AND refunded every person their shipping charges.

Bottom line: I love what I do, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to see some of these rare pieces. To hold the rarest of cards. When I was a child, I dreamed about these cards, these players. Now - I am living that dream, and it is FANTASTIC.

jverri01