Multiple Card Sellings

Its not often that I sell a Phillies card, but a few years ago I thought I would let this one go.  Its a Ryan Howard 2003 Donruss Elite Status #’ed/57 BGS Gem Mint 9.5.  I sent it in for grading after purchasing the card on eBay.  After selling it, I have seen this exact card exchange hands on eBay at least three different times.  Usually when you sell something on eBay its highly unlikely that you’ll ever see it again, especially the exact card.  Did you ever sell a card on eBay and then see it again?

 

Multiple Marino Photos

Today I found two different sellers using the same photo while trying to sell a Dan Marino 1984 Topps RC #123.  The first seller, keepersinccards, seems to have a bunch of Marino rookie cards up for sale using a few of the same photos.  The second seller, breaks407, looks to be using one of the same photos from keepersinccards.  If you take a look at the completed sales for keepersinccards, you will see a bunch of other Marino rookies.  The same photos are used over and over.  The Dan Marino 1984 Topps RC #123 is one of the most counterfeited cards on the market today and there is no way I would purchase one from either of these sellers.  It could be the scanner, but the color is way to dark for me.

 

YouTube Raffle Scam

Chris, who operates CardsInfinity.com is one of my favorite collectors to watch open up new products.  Today, he posted this video about a raffle scam that is taking place on YouTube.  Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The Lengths Some People Go To Make A Sale

I have seen a lot of funny things up for sale on eBay, but this auction beats them all.  This guy claims that he has a ton of valuable baseball cards for sale, in which you purchase for ONLY $1.00 and there are 5 cards per lot.  The title of the auction really gets your attention, “ALIMONY SALE >Ex Girlfriend/Wife sport card collection”.  When reading his description it gets even more interesting.  He says that there will be a Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps rookie card placed within one of the lots.  Thats funny, because Mantle’s rookie is from 1951 Bowman.  For a guy that claims to have owned a sports card store for 30+ years, I think he would know that.   The main auction image that appears in the search results displays a Mickey Mantle rookie card, but you can easily see the copyright date indicating that it’s  a reprint.  I highly doubt that he even has a Mickey Mantle card within that collection.   He says that this is the best way to sell his cards fast to payoff his wife.  I think he is trying to unload a bunch of common base cards he doesn’t want anymore.  He’s giving false hope to people.  Most likely if you purchase a lot, all you will receive is a handful of base cards not even worth a dollar.  Its not uncommon to see auctions like this popup, but this one really caught my eye.  Maybe this guy is telling the truth.  Perhaps sports cards are the reason couples breakup.  If so, its happening a lot.

“No Auto”

“No Auto”, these are two words that surround the sports card category on eBay and can get really annoying.  Have you ever noticed them?  The sellers claim that they put those words on the title to better describe the card, but I think they have a different reason.  They are hoping that when you search for a card with the keyword “auto” in it, their card will popup and therefore receive more bids.  It is a loophole that has been around for awhile.  Recently there was a Felix Jones 2008 Upper Deck Icons RC up for sale which was not autographed, it was just the base rookie.  That card usually sells for a few dollars, not very much at all, but the seller put the words “no auto” in the title, and the card ended up selling for over $10.00.  I don’t know why anyone would spend more on a card just because of the keywords used in the title.  There were tons of other Upper Deck Icons rookie cards of Felix Jones that were up for sale at the same time and didn’t sell for that much.  I really wish somebody could explain why people do this?  Maybe its just a strange phenomenon that will never go away.

Can’t See That eBay Photo?

People stealing photos on eBay for their own auctions is down right low.  It happened to me a few months ago when I was selling a bobblehead figure.  If you find a card for sale and you are thinking of buying it because they provide a photo, make sure to look at the picture carefully.  If the photo is really small there is a good chance that they stole it.  I know there are some scanners that people use and the images come out small, but when I mean small, I mean really small.  If people steal a photo from eBay and then upload on the auction form, eBay shrinks the photo.  Thats why the photos you take on your own end up being smaller on the standard auction page.  If some uses a stolen photo, eBay will shrink an already shrunken photo.  Thats why when you look at the auction page, the end result is really tiny.  Be sure to check the completed auctions before bidding an a card.  There you can compare photos to see if the picture you are looking at was used before.

I have become a victim

After finishing 8hrs of doing Managerial Economics, I thought I would work with a few eBay payments I received in the mail and check my auctions.  Going through the mail I see I got paid for one of my “Boomer” Bobbleheads I received at the Williamsport Crosscutters game a few weeks ago.  Just out of pure curiosity I thought I would see if anyone else was selling the same bobblehead.  Checking the completed auctions I see a seller who stole my photo and used it for their own auction.  Here is their auction:

“Boomer” Bobblehead

Here is my auction:

“Boomer” Bobblehead

Its the same exact picture.  Plus, the smaller photo usually means that the original photo was small as well, perhaps the size of a photo from eBay.

Card faker admits eBay scam [The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.]

Eric Jahnke of Beckett Behind the Scenes post the article below on the news section of beckett.com.  Whats with people in PA?  This is the second person this year in PA the has been accused of selling fake memorabilia. 

Aug. 23–A Monroe County man admitted Friday to making as much as $10,000 selling fake rookie trading cards on online auction site eBay, a scam that could land him in prison for up to 20 years.

Jamie Lee Nucero, 25, of Marshalls Creek, pleaded guilty to mail fraud after he was charged in federal court last month. He remains free while awaiting sentencing, scheduled for mid-November.

In U.S. District Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie’s courtroom Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne P. Samuelson said Mr. Nucero first came to the attention of investigators in December, after a person in California and another in Virginia reported they had been swindled.

In both cases, the victims were the winning bidders on what were listed as “rookie trading cards” for star National Hockey League players Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy. After sending their money to Mr. Nucero’s former State College address, they received the counterfeit cards.

State College police obtained a search warrant for the address, where Mr. Nucero was living at the time. Officers found receipt slips from eBay auctions and about 11,000 counterfeit trading cards for a variety of sports, according to Mr. Samuelson.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a probation sentence, though Judge Vanaskie does not have to follow that recommendation.

Mail fraud carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.  Judge Vanaskie also may order Mr. Nucero to pay restitution, though Mr. Samuelson said the total amount of money involved has yet to be calculated.

Mr. Nucero makes his living selling sports cards on eBay, defense attorney Joseph D’Andrea told Judge Vanaskie on Friday.

The judge decided that Mr. Nucero can continue to sell trading cards under the supervision of federal probation officers.

“This is his only livelihood,” Mr. D’Andrea said. “If he does it legitimately, I don’t see how it’s a problem.”

Shill Bidding at it’s Finest

During the Hall of Fame game this year, the Redskin’s new rookie QB, Colt Brennan, amazed the crowd when he jumped in to play.  Of coarse the next day collectors were jumping all over his rookie cards making the prices go up.  But as we all know, when a rookie gets hot, that opens the door for scammers and counterfeiters.  This past weekend I wanted to see what a Colt Brennan 2008 Donruss Classics rookie card #’ed/999 was selling for because I pulled one out a few weeks ago.  Scrolling through the list I see this auction.  At first I thought it was great because usually they don’t sell for that much, but then I looked at what others were selling for and I knew something was up.  This auction was selling for much more than the others.  These seem to sell for around $6.00, which is way less than what this auction sold for.  In my opinion, this auction is a victim of shill bidding.  That is where the seller creates another eBay account and bids on their own items to raise the price.  None of the other cards like this were selling for this amount, inclding the ones that popped up for sale when this one did.  I guess some shill bidders expect people to keep bidding and not shop around.

Digital Copies of Cards

Ok, with all the hype and talk about Brett Favre I thought I would see if anyone was trying to sell anything with Brett Favre in a Jets uniform.  Of coarse no major card company would have anything out yet, but there is one seller that has attempted a try at it.  They state in the description that the winning bidder will receive a digital copy of the card e-mailed to them once they receive their payment.  They card isn’t even physically real.  I can’t believe that this auction even has a bid on it.  At least they state its a custom card, but why would anyone buy it?  I hope we don’t see this happening more and more with other players.