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Still another Ebay problem, need some advice...
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14 posts in this topic

The never ending saga... Last week I paid up for a nice EC only to find it had obvious color touch not mentioned and slighty obscured photo. Back it went...

Today, I got two more ECs from a guy that offered returns, had a great description and photos and a clean track record. I paid well for them. One appears OK but this one is well, questionable. I think I know the answer here but thought I'd get some expert opinions first.

In hand it looked fine until I opened it up. The pages are shorter than the cover. Yes he described the piece missing from first page. When I got to the centerfold, I noticed two additional staples. Also, the top right corner looks suspect. Tear seal? I assume the book is married to another cover.

The book was graded fine+. I'd give it a fine or fine- due to the tear in corner. It was a two book lot and I like the other one but not this one. I don't know how to handle this. I would keep both for a significant price reduction on the Crypt but don't know what to offer due to the resto.

I also got a couple cool books from right here on the boards today. One was slabbed and one was from another boardie I don't know but it was spot on grade wise. My track record on Ebay is getting worse and worse on raw books even lower grade ones. I prefer raw as I actually like to read my books. Not a big high grade or high dollar guy anymore. But this is crazy. These boards have gotton to be about the only place I can buy books at fair prices/grades from honest sellers. A real credit to the boards!

My question is what should I do?

Here is the book

crypt32a.jpg

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crypt32e.jpg

crypt32h.jpg

crypt32i.jpg

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crypt32g.jpg

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Yeah I just had to return a total high grade Cole key I've been chasing for years because of unnoticed restoration.  I prefer raw also.  The seller was totally embarrassed and offered a substantial discount, but I knew I couldn't look at the book the same ever again.  Ha ha.  But its true.  So I returned it.   Odd thing is, had I come across the book offered at his reduced price, with the restoration advertised, I probably would have bought it.  go figure.  But yeah, send it back and wait for another.  Also, hold that corner up to the light, you should be able to see the glue if it's a tear seal. 

IMG_7053.JPG

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Lately I seem to routinely get raw  books from eBay sellers who have generously -to themselves- overgraded by a half to a full grade, so I sort of bid with that in mind.

If the restoration really bothers you, definitely open a NAD claim and send it back. 

OTOH you might figure what each book in the lot cost by itself, then determine what you would have paid had you known of the defects in this book, and ask the seller for a refund of that amount. 

Like you, I buy readers in the G to VG range, and I could live with one in that condition, provided the price was right.  My only "definite return no matter what", is trimming or missing pages.

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Thanks for your opinions. This one is complicated because it was a two book lot. This one was listed as slightly better thusly worth a little more than the other one which I would definitely like to keep. I might consider keeping the Crypt but for a reduced price or maybe not. 

Pretty sure I will get asked what I am willing to pay for it. I have rarely bought restored books so not sure what it might be worth. According to the listing, before I got it, I figured it in the fine range. 

So can someone give me an idea of what this should be worth? I know I will have to either negotiate or possibly just send them both back.

Man, I’m really getting sick of eBay. My buying track record is terrible there and getting worse. 

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13 hours ago, fifties said:

Lately I seem to routinely get raw  books from eBay sellers who have generously -to themselves- overgraded by a half to a full grade, so I sort of bid with that in mind.

If the restoration really bothers you, definitely open a NAD claim and send it back. 

OTOH you might figure what each book in the lot cost by itself, then determine what you would have paid had you known of the defects in this book, and ask the seller for a refund of that amount. 

Like you, I buy readers in the G to VG range, and I could live with one in that condition, provided the price was right.  My only "definite return no matter what", is trimming or missing pages.

I have the same experience with ebay sellers. I checked this guy out carefully. Read his through description and looked at the photos. He seems very legit. I bid slightly above what I really wanted to pay because the books seemed real nice and I wanted them both.

I have bought books in every grade range. Depends on the book and the price. How bad I want it, what the defect is and how it impacts it's desirably to me and how long it might take to find another copy. The only defects I won't buy are brittle or moldy books. Rat chews and excessive tape are also no nos as well although, I have even been known to buy them if real cheap and I really want the book. I have coverless/incomplete books all the way up to Mile High/Church copies.

A few years ago I bought an All American #89 (first Harlequin) from a  guy at a show. It was a bit pricey. I opened it up and found the centerfold missing. It was an attractive copy otherwise and a book I had been looking for. The centerfold was from a story I would have just flipped by without reading anyway. The guy was embarrased and took it away in discust. I pointed out, I would still be interested in a vastly discounted price. He quoted me an incredible price and I went away happy with a book I probably wouldn't have paid up to own.

I just sent the guy an email offering 3 options. 1) We negotiate on the one good one and I return this one. 2.) We negotiate on both at a vastly reduced price and 3) I return both books (with HIM paying the return shipping). I did not quote any numbers. I will see what he offers and take it from there.

Right now, with no shows, my options to obtain books is pretty limited. I, as a rule, don't bid with the big auction houses for various reasons, web sites are a waste of time. So it leaves me with a cesspool of Ebay or the great sellers right here. Sure glad I have the collection I already have...

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8 hours ago, Knightsofold said:

Just buy slabs and crack em out.  I mostly like raw, but buy cgcd books to avoid situations like this.  

Obviously an option but I can't do that with everything. Anything, high grade, pricey or want real bad, that is fine and what I do, but I hate to risk damaging a crack out and paying the extra cost for a slab on most of the readers I buy. There are books that I want primarily for the cover only and slabbed books fit that bill just fine. But to me, a slabbed book is a very hollow experience and simply reducing it to a mere "commodity"...

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10 hours ago, Knightsofold said:

Just buy slabs and crack em out.  I mostly like raw, but buy cgcd books to avoid situations like this.  

The problem is, one pays dearly for that privilege.  Once a book is slabbed, zeros are added behind the price digits.  This is my primary reason for not liking the slabbing procedure, in that it's caused a two tier marketplace.  Great for investors, but O/W for collectors who buy to read.

RM, all you have to do is open a NAD (Not As Described) case with eBay, and they will send you a shipping label, not at your expense.  Once tracking shows that the seller received the books back, they'll pull your total cost from him and put it in your PayPal account.  Been there, done that, several times.

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Believe me fifties, I am WELL aware of that procedure. Sadly, I’ve used it more times than I would have liked to.

I prefer to start the process with the seller directly. Depending on their attitude, fair feedback is always left. I always tell them I am going to file. I refuse to pay return postage on s seller’s error. 

This was a little different. It was a two book lot. One was fine and one was not. I put it to the seller to make it right. He offered me a huge discount on the married copy. Much better than the figure I had in mind. For that number, I am happy to have a nice filler until I can up grade. He will be getting a nice positive. 

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4 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Believe me fifties, I am WELL aware of that procedure. Sadly, I’ve used it more times than I would have liked to.

I prefer to start the process with the seller directly. Depending on their attitude, fair feedback is always left. I always tell them I am going to file. I refuse to pay return postage on s seller’s error. 

This was a little different. It was a two book lot. One was fine and one was not. I put it to the seller to make it right. He offered me a huge discount on the married copy. Much better than the figure I had in mind. For that number, I am happy to have a nice filler until I can up grade. He will be getting a nice positive. 

Glad to hear that it worked out well for you, RM!  Yes, I've had the experience several times myself, where the seller comes back with a refund offer  greater than I had anticipated.  Given that potential, eBay is still a worthwhile venue.

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4 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Believe me fifties, I am WELL aware of that procedure. Sadly, I’ve used it more times than I would have liked to.

I prefer to start the process with the seller directly. Depending on their attitude, fair feedback is always left. I always tell them I am going to file. I refuse to pay return postage on s seller’s error. 

This was a little different. It was a two book lot. One was fine and one was not. I put it to the seller to make it right. He offered me a huge discount on the married copy. Much better than the figure I had in mind. For that number, I am happy to have a nice filler until I can up grade. He will be getting a nice positive. 

Glad to see. People miss stuff, even sometimes when it should be fairly obvious to anyone with experience. Even CGC misses things. Years ago I sold an inexpensive book ($20) and missed what should have been fairly evident color touch, I was guilty of not giving it a thorough enough inspection due to its value. I gave a full refund and told the buyer to keep the book. Another time I sold a book missing an ad page that I was sure I had page counted accurately, but apparently hadn't. In that case the buyer just requested I buy a coverless copy for him that was listed on ebay, which I was happy to do. I've also purchased books from sellers I trust, both on ebay and the boards, that had a missed flaw. It happens. It's rarely a problem rectifying the situation with an honest seller. 

I return a few ebay purchases every year for one reason or another (missing centerfolds seem to be the main one), and maybe due to the nature of the venue, it's a higher rate than one might expect with better known dealers, but of course when we have the opportunity to inspect books in hand, we tend to forget the undisclosed ( often unknowingly so) flaws in books we look over and choose not to buy. 

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