TrayKnight Posted Tuesday at 08:35 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 08:35 PM (edited) I see a ton of 1st edition shadowless and shadowless Charizard proxy cards offered on Ebay.....what's the quickest or easiest way to tell the difference between an authentic shadowless card and a proxy.....without having them in hand? What should I look for in a photo? Scammers have gotten a lot better since I last purchased trading cards..... Edited Tuesday at 09:46 PM by TrayKnight Link to post Share on other sites
bulldog1986 Posted Tuesday at 10:52 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 10:52 PM 2 hours ago, TrayKnight said: I see a ton of 1st edition shadowless and shadowless Charizard proxy cards offered on Ebay.....what's the quickest or easiest way to tell the difference between an authentic shadowless card and a proxy.....without having them in hand? What should I look for in a photo? Scammers have gotten a lot better since I last purchased trading cards..... The first thing I would do is verify they are not a new account selling. After that I pull up the same card I'm interested in on a website like tcgplayer.com and look at some the listings there and compare them side by side. You can also send a message to the seller on ebay and request things like angled pictures, side pictures and back pictures (if not already up). Angle I'd be looking for the correct texture and design of it, from the side/top I would be looking to make sure it's not one of those lovely stickers on top of another card, and back pictures I'm looking for any discoloration TrayKnight 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TrayKnight Posted Tuesday at 11:04 PM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 11:04 PM 10 minutes ago, bulldog1986 said: The first thing I would do is verify they are not a new account selling. After that I pull up the same card I'm interested in on a website like tcgplayer.com and look at some the listings there and compare them side by side. You can also send a message to the seller on ebay and request things like angled pictures, side pictures and back pictures (if not already up). Angle I'd be looking for the correct texture and design of it, from the side/top I would be looking to make sure it's not one of those lovely stickers on top of another card, and back pictures I'm looking for any discoloration Thanks.. Wow.....Stickers. Link to post Share on other sites
bulldog1986 Posted Tuesday at 11:16 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 11:16 PM 10 minutes ago, TrayKnight said: Thanks.. Wow.....Stickers. Not my cards, but this is what happened to a guy in a facebook group I'm in a couple of weeks back and he bought off tcgplayer, so they can be anywhere. Tcgplayer of course took care of him and he was laughing about it, but you just never know. Acegraphix and TrayKnight 2 Link to post Share on other sites
TrayKnight Posted Tuesday at 11:27 PM Author Share Posted Tuesday at 11:27 PM (edited) 28 minutes ago, bulldog1986 said: Not my cards, but this is what happened to a guy in a facebook group I'm in a couple of weeks back and he bought off tcgplayer, so they can be anywhere. Tcgplayer of course took care of him and he was laughing about it, but you just never know. That's scary.....How would I detect a card that has a sticker layered over the original.....I'm guessing the thickness and stiffness of the card would change. Are the lettering and colors on these types of stickers exactly the same as the originals.... Edited Tuesday at 11:45 PM by TrayKnight Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Churches Posted Wednesday at 02:07 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 02:07 PM If you are looking at 1st edition shadowless Charizards and think you are getting an amazing deal, it's likely fake. The tips above are very good for sniffing out fakes, generally speaking. I've never seen the sticker situation, but I also don't buy expensive cards off TCGPlayer (cards you can't typically see before you buy). If you follow good practices as a buyer (eBay has good buyer protections, always insist on PayPal and use Goods and Services as the payment option), you'll be in better shape to thwart scams. And if you find a deal that's too good to be true, it probably is. TrayKnight 1 Link to post Share on other sites
bulldog1986 Posted Wednesday at 02:39 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 02:39 PM 15 hours ago, TrayKnight said: That's scary.....How would I detect a card that has a sticker layered over the original.....I'm guessing the thickness and stiffness of the card would change. Are the lettering and colors on these types of stickers exactly the same as the originals.... According to the guy on facebook, he could tell before he even took it out of the top loader. The texture was all wrong, the thickness was all wrong, just everything about it screamed hilarious scam, and according to him, his seller said he never realized (yea right...). Regardless, like Ron said, most websites like tcgplayer, ebay, and others have buyer protections to help you out if you get in that kind of a situation and I would suggest reading up on those so you know when you can take chances and when you can't. TrayKnight 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TrayKnight Posted Wednesday at 11:54 PM Author Share Posted Wednesday at 11:54 PM 9 hours ago, Ron Churches said: If you are looking at 1st edition shadowless Charizards and think you are getting an amazing deal, it's likely fake. The tips above are very good for sniffing out fakes, generally speaking. I've never seen the sticker situation, but I also don't buy expensive cards off TCGPlayer (cards you can't typically see before you buy). If you follow good practices as a buyer (eBay has good buyer protections, always insist on PayPal and use Goods and Services as the payment option), you'll be in better shape to thwart scams. And if you find a deal that's too good to be true, it probably is. Thanks a lot Ron... Link to post Share on other sites
TrayKnight Posted Thursday at 12:01 AM Author Share Posted Thursday at 12:01 AM 9 hours ago, bulldog1986 said: According to the guy on facebook, he could tell before he even took it out of the top loader. The texture was all wrong, the thickness was all wrong, just everything about it screamed hilarious scam, and according to him, his seller said he never realized (yea right...). Regardless, like Ron said, most websites like tcgplayer, ebay, and others have buyer protections to help you out if you get in that kind of a situation and I would suggest reading up on those so you know when you can take chances and when you can't. Yeh, I figured the weight and perhaps the feel of the card will probably be off on something like that......criminal activity has definitely changed since the last time I was in the trading card game.....Thx Link to post Share on other sites
Angel of Death Posted Thursday at 11:18 AM Share Posted Thursday at 11:18 AM On 1/12/2021 at 6:16 PM, bulldog1986 said: Not my cards, but this is what happened to a guy in a facebook group I'm in a couple of weeks back and he bought off tcgplayer, so they can be anywhere. Tcgplayer of course took care of him and he was laughing about it, but you just never know. I have never had a problem at that venue. I wonder if they discipline sellers for that kinda BS. Link to post Share on other sites
bulldog1986 Posted Thursday at 02:37 PM Share Posted Thursday at 02:37 PM (edited) 3 hours ago, Angel of Death said: I have never had a problem at that venue. I wonder if they discipline sellers for that kinda BS. I know TCGPlayer takes their site pretty seriously against offenders, at least that's been my personal experience, which is why I don't have a problem shopping on there. When I had problems with orders, such as condition didn't match sale, they were on it fast. With something like fake cards like that, I have to imagine they brought the hammer down hard on that seller, if not outright banned him from their venue after seeing the refund through. Edited Thursday at 02:37 PM by bulldog1986 Angel of Death 1 Link to post Share on other sites
