Paninuss Update

Well that was fun. Wasn't the greatest box in the world, but it was free and I have no complaints. Here are the goods:

Gifford #9 / 25 (anyone know if this jersey was made in one of his wife's sweat-shops?)

Tomlinson #11 / 50

Curtis Lofton Auto #610 / 999

Mendenhall Event Worn Jersey (Possible Amos Zereoue Throwback?) #7 / 50

J.D. Booty Event Worn Jersey (possible Spergon Wynn throwback?) and ball #152 / 250

Thanks again to Paninuss and specifically Yesica at their Customer Service Department for doing a really cool thing here. They didn't have to do anything. All I asked was for them to send a SASE so I didn't have to supply shipping. Now everyone is happy, including the person who sends in that redemption for a Kevin Smith Auto Patch #/5 and actually receives their card.

Paninuss Comes Through!! Big Time!!

Some of yall might remember a post from a last month about getting sent 2 of the same cards for one redemption. You can see the posts HERE and HERE.

When I returned the card, I included a letter explaining the situation and then mentioning the fact that I like Panthers and such. I even threw in there that I love opening wax and one day hope to possibly, maybe, fortuitously, kinda want to open some National Treasures one day. I NEVER asked them for anything. I just mentioned these things cause I figured that they just might want to get to know me better as a person. Seriously, who wouldn't.

Well this morning at around 7:15am FedEx rang the doorbell and dropped off a brand new box of 08 Leaf Certified Materials. It's the collectors equivalent to a girl getting flowers for nothing. And now I am totally prepared to put-out. It's only fair.

It's no National Treasures, but seriously, it's way beyond what I thought would happen. I am really pumped to open this thing up later tonight. Keep in mind that I did NOTHING to earn this box. They sent me 2 cards by mistake and I get a box out of it.

So here's to you Yesica from Paninuss Customer Service!! I tip my hat to you and yours. Thanks for giving me a great example to talk to my kids in the future about integrity.

I'll post later with the results.

Hope and Change - Part Deux

Exactly 2 months ago today, I posted about how in this economy we can expect the instances of fakes and forgeries to exponentially increase due to the desperation that some people feel in their wallet.

As an example I used what was at the time, the worst fake Matt Ryan I had ever seen.

I now stand corrected.

What you see before you is an all-time new low in the ever-growing dungeon of douche-bags.


THIS GUY takes the cake. Not only is an obvious fake, but it's a bad one at that. My son could do better Ryan auto by smearing a booger.

To make is worse is that he slyly advertises it in the auction as "2008 SP Rookie Threads Matt Ryan Super Swatch auto /175", but then somehow forgets to mention the fact that it is autographed in the detailed description.

He does however point out that it has some minor chipping, so bid at your own risk.

What are these people smoking? Probably the same thing that the people are that actually bid on these things. No matter how obvious, someone ALWAYS buys it. Hopefully though it's just to display them in a Smithsonian type case to show kids from all over the world the effects on your brain after watching too much Yo-Gaba-Gaba.

Ebay Shame - Peterson Edition

I don't pretend to understand the inner-workings of some EBay seller's brains. At what point do you have to reach in life where you think it is okay to copy someone else's scan and try to sell it as your own? Seriously, what level of crack-whore desperation must you possess?

Notice anything similar about these 2 Petersons?

Why, they look amazingly similar! Except one of them adjusted the contrast.

How about now? I layered the one on the right above the one on the left with 50% opacity. Meaning you are literally looking through one to see the other. See any differences? Neither did I.

I emailed both of these sellers and inquired about the scan. I asked them the same question so I wouldn't skew the result, all the while knowing that the one on the left has to be the legit one based on the case in the picture.

Want to guess who responded and who didn't? The seller of the left Peterson said that it was indeed his scan and he has reported the other seller. He also thanked me for bringing it to his attention.

Seller 2 never responded. But what makes him worse is this quote from his auction, (Caps not by my hand)

"You are bidding/buying now/making offer on the card in the picture- EXACTLY:

2007 07 ADRIAN PETERSON PLAYOFF CONTENDERS AUTO RC MT! This is limited to ONLY 355 copies, and this one is perfect!!

PLEASE LOOK AT OUR OTHER ITEMS (INCLUDING STORE ITEMS) WE HAVE SOME SUPER NICE ITEMS AVAILABLE NOW!!!

THIS CARD IS AN ABSOLUTE GEM. IT WILL GRADE NRMT + OR HIGHER, SHARP CORNERS, SMOOTH SURFACE, AND SLICK EDGES!!"

What an absolute douche. So if you have a list of sellers to avoid, add him to it. If Obama hadn't just outlawed its practice, wouldn't this guy be a prime test subject for the Insect Box? I say yes.

Here is your links to Auction REAL, and Auction DOUCHE.

Donruss Called . . .

And they want their card back.

I know. Go ahead and call me naive. Call me stoooopid. Call me what you will, but make sure you include the word honorable.

I ended up contacting Donruss about the Extra Kevin Smith that they sent me for one redemption card last month . Here is their reply:

Hi Russ,
There seems to have been a shipping error and the card was shipped twice to you. We ask that you please return one of the cards along with a brief letter of explianation. We will make sure to reimburse you for the shipping and to also send you something extra for your honesty. Thank you for your support and have a great day!

I feel pretty good about it. I was thinking if I send the card back, Donruss was gonna stiff me so I say, 'Hey, Paninuss how about a little something you know for the effort?' and he goes, 'There will be no money, but on your death bed you will receive total conscienceness'. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

When Honesty Meets Absurdity

Ever run into someone in business that is so honest that you don't know whether to slap or applaud them? Kinda like the husband felt like here (possibly nsfw).

I put an offer on a card this week for 5 dollars under what the exact card went for in an auction 1 hour prior.

It got declined without comment. Yall know my thoughts on this practice.

I then put another offer for $5 more than that same auction. Meaning I was going to pay $5 more than an auction that literally ended 1 hour before. This time I left a note informing the seller of the other auction and that I would be prepared to pay immediately.

Again, I got declined. But this time he left the following note:

Thanks for your offer. I'm not really looking to get auction price on this one. Item: 220363788741 sold for $145 +S&H. Also, Ebay fees are doubled in fixed priced listings versus regular auctions. Respectfully,

I have read this message about 20 times and each time I leave more perplexed than before. Never have I ever experienced such honesty from a seller.

First of all, the auction he lists was the first time this card had ever hit Ebay. I know, cause I have watched these cards. This is $40 higher than any of its other closing prices. Which is expected as it was then a new product and usually the first card of a kind that shows up goes for a premium.

But more importantly, the seller pretty much tells me that he doesn't want 'auction price' (meaning the going rate for the card), he wants to match the initial listing. And seeing as how 'Ebay fees are double in fixed priced listings', he expects me to pay for it. That is amazing!

Again, I believe that you can ask whatever you want for your card. It's yours and nobody has to buy it if they choose. So it's not the fact he won't sell it to me at the going rate that weirds me out. It's the fact that he flat out says that auction prices don't matter, and that he expects the buyer to happily pick up the tab for his listing fees. A $40 premium to pay off listing fees seems steep though.

What was he expecting me to say exactly? 'Oh, I see your point. I will gladly offer you an additional $40. I just wanted to make sure I knew where the money was going. Consider it a tip! Heck, make it $60! Then you could pick up that DVD set Gallagher -The Sledge-O-Matic Collection you've had your eye on. I am glad that I could be of service. Is there any way you could send someone over to kick me in the groin upon its delivery? Respectfully of course.'

I guess I'll wait until the next one pops up. With my luck though it will be from Wolverine24.

Pointless Redemption

By now most of you realize that I have an intense love-hate relationship with redemptions. Here is another example of hate.

I pulled this redemption months ago from Leaf Limited. I redeemed it with the hope and prayer that they wouldn't actually fill a Chris Henry Auto Jersey from an '08 product seeing as how he saw as much playing time as Lucas.

I guess it's a redemption win as I got the card I was supposed to. But it is most assuredly a checklist fail as who in their right mind puts Chris Henry in the Material Monikers subset. It actually is a pretty rare card seeing as how it features a swatch from a game-used jersey. There are only a couple of these in existence.

Pretty sure Eric Shelton will make an appearance in the '09 set.

And yes, this was the box hit.

BAM

I am not going to say a whole lot about the NCAA Tournament other than that I am now richer in life and in my wallet now that the Heels won the Championship. Love 'Em or Hate 'Em, you have to respect what they just did. I didn't make any comments about it before as I am very superstitious about saying anything during a tournament run. So here is my post to say thanks to my boys for such a fun season.

Oh, and as sad as it is, I am going ahead and putting money aside for some Press Pass basketball this year. On card autos in their college uni's are fun. And no, I don't plan on buying them early at triple the cost. That would be dumb.

The Cutler EBay Infusion

While the impact of the Cutler deal will be determined in coming months, the EBay impact is in full bloom.

# of Cutler Autograph cards listed in the week leading up to Thursday = 23

# of Cutler Autograph cards listed in the last 24 hours = 73

Just wait until Vick comes back.

One Redeeming Redemption

Ever gotten screwed over on a Redemption card? Yeah, so have I. Ever get a 2 for 1 deal on a Redemption card? Yeah, neither had I. That is until last week when 3 months after I received the first Kevin Smith Leaf Certified Patch Auto #/5, I received a second one.

As most know, on the Donruss redemption website when they send out your card, they update your case as closed and it gives you a date of when it was sent. When I received the first Smith 3 months ago it came out of the blue; a beautiful gift from the Redemption Magician. I never got the notice on my account saying that it had been sent. So you can imagine the surprise when I got it in the mail.

Well 2 weeks ago I got that update. I actually figured that they had discovered that they never updated that case and just closed it out. But when I went to look, it actually had a new delivery confirmation number next to it. And last week it showed up in my mailbox.

So here I sit on this moral dilemma. You see, this card is actually someone else’s. Someday in the future, someone may redeem their card only to find that there isn’t one. Then a few months later they will receive one sweet Malcolm Kelly Auto. I understand that this will probably never happen, but the fact is that it may. So what do I do?

In my mind, my options are as follows:

A) Contact Donruss and explain the situation and most likely end up sending the card back; clearing both my conscience and my small victory from the books

B) Sell / Trade it immediately to get it out of my hands in case the error is recognized and to maximize my paypal account

C) Hold it for a while after posting this, giving Donruss ample opportunity to come for it if they want. Which would mean that someone there either reads or was forwarded my blog. In that case, I could possibly hold them hostage for some contest wax to open here for contests. Or more likely, hold their card until the cops come and take it.

D) I can spare them the inevitable industry crippling embarrassment at having sent someone a 2-fer on a Redemption and quickly take down this post and act like I have no idea it ever happened.

E) Bronze it and proudly display it as living proof that the ‘Man’ can’t keep you down 100% of the time

F) Send it to get graded by BGS to increase its Awesomeness Factor by 1000 and then list it on EBay for $10,000 because I can.

I realize that for most people out there, this isn’t much of a dilemma at all. These companies put out so many redemptions every year (many of which have no chance at ever being signed/redeemed) that to come out ahead on one is a bonus. And that is fine to feel that way. At the end of the day, I may end up right there with you. But it makes for great fodder nonetheless.

So let’s hear what you would do. I am going ahead and putting Gellman down for option ‘F’.

Yet Another Blog With A Cutler Post

I started to write this post as a comment on SCU, but it got so long that I figured it would be better served here.

In short, I think this is a great deal for both sides. Here's why:

The Bears have been stunted the last few years because of the lackluster play from the QB position. They saw an opportunity to get a young Pro Bowler with a rocket arm that will sure up that position for years. Those opportunities don't come by very often.

Their problem has also been that they don't have a solid #1 receiver. And please don't say Lloyd or Hester. They are at best 2's and 3's on most teams. This is a problem that will most likely stay that way for a while. No draft picks to get a quality prospect or trade for a Vet. This is where the Cutler move makes even more sense. He is going to not only make the current receiving corp look better, but he is also going to take pressure off of Forte and the running game. Something that Peyton Hillis can attest to.

The Broncos also come out ahead. They got a serviceable QB in Orton, who may end up looking a lot better with the stellar Bronco O-Line and Receivers. And they also got a load of picks to set up their Defense for the next few years.

As far as hobby impact goes, I think you'll see short term spikes in Cutler and possibly spill-over to Forte. So if you are looking to buy now, then I hope you are getting a share of the TARP funds. Smart move would be to wait until after the draft, when attention gets diverted for a couple months.

I think you may see small drops in Marshall and Royal, but not enough to make any money on it. Their talents will be tested this year for sure as Orton isn't the owner of the most accurate or quickest arm.

Who knows though. Now that I say all this, expect the complete opposite. Let's just hope that Cutler can check his ego at the door when he gets to camp. Based on Urlacher's comments, the Bears aren't all that giddy about it.

Victory.

Squigi took his auction down. Someone just saved some money and a headache. Paypal was also saved the time having to work it out, which means that they have more time to work over Melbournecowboy.

I don't care if we had anything to do with it or not really. But if you see your card turned into a piece of Mr. T's jewelry to mock you, it's not a bad idea to end the auction.

That being said, I hope he does have an even better one in the wings that he was telling the truth about. It would be nice for once.

Someone's Going To Be Pissed! *Update!

So I began looking at these two auctions again a minute ago and noticed something about the scans.

Here is Wolverines:And here is squig0u812: Notice anything? It looks to me like our Canadian friend squigi cropped the scan to take the ebay camera logo off the scan.

I felt at this point that I should ask him about it. I asked if he knew that there was another auction up at the same time with the same scan. Then asked if it was his or was he using someone elses stuff. I got back this:

"Someone elses scan till my scanner gets fixed, which should be thursday"

I'm sorry, what? Did you say that in your auction description? Are you in such a rush to sell this card that you couldn't wait until Thursday? So I asked him for a description. I get this:

"Mine also has a 2 clr patch/McFadden and 3 clr/Ryan. corners are mint and card is in mint condition as well. I will change the picks as well as soon as I get my scanner back."

So now the card is 5 colors instead of the 4 he describes in the scan.

Beware of this guy. He could be telling the truth, who knows. But what I do know is that anyone who steals a scan and doesn't say so on the item description shouldn't be trusted.

Someone's About To Be Pissed

One of these auctions is about to piss someone off something fierce. Notice anything similar?

Ryan/McFadden #1

Ryan/McFadden #2

My money is with Wolverine. While I do have some reservations about the way some of his auctions go (ie. consistantly selling for significantly more than comperable cards), I have never seen him straight out lie about a scan.

Either way, someone is going to be pissed when they get the card in the mail. This will be fun to wait for the feedback. Or to wait for that police report about another '87 Topps beatdown.

I haven't run into this with any other cards other than Sterling. I won an auction for a Jonathan Stewart Gold 3 color patch auto a couple months ago. After paying the guy, I noticed that there was another auction had the same scan. I emailed him and asked for an exact description of the card he was sending me. He said it was a single color black jersey piece. I proceeded to rip his tail about his auction picture and he quickly refunded the money.

What was he expecting? That I would get the card in the mail and say, "Geez. Them the breaks." That's the most ridiculous part of it all. There are recourses that you can take on paypal to rectify these types of scabs. Melbournecowboy found that out last week.

Anyone else with this experience?

Who Paid More? This Guy!!

This comparison is an interesting study in the habits of the impulse buyer.

I am assuming that this person is either a fan of USC. I say this because even the most ineffective prospector wouldn’t spend $40+ on a Sage Auto and expect to turn it into anything but “guaranteed auto” in a retail grab-bag. So I decided to pair this Mark Sanchez Sage Auto against another USC QB, Matt Cassel.

Yes, I know that he didn’t throw a pass there, but he did go there. And like any set of fans, they claim him as their own as soon as he does something good. Very similar to UNC fans and Willie Parker.

Here are the results:

Mark Sanchez Sage Auto = $46.56
Matt Cassel Contenders Auto = $46

Needless to say, I sit in awe at the absurdity of this comparison.

I won’t even go into the fact that the Sanchez will be selling for half this much in about 8 weeks. Gellman already did a fine enough job of that. Fact is that you do not make money on Sage or Press Pass for that matter unless you buy a box and pull a big name early in the game and then sell it while it has no competition.

Besides that, what exactly has Sanchez done to justify putting this value on his Sage Auto? No championships. No Heisman trophy. No Davey O'Brien award. Nothing. He put up good numbers in a system that has produced 2 recent Heisman winning QB’s who between them own 0 playoff wins in the NFL. Nothing is telling me that he will be any different.

Now Cassel is different. In my opinion, $45 for his Contenders rookie auto is a steal. Other than his SP Authentic auto, it’s by far the best looking rookie auto he has. Also, he has proven he can throw the ball and he is the automatic starter in KC next season. Yeah, I know that he didn’t win a playoff game either, but that wasn’t on him. The Patriots problem wasn’t scoring points, it was getting scored on. That’s what happens when you have Six Flags Spokesmen at the heart of your Defensive unit.

Personally, I think his cards’ values have a much higher ceiling than we are witnessing now. If he starts out well, which I think he will, you could see this Contenders auto double pretty quickly. He is the first real QB that KC has been able to get excited about since Elvis Grbac.

If you are a USC fan and have $45 to spend, why choose the Sanchez? Buy the Cassel, then wait 8 weeks and get the Sanchez for under $20. Then you’ll have money left from you allowance to pick up this Sage auto of another USC QB.

Who Paid More!!! Trojan Edition

Time for another installment of the mind bender that is sweeping the nation.

With Sage's release of the first 2009 product of the year, I figured it would be fun to bring in a couple of Trojans to compare.

So who paid more?

2005 Matt Cassel Contenders Rookie Auto

2009 Mark Sanchez Sage Rookie Auto

Sterling Gold Update

The card you see to the left is the lone remaining piece to my 08 Sterling Gold Patch Auto Set. It's the Matt Ryan #2/20.

It is also currently on EBay. And it can be mine for the small price of $300.

Yeah, you heard me. My Flacco 3 color was had for half that amount. Shoot, the Flacco / Ryan dual patch I got for nearly 25% less.

But it is his card. And legitimately he can ask for any amount he wants for the card. It's more the reasoning behind the price that had me puzzled.

I offered him $180 so I could finish my set, expecting a counter of some kind. What I got was decline notice without explanation. A real peeve of mine. So I emailed him asking what ballpark he was thinking as I was very interested in completing my set. Shall we dissect the response? Of course we shall. Red emphasis mine:

Dear ah999,The card books at $300 (UGH. Right out of the gate)....I understand that most cards dont sell at book value (Then why mention it?) but at the end of the season Matt Ryan was selling pretty close to book. Hell, some of his high end cards today are selling close to book. (Still looking for the relevancy of this comment. The Sterling Market has been established for months) The card is also #2 of 20. You know as well as I do that that adds more value to the card being that it is Matt Ryan. (Jersey # Inflation of $100 seems steep)Someone like Ray Rice maybe not but you know that the jersey numbered card of a star sells for a lot more than a regular one. (why crap on the Rice family? Just unnecessary) The card is also in absolutely mint condition. If I can't get at least $300 for the card then I would probably just keep it. I know the card will triple in value over the next few years if Matt Ryan does what everyone thinks he will do....look at Adrian Peterson. (This is possibly the most ignorant thing I have ever read. Someone PLEASE show me a Peterson card that has Tripled since his rookie year. In fact, Peterson was so inflated his rookie year that it will take a years of herculean efforts to make it grow in substantial value. If anyone thinks that buying big name rookies at really high prices will consistently if ever bring a premium upon resale is fooling themselves) I am a big Matt Ryan fan and have like 80 different rookies and stuff of him. I know you probably dont want to hear this but if you are looking to get a good deal you should probably wait for another one to come around.(Not looking for 'good deal', I would pay over market for it to complete the set, but just not 35% more)...I would love to sell it to you for the $180 so you could fill your set but the card is worth a lot more.(The word worth is funny. I'd love to hit him on it, but I can't distinguish if he means worth more to him, or worth more on the market. The true market worth for this specific card will be established at the end of auction)....thanks...

I guess the set will go a bit longer without the Ryan. This patch sucked anyway. I'd pay $250 for a 3 color. I really would. Oh well. At least I know that it will be forever in the hands of a true 'Matt Ryan fan' who now has 'like 81 different rookies and stuff of him'. Which is good.

I'm Back!

Sorry about being gone for the last week and a half. Thanks so much to those few that checked back everyday in hopes of seeing something new. I am sorry I disappointed you every one of those days.

But hey! There's always tomorrow. And with it comes an opportunity to TOTALLY REDEEM MYSELF!

Busy

I'll be busy with meetings for a week or so with very sporadic internet. So don't expect any updates for a little bit. Feel free to comment on other stuff, just don't expect them to immediately show up.

Thanks and I look forward to when life settles down again.

Counter Intelligence

In my continued quest to improve the EBay experience, I decided to tackle the elusive Counter Offer.

Some of you may have never experienced an actual counter offer. I weep for you.

Let me start with one example of how it is supposed to work:

You have a card that you feel should fetch $100, but you would take maybe $85. I see other auctions have gone for $80 so I offer you $75 hoping to open lines of communication. You counter at $90. I think, hey this guy might be reasonable, so I offer you $80 because I really like your card. After realizing you don’t have any other offers, you decide to offer me $85. I can either take it, or offer you back $80 with my last offer. For fun, let’s say you come down to $83 and I take it. Now we are both happy and we give each other positive feedback so good that it makes you question your sexuality.

Here are 2 examples of how it actually works:

Example A) I see a card I like listed at Feckett (not misspelled) Value for $225 with a best offer option. After seeing that similar cards go for $80, I offer the seller $75 to open lines of communication. I receive a decline notice with the added note that says, ‘Way too low. Books for $225.’ I wait a week to see if another option comes up. None does, so I offer the seller $80 with the note, ‘I think this is fair market value based on completed listings. Thanks for your consideration.’ I then wait 3 days until the offer finally expires. Then 6 months later, he sells the item for $75 and I pray that the buyer pays for it with hand-delivered pesos.

Example B) I see a card I like listed at $95 with a best offer option. After seeing that similar cards go for $80, I offer the seller $75 to open the lines of communication. I wait 3 days for my offer to expire. I then offer $75 again. Then I get decline notice without a note. Then I say screw it, and wish many an outbreak of scabies.

Why is this? It really doesn’t have to be this way.

If you are a seller, please realize that if you are 100% firm on what you need for a card, then just put the stinking thing up for sale with a BIN without a best offer option and save others the effort. Or put a higher BIN price on it than what you need, and then have a starting bid at what you have to have.

DO NOT put a best offer on a card if you are a) unwilling to communicate, or b) too sensitive to take a low offer without getting all pansified (my word) like TO after someone rips his QB.

One of my biggest peeves is when someone just doesn’t respond. I realize the some people like to wait the full 3 days before answering. And while you are totally within your right to do so, please be courteous about it. I for one am not a big fan of waiting that long or making someone wait that long for the simple fact that it locks up funds for the person bidding. But hey, to each his own in that respect. Just don’t let the offer expire. That is rude and petty. I don’t care if the offer is ridiculous. Respond. You might be surprised by the counter.

You see, in business, they teach you to start low to leave yourself some wiggle room. Somehow we have gotten in the mode of expecting a maximized bid from the get-go. That’s just bad business. This isn’t CarMax, it’s Ebay. The reason nobody feels like they got a deal from CarMax is because nobody likes to pay sticker price. Ideally you want to bring the price down some. People will throw a low bid out there to see the seller’s intent. What’s the harm in countering as you normally would? If the potential buyer isn’t serious they won’t reply. If they are, then they may come back with a more respectable bid. Either way it’s good customer service.

I would love to ask one of these girdle-lined sellers if they have ever offered less on a card than the asking price. I would looove it.

One more thing. If someone EVER counters my offer by quoting Feckett Value, then expect a decline accompanied with a lesson in beta males and links to your card and their sold listings. I may even Rick-Roll you.

Sorry for the rant. Believe it or not, it could have been longer. And this probably isn’t the last one on this topic. It’s just all I can muster at the moment. Now, talk amongst yourselves.

Hope and Change Baby! Hope and Change!

Apparently the era of "Hope and Change" has hit the card community.

You see, if you 'Hoped' to get a Matt Ryan Auto in your Leaf Certified Materials Box but didn't. Then simply 'Change' the jersey card you got into one!

And then 'Hope' you don't get arrested.

I have never seen this card before. And I couldn't find it on the Donruss Checklist. I have also asked the seller a couple questions. I will keep you updated.

But let us all pray for this to be real. Because if not, then the next place you'll see THIS CARD is slabbed in 2010 Razor Cut Signatures.

Oh No They Didn't!!

I am going out on a limb here and wrongly assume that nobody that reads this blog, doesn't actually get here through SportsCardsUncensored. But if by chance, somebody has accidentally gone here first, PLEASE do yourself a favor and read this post.

He has linked an article HERE describing what looks to be a major traveshamockery of the industry as we know it.

Again, I asked the same question earlier, how far are we willing to suspend belief in order to convince ourselves that everything is kosher in the Lollipop Guild.

Then, after you read all that, do youself a favor and press play below. You'll thank me later.

*Editors Note - I got to thinking last night about the situation. Doesn't this all fit into the movie Tommy Boy? At one point in the movie he says, "What's a guarantee? I could slap a guarantee on a box of crap and all you got there is a guaranteed box of crap." I think that is just about as perfect as they come.

Things that make you go 'Hmmm!' - Part Deux

In this installment of the 'Things that make you go Hmmmm!' segment, I ask the question; How far are you willing to suspend your belief in the authenticity of a patch in order to convince yourself to buy it? I am guessing that some must go really far. I have seen some VERY questionable stuff online lately and considering the economic situation, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

I will say this about card patches, if there is a question in your mind about whether it is real or not, then its fake. I have used this rule without fail for about 3 years now and it has saved me money, shame and jail time from the inevitable assault charge that would ensue when I google-earthed the sellers house and hit him in the head with a factory sealed '87 Topps set.

I even go as far as ask the seller if they pulled the card themselves. This puts the honesty onus on them. If there is a shred of decency in them, and the patch is fake, then they will not answer the email. If they answer any form of the word 'no', followed by any explanation, then they are a hopeless dingleberry. If by chance they say 'yes', I actually tend to trust them, as they know that they are personally vouching for its' authenticity. It takes other-worldly balls to say yes to that question and lie.

Here is my favorite example of someone on ebay that probably has those other-worldly balls. Not only does this guy label basically every card as some kind of 1/1, but he actually has the cojones to list all his fakes together. If someone is that bold (slash stupid) to list a number of fakes at the same time, then they will definitely answer whatever they think you want to hear.

Check out just 2 of his 'SWEET 1/1's!' Here, and Here. Trust me, there's more.

I'll let you find the Leaf Rookies and Stars card that he describes as 'The Holy Grail'. Even if they inserted a flippin piece of the Holy Grail prop from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and it was signed by this guy, there still would never be a Leaf Rookies and Stars card that should EVER be called a Holy Grail.

Wait. Scratch that. Leaf Rookies and Stars is in fact the Holy Grail of Manufactured Patch Autos. My bad. See, that's what happens when you use finite words like 'never' and 'ever'.

So be on the lookout for more of these types of shenanigans. As the economy plummets, jerk stores from all over will be trying to flip these for a quick buck. Don't be the guy who gets stuck with it. If you have a question about one, I urge you to contact me and we will let the community decide. That means that like 3 people including my wife, will take a look. And you can't beat that kind of service.

You Know, One Problem With Redemptions Is. . .

A lot of things can change those 18 months it takes to fill it.

What you see here is a really nice Roy Williams 07 Classics Auto #9/10. 18 Months ago, my buddy could have gotten some decent money for this card.

But in the time it took them to fill this redemption, not only has Roy Williams been traded to the Dallas Cowboys, but he has also decided that he sucks.

Man I hate redemptions.

Who Paid More? This Guy!!

So nobody actually guessed who paid more on this one. But no matter, you would have probably been wrong anyway.

Chad Henne - $825
Fake Vick - $707.95

That's just nuts in my opinion. The Henne is actually justifiable if you have the money and love the Dolphins/Henne/Michigan. I understand. But the Vick? You just dropped a month's rent on a fake patched ex-con. Crazy in these times.

What's crazy about both of these is what you could have with that kind of money. In the middle of these 2 auctions, the card below went for $711.


That's right. One of the only on-card Rookie Autographs of Tom Brady. A 3 Time Super Bowl Champion and a sure-fire HOFamer.

I am in NO way a Brady fan. Especially after the Pats beat the Panthers in their only Super Bowl appearance. But I would LOVE to own this card. It's one to hand to your kids one day.

I will gladly eat my shorts if Henne ever even sniffs a Super Bowl. He has to play in it though. Pennington's backup doesn't count. As for Vick, anyone that hangs and drowns dogs, should be subjected to, but not limited to, eating Shaun Rogers game-used jock.

Am I alone on this one? If so, I have a nice Forte auto patch in the bucket that I will give up for your Walter Payton.

Who Paid More!!

Seeing as how the economy is on a roll like the 08 Lions, I thought I would focus this installment on some people with money to burn.

So who paid more?

The Chad Henne SP Authentic NFL LOGO 1/1
The Michael Vick SP Authentic Fake NFL Logo #/250

I could be wrong on the fake thing. But I would be willing to bet my house on it. Just looking at the 2 of those patches you can see obvious differences in the quality. Also, when did any company put nfl logo patches in items #/250.

So let's hear your opinion. I'm not going to lie, the winner gets nothing. But the pride you will feel in your soul will last at least through lunch on Friday.

Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm'

Welcome to Ebay Shame's Things That Make You Go 'Hmmm' segment. I want to thank C+C Music Factory not for your sponsorship, but for just being the awesome Dance Remixers that you are. Robbie-Rob break it down!

So, let's say you have a nice Calvin Johnson Rookie Auto on your hands. Ahh screw it, let's say your this guy. And your card just ended with no bids at $150 with a BIN of $200. What are your options?

You could:

A) Relist this item for the same type auction and hope to get a better response.

B) Relist this item for $200 with a Best Offer option.

C) Not relist the item and just hold onto it until you feel you can get what you need.

D) Relist with a BIN of $200, but lower the first bid to $130 to try to get some action on it.

E) Say, 'Screw it, it books for $250 and it's a hot rookie, so I'll put it up for a BIN of $180 without an opening bid, even though nobody bit at $150. Sweet.'

At this point, do I really even need to say what this guy did?

I actually emailed him as I collect Calvin Johnson and asked him if he could come down to $125 since nobody bid on $150. I got the following response:

"Sorry, but no. The card lists at $250 and is of a hot rookie"

Let's see what Calvins you can get for well under $180.

There's this SPA 4 Color Patch.

There's this National Treasures 4 Color Patch

There's even this Elite Passing the Torch Dual with Jerry Rice

But heck, I don't even know what they book for.

I know I run the risk at sounding bitter. That's not my intent at all. And I am not bitter. I don't even need to spend the paypal. The purpose of these posts are to improve EBay tranquility. I understand that most people on there don't think in terms of business, but rather in terms of emotion. I get it. But if we could just curb some of those feelings, we could make things much more profitable and enjoyable for everyone.

For instance instead of quoting book value, which you know is crap based on your starting/asking price, just be honest and say, 'look, I have $$$ into the card, so I can't take less than $$$." Its that simple. That's what you mean anyway.

Oh, and thanks for informing me of the 'hot rookie' status.

Sterling Gold Update - Its real and its Spectacular

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have taken on the task of putting together the 08 Sterling Gold Patch Auto set. Well Monday morning I received the jewel of the set from SportsCardForums's Professor-Chaos:

I wanted to give a quick plug for this guy. I have done around 10 deals from our friends in Canada over the years with various success. For some reason the Post Office works better from here to Albania than it does from Canada. I've had mail take over 6 weeks to get here or there. But being a large deal, Professor-Chaos sent this UPS and it was in my hand in 10 days. Just awesome service on his part.

I am now just 2 cards short of this set. The Matt Ryan #/20 and the Brian Brohm #/20. Any help finding these 2 cards will certainly involve a freebie from me.

I know these cards don't necessarily fit my mold of a perfect auto by any means. But for some reason, I love Sterling Golds. Maybe it's the stock, or the sheen, or the smell. Or maybe it's because I swear that Felix looks like he just wants to be my friend, but CJ wants to rob me on the same card. I don't know. But I love em, so shoot me. Just kidding CJ.

Ebay Best Practice #2

So I am doing my daily Ebay search to finish my 08 Sterling Gold Patch Auto set. I only need 2 more (the Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm. Both #/20), but I search through all the new listings to see if I can upgrade any of my patches. And today I come across this auction:

DeSean DeShouldn't

First of all, this guy has about 6 of these listed exactly the same way. And I know that these redemptions were going for 40+ when this product was hot. So I am pretty sure that he is taking a loss on most, if not all of these by listing at $20 with BIN of $30.

Secondly, and most importantly, check out the description. I quote: "beckett value $80.00 best buy now on ebay GET HIM NOW". There are a number of things wrong with this one statement.

1. He shoots himself in the foot by listing all 6 at once. GET HIM NOW would indicate that I don't have a lot of options for this card. But why am I in a hurry as a customer to BIN at $30 if I know there are 5 other options up? If he wants to maximize each cards value, then list one at a time. This gives the impression to the customer that this card is harder to find than it really is, thus creating a false ceiling for at least the first couple.

2. If the Beckett Value has any accuracy at all, then why sell for over 60% off of that price? If Beckett Value is grounded in actual sales from shows and such, then this seller should have absolutely no problem selling at least 90% of the listed price. But no, this seller already knows that the market has positioned this card to be around $20-35 depending on the patch. So he prices it accordingly. So why, WHY even mention the fact that the Beckett value is $80? How long do you think Edmunds Blue Book would stay relevant if they over-priced their cars by over 60%. The answer is not very long. And the answer to why he mentions Beckett value is because he knows that by using those words it attracts morons like a predator drone is attracted to a Jihadist with a sparkler.

3. If you look into the item, you'll also notice that apparently Beckett has this card "going up" in its latest rag. Which is really funny, cause this card actually has fallen in value (like the rest of the sterling autos) over the last 3 months. Not for any fault of the player, just because the market is more crowded with other options. I just find it funny that it is even mentioned. If I had no hands, and it took me 3 hours to search the completed auctions for 'desean jackson sterling auto' correctly with my nose, this still wouldn't be relevant information. But that's just me.

I for one just can't stand when I see Beckett anywhere in an EBay auction. It really has no place and that is obvious to anyone who has ever read the magazine. Because you see, Beckett has created it's own world; where cards are worth whatever your wildest dreams make them worth. And EBay resides in the real world, where the free market decides. I'll take the real world any day.

*Editors note - I failed to mention in the original post that I actually applaud the sellers asking price. It's actually right around the going rate. I don't take issue with that. I just hate the way he went about it. That is all.

Emmitt Smith and ESPN Break Up

Everyone that will read this blog I assume has watched football on ESPN for the last couple years. And thus has been given the pleasure of watching Emmitt Smith walk through the human language like watching Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman cross half court.

See this story on Awful Announcing. They have a great Top 10 list of some of Emmitt's greatest verbal feats.

Love and Collecting

I have been thinking all week about something that happened to me on Valentines Day. And I am curious if anyone else has experienced this.

For Valentine’s Day weekend, I agreed to take my wife to a marriage seminar that was being put on at a local church. It was a 2 day event that focused on love and respect and all the other gooey things that marriages should entail. It wasn’t cheap either, and part of the deal was that I couldn’t complain and had to act like I really liked it. You know, kind of like working at Beckett.

Anyway, I share this because of what happened afterwards. My kids were at the out-laws, so we didn’t have plans on Saturday afternoon. So after the seminar ended, my wife actually suggested that we go to the local card shop together. This has never happened in nearly 8 years of marriage, and to be honest, I was unsure how I felt about it. It’s my hobby, and my thing. There are just some things, like golf, that you would rather do without your woman. But I put those feelings aside and floored it in the manly-van to the shop. A funny thing happened there. As she was encouraging me to open some packs, she actually got into the game.

You see, the fear in involving someone like your wife in your hobby is that they will suck the fun out of it. It’s the same reason why you can’t be married and watch MTV. There is no pride to be gained by watching the Real World with your spouse.

We started with some SP Authentic Football. I was hoping to show her a nice patch. But why bother as my luck with this product has been beyond ugly this year. I got some lineman auto, a Cason auto and a Morelli auto. If you are counting, yeah, that’s 3 autos with no patch or veteran auto.

Here is where it happened. She looked at me and instead of saying, “Well, that was a waste of money. Why do you bother with this stupid hobby?” (Not that I wasn’t thinking that myself, but dang it, that’s for me to think. I don’t want to hear it from anyone else). She actually said, “What else can we open. I want you to get something good.” You can imagine my surprise. To make a long story short, we tried some Contenders and got a Mendenhall Auto #/25. Enough to satisfy and justify the visit.

Now I don’t imagine that my wife will be going with me to the shop very often, if ever. But I will be the first to say that it was very meaningful to have her there to share in the hobby for once. And it was very fun to see her catch a little buzz from opening packs, even if she was just “not complaining and acting like she wanted to be there”. And yes, insert your bedroom joke here.

I bring this up because it got me thinking. Does anyone out there share their hobby with their significant other? If so, to what level. And by significant other, I don’t mean your Chad Johnson Fat Head.

Good Idea Gone Bad

In 2007, Topps put out a product called Topps TX Exclusive Football. If you remember this, then you most likely remember how hideous both the design and price were. It's still $96 for a hobby box that gives you 2 autos - 1 guaranteed to be a Tyler Palko.

The allure of this product was the idea of getting a Super Bowl Ticket Autograph. I'll be the first to admit that when I heard about this, I was really pumped. My Panthers have only been to one Super Bowl, and the thought of having an actual Super Bowl ticket signed by Steve Smith or Julius Peppers made me as giddy as Dwight Schrute during beet season.

Here is where a product can take 2 left turns and end up running full steam in the wrong direction.

First of all, they include an autograph of Julius Peppers in the set. Julius Peppers hasn't signed anything since 2002. He certainly hasn't signed a contract this off-season. Every single set that has included an auto of him since his rookie year were unfilled redemptions. So why would they think that it would be any difference this time? If the guy ain't signing, then stop putting him in sets. It's not that hard. I am sure that Sir Purr would have gladly signed the remaining Super Bowl 38 ticket stubs. Or better yet, put together a dual autograph from those 2 bathroom buddy Top Cats.

Other companies are as bad about this as they are. I will get to that at a later date.

The second left turn is what actually completely deflated the concept. Think about it. Ask yourself, what is the one thing that could possibly screw up Superbowl ticket autographs? That's right, placing a lazy, piece of junk sticker on it. This is just LAZY and STOOOPID. I would actually rather have a the card with just the ticket in it than to put a sticker on it.

Not only is it ugly, it's completely unnecessary. These were all Veteran players in this subset. Not a Rookie to be found. So would it have been that much trouble to send out the ticket stubs to the players (or reps, or whoever deals with them in the NFL), have them sign them in the off-season, and then insert them into the cards? Really? That hard?

That little bit of planning is what turns a set with a lot of collecting potential, into a set that stays on the shelves a blowout for years to come, and eventually into a Guaranteed blister pack in a Target store near you.

You see in situations like these, our beloved card companies need to think more like the aforementioned Dwight Schrute. And I quote, "Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, 'Would an idiot do that?' and if they would, I do not do that thing". Words to run a successful business by.

By the way, the reason I bring this up is because I think that this set would have made a great product to replace the oozing boil that is Topps Rookie Progression. Get your previous years stubs from Super Bowls, Pro Bowls and even Memorable or Historical Games signed throughout the year. Then get a few players from the current years Super Bowl teams to sign some stubs at the Pro Bowl. Fill the set with rookie autos in their college unis and hey! you got yourself a set that would blow UD Draft and Prestige out of the water! You could put in 2 autos a box with every other box having a ticket auto of some kind and you charge $80 a box. I would bet my life that people would rather take a shot at getting a veteran auto on a ticket, than getting some auto of a 7th round Corner out of UT-Chattanooga. Or at least I would.

Just a thought.

EBay Best Practice #1

I consider myself a pretty knowledgeable EBayer. I have bought and sold things for around 8 years there with varying success. I am in no way an expert, but would someone, anyone, explain to me how an auction set up like THIS ONE makes any sense at all.

Um, let's see, should I just buy it now? or bid for that same amount and hope someone rides the price up on me? Oh, what's a girl to do?!

I see this type of idiocy all the time. It's really not all that surprising anymore. The surprising thing is that these 'Sellers' actually found a way to release their waistband from the hook in their 7th grade locker before the asphyxiation caused permanent brain damage. Wait . . .

Banner Fixed!

All hope is restored.

Who Paid More? This Guy!

What? Nobody guesses the Earl Campbell? Yall must be onto this game already!

Here are the answers to this weeks stinker:

VINCE AUCTION

EARL AUCTION

You see their are really 2 losers in these auctions. One is the dunce who paid 55 bucks for a second year Vince Young auto.

The other is the "Seller" who listed this Earl Campbell beauty as simply 'earl campbell auto' and only got $33 for it.

So to everyone who played, a hearty Thanks to you! I'll try to keep yall on your toes with these. I am totally setting yall up.

Who Paid More!

This will be the first in what I hope to be a running segment here on Cardboard Reflux. I will take a couple of cards ending on the same day and compare their ending auction prices. Then I will then use these as examples of how crazy some people are on Ebay. Most of these will most likely be obvious, but who knows, I might surprise you with a subtle steal once in a while. Today's is no such steal.

Editors note: If you happen to be the person in question, please contact me as I would love for you to shuffle through my "SICK" photobucket! I'll give you a horse-head of a deal.

So, who paid more?

The 07 Leaf Limited Vince Young Jsy Auto?

Or the 07 Leaf Limited Earl Campbell Patch Auto?

Why 'Cardboard Reflux'?

I thought for a while about what to call my blog. Longer than I would like to admit. I went through names like, 'Waxing Prophetic', 'GridIroning Board' and even 'Event-Worn Blog'. But at the end of the day, I went with one that actually describes why I decided to start a blog in the first place; the unenviable purge that occurs in my gullet on a regular basis when taking part in this hobby.

I have a lot of experience with reflux actually. I am getting scoped in a few weeks to see if the reason for the late night heartburn I have been experiencing is routine or if its collateral damage from my rapid ascending testicles the night Larry Fitzgerald kicked my Panthers out of the playoffs. Either way, it sucks.

But in the hobby specifically, I have been growing increasingly frustrated at what I consider to be injustices via ignorance. Traders that won't trade. Sellers that won't counter. Overinflated self-worth. Beckett Arrogance. Crap Products. Manufacturing Shortages. All of these leave me wondering not only how askew our hobby has become, but also how understated the lasting effects of glue-sniffing really are.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy this hobby immensely. It is because of this that I write this blog. It gives me an avenue to express what I am feeling, and gives my Mom a chance to leave a comment on it.

Hopefully what you'll find here is a place to share similar, or opposing opinions and then get made fun of for them, but not realize that you're getting made fun of because I will mask it with unbreakable codes such as, 'lol' or ;).

So welcome and let's have fun.

Oh, and before I close my first post, I also want to thank Gellman for the inspiration. Please consider me a twig on what is a growing SCU tree.

Under Construction

I have decided to start my own blog. It will be mostly centered around football cards and all aspects of the associated hobby. Please come back shortly for more interesting posts. Cause this one is really sub-par.