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| Don't worry about this one - it's almost perfect |
I recently bought the very first Supercar Annual from 1961. (That's it above.) Great price, great condition, no complaints from me. However, another seller is currently asking £99.99 for one in far inferior condition to mine. It has a bit of tape clumsily attached to the spine and is a bit mouldy in places. Read his (what I would describe as optimistic) description of the item. 'Very fine to near mint, rare in such nice condition.' There was no mention of the tape on the spine until I contacted him and told him about it. Then he added 'Spine looks as though it has been a replacement, so good it's hard to tell.'
Take a look at his photos. 'So bad, it's hard to miss' would surely be a more accurate description. And where does he get his price from? There are other copies of the book available on eBay at a fraction of his price, none of which have been mutilated by the application of a bit of carpet tape.
It's time eBay had a set standard for the description of condition on all items, and any seller indulging in fanciful claims should be barred. 'Very fine, near mint' is not a description that qualifies in this instance. (Click images to enlarge.)
What say the rest of you?
6 comments:
Bought a copy of X-men #59 Adams,Sentinals issue.Maybe 15 pounds.Paid the postage and waited my delivery of vf copy(It was a while ago!) Sadly on opening I found the spine split and the covers separated!!I did complain to the seller who was not a comic dealer and I genuinely think that he thought that the issue was complete with nothing missing and he assumed that was vf.I did explain the grade was incorrect but kept the issue.In your case the seller is not listening to your advise or perhaps he has selective memory!When I was collecting on a regular basis I dealt with a couple of reputable dealers and was never disappointed.Keep up the good work mate and stay well.
Thanks, Triple F. The way some sellers operate now, even if you're satisfied with two out of three purchases, but point out that the third wasn't as described, they ban you from buying from them as it's easier not to sell to you than ensure that every item is as described. Happened to me. That way, they can avoid the risk of not getting 100% positive feedback.
When I'm selling on Ebay, I don't attempt to grade comics, I just add plenty of clear pictures and some close-ups of any flaws. I think that's a more objective way of listing things, but I still get messages from would-be buyers who want me to put a grade on them. My reply is usually "look at the photos and decide for yourself".
I suppose it depends on the quality of the photos, DS. I've seen some sellers refer potential buyers to the photos, and sometimes they're out of focus and none-too-clear. I really hate it when they say 'If it weren't for the rip in page 4, the ink stain on the cover, and the crease in the spine, it would be described as mint condition'. Which planet do these thickos come from? Planet Looney?
These days eBay seems more interested in maximizing their own profits rather than caring about accurate descriptions.
Too true, T47. They never seem to take any action against inaccurate sellers, though they claim that they do but can't disclose what that action is.
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