I’m always torn when listing a card for sale, especially with raw, in how to describe the condition. I don’t want to under-grade, nor do I want to over-grade my cards.
I feel like if I start trying to list specifics (wrinkles, creases, paper loss, staining…) that I may end up missing something. Then, the buyer receives the card and is unhappy and/or thinks my omission was intentional.
I usually just end up going with something like: “I’ve included high resolution photos in my listing, don’t hesitate to ask specifics regarding condition.”
How do you recommend best handling this?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Gabe, thanks for your question. I think your approach sounds good in regards to the high resolution scans, and for people to reach out with any questions. I would also note that you do your best to describe and the overall condition and any condition issues as best as you can and accurately describe any known condition issues that you are aware of like wrinkles, creases etc. you could also give your opinion of what condition you feel the card is such as VG or VG/EX and just include something I there that you cannot guarantee what a particular card may grade numerically or be responsible for any defects that maybe found under high magnification and lighting by a grading company. You could also include in the body of your listing the main grade/condition parameters by the grading companies like for example PSA’s description of VG or EX etc. unfortunately, you can never predict who someone will react when they get the card or if they attempt to grade it and it grades less then expected.. The only thing you have control over is to give it your best shot as to a comprehensive description of the card and honest description of the card and giving the best images that you can on your end. Best of Luck, Steve
@vintage_slab_man Awesome!! This helps a lot. Thank you so much for the detailed response, I appreciate it!
Great response, Steve. I use pretty generic descriptions myself and use high-res scans. I find myself resorting to "low-grade" for anything in the 1-2 range instead of trying to match my wording to folks grading standards. If it's crease-free, modest condition vintage card, I'll call it VG-EX. If it's better, I'll try to be more specific according to what I think it would grade, and in those cases, there are less flaws to describe.
-Burl
I’m always torn when listing a card for sale, especially with raw, in how to describe the condition. I don’t want to under-grade, nor do I want to over-grade my cards.
I feel like if I start trying to list specifics (wrinkles, creases, paper loss, staining…) that I may end up missing something. Then, the buyer receives the card and is unhappy and/or thinks my omission was intentional.
I usually just end up going with something like: “I’ve included high resolution photos in my listing, don’t hesitate to ask specifics regarding condition.”How do you recommend best handling this?
Thank you in advance!
I think it's key to learn the language of the hobby and get comfortable assessing condition. Get a loupe and a good light and just don't miss anything : ) Pictures can hide a ton--maybe especially scans since they don't sheen the card which is necessary to see many defects. I shy away from listings that just tell me to see the pics, personally. We called cards VG or EX long before "grading" existed and we can still do this. I think it's OK to leave some wiggle room ("EX or maybe a bit better," or "lower grade") but I do think that describing is really important.
@chvadmin Great to know! This is very helpful. Thank you so much, Matt.
