Alright, new idea, I really want to do something to help everyone out that is interested in an item or two of the sports memorabilia I have available. There is everything you can imagine for players, teams, different things like baseballs, basketballs, gloves, photos, jerseys and even boxes of cards, packs of cards and individual cards. I'm going to be listing one random item at anywhere from $20-$250 off what it's listed at right now AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK and i'll try to get it done 2-3 times. I don't mark everything up hundreds of dollars like all of those other stores and sites, I don't list items at a price that's not available so customers call just so I can try and sell them something else or run auctions with a reserve that's the same thing as the asking price in the store anyways and waste customers time. Yes, I have seen all of these things happen many times, over and over and over, if you didn't know these things happen then you absolutely should stop and think.
FOR SALE ITEM: FOR 1 WEEK ONLY IS GOING TO BE-JOE MONTANA AUTOGRAPHED FOOTBALL. PRICE DOWN TO ONLY 59.99!!! THAT'S ALMOST HALF PRICE!!!
I'm not even going to get into all of the fakes that are out there online right now. Over half of the items listed on ebay are not real. It's terrible how many people are buying items that are fake and they won't ever know it or they won't find out until they try and re-sell it if they bought it as an investment and end up without that nest egg they thought they had. It's a sad story to hear and I've had a few different customers ask if I could sell an item they had purchased online through another "store" and had it come back not authentic once it gets sent out to be authenticated at one of the more reputable companies like GAI, PSA/DNA, JSA. Another of the most well known for quality and integrity is Upper Deck also but they only authenticate the items that they sell themselves, so you won't be sending anything there to have them look at it.
A few simple rules that you should ALWAYS follow when your looking to buy a signed item. Ask a lot of questions. If they are running an honest business and don't have anything to hide about their items then it won't be a problem at all. Listen to the answers and just make sure they don't contradict themselves, and always give the same response are just a couple little things to look for. Things like where did you obtain the item? Many sellers buy online themselves, from estate sales sometimes or lots from auctions with a variety of sports items or through want ads when collectors just want to get rid of things in general.
The most important item though is the certificate of authenticity. It's often called COA or LOA. LOA is the letter of authenticity which is sometimes how JSA will authenticate items. Make sure it's a reputable company with a history, as I listed above, those are a few of the more well known companies that are always good to look for. When in doubt, DON'T. ALWAYS REMEMBER IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS. The first thing I was told when I started this was that quote and I can't tell you how many times it has saved me from buying something fake, broken, or just not what was described. I've read a description of an item and then emailed to ask details to the seller and I was informed it was actually just an index card that was signed and the COA was to authenticate that the jersey was actually a real on field jersey. So the way they described it saying they had a jersey with autograph and a coa was very very misleading. That was a $800 save right there. Sometimes, and I stress sometimes, great sellers will have a few items with coa's from just the seller or they only have a ticket stub from the game ect and that is the reason you found the item below what you found it elsewhere. What you need to look for is do they have a track record? Have other customers said how great their item was? How much history do they have of selling? Any problems that you know of? Also, check out the other items they have available. If 95% of the items they have are authenticated by the 4 companies I listed, JSA, PSA/DNA, GAI and UDA then odds are they are a reputable company and those few items with coa's from a little company you have never heard of is legit. You have to just put some thought into it and ask yourself if it makes sense?
I'm going through all of this because I want everyone that buys from me to make an informed decision and know EXACTLY what they are getting, what the value is, and feel they are getting a great deal in the end. I'm focusing on building a customer list of people that continue to come back holiday after holiday year after year and the only way to do that is to be honest and have quality items. It's the best feeling in the world for a mom to send me an email letting me know how much her son loved the new jersey and her husband went ahead and verified the coa online just to be safe and was happy to tell me everything was just as I said and now he wants to give me a call to find something for his collection. That's exactly what I mean. Repeat customers also get discounts that are only available to them, I always try and do a little something extra when I have someone that comes back time after time.
Lastly, use common sense and if it does not feel right, DO NOT CLICK THAT CONFIRM PURCHASE BUTTON. If one of my items interests you but you just need to ask 1 more question, please just ask, every single time I would rather you ask the question then not totally understand what your buying.
FOR SALE ITEM: FOR 1 WEEK ONLY IS GOING TO BE-JOE MONTANA AUTOGRAPHED FOOTBALL. PRICE DOWN TO ONLY 59.99!!! THAT'S ALMOST HALF PRICE!!!
I'm not even going to get into all of the fakes that are out there online right now. Over half of the items listed on ebay are not real. It's terrible how many people are buying items that are fake and they won't ever know it or they won't find out until they try and re-sell it if they bought it as an investment and end up without that nest egg they thought they had. It's a sad story to hear and I've had a few different customers ask if I could sell an item they had purchased online through another "store" and had it come back not authentic once it gets sent out to be authenticated at one of the more reputable companies like GAI, PSA/DNA, JSA. Another of the most well known for quality and integrity is Upper Deck also but they only authenticate the items that they sell themselves, so you won't be sending anything there to have them look at it.
A few simple rules that you should ALWAYS follow when your looking to buy a signed item. Ask a lot of questions. If they are running an honest business and don't have anything to hide about their items then it won't be a problem at all. Listen to the answers and just make sure they don't contradict themselves, and always give the same response are just a couple little things to look for. Things like where did you obtain the item? Many sellers buy online themselves, from estate sales sometimes or lots from auctions with a variety of sports items or through want ads when collectors just want to get rid of things in general.
The most important item though is the certificate of authenticity. It's often called COA or LOA. LOA is the letter of authenticity which is sometimes how JSA will authenticate items. Make sure it's a reputable company with a history, as I listed above, those are a few of the more well known companies that are always good to look for. When in doubt, DON'T. ALWAYS REMEMBER IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS. The first thing I was told when I started this was that quote and I can't tell you how many times it has saved me from buying something fake, broken, or just not what was described. I've read a description of an item and then emailed to ask details to the seller and I was informed it was actually just an index card that was signed and the COA was to authenticate that the jersey was actually a real on field jersey. So the way they described it saying they had a jersey with autograph and a coa was very very misleading. That was a $800 save right there. Sometimes, and I stress sometimes, great sellers will have a few items with coa's from just the seller or they only have a ticket stub from the game ect and that is the reason you found the item below what you found it elsewhere. What you need to look for is do they have a track record? Have other customers said how great their item was? How much history do they have of selling? Any problems that you know of? Also, check out the other items they have available. If 95% of the items they have are authenticated by the 4 companies I listed, JSA, PSA/DNA, GAI and UDA then odds are they are a reputable company and those few items with coa's from a little company you have never heard of is legit. You have to just put some thought into it and ask yourself if it makes sense?
I'm going through all of this because I want everyone that buys from me to make an informed decision and know EXACTLY what they are getting, what the value is, and feel they are getting a great deal in the end. I'm focusing on building a customer list of people that continue to come back holiday after holiday year after year and the only way to do that is to be honest and have quality items. It's the best feeling in the world for a mom to send me an email letting me know how much her son loved the new jersey and her husband went ahead and verified the coa online just to be safe and was happy to tell me everything was just as I said and now he wants to give me a call to find something for his collection. That's exactly what I mean. Repeat customers also get discounts that are only available to them, I always try and do a little something extra when I have someone that comes back time after time.
Lastly, use common sense and if it does not feel right, DO NOT CLICK THAT CONFIRM PURCHASE BUTTON. If one of my items interests you but you just need to ask 1 more question, please just ask, every single time I would rather you ask the question then not totally understand what your buying.
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