piece out of only 123 in the entire world. Upper Deck Authenticated and found
at MassAuthentics.com
www.MassAuthentics.Ecrater.com sells authentic signed sports memorabilia from the biggest names in sports history past and present.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Marcus Smart, Phil Forte commit to Oklahoma State Cowboys - ESPN
Marcus Smart, Phil Forte commit to Oklahoma State Cowboys - ESPN:
'via Blog this'
'via Blog this'
Well, time for North Carolina to move on to the next Mcdonald's All-American. Marcus Smart is going to be a big time college player and bring a winning attitude to the Cowboys. He has won everywhere he has played and only the last few months has he been getting the national headlines. I first heard about him right at espn.com college basketball in the recruiting section when i was looking through who North Carolina was offering. At a school like UNC there are not a lot of unknowns on their "wish list" but this was the one name that was a mystery to me so I look at his ranking and it was in the high 40's overall I believe maybe a little lower and I know he was even further back previously but when North Carolina is interested everyone may want to take a closer look because Roy Williams develops a very high percentage of his players off to the NBA, in fact he's one of the most successful college coaches in regards to his players being drafted ever. With UNC it's never a rebuilding year though, it's more like reloading. They don't have quite the turnover that Coach Cal does at Kentucky but it seems like Coach Williams goes more in 2 year cycles and Cal does 1 and done. I'll give him credit though, for him to mesh all of those top players together year after year and have them buy into his dribble drive team concept all while ranking near the top of Division 1 in defense. Now that is pretty special. A North Carolina vs. Kentucky match-up is going to be a close one but I have to give the edge to UNC with Hensen and Zeller starting and then having a possible lottery pick in James McAdoo coming off the bench? That sounds an awful lot like Marvin Williams back a few years ago, remember when UNC came in with all the hype, won the national title, and then tied the record for most players drafted in the first round and had a bench player end up a lottery pick? Crazy......
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sale STARTING TODAY AT www.Massauthentics.ecrater.com
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.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
A SPECIAL PLACE FOR ME
Ok, so here is where our first donation is going to be going......the suspense is building......still......ok enough of that. haha. It's going to be The Edge Basketball Club located out of Western Massachusetts, Gill is the mailing address to be exact but I'm sure many of you don't know where that is you we can just say western mass. To get to the website go to www.edgebasketballclub.com
To be fair, I want to say I have a little insight into how its run because it was started by my father, who happens to be the police chief in the town of Gill. Between work, him coaching the high school boys varsity basketball team at Pioneer Valley Regional School and his wife coaching the girls varsity basketball team at Pioneer they still find the time to run "The Edge" which is a non-profit basketball club run for boys and girls ages 10-17 with several teams in between. They are given a positive role model as a coach with a family orientated approach that combines positive attitude and a strong work ethic combined with enhancing their cultural knowledge, educational opportunities and awareness of others as some of the life skills necessary to succeed.
Besides donating the immense amount of time it takes to simply run this type of organization David Hastings has always dove head first into what he is passionate about. After meeting him for 10 minutes you will surely know that two of those things are kids and basketball. It's not just about his kids either. While originally my brother's and I have played on teams the majority of the years there is not one child of his on the team he is coaching. It's not just a parent trying to chase his dream through his kids or elevating his child's path while protecting him, he wants to reach as many kids as he can and give them a chance to not only succeed at high school basketball and beyond he wants to see them graduate high school, graduate college, get that great job, get married. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten an email from him telling me about another player that is going to this college or just graduated and is working here or there. It's obvious this is something that really drives him and it makes me smile to see him so happy. He's genuinely proud of every single one of those kids.
When they can't afford to come to the next tournament he offers to share his room so they can come, every weekend he's bringing a few of the players in his car while his wife brings a few more, lunch is made for everyone because no one should go hungry. ONE THING IS ASKED FOR IN RETURN. That's to give 110% on the court that day. He wants those kids to get the most out of their ability, and he is there every step of the way to give them that chance.
I know how much it costs for entry fees, uniforms, gas, meals, hotels ect and it does not just end there. He runs a basketball camp during the summer weeks and past players come back to help. It's one of the greatest examples of what values he has taught when you see how many former players will come back from college when they get that phone call to help out. Every little bit helps so with every purchase made this month I will donate 5% of sales to the Edge Basketball Club. NOT PROFITS, 5% OF SALES.
If anyone would like to make a donation themselves I would be happy to stay in contact to let them know exactly how there money was spent and what exactly was done. Believe me, it's a great feeling knowing that you made something possible by just a little giving. Please contact me for donations or contact the Edge directly. Thank you for all your help.
Keep the ideas coming please, I still need to know 10 more places where we are going to be donating besides Toys For Tots and The Edge Basketball Club.
To be fair, I want to say I have a little insight into how its run because it was started by my father, who happens to be the police chief in the town of Gill. Between work, him coaching the high school boys varsity basketball team at Pioneer Valley Regional School and his wife coaching the girls varsity basketball team at Pioneer they still find the time to run "The Edge" which is a non-profit basketball club run for boys and girls ages 10-17 with several teams in between. They are given a positive role model as a coach with a family orientated approach that combines positive attitude and a strong work ethic combined with enhancing their cultural knowledge, educational opportunities and awareness of others as some of the life skills necessary to succeed.
Besides donating the immense amount of time it takes to simply run this type of organization David Hastings has always dove head first into what he is passionate about. After meeting him for 10 minutes you will surely know that two of those things are kids and basketball. It's not just about his kids either. While originally my brother's and I have played on teams the majority of the years there is not one child of his on the team he is coaching. It's not just a parent trying to chase his dream through his kids or elevating his child's path while protecting him, he wants to reach as many kids as he can and give them a chance to not only succeed at high school basketball and beyond he wants to see them graduate high school, graduate college, get that great job, get married. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten an email from him telling me about another player that is going to this college or just graduated and is working here or there. It's obvious this is something that really drives him and it makes me smile to see him so happy. He's genuinely proud of every single one of those kids.
When they can't afford to come to the next tournament he offers to share his room so they can come, every weekend he's bringing a few of the players in his car while his wife brings a few more, lunch is made for everyone because no one should go hungry. ONE THING IS ASKED FOR IN RETURN. That's to give 110% on the court that day. He wants those kids to get the most out of their ability, and he is there every step of the way to give them that chance.
I know how much it costs for entry fees, uniforms, gas, meals, hotels ect and it does not just end there. He runs a basketball camp during the summer weeks and past players come back to help. It's one of the greatest examples of what values he has taught when you see how many former players will come back from college when they get that phone call to help out. Every little bit helps so with every purchase made this month I will donate 5% of sales to the Edge Basketball Club. NOT PROFITS, 5% OF SALES.
If anyone would like to make a donation themselves I would be happy to stay in contact to let them know exactly how there money was spent and what exactly was done. Believe me, it's a great feeling knowing that you made something possible by just a little giving. Please contact me for donations or contact the Edge directly. Thank you for all your help.
Keep the ideas coming please, I still need to know 10 more places where we are going to be donating besides Toys For Tots and The Edge Basketball Club.
The Website-www.MassAuthentics.com: 5% of Sales going to Charity for ENTIRE YEAR
The Website-www.MassAuthentics.com: 5% of Sales going to Charity for ENTIRE YEAR
www.MassAuthentics.com
wwwMassAuthentics.ecrater.com
5% of Sales going to Charity for ENTIRE YEAR
I previously wrote a little about my belief in the importance of charity due to the fact that I have seen firsthand the effects this downturn in the economy has had on everything from schools, to athletic teams, loved ones and even strangers. I want to do my part and contribute what I can to some organizations that are in need. I am going to donate 5% of the sales of www.MassAuthentics.com to a different charity each month for the next 12 months. I will be asking for suggestions, so anyone that has an idea of a deserving cause please send me a comment or an email and I will do the research to find the best suited charity that will do the most good with our donation. Or feel free to do a little investigative work yourself on the need you think is most important and let me know what you find. I really want to know what you guys think and what's important to you so i'm looking forward to hearing from everyone.
Remember I can only do one a month so i apologize in advance for not being able to do something for every single one. There are a lot of worth ones out there, I do Toys for Tots every year myself and have been since I was in high school. If you have not heard about it, it is run as a program to give toys to children who would be going without during the christmas season. It's really a great program staffed with volunteers that really are doing a thankless job. All they ask is that you bring in a toy that is not used and not wrapped obviously so they can give it to the appropriate child in age and gender. I have seen firsthand what this can mean to children and it's the best feeling in the world to see how excited they are. Just bringing in 1 $10 toy truck can make some kid's whole year, think of that next time your spending $500 on each of your kids. Maybe just grab that one extra and drop it off, it's worth it.
That's one cause I know we will be doing around Christmas so we have 11 more to go guys. Hit me with ideas and i'll do a little profile on each so you guys can decide. I'm thinking of doing it permanently so let me know what you guys think and we can go from there. Thanks for your help everyone......
I know were going to help out, every little bit helps someone.
Remember I can only do one a month so i apologize in advance for not being able to do something for every single one. There are a lot of worth ones out there, I do Toys for Tots every year myself and have been since I was in high school. If you have not heard about it, it is run as a program to give toys to children who would be going without during the christmas season. It's really a great program staffed with volunteers that really are doing a thankless job. All they ask is that you bring in a toy that is not used and not wrapped obviously so they can give it to the appropriate child in age and gender. I have seen firsthand what this can mean to children and it's the best feeling in the world to see how excited they are. Just bringing in 1 $10 toy truck can make some kid's whole year, think of that next time your spending $500 on each of your kids. Maybe just grab that one extra and drop it off, it's worth it.
That's one cause I know we will be doing around Christmas so we have 11 more to go guys. Hit me with ideas and i'll do a little profile on each so you guys can decide. I'm thinking of doing it permanently so let me know what you guys think and we can go from there. Thanks for your help everyone......
I know were going to help out, every little bit helps someone.
It can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime......Addiction does not discriminate
It's colorblind, race does not matter, gender is not part of the application process, there is no age limit, whether it's your first time home alone or your kids have families of their own and your wife has passed, access to money can make it easier but in the end everyone that applies is granted access to this club, it's a lot harder to get in then get out, for some it's a one way street and there is no leaving and if you do it's one of 2 ways they say.....either in a body bag or jail......addiction can happen anywhere, to anyone, anytime......if you think you could have a problem you probably do, ask for help before you don't have the chance, trust me, it's the best decision you will ever make and one you will never forget, I can GUARANTEE IT.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
What can you request? I don't know exactly what I'm looking for but my brother loves basketball
I've got all kinds of emails from people wanting to know if i'd be willing to take $60 for the Michael Jordan autographed North Carolina Jersey that's listed for $900.....the answer is NO by the way, haha.......to could you just let me know the best price you could do on any Lebron James Jersey.
Ok, first of all, the first step is just an inquiry. Feel free to email me anytime and make an offer for something. But think about it this way, pick something that you really love and have purchased in the past and pretend someone was emailing you and made an offer to buy it for $25 when you paid almost a grand for it last year and it's still in the box. Everyone's first instinct is to rattle off an email telling them exactly what you think of their offer. Well, that's not how I take it or how most people do once they have been doing this for a little while. It's a digital world now and with internet giving everyone access all around the world there are options everywhere. From buying a new cd player, to a car, to even a house. Everyone just wants to get the best deal possible. I completely understand.....but, just please be reasonable and fair. That's all I ask, I'll never write a rude email back or post a negative comment about you ect ect. You will always get a response from me whether it's an invoice with a thank you and shipping questions or a polite answer letting you know what I would be able to do for you on that item. As long as you think what your offering is reasonable then i'll consider it and do the best I can.
As I said previously, I want every person that I deal with to know that they are my number one priority right now. Whether they have already bought a baseball and wanted to find a case to safely display it that's quality but available at a good price or are looking for a Jordan jersey but your not sure exactly what yet and are still comparing. I understand I don't have what every customer is looking for all the time. I'm still willing to help though. I'm going to build my customer base through making sure that every customer that needs help gets it so the next time they need something, i'm the first place they check because they know i'll work the hardest to make sure they not only get the best deal but get something that authentic.
Some of these items cost a lot of money. But it's not always just about the money. A lot of items have a standard price that every place you look, it's going to be about the same. Well, in situations like that, i'm going to be the one that can really set myself apart because after you make your purchase, I still want to hear from you. I want to know how your brother liked his new signed Tom Brady football, how your mom was so excited by the Boston Team signed Baseball that she didnt put it down all day on christmas and how your dad went and took down the clock in the living room just so he could put up his new Wayne Gretzky photo you got him. These are the kinds of stories that really make my day when i'm sitting at my desk listing items for 5 hours on a Tuesday and I haven't got an email all week.
Ok, first of all, the first step is just an inquiry. Feel free to email me anytime and make an offer for something. But think about it this way, pick something that you really love and have purchased in the past and pretend someone was emailing you and made an offer to buy it for $25 when you paid almost a grand for it last year and it's still in the box. Everyone's first instinct is to rattle off an email telling them exactly what you think of their offer. Well, that's not how I take it or how most people do once they have been doing this for a little while. It's a digital world now and with internet giving everyone access all around the world there are options everywhere. From buying a new cd player, to a car, to even a house. Everyone just wants to get the best deal possible. I completely understand.....but, just please be reasonable and fair. That's all I ask, I'll never write a rude email back or post a negative comment about you ect ect. You will always get a response from me whether it's an invoice with a thank you and shipping questions or a polite answer letting you know what I would be able to do for you on that item. As long as you think what your offering is reasonable then i'll consider it and do the best I can.
As I said previously, I want every person that I deal with to know that they are my number one priority right now. Whether they have already bought a baseball and wanted to find a case to safely display it that's quality but available at a good price or are looking for a Jordan jersey but your not sure exactly what yet and are still comparing. I understand I don't have what every customer is looking for all the time. I'm still willing to help though. I'm going to build my customer base through making sure that every customer that needs help gets it so the next time they need something, i'm the first place they check because they know i'll work the hardest to make sure they not only get the best deal but get something that authentic.
Some of these items cost a lot of money. But it's not always just about the money. A lot of items have a standard price that every place you look, it's going to be about the same. Well, in situations like that, i'm going to be the one that can really set myself apart because after you make your purchase, I still want to hear from you. I want to know how your brother liked his new signed Tom Brady football, how your mom was so excited by the Boston Team signed Baseball that she didnt put it down all day on christmas and how your dad went and took down the clock in the living room just so he could put up his new Wayne Gretzky photo you got him. These are the kinds of stories that really make my day when i'm sitting at my desk listing items for 5 hours on a Tuesday and I haven't got an email all week.
What's new and why start this???
Hello everyone....Well, this is my first EVER blog entry in my first ever blog so I want all the imput I can get. I started doing this because my friend suggested it was a good way to get the word out about my new website. Let me just explain real quick. I've been collecting autographed sports memorabilia myself for about 9 years seriously. A little here and there before that but once I was working full-time and out of school is when I really got into finding the best deals, comparing what was selling were and for how much, what companies you can trust and what questions you need to ask before committing your hard earned money and what to look for when browsing the hundreds and hundreds of items.
A few years later when my collection got to be around 100 pieces a few friends were looking at what I had and wanted to buy some things from their favorite teams and wanted to know what i'd be willing to sell them for. I hadn't really thought about selling anything so I had no idea but I did some research and realized that the majority of my collection was worth a lot more then what I had paid originally. We sat down and looked at what the asking price of the Tom Brady Pro Bowl jersey was and then I looked at some auctions on other sites so I could see what people were honestly paying because you know that the asking price for a lot of the items are inflated because everyone wants to haggle ect ect. I ended up taking $200 off the jersey for my friend and selling it for $300 autographed with a COA(certificate of authenticity) and with a picture of Brady signing it even. Even today that jersey is still hanging in his office now at his new house.
It really is such a great feeling to get an email from someone who just received your jersey, baseball,photo ect in the mail and wants you to know how happy their dad was for father's day or there son was on their birthday. When I walked into my friend's office and saw that hanging up it really made me want to continue this because I needed something like that to keep me going. Between the economy the way it is right now and dealing with all of the fakes out there its hard to gain customers trust. I can sit here and explain for hours where I got something, how I trust its real, the coa being from a reputable company and only dealing with businesses that are honest. But when it comes down to it you need to stand out and i've been able to once I talk to someone and show them what I have to offer but it's getting someone to send that first email. The big stores out there that buy in bulk, and can beat your price on some of the mass produced items but they don't even come close when it comes time to explain your questions, fix a problem that happened in shipping or something as little as let you know what is the best way to display your new jersey. You end up getting 3 different people each time you try to contact someone at the company and have to explain over and over what you need and that's if you can get a call back.
The advantage I have is that I personally am the one getting your email, calling you if you would rather talk on the phone instead because it's too hard to explain in an email or doing the research you requested because you need the most cost effective way to ship your new painting of Tiger Woods autographed safely to Australia. Random....I Know....But that's a real one that I got the other night actually. I hope I come to mind the next time you want to get dad that Ted Williams signed baseball for his special 50th birthday present or that Mickey Mantle autographed baseball for father's day. I can guarantee I will always compete with anyone in regards to price but where i'll be able to stand out is when you need something last minute or you have a problem and you want help. I make sure every customer that emails me knows they are my #1 priority at that moment and I will do everything I can to make sure they can go to sleep knowing there not just going to get a great deal there going to love the authentic item that's on its way......
I'll be writing tomorrow about some sales I'm going to be doing as a promotion so if there is anything that you see and you like just let me know and maybe I can work that into the sale just for you..
A few years later when my collection got to be around 100 pieces a few friends were looking at what I had and wanted to buy some things from their favorite teams and wanted to know what i'd be willing to sell them for. I hadn't really thought about selling anything so I had no idea but I did some research and realized that the majority of my collection was worth a lot more then what I had paid originally. We sat down and looked at what the asking price of the Tom Brady Pro Bowl jersey was and then I looked at some auctions on other sites so I could see what people were honestly paying because you know that the asking price for a lot of the items are inflated because everyone wants to haggle ect ect. I ended up taking $200 off the jersey for my friend and selling it for $300 autographed with a COA(certificate of authenticity) and with a picture of Brady signing it even. Even today that jersey is still hanging in his office now at his new house.
It really is such a great feeling to get an email from someone who just received your jersey, baseball,photo ect in the mail and wants you to know how happy their dad was for father's day or there son was on their birthday. When I walked into my friend's office and saw that hanging up it really made me want to continue this because I needed something like that to keep me going. Between the economy the way it is right now and dealing with all of the fakes out there its hard to gain customers trust. I can sit here and explain for hours where I got something, how I trust its real, the coa being from a reputable company and only dealing with businesses that are honest. But when it comes down to it you need to stand out and i've been able to once I talk to someone and show them what I have to offer but it's getting someone to send that first email. The big stores out there that buy in bulk, and can beat your price on some of the mass produced items but they don't even come close when it comes time to explain your questions, fix a problem that happened in shipping or something as little as let you know what is the best way to display your new jersey. You end up getting 3 different people each time you try to contact someone at the company and have to explain over and over what you need and that's if you can get a call back.
The advantage I have is that I personally am the one getting your email, calling you if you would rather talk on the phone instead because it's too hard to explain in an email or doing the research you requested because you need the most cost effective way to ship your new painting of Tiger Woods autographed safely to Australia. Random....I Know....But that's a real one that I got the other night actually. I hope I come to mind the next time you want to get dad that Ted Williams signed baseball for his special 50th birthday present or that Mickey Mantle autographed baseball for father's day. I can guarantee I will always compete with anyone in regards to price but where i'll be able to stand out is when you need something last minute or you have a problem and you want help. I make sure every customer that emails me knows they are my #1 priority at that moment and I will do everything I can to make sure they can go to sleep knowing there not just going to get a great deal there going to love the authentic item that's on its way......
I'll be writing tomorrow about some sales I'm going to be doing as a promotion so if there is anything that you see and you like just let me know and maybe I can work that into the sale just for you..
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