We all know most eBay sellers overgrade, but...

[apollobuzz]

... at what point do you:

 

1. ask to return for a full refund, if possible?

2. ask for a partial refund?

3. just keep the overgraded books (and/or sell later for a loss)?

 

For example, I bought three books listed as NM-, NM-, and VF/NM. Seller used grades ranging at least from VF to NM- in various auctions I was watching so wasn't trying to pass everything off as NM. Seller's DSR for as described was reasonably good at 4.8 and had 100% positive. However, I grade the books as VF-, VF-, and FN/VF at best. Which of the 3 options above would you take? Would it make a difference if the books were $30 versus $300? Thanks in advance for commenting.

 

[Bruno_s4]

Send them back.

If you like the issues, you will probably end up upgrading them and then you will be stuck with the lower graded books and have a hard time selling.

Unless we are talking about rare books.... then things change.

I made the mistake of keeping many ebay books that should have been returned.... and I returned my fair share.

 

[c-mack]

i mean if you're ok with the grade ask for some money back but ..im pretty sure if you wanted F/VF thats what you would of ask for the 1st. time...just send them back and get the books you really want dude

[Logan510]

For me, a lot of it is the price. If I pay a few dollars for an alleged NM/NM+ book and it looks VF I just leave it alone and just never buy from that seller again. It's not worth the hassle IMHO to ship them back for just a few bucks. I have had to return a few higher priced books and have only had any real trouble with sellers a couple of times.

 

For the most part these days I don't buy anything expensive on Ebay that isn't CGC. I do have a few favorite sellers though that I will buy raw books from because they know how to grade and package.

[mschmidt]

It completely depends on the situation ... but, yes, the price you faid certainly factor into it.

 

For instance, I recently bought 2 books on ebay - both were described as NM, both were F/VF. I paid $15 each for the books which is enough for me to get annoyed about the overgrading. I'm going to ask the seller for a partial refund of 50% - if they won't agree to that, both books are going back for a refund (and most likely feedback mentioning their overgrading as well).

 

Another situation - bought a $50 book from another ebayer. Book was, again, described as NM - book is VF/NM at best. They said that they "disagreed" with my grading but was willing to take the book back for a refund. It's a rather hard-to-find book, so I'm going to keep it - lower grade be damned. I'm still annoyed at their attitude, though.

 

In your case, it all depends on whether you have an interest in keeping the lower-grade copies or not - if you do, ask for a partial refund. If you don't, simply ask to return them.

[Boozad]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded and you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

[Boboset]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded an you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

 

Good advice, this is what I would do. At the same time you just might have to set your own demands if he does'nt provide a fair alternative. Good luck.

 

What were the books in question, and who was the seller? Come on, we deserve that much.

[goldust40]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded an you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

 

Also (needless to say) keep your correspondence unemotional and professional. I always follow this line with such sellers, even when they have seriously overgraded or missed obvious resto.

[dupont2005]

Only twice have I been disappointed by grade. Once was for the Epic Elfquest run but I won the thing for like $5 so I didn't complain. Someone else sure did though. Check out the last of his feedback before he was NARU

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=chi-chia&ftab=AllFeedback

The problem was the packaging. He dumped all 32 bare naked comics into a shopping bag, tied the bag in a knot, and dropped the bag into a box and shipped it like that.

 

The other time I was disappointed was on another Elfquest run if you could believe that. Warp series #1-20. The covers look great, the crease at the fold is almost worn through though and I can feel they are very fragile. If I had known about partial refunds or returns back then I would have asked for one or the other. I am happy I own that run though

[gaz2810i]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded an you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

 

Good advice, this is what I would do. At the same time you just might have to set your own demands if he does'nt provide a fair alternative. Good luck.

 

What were the books in question, and who was the seller? Come on, we deserve that much.

 

I very rarely buy books on ebay but when I do I expect the grading to be toss. The only thing I hope for is not to over pay. A deal is a deal after all. If I brought NM, wanted NM and paid NM (or higher) prices and got VF then I would have to ask for some money back. Having said that I would follow the advice above and send the seller a courteous and professional msg explaining your displeasure and see what the response is. If it's not too your liking, reply in the same manner, stating that you would like a partial refund. If the seller says no then, again as above, reply using any return policy they have to send the book back and get a full refund. I would bet they then except the partial refund options (thumbs u

[ComicConnoisseur]

First,most books bronze age and up have little or no monetary value in the vg to f grade,so it depends do you want the books for a read or someday to sell for good profit? Keep in mind even most CGC 9.8 books from that same era have taken a dive significantly pricewise. Also it depends on what kind of books? are we talking about keys or generic books that will never have any value?

So in conclusion if CGC 9.8`S from that era have fallen in price then you will probally will have a hard time later trying to get rid(sell) of your vg/fine floppies on Ebay as now most people prefer trades/omnibuses for that non-rare stuff.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Only twice have I been disappointed by grade. Once was for the Epic Elfquest run but I won the thing for like $5 so I didn't complain. Someone else sure did though. Check out the last of his feedback before he was NARU

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=chi-chia&ftab=AllFeedback

The problem was the packaging. He dumped all 32 bare naked comics into a shopping bag, tied the bag in a knot, and dropped the bag into a box and shipped it like that.

 

The other time I was disappointed was on another Elfquest run if you could believe that. Warp series #1-20. The covers look great, the crease at the fold is almost worn through though and I can feel they are very fragile. If I had known about partial refunds or returns back then I would have asked for one or the other. I am happy I own that run though

 

I'm assuming you've only made three eBay purchases, then.

[scottish]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded and you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

(thumbs u

 

And a second (thumbs u in keeping emails unemotional and professional. It is very hard to convey the correct tone via emails.

 

[KryptoSpidey]

..your options are endless,but its best to get an open dialogue with the seller and see what their viewpoint is,and what they are willing to do... usually they will offer a partial refund,maybe not half,but something.you get to keep the books feeling like you paid less than being screwed as you feel now.

ebay is a shoot,and you do have to take that into account...

that being said,what do you do if you buy a vf+ book from someone and it comes back cgc'd as a 9.0 or 9.2,and its not a cheap book? might be hundreds of dollars in your favor.do you contact the seller and say " hey,that book you sold me was way undergraded,and i want to pay you some more for it,or send it back for a refund since you obviously undergraded it..."... think about it... take the bad with the good... its ebay roulette.....

[mackenzie999]

Depends on price and grade differential. I think members of this board have a higher standard of grading than the average collector, and who's to say who's right? This is subjective territory, people even disagree with CGC grading sometimes.

 

I'd say average the grades between what you assigned and what he assigned, and if he's still off by more than a whole grade it's probably worth pursuing, assuming the dollar amounts involved are significant to you.

 

If the dollar amounts are very significant, then you should probably just pursue the return, unless you got a great deal on a book that's an easy flip.

 

 

[apollobuzz]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded an you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

 

Good advice, this is what I would do. At the same time you just might have to set your own demands if he does'nt provide a fair alternative. Good luck.

 

What were the books in question, and who was the seller? Come on, we deserve that much.

Books were nothing special (no keys) and simply to fill in the holes in my Amazing Spider-Man run. Issues were #162, #177, and #239. I paid a total of $31.09 after shipping. I had maxed my bids at about 50% of guide for VF (and everything went for a total of $2 under my max). I was expecting to get slightly better than VF (since listed as NM-, NM-, and VF/NM, I figured 2 grades or 1.0 difference max). It wouldn't have been a great deal at VF, but wouldn't have been too bad either to get the books I needed in VF with a chance at better (based on seller's feedback). Worst case, I figured eBay's Buyer Protection would protect me on everything except return shipping costs. Books are posted in the PGM threads.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #162

Amazing Spider-Man #177

Amazing Spider-Man #239

 

Right now, it's looking like I paid 100% of guide for FN price and got books graded FN/VF, FN/VF, and FN. No where near a good deal (except for seller and eBay). Of course resale would probably be half or less of what I paid (assuming I could find a buyer for mid-grade issues). I do know at this grade, I won't keep them for my collection. At this point, I would rather return at a $5 loss on return shipping than sell at at a $15-$20 loss. I did send a polite email to the seller asking if he could offer a solution to this. We'll see what happens. Thanks for all the comments!

 

[TheAvenger80]

Don't ask for anything. Let him know the books were overgraded an you're not happy, see what he responds with. Then consider your options.

 

Also (needless to say) keep your correspondence unemotional and professional. I always follow this line with such sellers, even when they have seriously overgraded or missed obvious resto.

 

Yup, this is the best tactic. Leave it open for them to offer a solution. (thumbs u

[shadroch]

If you return the books, you'll end up eating the shipping both ways, no?

What I would do is take your costs, subtract the cost of round trip shipping and then decide. If you paid $31.09 after shipping, and it will cost you $5 to return them, then I figure you paid $26 for the books. Returning them will give you $21, for a net loss of $10.

Can you get better copies for $21, including the cost of shipping? If so, and you value your time at zero, then it's worth returning.

In this case, I might ask the seller to refund an amount equal to what it would cost you to return them.

 

[mschmidt]

If you return the books, you'll end up eating the shipping both ways, no?

What I would do is take your costs, subtract the cost of round trip shipping and then decide. If you paid $31.09 after shipping, and it will cost you $5 to return them, then I figure you paid $26 for the books. Returning them will give you $21, for a net loss of $10.

Can you get better copies for $21, including the cost of shipping? If so, and you value your time at zero, then it's worth returning.

In this case, I might ask the seller to refund an amount equal to what it would cost you to return them.

 

If you win a PP claim, you're refunded the full amount (incl. the initial shipping cost) - so you're only out the return shipping.

[Calamerica]

... at what point do you:

 

1. ask to return for a full refund, if possible?

2. ask for a partial refund?

3. just keep the overgraded books (and/or sell later for a loss)?

 

For example, I bought three books listed as NM-, NM-, and VF/NM. Seller used grades ranging at least from VF to NM- in various auctions I was watching so wasn't trying to pass everything off as NM. Seller's DSR for as described was reasonably good at 4.8 and had 100% positive. However, I grade the books as VF-, VF-, and FN/VF at best. Which of the 3 options above would you take? Would it make a difference if the books were $30 versus $300? Thanks in advance for commenting.

 

Depends on the transactions as a case-by-case basis.

 

Some of my recent purchases on ebay as quick examples:

 

1) Won an IMSM advertised as F/VF w/ no numbering to accompany the description. Paid $22.something including media mail ship. Received the IMSM about a VG/F 5.0. I kept it anyway and still posted a great positive feedback for the Seller and privately sent him eMail that told him that the F/VF grade is being way overused. He thanked me.

 

2) Won a TOS( Tales of Suspense) # 55 w/ Mandarin cover. Advertised as VF/NM. Paid $125-something. Received a DIFFERENT copy than was on the auction, about VG/F 5.0 - 6.0 tops. Politely eMailed Seller, who did not respond after three days. Cried to PayPal and I had to send the item back, provide Paypal the Delivery Confirm number, and once the Seller had received item, I was refunded the money.

 

If it is a great price and something close, I usually keep the comic. If I spend serious coin, and the Seller has a whiff of dishonesty, I return the comic. On rare occasion a Seller will offer me a partial refund, and I usually take the partial refund. That way I keep the comic, don't have the hassles of sending it back, PayPal this. PayPal that...

 

CAL been there at times...