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every time i have used psa quick opinion on ebay it usually comes back "not very likely." Is everything on ebay  not authenticated fraudulent? Also,  can psa dna possibly be correct all the time ? I doubt it.  some listings they have given a negative quick opinion are from power sellers most uacc registered and some who have been in business for 10 + years.  I have contacted these sellers , most of whom say psa dna are ripping off novices in the hobby like myself and are making an  effort to have people buy directly from their auctions, and many times a celebrities autograph can vary a bit , especially if they sign something in haste as opposed to a signing event.  Im not sure which online businesses to trust , and even to trust psa dna's opinions . Are there any truly 5 star dealers on line or on ebay ? i am not  sure what to think about the process as a whole . Someone posted that they forged a signature and sent it to psa dna and it got their approval, and he did it with the sole purpose of proving them to be in effective at best in their field. Should i only buy if it already has a certificate or not, and who do i buy from ?  What is the best way to get an autograph and from whom if you cant get it directly from the signer personally, and is jsa or psa dna a good business to employ ?

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I couldnt agree with you more Terrier...I love certed items...but by no means buy an item simply because its certed...but on the other hand it does bring value to an item that goes for resale...also brings piece of mind to an less experienced buyer....

They are not worth the money, despite what the experts here would have you believe there are plenty of authentic stuff on ebay but you must USE caution and DO YOUR HOMEWORK, I buy good stuff from there alot for my collection and I dont waste my money on PSA or JSA, the UACC is questionable these days, they do try a big problem with ebay is you can get good things at great prices by DOING YOUR HOMEWORK, just ask some of the experts here they buy stuff all the time and then relist it in their inventory or resell it on ebay at a higher price! I have even bought an autograph that is used as an example on The CEAD web site off ebay!

well put Harry.  I actually hate the stickers.  There are definitely still bargains on ebay. What I do is have a hit list of items, and it may take months, or years, but I wait until I hit one.  Last week Ianded a non-certified beautiful Cronin ball signed at the 1971 all star game with Clemente.  Under 600 bucks.  you have to do your homework, as Louie stated.

You bring up a good point Harry.  I know of people that have removed stickers from authenticators that have 'fallen out of favor.'  I can't see this fad lasting much longer.

I'll be the monkey wrench in this thinking.  The folks here are a very very small % of the collecting community.  Perhaps less than 1/10 of 1% as the greater community believes and has faith (right or wrong) with the TPAs.  

If that jiMoke on Craigslist dropped his price to a few hundred I guarantee someone will buy it!    Until someone can demonstrate a better mousetrap than it isn't going to change in the short term.

Personally, I don't care who wins but if it costs a few $$ more and it has a cert - I have no problem acquiring it.  That way I don't waste alot of time or worry that it's fake.  The myriad of items I have (many in person) that aren't certified as it is doubtfull that I will have to worry about selling them.  Of course, someone else might have to struggle with that estate sale.

On the other hand there are certain items that add value by being certified.  As an example one from my collection that has 3 of the greatest boston celtics to ever where the jersey (and Larry Bird isn't one of them) have a PSA/DNA LOA (along with a Tri-Star) resulting in a doubling in value.

 

spoken like a true LA Laker or NY Knick fan.

MM felt differently but that is another story. Whle not happy about having to shell out added sheckles for Havlichek, Aring pointed out a very sound argument for having to go that route...

Thus, if you have ever attended a Bill Russell in person signing - it is not cheap and while some might find some for less or a special now and then there are plenty of Celtic fans that wouldn't bat an eye if it went up on the block.

 The one item that is solid is noone will have to stay awake at night wondering if it's authentic or not.  On Top of it, I had the pleasure of having a good conversation with Russell (he was in a good mood) even if no pictures, HOF inscriptions or Medal of Freedoms picture restrictions were in place.

I wouldn't pay ten bucks for Russell. I have a problem with his life long moratorium against signing autographs, until someone wave some big money in front of him.  my collection is just fine without him.

"That way I don't waste alot of time or worry that it's fake"

DB, that's the issue.  I personally do not have the confidence that if I did buy a PSA or JSA'd Tom Brady,for example, that I would be certain it was real. I've seen them cert some bad ones, and others too.  even if the percentage is relatively small, it does take away the feeling that "I don't have to worry if its fake".

what if it was Mickey Mantle?

would you buy a Grad certed mantle -vs- say a GAI one if the decision was to obtain a TPA'd one?

I obtained one from Hunt's recently with a JSA LOA on it.    Now could I have perhaps found one at a rediculously low price - perhaps or could have just gone to Steiner...

There is absolutely no subsitute for getting something in person but we have seen and heard all too often around here of the scams and zipper's Hitler piece on gradma's attic. 

Said another way, pick and choose your fight but don't buy blindly. For a novice wherever you buy from it's the "return policy" that matters.   If PSA Quick Opinion says No than move on... if they say "yes" then you have a decision to make.

Good point Mike why pay the extra to psa? You just have to sell it at a higher price to recoup your investment, thats why you can still get GOOD autos on ebay that ARE NOT CERTED! Sadly alot of people who use PSA are some of the ones yelling the loudest about fakes on ebay so they can sell theirs at inflated prices!

As a fairly new collector, that's what I worry about, people unloading crap, and I do try to do as much research as I can before I even consider buying an autograph, I don't know where to find these signings where you can actually stand infront of a celeb or athlete and have him sign something for you, id rather pay top dollar for the opportunity to watch them sign it for myself rather than pay a dealer and then hope I guessed right after I've done he research or pay an authenticator to give me a sticker . And where do the dealers get so much stuff to sell any how? Its all very frustrating when you are trying to learn about and enjoy the hobby while putting down hard earned money to get the priviliage of trying to collect at all

I dont think ebay is bad, as stated you just have to do your homework! There is more good stuff on there if you look and know what to ask and research. I dont care who uses PSA I just wont give them my money because they think its like gold because it has that sticker! And I dont care what other sites are out there ebay has been there alot longer and they do the best they can!

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