Comment by Eddy on January 13, 2022 at 11:11am

Hi Nick -  Everything you say makes complete and total sense.  Having said that, many collectors I have run into seem like they would not even begin to think of themselves as their own best "authenticator".  Those pieces of paper from TPAs are very important to many.  

The flip side is in a story that I've shared before.  When I was trying to return an item due to my personal authenticity concerns to the largest volume dealer on the planet, I was told that it needed a TPA to reject it for the return to be honored.  In so many words, my own examination and judgement of it in person once received was not criteria for a legitimate reason for return.  

Comment by Nick Dimeo on January 13, 2022 at 11:26am

PSA at one time wasn’t that bad but they are so backlogged because of the pandemic that it’s crazy! I imagine the other TPA are too but I only know from personal experience (my friend) that they were hiring authenticators (warm bodies) on the spot. Do you think they will get proper training while the business is so backlogged, probably not. I honestly can not trust anything from 2020 till now being pushed out as authentic from PSA. And don’t get me started on JSA, I feel like that is some kind of racket that will be exposed pretty soon by a 20/20 or 60 Minutes expose.

Comment by Rich on January 13, 2022 at 11:26am

"Does it have authentication" is a pretty stupid question. Seems like a foregone conclusion that the seller would use that as an actual selling point if it did. That's not really info that misses the cut. In my opinion, buyers like that are probably worth ignoring altogether.

Comment by Steve Zarelli on January 13, 2022 at 11:53am

The market reality is that many buyers -- especially the less experienced -- rely on third party authentication and only feel comfortable buying a TPA authenticated item. Third party authentication / grading is deeply embedded in all hobbies now and it is not going away. Much of it is due to rampant fraud through online venues and part of it is marketing. 

But, as we know, it often makes no financial sense to authenticate low dollar and/or low risk items. In that case, I'd simply tell the buyer that you will offer a refund if they choose to submit it to a TPA and it fails. They have to understand it is not worth paying $20+ to cert a $30 item. Unless you get bulk dealer rates it's really not worth certing any item under $100 - $150.

Comment by Nick Dimeo on January 13, 2022 at 12:00pm

Good points, Steve! I also think it’s the inexperienced collector that holds all the money these days in the hobby and buys impulsively. The more experienced collector will usually sell a piece to buy another piece or use tax refund money/stimulus to buy those few well researched pieces each year.

Comment by Eddy on January 13, 2022 at 12:48pm

Rich - I specifically quoted the potential buyer's phrase "Does it have authentication?" because those were the only words in the inquiry.  I read this as:  "Has someone else besides yourself (as seller) deemed this is real?".  Although it could have meant am I myself offering a "seller's COA" as authentication.  Many buyer's do want that piece of paper for assurance even if it's not worth the paper it's printed on.

This particular piece was signed in the late 1930's.  Kind of surprised there was no question about provenance or even my own experience in offering this kind of material.   

Comment by Rich on January 13, 2022 at 12:53pm

I guess in his instance he should have clarified the question. Kind of a lazy inquiry on his part.

Comment by Joe W. on January 13, 2022 at 12:54pm

It's a fairly common question asked on eBay unless it already has TPA certification. I think most potential buyers are fans of a particular celebrity and not necessarily autograph collectors. 

I think most inquiries can be interpreted as, "How do I know it's authentic?". A good question, IMO.

Comment by Eddy on January 13, 2022 at 1:01pm

I guess in a perfect collecting world, if a potential buyer is a fan of a particular celebrity, they would want to personally engage in study of the signature of the celebrity as part of the "thrill of the hunt".  

Comment by Joe W. on January 13, 2022 at 1:04pm

Spoken like a true collector. But, most inexperienced buyers are buying on impulse and desire. That's how forgers make their money and still have excellent feedback. They ship fast!

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