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     I had an experience recently that I thought I would share and possibly get feedback on.  I was interested in an item offered by one of the high volume autograph companies. I was checking the return policy on their website and saw that there is a three week window from the date of sale. What really caught my eye though was the notice that there would be a 20% restocking fee for an item that might be returned.  

    I've never encountered that before. Granted, I usually have stuck with smaller dealers that I have had a history of transactions with or eBay sellers who offer a reasonable return policy. One of the realities of signed pieces, particularly vintage, is that you cannot truly get a full sense of an item until it's there before you and you can examine subtleties that might not show up on scans...no matter how clear they are.  

    The restocking fee turned me off. This isn't like Best Buy where you might open an electronic device and now want to return it unsealed and they are going to take a loss on it as an open box item. Any thoughts? Is it worth it if you really like the looks of an autograph from what you can see on the scans?  In some ways it seems like taking a gamble...especially if you are talking about a higher priced item.

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Etienne, In my humble opinion, reasons for returning an autograph…..damaged in the mail (take photos), autograph sent not the same as the sold image, a guaranteed real item is 3rd party authenticated as a fake. If you don't like the idea of a restocking fee, don't buy from the seller…..Kind of like a seller of an autographed 3x5 card of Picasso asking $2 to mail an item as opposed to a seller asking $25 to send the same item that is  insured and mailed with many layers of cardboard and waterproof envelopes. 

David, thanks for responding.  Your point is well taken, of course, that no one is holding a gun to the head of a collector to buy from a company that has this policy.

The point that I was trying to make is that there are so many variables involved in only seeing a scan (even the most highly detailed) as opposed to having the opportunity to examine the piece in person. I believe that's why JSA, PSA, etc. will not even attempt an authentication based without having an autograph in hand.  It would seem like a dealer would want the customer to feel satisfied upon seeing the item in person without having a kind of penalty if they don't feel satisfied...for whatever reason.  

I'm not a dealer...just sell some here and there to feed the collecting hobby so maybe I'm not approaching this from a bottom line business model. 

Etienne, Don't get me wrong…If I were selling right now, as long as the buyer paid for postage and cost's both ways and the autograph was returned in the same condition as sent, no problem and no restocking fee's.

i offer a return  if it doesnt pass tpa minuss all tpa fees and u pay return cost even though i know its 100 percent real

Legally they cannot charge a restocking fee.  If you were charged a fee from a seller, you can always call your credit card company and they will do a chargeback.

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