A Cautionary Tail. I Bought A Trimmed Card

[FireRob]

So as many know, I am searching for a 1985 Topps Mike Singletary PSA Gem Mint 10. I am also now trying to do a 1985 Topps Chicago Bears team set for the registry.

I found a Walter Payton Record Breaker card that’s as far as I could tell from the eBay photos looked a lot better than any I currently owned so I bid what I felt was a lot higher price than I normally would be willing to pay. At the same time I knew if this graded as high as I thought it could I knew I’d pay way more once it was graded.

Fast forward a couple days after arrival and I am able to sit down and inspect the card. I notice a very slight curve on one side near the top left corner. I am not able to capture this in photos for some reason but I am able to see it with my naked eye. It had me very curious and I spent a lot of time looking at the card trying to figure out why I was seeing this. 1985 Topps can be a ruff set and the edges come out of packs in all degrees of condition from rolled, nicked and fuzzy to smooth etc. something else about the card just didn’t feel right and it hit me so I picked up another ‘85 Topps card and placed it underneath and lined up the edges and you can see for your self in the photos. SOB!!! I have already left a positive feedback and am now just going to have to take it and be happy. No point in even sending it off for grading now.

[FireRob]

Was able to capture the curve and am adding two more photos.

[shockwiresports]

Hello,

Sorry to hear! It is one of the unfortunate circumstances we collectors find ourselves in. I’m wondering if the seller did the trimming or had bought it trimmed unknowingly?

If you care for hours of reading, Blowout Forums has a huge thread on trimming accusations. I don’t really feel there is a way to accurately know who is trimming but they name a few accused parties.

I like getting new cards graded to know I have them in true form, ah well a tough situation. Sorry to hear about this Singletary and hope you find the cards you want in their unaltered form

[FireRob]

Normally I would fully agree with you, especially that on a 35 year old card it’s hard to say who could have done the trimming and when. But.... in the description the seller states “Pack Fresh” which would lead me to believe he is saying he pulled it from a pack and has not been in anyone else’s hands. Who knows? When I describe a card as “pack fresh” that would mean that I pulled it from a pack. All said this is why I won’t make a stink about it other than the cry about it here.

[jplcom]

Man sorry to hear that, trimmers are the worst. If he didn't trim it himself, he's lying about it being pack fresh. If he did trim it then he's a lying liar. You should return the cards, eBay/Paypal will side with you even if you already left feedback.

[krunchtyme]

I agree. Show the seller and dispute it. That sucks.

[FireRob]

I have sent the seller an email through eBay and haven’t heard back from him. All I asked so far was if he pulled them from a pack him self but like I said no reply after three days.

[NsLoki]

i would open a case. 3 days is long enough for a reply.

[doniceage]

You are not the only one who has been burnt by this of late. I know another person that got burnt but it was a high dollar Rookie in basketball. Imo it is the state of the market and with dollars flying around it becomes more likely to happen for folks looking to make a quick buck. Thanks for taking the time to share your story.

DON