Card condition - how much does it matter to you?

[forsberg21]

Happy New Year all!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season.

I have recently gone through a bit of a collection restructure which has led to selling certain items and then getting buyers complaining about card condition even though the card was not damaged in transit, all visible damage was disclosed, I did not guarantee a certain condition and I included a disclaimer statement around the lines of "please inspect condition carefully or ask questions prior to purchase".

Now as I pick up new cards, the question that I ask myself all the time is "if I have to sell this in the future, how much is the card condition going to matter?"

Here's the hypothetical situation:

If you were buying a common card with modest value (i.e. Cole Caufield YG ~$100-150 CAD), would you pay a premium to buy this in a particular grade (i.e. PSA 9) to "guarantee" a certain condition? Assume that you may be buying the card online with no opportunity to inspect the card.

Does you answer to the question change if you were buying a higher value card (i.e. Connor McDavid YG ~$1000-1500 CAD)?

Any opinions are appreciated!

 

[Triple B]

It absolutely matters to me because I'm not in on my cards for the long haul (meaning, my kids aren't inheriting any of this stuff because they could care less about cards) and I know that when I have to sell them, others will care about the condition and it will matter for me to get top dollar.

As for grading, I rarely pay a premium on a graded card BUT if I find a card worth grading, I'll send it in and sell it at a premium to someone who will.

 

[SNobles]

On “commodity” cards I think condition is very important for resale down the road. When you are talking about rare or PC I am less concerned.

Like if it’s a Roy insert that I need I usually don’t care if it has flaws as long as the price reflects it.

If I am buying a YG for my side PC or for resale I would like the condition to be good but would not pay a premium for a graded copy on the lower end side.

I did pay premium for McDavid, Matthews etc.

 

[penguinsChief]

I am with Scott on this one, rare for the PC, not so concerned. Otherwise, yeah I want the best I can get or a good price if not "perfect". I always look at it this way, some people expect every card to be absolutely perfect and a 10 no matter what, that is just the way they are. There are others (more PC types) who are more forgiving, and just love the cards for what they are.

If money is a factor, then perfection is expected. If it is love of something it does not matter. Look at my dog, paid $20 for him and I love him to death, even though he ain't the best looking dog around.

 

[hduong]

I don't need the cards I buy to be mint but will pay according to condition. This is especially true for rare and low numbered. I lower my prices on cards that have noticeable flaws and they seem to sell fine.

 

[odjickfan]

The example you give (Caufield YG) is a very special case. Quality control on the YGs of UD1 21-22 was a disaster, and there's a serious premium for clean copies of these cards. I broke several boxes from that product, I'm trying to disclose as much as possible the flaws of the YGs on my tradelist, and before confirming a trade, I'll give an extra close look at them. I'm fine taking the time to take high-resolution scans of the cards and email them to eventual trading partners to avoid having people being unhappy when they open their package.
For most of the YGs from the past couple of years, it is seriously worth it to give an extra look at them. It is sad, before 20-21, there were not that many issues with the condition of the YGs, right from the packs.

For small value cards, condition is less of a problem, as long as the cards are decent set fillers, no major flaw.

 

[primetimepawich]

Years ago, on the old Beckett boards, I made a small trade - a Dany Heatley MVP RC and a Michael Ryder Vintage RC for a Pierre-Marc Bouchard RC when I was collecting his rookie stuff as a side PC. I think the Heatley was decent but the Ryder in particular did have a bad corner. I'd bought it off Ebay and received it that way. I can get a bit OCD and be a stickler about things like condition, but somehow I didn't lose any sleep over this card. And when I "upgraded" it with a signed copy, I looked to liquidate this one.

I'd posted a group scan that included the 2 cards and felt it represented their condition accurately. For some reason, I assumed that because I had accepted the card's condition as is, anyone and everyone else would too. Why I thought that, I'll never know, but when the other member agreed to the trade, it appeared my suspicions had been confirmed.

I could not have been more wrong.

I opened a PM expecting confirmation that they had received their end, along with maybe a cursory "thanks". What I got was called every name in the book. They felt I'd swindled them. They didn't want a return - they wanted me to live with it, and vowed to put the word out about me.

I felt horrible. It was NOT the kind of reputation I wanted for myself in the hobby. I didn't expect them to stick to a deal they weren't happy with, but as I still wanted the card I'd received, I ended up deciding to cut them a cheque (remember those?) for 1.5x the BV (remember that?) of the card to keep the peace.

It was an expensive lesson, but one I needed to learn. Just because I can look the other way with condition sometimes, it doesn't mean anyone else can. As far as my own PC is concerned, I echo the sentiments here. Buying for myself, with rare cards, I kinda have to roll with the punches and take what I can get. I may not like it when a card has flaws, but if it's a 1/1 or rare team issue, what can I do? Not much.

I hope the core of my PC is here for the long haul, but I can't predict the future. Now when I make a purchase, I need to do so with an eye on the condition and purchase price. If I have to liquidate cards in future, I can't do so at a loss, and flaws that make me twitchy might be even worse for a prospective buyer. You're right to ask yourself those same questions.

I wouldn't pay a premium for condition. With the cards I collect, condition is rarely a factor anyway. Buying for yourself is one thing, but buying for potential resale is another altogether. Nowadays, it seems everyone considers themselves to be amateur graders, and with a plague of scammers and poor quality control, it's a recipe for disaster. In the example you provided, if you are the final resting place for the card, then the condition only matters up to the point that you're happy with it. But if there's even a chance you might have to liquidate it in future, it may be worth paying a premium for the condition certainty. It's hard to argue with a graded card (though I'm sure people will find a way, until Jeremy's TAG Grading silences the critics once and for all...#wishfulthinking)

Joe Pawich

 

[99goals]

It does to me bec my cards are no longer about me. I am less and less collector and more investment as I age. The goal is to sell them all when I hit 60-65. Whatever money it generates will go to the kid’s education needs.

 

[forsberg21]

Thanks for all the feedback and insight, very helpful!

The example you give (Caufield YG) is a very special case. Quality control on the YGs of UD1 21-22 was a disaster, and there's a serious premium for clean copies of these cards. I broke several boxes from that product, I'm trying to disclose as much as possible the flaws of the YGs on my tradelist, and before confirming a trade, I'll give an extra close look at them. I'm fine taking the time to take high-resolution scans of the cards and email them to eventual trading partners to avoid having people being unhappy when they open their package.
For most of the YGs from the past couple of years, it is seriously worth it to give an extra look at them. It is sad, before 20-21, there were not that many issues with the condition of the YGs, right from the packs.

For small value cards, condition is less of a problem, as long as the cards are decent set fillers, no major flaw.

This is a very good point. I haven't been keeping up on all the condition issues recently and only recall the roller marks from 09-10 (Tavares year?) and the 13-14 Pink MacKinnon. Is there a sticky with condition issues from the newer UD releases or is it just best practice now to assume that newer issues seem to have more issues with condition?

Years ago, on the old Beckett boards, I made a small trade - a Dany Heatley MVP RC and a Michael Ryder Vintage RC for a Pierre-Marc Bouchard RC when I was collecting his rookie stuff as a side PC. I think the Heatley was decent but the Ryder in particular did have a bad corner. I'd bought it off Ebay and received it that way. I can get a bit OCD and be a stickler about things like condition, but somehow I didn't lose any sleep over this card. And when I "upgraded" it with a signed copy, I looked to liquidate this one.

I'd posted a group scan that included the 2 cards and felt it represented their condition accurately. For some reason, I assumed that because I had accepted the card's condition as is, anyone and everyone else would too. Why I thought that, I'll never know, but when the other member agreed to the trade, it appeared my suspicions had been confirmed.

I could not have been more wrong.

I opened a PM expecting confirmation that they had received their end, along with maybe a cursory "thanks". What I got was called every name in the book. They felt I'd swindled them. They didn't want a return - they wanted me to live with it, and vowed to put the word out about me.

I felt horrible. It was NOT the kind of reputation I wanted for myself in the hobby. I didn't expect them to stick to a deal they weren't happy with, but as I still wanted the card I'd received, I ended up deciding to cut them a cheque (remember those?) for 1.5x the BV (remember that?) of the card to keep the peace.

It was an expensive lesson, but one I needed to learn. Just because I can look the other way with condition sometimes, it doesn't mean anyone else can. As far as my own PC is concerned, I echo the sentiments here. Buying for myself, with rare cards, I kinda have to roll with the punches and take what I can get. I may not like it when a card has flaws, but if it's a 1/1 or rare team issue, what can I do? Not much.

I hope the core of my PC is here for the long haul, but I can't predict the future. Now when I make a purchase, I need to do so with an eye on the condition and purchase price. If I have to liquidate cards in future, I can't do so at a loss, and flaws that make me twitchy might be even worse for a prospective buyer. You're right to ask yourself those same questions.

I wouldn't pay a premium for condition. With the cards I collect, condition is rarely a factor anyway. Buying for yourself is one thing, but buying for potential resale is another altogether. Nowadays, it seems everyone considers themselves to be amateur graders, and with a plague of scammers and poor quality control, it's a recipe for disaster. In the example you provided, if you are the final resting place for the card, then the condition only matters up to the point that you're happy with it. But if there's even a chance you might have to liquidate it in future, it may be worth paying a premium for the condition certainty. It's hard to argue with a graded card (though I'm sure people will find a way, until Jeremy's TAG Grading silences the critics once and for all...#wishfulthinking)

Joe Pawich

Thanks for the story Joe. Heatley, Bouchard and Ryder - those are some names I haven't heard in a LONG time **Obi Wan voice** :devil:

 

[odjickfan]

Thanks for all the feedback and insight, very helpful!



This is a very good point. I haven't been keeping up on all the condition issues recently and only recall the roller marks from 09-10 (Tavares year?) and the 13-14 Pink MacKinnon. Is there a sticky with condition issues from the newer UD releases or is it just best practice now to assume that newer issues seem to have more issues with condition?

I'm not aware of a list, or a sticky. But the troubles I'm the most aware of with YGs in the past couple years are:
-rounded corners in UD1 20-21
-edges with rough cuts in UD1 21-22 (mostly the top and right edge on the back). Some issues with corners, but the edges are the biggest problem in my experience.

Also, some people had problems with the base cards in UD Extended 20-21. I had trouble with my base cards in UD1 21-22.

I had 2 YGs with a long line in the back in UD1 22-23 (including Power), but in the general, card quality seems better.