Grading and Authenticating Your Merchandise
| When you're selling collectible items on eBay, it helps to know what kind of shape your items are in. Most serious collectors expect the items they buy to be exhaustively photographed and described, in accordance to the conventions of that particular collectible category. For many categories, that means grading the item's conditionaccording to some very formal rulesor getting the item authenticated. If you're not familiar with the process, grading is a way of noting the condition of an item, according to a predetermined standard. Collectors use these grading scales to help evaluate and price items within a category. If you know the grade of your item, you can include the grade in the item's title or description, and thus more accurately describe the item to potential bidders. What kinds of items are typically graded? It's a long list, including stamps, coins, comic books, sports cards, and gems. In addition, anything of a sufficient value that's autographed can and probably should have the signature authenticated. If you play in one of these categories and don't grade your auction items, you won't be considered a serious dealer. Understanding Grading SystemsWhen it comes to grading, every category does it a little different; there is no such thing as a "universal" grading system for all items. For example, trading cards are graded from A1 to F1; stamps are graded from Poor to Superb. You'll need to learn the specific system for the items you intend to sell. That said, many collectible categories use a variation of the Mint grading system shown in Table 9.1.
Grading can sometimes be a little confusing. Why is Near Mint below Mint, but Near Fine is above Fine? Beats me, but that's the way it is. In addition, degrees between grade levels are often indicated with a + or . (For example, an item between Fine and Very Fine would be designated as F+.) Naturally, the definition of a Mint or Fair item differs by item type. Note eBay provides a page of links to "authorized" authentication services at pages.ebay.com/help/community/auth-overview.html. Getting GradedIf you're not sure what grade an item is, you may want to utilize a professional grading and authentication service. These services will examine your item, authenticate it (confirm that it's the real deal), and give it a professional grade. Some services will even encase your item in a sealed plastic container or bag. Where can you get your items graded? Table 9.2 lists some popular websites for grading and authenticating collectible items.
The cost of these authentication services varies wildly, depending on what you're authenticating, the age or value of the item, and the extent of the service itself. For example, Professional Sports Authenticator rates range from $5 to $150 per sports card; Professional Stamps Experts rates range from $8 to $500 per stamp, or (in some cases) 4.5% of current catalog value. Make sure that the item you're selling is worth it before you go to this expenseand that you can recoup this expense in your auction. |
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 208
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