posted on January 21, 2001 08:57:11 PM
Mint condition - does it not mean perfect ???
Lately I think the term Mint has surpassed the term Rare as the most overused and abused word on eBay.
I can't believe so many of the claims I am seeing, especially on very old items and particularly when compared to the photos provided.
I have always considered Mint to mean no defects whatsoever, regardless of the age of the item. A vintage item that is truly Mint is very Rare as well. So where are all these Rare Mint items coming from, and where can I buy a truckload ?
In my opinion, the word "rare" is horribly misused in many auctions..It's just an eyecatcher many times.
As for "mint", I believe that something that is mint doesn't have to be brand new as far as when it was manufactured, but it DOES have to be in absolutely pristine condition. No flaws, no wear whatsoever, not even any little tiny boo boos! Clean as a whistle!
posted on January 21, 2001 09:03:44 PM
kathyg, I agree with you. In the context of most eBay auctions, it is used to mean "perfect", but it is obviously being applied to a lot of things that are NOT perfect.
posted on January 21, 2001 09:30:02 PM
Last year one of my best customers emailed me, asked permission for him to give my name and email address to another eBay seller who was having problems and needed someone with whom to talk about it. I said ok.
The seller emailed me her tale of woes. She had been suspended from eBay. On eBay she sold antique porcelain and other things that are not new. She described in each auction as the item being "mint." Customers received the items and of course anything that is old cannot possibly be "mint." The complaints poured in to safe harbor and it resulted in the seller getting suspended for a few days. She was reinstated within a week and no longer uses the word "mint" to describe anything that is not new and in an unopened package.
The word "rare" should only be used when you know that the buyers will be unlikely to find another one on eBay or elsewhere in the near future. In other words, only use the word rare when you possess expert knowledge about the item and know for certain that it is unique and difficult to obtain. When you see the word being overused it is because the seller has never sold one before, so it is rare to the seller. However it isn't rare to anyone else.
posted on January 21, 2001 10:07:03 PM
"of course anything that is old cannot possibly be "mint." "
Not true. I sell paper collectibles (mostly old car sales brochures). Many are 20 to 50 years old, have been stored flat in stacks of similar or identical brochures in cool, dark storage (sometimes in the original dealer's sealed boxes) for decades. These are in perfect, flawless, pristine condition, and truly look just like they did in the showroom decades ago. They are in "mint" condition.
I'm sure there are similar examples in other collectible fields.
posted on January 21, 2001 10:16:02 PM
Mint as used on eBay means close to or very close to new. If an item has obvious wear or damage it would not be mint. Rare is however less defined. It simply means you won't see it at every 7-11 store or street corner in the US. There is however this one store on 42nd st.... Many items that are not rare to a dealer would be rare to the average eBay viewer. Good luck all!
posted on January 21, 2001 10:49:21 PM
A mint is usually a little white candy.
Is an unsucked mint a mint mint?
Does it matter if it's an old unsucked mint or a fresh unsucked mint.
Does a half sucked mint stay a mint or become nearly mint?
Are mints made at a mint factory or is the factory old and not mint at all?
I think that's what I mint to say!
Bob, Downunder but never down.
I used to assume 'mint' meant the the item was in same condition as you would expect to see it on the original store shelf. There was a thread here awhile back and someone had the position that an item shouldn't be labeled mint unless it was in the original box and both it and the box were pristine. After that I started to avoid any labels regarding condition.
The ones that get me though, are the descriptions that say "mint except the head has been broken off."
posted on January 22, 2001 06:22:40 AM
Official Grading Books for coins allow "bag marks", tarnish, etc., for "Mint State" coins. They are Graded on an 11 point system, MS-60's are mostly ugly, MS-70 should be perfect, and you have 9 grades in between.
posted on January 22, 2001 06:31:44 AM
"Mint" and "rare" are two words I DO NOT USE in my eBay titles or descriptions. "Rare" is a word to describe something that YOU may have never come across before, not necessarily the eBay community. "Mint" is subjective and I've found what's mint to me is not always minty to others.
"Scarce" is another popular word, which I also do not use. I prefer to use nice flowery words like "pretty" or "elegant" or "beautiful" to get attention.
posted on January 22, 2001 07:13:27 AM
In the sports card grading system, mint is not actually perfect. Real close, but not quite. The system allows for very small defects while still being considered mint. Depending on graders, the highest level of mint is called "pristine" or "gem mint". Out of 100 cards graded, there may only be 4 or 5 considered mint, maybe 1 considered gem mint, and the vast majority are near mint+.
posted on January 22, 2001 07:32:05 AM
I use the term "mint" to describe the collectible widgets from the 1960-70's that I sell.
Mint, to me, means 'essentially in the condition it was made'. The widgets that I sell often had small flaws when purchased new. So while they can be found in 'perfect' condition, it is more usual to find them in 'mint' condition.
On the other hand, I have yet to find an old book that I would call mint. Booksellers do use the term 'near-mint' however.
posted on January 22, 2001 03:30:19 PM
.........never say MINT leaves a large door open that leads to trouble.What i think is mint you might view as in GOOD...attach a pic. & say "see pic"...if you are the bidder and no pic i would NOT bid
posted on January 22, 2001 06:25:54 PM
Back in the old days, in ancient times when a modicum of honesty prevailed and words had actual definitions, way way way before the spread of "hype" (- then referred to as incredulous LIES), way way back when.... the term MINT, when applied to a book, meant that the copy in your hand appeared as though it had been sent directly to you from its publisher, FRESH off the press.
Now, however, all that matters is MARKETSHARE, so don't worry yourself over outmoded notions of such things as, "What does 'mint' realllllllly mean?"
Just get as much money, in any way you can, however you can, and don't worry about the details, much less attempt to conduct your eBiz with any degree of meticulous impecability.
posted on January 23, 2001 01:16:32 AMEmot, I hope you were being facetious too. An auction that gives no clue about the condition, and just says "see pic" will never get my bid unless you have incredible closeups from every concievable angle. JMHO.
posted on January 23, 2001 03:28:07 AM
My two cents. (Near mint.)
Mint means more than new and pristine. It means perfect condition, and usually uncirculated. That means an item that you buy in a store can not be in mint condition no matter what. (That is what "near-mint" or "new in box" are for.) Unfortunately, collectors tend to water down their own grading systems, so that an item rated VG+ ("very good plus" ) would generally considered by most of us to be "crappy."
When I sold LPs, I preferred to use the term "excellent" condition. That is, no scratches, pops or surface noise. (See also, "new" and "like new." ) In other words, when my customer plays the record, he says "Wow, that is excellent!" My next grade down, for a record that might have one pop at the beginning of the disc, would be "very good" (which in collector terms means "garbage" ) and I would add a detailed description such as, "plays perfect, one pop at beginning of disc."
posted on January 23, 2001 04:46:24 AM
Nothing is mint - keeps us out of trouble thinking that way.
But to honestly answer your question - I've always personally felt that anything that "looks" like it might have come off the store shelf this morning (without obvious damage from maybe being dropped or pushed off the shelf) could be considered mint.
posted on January 23, 2001 05:49:17 AM
The word that will get you in trouble is "good". In every grading book (Coins, Stamps, Trading Cards, etc.) I've ever seen, "Good" is a low grade, but ebay buyers seem to think it equals "Mint".
