posted on May 16, 2001 12:38:32 AM
Recently bought an old magazine from 1940's that was listed as 'XXXXXXXX magazine May 1943 in good condition, please see picture.'
Short but sweet listing with a picture of the cover of the magazine, and no defects described, and I bought it for less than $10. The picture of the cover shows an address label on cover, normal folded cornors, and scuffed spine. So I thought, OK, normal wear. WELL, I get the magazine; it has NO back cover, one page with a full page (nice old) Pepsi ad is ripped in half lengthwise and missing the best half (60%) of the ad, and another page has another large ad (of I don't know what)cut out of the page (over 50% of the page cut out). My expectations would have been, for it's good condition listing, maybe some minor tears, folded pages, and some surface dirt, and maybe even some markings. BUT not what I got. Yeah, I know, I probably should have inquired more about the condition of it, and yes it is less than $10, but I still feel I was taken advantage of. WHAT would your expectations be on a magazine described as 'in good condition'??
posted on May 16, 2001 01:59:04 AM
I have learned NOT to go by ANY sellers one-word definition of old paper condition.
I ask the following questions and recommend anyone buying old mags do the same:
Are there any rips, tears, stains, creases, writing, rippling, etc.? What kind of shape is the spine in? Any rips at the staples? Is the magazine fully intact?
MANY sellers seriously overgrade their items. The mag you described, I would call POOR. Back cover mssing is, from a collectors standpoint, almost time for the junk heap--depending on how valuable the issue is when in great condition.
Maybe 1 in every 1000 mags could ever be truly refered to as MINT. That is one of the most overused words on Ebay.
posted on May 16, 2001 03:56:27 AM
To those who sell old magazines...
Saturday Evening Posts with RED staining all the way through them ARE NOT in good condition! Even on 1 or 2 pages diminishes value of the magazine's content.
I can't tell you how many SEP I have bought that have had the interior stained red(due to dampness and cheap dyes) and the seller never even mentioned it in their listings.
Water damage is my biggest pet peeve and so many sellers just skip right over that. Magazines that have stiff bindings, rippled pages, etc have also been the victim of dampness at some point.
I basically only look for magazine listings that give this information:
# of pages, any missing pages? No water damage, No torn pages, no staining. The others I just skip. Seems the sellers who are honest and complete in the condition of the magazines they are selling get higher bids so it might be worth taking some time to be precise.
Nanntique, you might just see if there are any salvageable ads you can remove from the magazine and sell them to get some of your money back - since the magazine seems pretty much trashed anyways. Or, you could contact the seller and tell them you received the magazine and were a little disappointed in the quality and see what they say.
posted on May 16, 2001 05:34:48 AM
I agree with the previous two posters.
If I did purchase something that only stated good, I certainly wouldn't expect any tears.
A good friend of mine has thrown away half the books she's bought on eBay - tears, smells, warps, etc. So, when I started listing books and magazines, I asked her to look at my listings, and what she liked were the specifics: any/no tears; binding condition; musty odor, etc.
It pays to be honest. I just had two successful auctions end for paper item lots that I honestly described as Fair, (one item was even described as fair-to-poor) and what was wrong with them.
For books and magazines, I don't even use a grading system - I just describe what I see and smell. I'm just starting (with paper products), but so far my customers have been very happy.
posted on May 16, 2001 06:38:36 AM
I'd rather see a seller list all the defects, etc than rate the magazine because you don't know whose rating they are using! What is good to them might be trash to another. I sell a lot of magazines on Ebay and I try to call out all the defects I can find; tears, spine damage, stains, loose pages, missing pages, dampness, odors. I have had some buyers pay a premium price for a magazine with damage because they were after a particular photo of a certain horse or an article they were interested in. With magazines I think the more you can say about them the better off you are. I know I've bought some lots of magazines off Ebay and they were described (even in an email request for condition) as being very nice and when I got them found missing covers, water stains, etc. Needless to say I won't buy from that seller again.
posted on May 16, 2001 06:53:08 AM
Nanntique, in the opinion of this novice, you were sold a magazine that was not in good condition. You flatter the seller's intellect by speculating about whether or not he/she took advantage of you: It seems that you were dealing with a seller who just doesn't care, or whose powers of observation are nil.
My sister is the eBay seller in the family, but I'm in charge of write-ups for things that belonged to me when I was a child (way back in the 1950s-60s). These items have included a lot of comic books, magazines and postcards.
Before we listed these things I did a lot of research on the Internet to familiarize myself with what constituted excellent, very good, good, fair etc. condition. So, even though I'm not an expert/professional, I feel that my write-ups are accurate.
I agree with Sadie999: it pays to be honest. Even if you're not a professional you can describe in your own words what you observe about the condition of old paper. I go over everything meticulously; if there's a brown splotch in the margin of page 17 of a comic book, I say so. If there is even minute corner wear on a postcard, I say so. If I wrote my name in a childish scrawl on a comic, I say so. Foxing, tiny tears, rust on staples, drink rings on back covers, creases; I tell all. You can't be too careful!
As a result, all buyers have been very happy with their purchases (knock on wood; there's always a first time).
I've been amazed to see comic books being sold by eBayers who are obviously in the business - they use all the buzzwords - and sometimes their items that are identical to mine are in much worse condition than mine are, and yet they say "G-VG." This, when it's obvious from the scans that the covers have very bad creases/stress marks/wear. I'm always smugly happy when I see that a comic book from one of these sellers goes for less than an indentical comic of mine does. (And another thing: their opening bids are inevitably higher than those my sister sets.)
posted on May 16, 2001 07:55:43 AM
Nanntique, I'd call that magazine in "poor" condition - the lacking rear cover and page clippings alone put it in that category. That said, I rarely bother grading the items that I put up for sale - it's a subjective call and I frankly think most ebay buyers have gotten very suspicious of seller's grades (hence the arising of third-party grading services). Also, I think grading is a lazy way out for some sellers - if a seller has a list of books, records or whatever and has limited space to record the condition, then a grade is a neat little "shorthand" way of describing the condition. But on Ebay, you have an entire webpage to inventory all the defects - there's no excuse to not do this, with or without the grading scale. I rarely grade my items, I much prefer to describe and photograph the damage/defects and let the buyer decide what grade it is. Sometimes I'm downright embarrassed as a write down all the defects, as sometimes it's longer than the item description - but I've had people buy these items, so I think they appreciate the honesty.
posted on May 16, 2001 11:56:24 AM
Thank Y'all for your replies. It would seem that you believe, as I did, that this item is NOT in 'good condition'. I also, try to go to extreme detail in describing any problems with the items that I list. Fair is fair, and since the prospective buyer can not hold the item in their hands before making a bid, I try to put myself in their place, as their representative so to speak. And, yes indeed, some of my listing write-ups do get a little lengthy, when I am describing any and all folds, wrinkles, creases, tears, marks. Condition of the item, IS a major factor in it's worth.
Now, I am left with what to do with the Seller. I have not contacted them, yet, as I just received the item last night, and needed to calm down. The cost of returning the item (if they even offer a return refund) is probably more than the item is worth. I guess, depending on their attitude, the feedback system is one place where I can document the situation; but I really hate to do that.
Oh my, the trials and tribulations of a paper buyer/seller!!!!
[ edited by nanntique on May 16, 2001 11:58 AM ]
[ edited by nanntique on May 16, 2001 12:00 PM ]
One of the worst types of seller is the one who DOES tell you about certain flaws, but DOESN'T tell about more serious flaws! So, the buyer figures, if they're telling about this and are mentioning details, then this must be the only problem. WRONG!
And don't forget the sellers who disclaim their grading by saying "great condition......for it's age".
What does that measn? For all I know, they think a 50 year old mag should be in tatters, so one that isn't quite falling apart completely...is in GREAT condition!
GRADE as if it was bought today. Tell me what's wrong with it, because all I want to know is what the problems are, as I assume what isn't mentioned is fine.
posted on May 16, 2001 12:22:01 PM
I've purchased a few items the seller stated as in 'good' condition and when I received them I knew they weren't something I would have listed--I would've thrown them in the trash.
I think basically the term 'good' especially when used by anyone with supposed grading skills can mean at the very best 'mediocre' condition.
Shoot, I've sold old magazines and leaflets with loose covers, missing covers, etc. and got good prices for them and happy bidders--but, I stated in the auction exactly what was wrong with each one. The vague terminology used by some sellers is what makes unhappy buyers and they really need to learn how not to be quite so lazy in their auction descriptions. JMHO
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