Authentication feature at what value

[33nhl]

I knew back in the day that high end items like running shoes or some clothing had to be Authenicated by Ebay before it would go to the buyer.  Then Ebay introduced on cards of $700.00 or more.

Now though seems they started with cards of value $250.00 or more. Like am i wrong on this or is it just the sytem selecting cards at random to be sent in for Authentication before it goes to the buyer even if the card sells for  less then $250.00

I can understand it helps the seller with returns as some buy cards as investments when player is hot and if injured before they get card then the buyer wants to send it back cause player got injured or not playing good.  But if Ebay is going down to values of $250.00  or even less we can expect to inventually be paying for the service, as its not going to be free for ever.

What you all think on this or have you seen listngs of yours with $250.00 value to have to send in for Authentication upon selling.

[recped]

Given the number of issues reported by sellers of these cards (and probably from buyers as well) it would seem to me that the authentication system would eliminate a lot of the risk for both sides.

The major issue recently seems to be sellers that don't understand that "authentication" means more than just confirming legitimacy.

[33nhl]

I understand of getting item authenticated but if values drop then how many would have to be done and then it could affect process as i would think they would have too much to handle and although hire more people they would entually pass the cost down to the sellers, like if Ebay goes down to 250.00 value or more imagine if a high volume seller had to send in say 100 or more in month and Ebay said we have to charge the seller a fee for the process like $5.00 per item then thats going to take a bite into sellers, thus they would pass cost to buyers and we know what happens then less less sales.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

I sold my first card that required eBay authentication. 

The experience was perfectly fine. It helps that I am in Ontario, and it appears that their authentication warehouse is also in Ontario. That meant the trip to the authenticator only took 2 days. 

My item was authenticated and shipped to the customer (via Fedex) the same day that it arrived at the authenticator. The item I sold already had a hologram and COA from Upper Deck, so maybe that expedited the process. Ultimately, it originally shipped from where I am located in Ontario all the way to BC, and it only took 5 days. 

I haven't looked into the additional fees. While I think most sellers have too much fear over scams with customers, it's at least nice that for expensive items this adds another layer of protection. I haven't read the entire terms of service, but I assume that once a card passes authentication, certain claims would be between eBay and the customer. For example, a claim that they recieved an empty box. Or that they received the wrong card. Or that the card is counterfeit. Based on how eBay's returns work, those are the types of things someone would worry about when selling an expensive card.

They also package the card nicely. From a marketing perspective, if you sell lots of high end cards on eBay, you might benefit in the long run if this attracts more buyers who otherwise would be cautious about buying something like a vintage rookie card on eBay.