When you get into the baseball card collecting hobby, one of the most important things that you should be aware of is that there are scammers out there. Scammers will easily take advantage of you and steal your money. In fact, there are websites that were created just to help you make sure that you are not scammed. There are several things that you can do to protect yourself when purchasing baseball cards for your card collection.
Avoiding Trimmed Cards
You will want to avoid any cards that have been trimmed. A trimmed card will have its border cut to help to improve the edges and the corners of the card. Trimming the card can cause the card’s grade to go up. However, if it is found that the card has been trimmed, this can significantly decrease the card’s value, and in some cases, the card will be worthless. To avoid these cards, you will want to look at the edges of the card. If it looks as if the card has been trimmed, do not purchase it.
Visiting SportsCardsScams.com
A good way to avoid scams is to go to sportscardscams.com. At this website, they have a list of people who are known scammers and even have a list of people on eBay who have been caught scamming. They also have other information on how to avoid scammers and stories about scammers. Their scammer database has helped many people to avoid being scammed while purchasing baseball cards. Visiting this site can help you to know what to avoid when purchasing baseball cards.
Do Your Own Research
The most important thing that you can do to protect yourself from scams is to do your own research. If you see a card being sold that you are not sure about, research it. Researching the card will allow you to see its true value and help you to see where it might be a reprint, trimmed, or a fake card. With the internet, research is right at your fingertips. In fact, you should always research any card that you purchase to ensure that you know all about that card. Getting into this practice will help to ensure that you never deal with scammers.
Card Show Gypsies
Card show gypsies can easily scam you when you go to various card shows or do the card shows online. These scammers may try to sell you trimmed cards, reprints, or cards that are in very poor condition. In some cases, they may even sell you completely fake cards. Before purchasing from anyone, online or otherwise, you will want to do your research. Find out their name and look online for any information. If they have scammed someone before, chances are that there will be something about it online. The more research you do on the person, the better. While card shows work hard to ensure that scammers do not get in, there are still some that pop up, especially with the increased popularity of card shows online. Doing your research will help to protect you from purchasing a card that has little to no value.
Avoiding Reprints
Another thing you will want to do to avoid being scammed is to make sure you are not purchasing reprints. Reprints will not have much value, and you will just be wasting money. Some cards will have the words reprint on them, or they will have a logo that clearly shows that they are reprint cards. However, some companies out there did not put the word reprint on them, and you will have to look at these cards thoroughly to make sure that they are the original cards. You should look for things like crinkling brown lines, even wear and tear, and details of the card. You can pull up a picture of the original card online to see if there are any imperfections. In some cases, it is extremely difficult to tell a reprint from an original card. If you have a car dealer or a card collectible expert in your area, it will not hurt to show them the card and get their opinion. They should be able to tell you whether or not the card is fake.
Protecting yourself from getting scammed with baseball cards is imperative to make sure that your hobby is in good standing and that you have the cards that you want. Remember to take your time, do your research, look for fakes, and if all else fails, ask a professional for help when learning whether a card is an original or not.
