PDA

View Full Version : Probstein Issue

rynojim
11-14-2020, 10:04 AM
Looking for some advice from the community.

I won 2000 Tom Brady Victory #326 PSA 9 from Probstein back in Feb 2020. When I received the card, it had a large scratch down the front of the card that wasn't in the photos. I contacted Probstein and they agreed to have me send card back and they would send to PSA to get reslabbed and then send back to me. (I know I should have reslabbed myself….rookie mistake). I started following up with Probstein towards the end of April to check on the status. Here are the responses I got when contacting him to inquire on status:
April 21: Let me email them and see if I can get an answer.
June 18: They have now reopened, I will see where they are at
July 14: PSA has it, I still haven’t received it back yet
September 14: I will contact them again…no reply yet
October 15: Let me contact them again
November 4: I will contact them again
November 12: I think they lost the card. I submitted it during the height of covid..can you send me paypal link and I will refund you…sorry
I tried to find out if he sent card with others to PSA or individually. My thinking was to find out what the status was on the other cards. He responsed that he sent is individually. I requested that either he or PSA replace my card.
November 12: They never received the package…send me the paypal info and I will refund you
This is where I indicated I didn’t want a refund and I wanted him to replace the card. It’s not a huge card, but it is a PC card. I won the card at $130. There are a few on Ebay currently around $400.
November 12: We are responsible to the value of the purchase…would u sending me money if it dropped in price? I responded if the value went down, I would still be asking for the card to be replaced.

I have sent a few more messages through Ebay asking for Rick to call me so we can discuss. I also sent an email to him as I don’t believe a phone number can be put into Ebay messages. Still no response. I’ve tried calling the number listed on his Facebook page and the bottom of his emails that promotes his listings at auction. Calls go to a mailbox that says Rick doesn’t listen to voicemails and that the mailbox is full.

Anyone had success getting in touch with Rick on issues? It is obvious that they have lied through the entire process and just want me to go away. They claimed all along that PSA had it and they were following up with them and then all of a sudden they say PSA never received it. The reason I didn’t push too hard when following up on status is because I contacted PSA and they told me it could take up to 10 weeks for them to enter the card into their system and then they were averaging 72 business days on reslab. The beginning of November was 100 business days with some extra time built in for Probstein to process and get packaged to send to PSA. Timing of PSA to reslab is really a non-issue at this point since Probstein is claiming now that PSA didn't receive.

I also pulled up the PSA serial number in PSA and it shows the last sell was in February, when I purchased. Don't sure how frequent that information gets updated. I don't know of any other way to check to see if card was resold.

Looking for productive advice on best way to handle this situation (already know to reslab myself, not buy from Probstein). Am I being unreasonable asking for the card to be replaced vs. taking the refund?

Thanks in advance
thenwhatjk
11-14-2020, 10:15 AM
Whatever supplies you with the most direct route to not having to deal with it anymore (taking the refund) is the route I would take
The Accountant
11-14-2020, 10:19 AM
I would probably take the refund and take the L. From my past experiences it’s easier to just end things.
SupermanBrandon
11-14-2020, 10:24 AM
Just get your refund and take the L.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201114/e4f81ab3431c997fd2664ea70f6c00a3.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
blackbears86
11-14-2020, 11:31 AM
Sorry OP
Davis
11-14-2020, 11:46 AM
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think offering a refund of the amount paid is the appropriate response. I don't think you can expect him to replace a card that he doesn't have.

He tried doing a favor by having it reslabbed, but usps or psa lost the card. So now he's taking a $130 loss plus the cost of shipping to PSA. I also don't see where he was 'obviously lying' throughout the process. PSA is a black hole for everyone. It can take over a month before a PSA acknowledges a package and I'm sure Probstein submits a large volume of cards so he's not personally tracking every submission. 100 days is not a long period of time for PSA turnarounds. Many are taking over 6 months.
rynojim
11-14-2020, 01:23 PM
Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I think offering a refund of the amount paid is the appropriate response. I don't think you can expect him to replace a card that he doesn't have.

He tried doing a favor by having it reslabbed, but usps or psa lost the card. So now he's taking a $130 loss plus the cost of shipping to PSA. I also don't see where he was 'obviously lying' throughout the process. PSA is a black hole for everyone. It can take over a month before a PSA acknowledges a package and I'm sure Probstein submits a large volume of cards so he's not personally tracking every submission. 100 days is not a long period of time for PSA turnarounds. Many are taking over 6 months.


Appreciate the response. I guess I look at it differently as I don’t see it as him doing me a favor of reslabbing the card. It was damaged when I received it. I actually asked him to reimburse me the cost to get is reslabbed but he said he could get it cheaper. I suppose I could have requested a full refund upfront but thought this was an easy solution. As far as replacing the card, the card is replaceable and would be easy for him to obtain. Sure, he would have to take a loss as the card has gone up in value. Cost of business in my opinion. Maybe I’m wrong to think that.

As far as “obviously lying”, I would suggest going back and reading his responses.
From April to November, he claimed PSA had the card. Then last week he stated PSA never received it. So the amount of time it takes PSA to process is irrelevant now. Yes, USPS could have lost it. However, I would have assumed that he sent with tracking and could have checked tracking months ago. Maybe not. If so, doesn’t USPS give some minimum insurance if item is lost? If so, he isn’t out the full amount. My guess is the card was never sent.

I get things happen and maybe he lost the card. It shouldn’t have taken 9 months for him to say it. Would have been honorable months ago to state card was lost, instead of saying PSA had it when he later claimed they never received. I could have found a replacement around comparable cost. Again, not a lost cause as I can go purchase another card. I will just have to eat the difference.
SkolVikesCards
11-14-2020, 01:34 PM
Just don’t do business with probstein at all...
majestik101
11-14-2020, 02:03 PM
I accidently bid on a Probstein auction the other day and was the top bidder for a few days. Pretty relieved to see someone out-bid me earlier this morning.
XFL2020
11-14-2020, 03:19 PM
This sucks. But I think you take the refund and move on.

Once you sent the card out of your possession back to the seller, this was the risk you took.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
Archangel1775
11-14-2020, 03:53 PM
That's why we need a Diamond Certified Platinum certification for just the slabs. Sucks dude.
superdan49
11-14-2020, 08:45 PM
Just get your refund and take the L.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201114/e4f81ab3431c997fd2664ea70f6c00a3.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yep. He never should have given that card up. Another hobby victim of rickrolling.
dfr52
11-14-2020, 08:45 PM
A scratched holder can be buffed out.
2010GBPackers
11-14-2020, 08:50 PM
NEVER buy a raw card from Probstein. NEVER.
rynojim
12-02-2020, 06:21 PM
Appreciate everyone's feedback on this thread and it was a good learning experience for me to not give up the card if this happens again.

Thought I would provide an update. The day after me posting this thread, I received an email from Probstein indicating they they had my card. I will save you the additional details and what I believe to be additional lies around what happened.

Finally received card back today along with $25 to get reslabbed myself.

Maybe a coincidence that the card was located a day after me putting this thread out here when it was lost for the previous 9 months. I really believe in the power of this forum. There are a lot of great people on here who continue to try to grow this hobby, educate others, and look out after other members. I also think this forum provides awareness and unwanted exposure to those that may become relaxed on how they treat others within the community.
NeonStatus
12-02-2020, 07:24 PM
Does anyone that works for Probstein frequent this thread? What does their operation look like?

Glad that you were able to get your card back.
2010GBPackers
12-03-2020, 08:44 AM
Does anyone that works for Probstein frequent this thread? What does their operation look like?

Glad that you were able to get your card back.

If you've ever seen his area at the National, I imagine it looks similar to that. Basically, random piles of cards and a gun safe full of high-end cards and cash in a rented Manhattan (NJ) apartment. That would be my guess.