Attention BODA: Blowout Member SSIGuy Selling Altered Cards, eBay ID= marketplacessi

[3124508 on COMC]

MAJOR FIND:

Thread from 2006 on Collector's Universe forums saying that gradedcardsforsale, a known alias/ID for Superior Sports Investments, is a source of trimmed BGS cards.

https://forums.collectors.com/discus...s-not-received

Anyone know Dallas88 on CU?

[superdan49]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

MAJOR FIND:

Thread from 2006 on Collector's Universe forums saying that gradedcardsforsale, a known alias/ID for Superior Sports Investments, is a source of trimmed BGS cards.

https://forums.collectors.com/discus...s-not-received

Anyone know Dallas88 on CU?

This is excellent detective work. Superior Sports Investments was known on eBay as bgsgradedrookies from Oct-07-01 to Sep-05-07.

I will have MUCH more to say on this whole situation tonight.

[3124508 on COMC]

Someone want to record all those listings that just got taken down? Wow.

[3124508 on COMC]

Are they just pulling everything off with a serial number? Trout Golds come down, but all the blues stay? Okay, sure.....

[Jocel]

If the card is machine laser cut, its really hard for graders to grade. It would be really precise when using this machine and as we all know even card companies also aint perfect on cutting there products. There is no proper quality inspection on sizing on each cards before packing. So a few improper cut cards also goes out to market. So u cant really blame grading companies to missed out on this trimmed cards, again more especially if the trimmers used laser cutting machine to do this. Then its gonna be really pretty clean trim card


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[houdini]

Please don't list the street address or phone numbers ok? Nothing personal.

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by houdini

Please don't list the street address or phone numbers ok? Nothing personal.

Fair enough. The home address was public on Ebay so someone (that is watching but not posting) may want to take a look at that.

[houdini]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

Fair enough. The home address was public on Ebay so someone (that is watching but not posting) may want to take a look at that.

I know and I get it, but this is coming from above. Please keep it professional and on point.

[bowlinbob]

Originally Posted by houdini

I know and I get it, but this is coming from above. Please keep it professional and on point.

Houdini you know I like you and respect the heck out of you for what you do for this forum but why does it seem that some shady activity by forum users has been protected lately?? It just seems situations are treated inconsistently lately??

[Bigbluesooner]

I feel like I'm watching the beginning of Watergate unfold. These are strange days.

[Deadshot]

Originally Posted by Bigbluesooner

I feel like I'm watching the beginning of Watergate unfold. These are strange days.

And keep in mind that Nixon still beat McGovern in a massive landslide AFTER the break ins. Snuffing out this kind of stuff takes time and the sellers themselves might end up being just an incidental component.

[bowlinbob]

Yeah I don’t think there will ever be any type of proof to show that the seller actually trimmed these but it just concerns me that they continue to be sold with proof that they have been altered..

[imbluestreak23]

Originally Posted by bowlinbob

Houdini you know I like you and respect the heck out of you for what you do for this forum but why does it seem that some shady activity by forum users has been protected lately?? It just seems situations are treated inconsistently lately??

Because if some nuthead decided to take action “in their own hands” and do something harmful, BO doesn’t want to be held liable for providing an enabling platform.

Very simple

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by imbluestreak23

Because if some nuthead decided to take action “in their own hands” and do something harmful, BO doesn’t want to be held liable for providing an enabling platform.

Very simple

No, it's because this is a well-known business that's scamming. I can link several threads with addresses and (I think) phone numbers, but the scammer was a largely unknown individual. Joe Blow has no sway in the hobby, but these scammers do. And I say scammers because there's still been no response and the only cards that were taken down were serial numbered.

[imbluestreak23]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

No, it's because this is a well-known business that's scamming. I can link several threads with addresses and (I think) phone numbers, but the scammer was a largely unknown individual. Joe Blow has no sway in the hobby, but these scammers do. And I say scammers because there's still been no response and the only cards that were taken down were serial numbered.

Okay, I wouldn’t accuse or insinuate that our gracious hosts are protecting their scamming pals. That’s just poor form.

I’m no lawyer but if I ran a message board, I wouldn’t want members posting street addresses and phone numbers of hobby scammers. Just screems liability. god forbid someone does something completely stupid.

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by imbluestreak23

Okay, I wouldn’t accuse or insinuate that our gracious hosts are protecting their scamming pals. That’s just poor form.

I’m no lawyer but if I ran a message board, I wouldn’t want members posting street addresses and phone numbers of hobby scammers. Just screems liability. god forbid someone does something completely stupid.

I didn't insinuate anything. The address and phone number I posted are publicly available on Ebay.com, so the whole liability bit seems a bit over the top.

ETA: I think they're also buried somewhere in Amazon's code because searching just the address found on Ebay returned their Amazon store, but that's a lawsuit I'll let someone else file.

[oplum29]

how exactly does he fix some of these corners? i don't understand how something like that gets by both PSA and BGS

[houdini]

Originally Posted by bowlinbob

Houdini you know I like you and respect the heck out of you for what you do for this forum but why does it seem that some shady activity by forum users has been protected lately?? It just seems situations are treated inconsistently lately??

Please tell me specifically what shady activity I have been protecting?

I think if you took ANY eBay account with 25,000 graded cards, you are going to find a few cards that are wrong if you look hard enough.

I am not sure what I think of this case, but I think the mob was teased with tidbits and their minds were made up before they opened the thread. I think the subject of this thread could have been treated a bit more fairly in this thread - even if the op is 100% true.

In the end, all I can do is what I think is right.

[houdini]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

No, it's because this is a well-known business that's scamming. I can link several threads with addresses and (I think) phone numbers, but the scammer was a largely unknown individual. Joe Blow has no sway in the hobby, but these scammers do. And I say scammers because there's still been no response and the only cards that were taken down were serial numbered.

I have posted personal information of repeated scammers before (people who refuse to quit and create account after account to hide) because it is the only way I know to protect the forum, but even the op has not accused anyone of trimming cards - just of selling cards that appear to have been trimmed.

Don't you think that if you acquired 25,000 graded cards that you would have some trimmed cards in there? I mean you aren't just grading cards you pulled and getting 25000.

If the information is available elsewhere, so be it, but I can only concern myself with this forum.

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by houdini

Please tell me specifically what shady activity I have been protecting?

I think if you took ANY eBay account with 25,000 graded cards, you are going to find a few cards that are wrong if you look hard enough.

I am not sure what I think of this case, but I think the mob was teased with tidbits and their minds were made up before they opened the thread. I think the subject of this thread could have been treated a bit more fairly in this thread - even if the op is 100% true.

In the end, all I can do is what I think is right.

Assuming OP did his due diligence and the most recent sale of these cards was a raw one, SSI should either be pulling down everything from the consigner/source of these cards or they are the culprit themselves. They’ve now pulled down nearly every high end serial numbered card on their account, but all the non-serial numbered remain. You can’t tell me that only Tout Update Gold cards can be subject to trimming and not Trout Update Blues. It just doesn’t add up. They pulled down what could possibly be proven and that’s all.

And a 2006 trimming claim doesn’t help.

[houdini]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

Assuming OP did his due diligence and the most recent sale of these cards was a raw one, SSI should either be pulling down everything from the consigner/source of these cards or they are the culprit themselves. They’ve now pulled down nearly every high end serial numbered card on their account, but all the non-serial numbered remain. You can’t tell me that only Tout Update Gold cards can be subject to trimming and not Trout Update Blues. It just doesn’t add up. They pulled down what could possibly be proven and that’s all.

And a 2006 trimming claim doesn’t help.

I am sure the op took many days to create, but the subject wasn't contacted until after it was posted - and then told not to reply by pm.

So I think they should be given the same amount of time to research and reply as the op took in creating the thread. Why isn't that fair?

I don't know one way or the other about SSIGuy. Frankly, their first message to me nearly destroyed any chance I would ever help them with anything. However, treat everyone in a thread like this the way you would want to be treated. That's all.

[3124508 on COMC]

Originally Posted by houdini

I have posted personal information of repeated scammers before (people who refuse to quit and create account after account to hide) because it is the only way I know to protect the forum, but even the op has not accused anyone of trimming cards - just of selling cards that appear to have been trimmed.

Don't you think that if you acquired 25,000 graded cards that you would have some trimmed cards in there? I mean you aren't just grading cards you pulled and getting 25000.

If the information is available elsewhere, so be it, but I can only concern myself with this forum.

I just scanned about 10-15 barcodes of PSA cards taken down and none had sold before in a PSA slab. There's either a source being protected or they're doing it themselves. At any rate, there's no logical explanation as to why only serial numbered cards would've been taken down today. It's a CYA move clear and simple.


ETA: I agree 100% about innocent until proven guilty. My track record here speaks for that. Every week I complain about unwarranted callouts of people (shilling, people not getting PWEs, etc., etc.). The totality of the situation here, however, is clear.

[houdini]

Originally Posted by 3124508 on COMC

I just scanned about 10-15 barcodes of PSA cards taken down and none had sold before in a PSA slab. There's either a source being protected or they're doing it themselves. At any rate, there's no logical explanation as to why only serial numbered cards would've been taken down today. It's a CYA move clear and simple.

I don't know man. Really. But 10-15 is 0.0006%. I guess I am just not sure one way or the other. You may be 100% correct.

[bowlinbob]

Originally Posted by houdini

Please tell me specifically what shady activity I have been protecting?

I think if you took ANY eBay account with 25,000 graded cards, you are going to find a few cards that are wrong if you look hard enough.

I am not sure what I think of this case, but I think the mob was teased with tidbits and their minds were made up before they opened the thread. I think the subject of this thread could have been treated a bit more fairly in this thread - even if the op is 100% true.

In the end, all I can do is what I think is right.

I thought DeltaPi got away with some shady stuff that would have gotten a lot of people banned and that’s what I meant by that statement. It sounded like it was broad and I apologize for that.. I’m definitely not saying I think anyone trimmed in this case because that can never be proven but selling stuff that has been proven with no public response concerns me..

[superdan49]

OP here again. Internet is down tonight, so I'm writing on my computer through a mobile hotspot. I do not have full access to all the image data I want on this slow connection, but I will work with what I have access to.

A few points I want to make (2 posts):

1) Houdini, if you believe that BO members treated the subject unfairly, I want to add that in a private message, the subject, Superior Sports Investments, threatened me that his company "will be forced to potentially pursue legal action against you and/or Blowout" if my research into the card trimming was not removed.

I do not take lightly threats to my First Amendment rights as a citizen journalist. The courts have ruled that bloggers enjoy the very same freedom of the press as reporters. I am presenting facts; interpretation is up to the collecting community. But what is unassailable is that this seller has trimmed cards in his inventory. His reaction was not one of cooperation, but of threats of legal action. Here is the message in question. As you can see, I initially reached out to BO member SSIGuy informing him of my reporting: