Messages from Ebay Authenticator?

[dy_sportscards]

I received an email (not thru eBay) but through my account attached to my eBay, from a supposed eBay authenticator.

The email address listed is from: AuthGteeUSsupport@ebay.com

And they stated that the card they received to authenticate had a small scratch on the back and they want to know if I still wanted the card. They included pictures.

I just want to make sure this is a legit email (as the email address is a little weird), and it's weird that I didn't get any notifications via ebay site regarding this.

Has anyone had this experience?

Thanks!

[fab_finds4u]

Mail with the url ending with ebay.com is legit.

[chris13]

Do authenticators not use eBay message services?

[chris13]

There is no mention of any opportunities for the buyer to 'decide on condition' or interact with an ebay Authenticator in the policy I was pointed to here. (I assume the OP was the buyer, since this is under the buying category)

Authenticity Guarantee for Sneakers | eBay.com

I know this is the Sneaker not card page but I assume the process would be similar.

@kathiec  Do you know anything about how this might work, or know who might be an expert in this area?

[mtgraves7984]

And they stated that the card they received to authenticate had a small scratch on the back and they want to know if I still wanted the card. They included pictures.

@dy_sportscards 

I'm assuming that you're the seller. The message sounds like you've sent a card to the Authenticators that they are not going to approve and send on to your buyer. Maybe they "want to know if you still wanted the card" since they can dispose of what they don't authenticate. I don't know about you, but I'd still want my card back. Good luck.

[safan80]

#1

Did you send something to an ebay authenticator? 

#2

If YES to #1

Do you have pictures of the item before it was sent in?

#3

if yes to #2 did the authenticator send you pictures of the item?

[kathiec]

Whether the OP is the buyer or the seller the message is totally out of the scope of eBay's written policy on authentication. It says that if the authenticators can't authenticate the item it's automatically returned to the seller and the buyer is refunded. But there have apparently been all kinds of issues with authentication, so maybe things have changed.

[fab_finds4u]

It's  not only  the authenticator has to find it's real but the condition has to match. If you didn't  mention a crease or scratch no matter how minor they can turn it down and refund the buyer. Get the card back and describe it properly and relist it. 

[chris13]

My main issue was that like @kathiec mentions above, the process seems clear in the policy.

If pass then continue, if fail then return. What constitutes pass/fail is a whole deeper discussion like the guy who received NIB shoes in a box with no lid.

The OP suggests that this process is unexpected if there is a step called "if fail, then contact seller for choice to keep/discard", etc. Perhaps a rare case but the idea that any off-policy non-messaging contact should arrive unexpectedly from eBay set off my danger senses, and no one seemed to know if contact by authenticators via email was in fact expected or allowed AND the step offering to keep/return wasnt in the policy.

Thanks for your input. I rely on folks to help me learn about areas new or outside my experience.