PSA Charged $ 100 to Authenticate a $ 17 Autograph

[vintage761]

I sold a $ 17  Autograph to a customer, plus $ 2.60 Shipping. My customer said she was sending it off to PSA to be authenticated.  Nearly two months later my customer contacted me to let me know the autograph PASSED  PSA authentication.  That was fine. My customer now feels that I should split the $ 100 cost for the authentication.  I said NO WAY.  This is the third time in a year, that I sold an autograph for less than $ 20 and , despite being found authentic by PSA, customers somehow feel that I should ,after the sale, pay part of or entire cost for authentication.  Is this a trend ?  There is no way, as a seller, that I can justify  paying a third party $ 100 for an opinion on a cheap autograph. I was once a full time autograph dealer and I have nearly fifty years experience and there is not one PSA employee that I can not go toe to toe with as far as knowledge. If an autograph is only worth a few dollars, then I fail see see the justification for paying someone five times the value for a written opinion. 

[castlemagicmemories]

You can tell the buyer that Ebay policy prohibits asking for something that was not included in the listing.

And this wasn't.

[a_c_green]

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@bigchief2472000 wrote: 
You might ask them if they intend to pay you the difference in value between an unauthenticated autograph and one that has been authenticated.

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...and you can call it your Value Added Tax. 

[mirror-in-the-attic]

I wonder what would have happened if she sent it for authentication and it came back as fake?  (Not implying in anyway OP, just opening it up for discussion).   Would she then be asking you for a refund and compensation for the full price of authentication?       

[postingid2017]

@vintage761 - all of the above, especially what @castlemagicmemories stated, buyer is requesting something that was not included in the listing.  

I would keep all correspondence (if there is anymore) in the event that he/she files a case against you.  And B.L.O.C.K. ASAP!

[fuzzface50]

If you are not happy with your purchase, i will gladly refund you your $17 when i receive the item back. 

that is what i would send, nothing more, nothing less.

[ed8108]

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@mirror-in-the-attic  Would she then be asking you for a refund and compensation for the full price of authentication?       

 Most likely, the answer would be yes

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[tinstarglassware]

Just when I thought fleabay buyers couldn't stoop any lower.  they complain to me about having to pay for shipping.  Shipping a 2 lb package across the entire United States to arrive at their doorstep in 3 days for $9 is a bargain.   I pay the pizza deliveryman more with a tip for traveling two miles. 

[ed8108]

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@vintage761wrote:

I sold a $ 17  Autograph to a customer .......  This is the third time in a year, that I sold an autograph for less than $ 20 and , despite being found authentic by PSA, customers somehow feel that I should ,after the sale, pay part of or entire cost for authentication.  Is this a trend ?  

So manny people these days appear to have entitlement issues.

The most important thing in the world is ME, and I should not be held accountable for the consequences of my actions.

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[duggmills]

This is exactly the level of thinking that pervades American culture and why eBay doesn't seem to have the capability to grasp the concept that  buyers don't any right or even privilege  to  capriciously and arbitrary change a sellers terms and conditions after the fact.

I would tell the buyer that had they asked about having the autograph verified prior to bidding in it, you might have offered to take care of the PSA Service for $150.00 and a delay of three months.  That's $100 for the service and your usual $50 markup for providing the service and three month delay just in case.

Since she contracted for the service on her own and she was the sole beneficiary of said service, the cost is exclusively hers.  Further, if having some total stanger's opinion, why didn't she have a family member give their 50 cent opinion?

In essence, you didn't need the authentication, you already know the answer.

[77jays]

I absolutely hate all "authenticators". Nothing more than con artists. True autograph collectors will know more than these clowns, yet the "authenticators" have somehow become legit. Collectors allowed this travesty to happen and it's nothing more than some guy at a desk making an opinion based on online examples. We can do that at home.