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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

Hi,

 

I bought a 1992 magazine listed in "good" condition. When it arrived, I was surprised to see that the cover is 50% detached from the spine. Futhermore, the back bottom edge has many small tears and holes, and the front cover also has some small tears along the edge. I contacted the seller about it, and he is insisting that since the rest of the magazine is fine, that the exact condition of the cover he sent is irrelevant.  According to the "good" condition for books (the category magazines fall under), "Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears." The photos of the magazine in the listing were inaccurate, and he didn't have any other further description. Am I right in saying that the magazine is in fact not in "good" condition and the item is not as described, or am I overreacting?

 

Thanks for your help!

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Question about condition of magazine that I bought


@dudelikewhoa wrote:
That's really helpful, thank you!

haha, They sure don't!

Here's a complete guide...

 

Grading Guide

Using the standard grade as set up in the Overstreet comic book grading guide and the 10 point grading system it corresponds with, The Grades are as follows:

MT 10.0 - ABSOLUTLY PERFECT - HAS NOT ONE SINGLE FLAW

MT 9.9 - Only 1 very very subtle Bindery defect allowed

NM/MT 9.8 - Only minor imperfections (such as an almost unnoticable interior page tear (under 1/32 of an inch) or a small inconspicuous date stamp (must be very well hidden almost unnoticable

NM+ 9.6 - same as 9.8 but with small almost imperceptible indentations allowed and/or slight staple discoloration

NM 9.4 - same as 9.6 but with an up to 1/16 inch bend without any color break (no white showing through the color) also ever-so-slight blunting of the corners and a few VERY SLIGHT stress lines

NM- 9.2 same as above but page color may be off-white to cream in color and that 1 cover crease can be 1/16 to 1/8 inch with no color break allowed

VF/NM 9.0 - 1/8 inch bend with no color break, very minor foxing allowed, small amount of cover wear, several date stamps and or small hidden initials allowed, slight staple tears allowed - Minor Accumulation of stress lines allowed and some very minor interior tears allowed

VF+ 8.5 - 1/4 inch cover crease with no color break allowed, Minor spine split with some minor color break allowed, Some slightly more noticeable stress lines allowed and paper can be Cream to Tan but must remain supple

VF 8.0 - Same as 8.5 but with some very very minor spine roll -- Must lay almost completely flat

VF- 7.5 - same as 8.0 but cover can have light cover soiling and some interior pages can have corner slight tears - Also cover can have some corner wear.

F/VF 7.0 -  Moderate reduction of cover reflectivity - minor creases allowed, minor foxing, interior cover yellowing, date stamps - initials - and store stamps are allowed, Slight rust migration allowed, Blunted corners, minor margin tears on interior pages allowed -- More and deeper stress lines allowed

FN+ 6.5 - up to 1/4 inch spine split or severe color break are allowed - Minor spine rolls allowed and cover can have minor discoloration, staining and/or foxing as well as minor to moderate cover creases

FN 6.0 - same as 6.5 But with a loose but attached centerfold

FN- 5.5 - Same as above but with some Marvel Chipping present as well as some bundling ridges and minor abraded edges - also light pencil marks possible

VG/FN 5.0 - Low cover gloss possible minor to moderate dimples and creases Present, up to 1/2 inch spine split, Moderate Rolling of the spine - May also have the begining of an acid oder

VG+ 4.5 - Cover wear is moderate to significant - cover may be loose... Cover may be faded staples discolored, moderate staple tears up to 1" spine split, moderate stress lines moderate interior tears minor oder minor repairs and up to a 1/4 inch triangle or 1/8 square missing (must not effect story) + Pages can be brown but not brittle

VG 4.0 - same as above but with heavy spine wear and brown staining on cover - also some pen and/or pencil writting is common but should not be excessive

VG- 3.5 - same as 4.0 but with frayed edges, Oxidation shadows on the cover and Larger cover creases - with many dimples and abraded corners

G/VG 3.0 - Very low or no cover gloss, cover may be detached on one staple, 1 1/2 inch spine split, Interior tears and larger up to 1/2 inch chunks missing (must not effect story) - staples may have been replaced and book length creases may be present

GD+ 2.5 - same as 3.0 but may have detached (but present) centerfold or cover and rounded corners

GD 2.0 - up to 2" spine split, Significant cover ware heavily rolled spine, rust migration on to the book, Acid oder  -- BUT MUST BE FULLY READABLE

GD- 1.8 - Major writting, heavy staining and light water damage possible

FR/GD 1.5 - Cover - Creases tears and folds, May be detached and with considerable wear and staining - up to 1/10 of the back cover may be missing - one missing staple is acceptable and massive rust migration

FR 1.0 - Cut Coupons (may effect story slightly) Chunks of cover missing centerfold may be missing, pages may be brittle, many tears  and folds and creases are very large and many - Cover may be crumpled

PR 0.5 - Massive water damage, Major damage effecting most of the book (ie. Dog chewed it) Running ink and Coverless books belong here.

Message 46 of 53
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

Whoa, that's awesome! Thanks again for all your help!
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought


@dudelikewhoa wrote:
If you don't mind my asking, what would the additional $25-$45 be for? I don't quite understand.

If your seller is in Germany, you can return it using first class international (provided the item weighs less than 4 pounds) which has E-Delcon tracking to his door.  I would think an oversized magazine would weigh two pounds at best so you're probably looking at $22.50 or so to send it back.  But if you open a case, you will definitely get back the original amount you paid.  So you have to figure out if it's worth it.  And you may be able to get a courtesy refund for the label from ebay.  It's not likely but it is a possibility if this is your first return problem.

 

Of course all of this depends on how much you spent on it and how disappointed you are.  Can you find another one in the better condition you want or is this particular issue difficult?  That's what I would base my decision on.

 

Frankly had the seller responded to me the way he did to you, it would guarantee opening a return case.  Even if I would be losing a little money.  Sellers like this make it so hard for the rest of us who really try to do right by our customers.

 

He's the one who messed up.  Not you.




Joe

Message 48 of 53
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

Thank you for your insights. I paid about $13 total with shipping, so unfortunately, if I sent back the magazine and didn't get refunded for the return shipping, I'd basically still be paying for the magazine. I was always under the impression (I've never had to return anything before, let alone open a case), that if you open a case and ebay decides in your favor, that the seller has to cover the costs to send it back, on top of giving you a full refund. You and another member in this thread have said otherwise, so I probably won't take chances with opening a case.

Yeah, the way the seller responded was so rude, I couldn't believe it. If the magazine had cost more, I'd absolutely open a case. But I think after reading everyone's comments, I'm just going to take it as a lesson learned.
Message 49 of 53
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

The seller is supposed to pay for return shipping according to the money back guarantee.  The problem is when it is an international sale.  They can't issue US postage any more than we can issue one from Germany.  Unfortunately ebay will hold each and every US seller responsible to refund the cost of shipping.  Foreign sellers?  Not so much.

 

For $13 I would just count it as a fairly inexpensive lesson learned.




Joe

Message 50 of 53
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

Ah, that makes sense. I'm learning a lot today! Thank you!
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

Let me add, you are so polite and thankful to everyone that gave you feedback. Many can learn from you..

 

Second..don't bother to send it back, it's not worth the cost. It wasn't a very expensive lesson but a valuable one. Now you can make sure you buy from US sellers, so if there's an issue, it's a lot easier to resolve.

 

 

Message 52 of 53
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Question about condition of magazine that I bought

It's the least I can do for everyone taking the time to help me!

I agree. I figured ebay was one big cohesive unit, but thanks to everyone on here, I've learned it's not that easy, and will know better in the future. Thank you for your feedback, I appreciate it!
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