How I Lost $10,000 Buying A Sports Card Collection

Today I'm back with a vlog/story of my trip to Hawaii. I went out there to buy a sports card collection and things did not go to plan...
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[@tinman67tn]

Dude knew it wasn't a refractor. He knew what he sent in. You're too nice bro.

[@jayjay-zb8zg]

THATS WHY THE GUY REACHED OUT TOO HIM LOOOOOOL

[@jstemandracchia]

@@jayjay-zb8zgexactly lmao

[@jonnagel7022]

I was thinking the same, He knew what he was doing and definitely has no integrity knowing he was scamming the buyer. He even went out of his way to have him pay via PayPal FF = scam since he would have no recourse to make a claim once the card was discovered.

[@andyoh4922]

@@jonnagel7022 i would honestly contact FBI fraud department at this point.

[@cashless18]

Props for sharing this! It takes courage to go ahead and show the mistakes and big losses! We all can learn from this. Thank you! Keep it up

[@flexorcist30]

Lesser sellers would still list this on ebay as a refractor, especially since it was PSA that labeled it as such. Big ups man for sticking to your ethics even if it results to a loss

[@SneakAhtakk]

yea i've seen some sellers try to sell the 1996 fleer metal cards as a precious metal mis-label all the time...a little harder on this card since the real refractor is numbered to 100

[@sonnyyang5167]

Great video. My only “gripe” with the video was the title. The makes it seem like you lost $10k. Instead, you lost some money on your investment correct?

[@sl3848]

All of his titles are clickbait and the "made $____" never even tell you how much

[@bfgolf]

I would be absolutely SHOCKED if that guy didn't know his card wasn't a refractor. I would be talking to the guy again and also psa. I'm not sure sure they shouldn't have some liability for the loss on that kobe. That's messed up

[@andysvt8]

I agree with the first part, but I can’t say psa should be liable.

[@bfgolf]

@@andysvt8 what if psa "mislabeled" a 1952 mantle reprint as a 1952 mantle and someone sold it for thousands of dollars? I'm not sure what the legal obligation of psa would be, but I would be pretty mad. This seems like a similar situation but I dont know

[@billybats4745]

He absolutely knew. Not even a little doubt in my mind about that.

[@NotKD35]

@@andysvt8PSA mislabeled the card? It was a PSA authenticated and graded “refractor” they’re completely at fault

[@rdawg8514]

I feel like psa should have some ownership in mislabeling cards… the whole reason to grade them is to give a buyer peace of mind when they are purchasing it.

[@keane_]

happens to the best of us. i’ve talked about a jordan refractor that I paid $800 for in burbank that was mislabeled by psa. I also missed it in the heat of the moment and it’s actually a $30 card. that’s an $800 lesson for me. we all bounce back

[@Freethecommons]

Damn, PSA is costing people money when they aren't busy costing people money.

[@pelkey_sports_cards]

Not a good deal, but great storytelling. Appreciate you sharing. In a sea of videos of people claiming it’s so easy to make money in the hobby if you just put in the work, it’s nice to see an honest video from someone who put in the work but took an L regardless. It happens to the best of ‘em

[@DerethAC]

This type of deal is right in the wheelhouse of Chris Sewall, who also has a KZbin channel. I know that he meticulously goes through everything before determining a value. In your case, I think that the short 24-hour turnaround really forced you to rush in a situation where you needed to take your time. If you find yourself in a similar situation, maybe it would be better to work the deal out in batches, like go through 10% of it, make a deal on that part, and then move onto the next chunk.

[@caesarswgoh484]

A cool part two would be a collaboration with Chris to see how he would have thought about this deal and broken down the value off of what you knew at a time (especially if he didn’t seem this video so he didn’t know the full story going in)

[@michaelv6354]

Where do you get the "lost $10k" from? Sounds like your total spend was around $8k with travel, I'll throw in another $1k for the luggage, USPS, food & expenses, so call it $9k? Then you have almost $4k just in the big stuff on your spreadsheet. So you're at -$5k before selling the small stuff. Help me if I'm wrong!

[@TheTallOneGianni]

Sucks. I do think the guy should have gave you a partial refund on that Kobe. Like split the loss of the projected value 1K / 1K. Keep pushing Troy big W coming for sure 🙏

[@TRIKE415SportsCards]

He mailed me an extra $125 card, so he did at least something. It is what it is

[@duanetomka6559]

​@TRIKE415SportsCards you are too nice...he should refund you what you priced that card out as being it said refractor

[@buyystocks]

@@duanetomka6559 I agree, since he only paid $30, the seller mail out.

[@jasonforsythe3738]

You talking about cutting those 1 and 2 dollar cards killed me!!! I make a fortune off of the cheap stuff!!! Just have to list it.

[@brentman1000000]

couldn't agree more

[@tylercannon5329]

Dealers buying at 80%. Hahahahahahahahha. 40% if you're lucky with these scumbags.

[@ObsessedCollector]

15-30% I was informed by a lcs. Unless its high end or liquid. then 40-50% is fair.

[@benmitchell9792]

Hey, man. THESE are the videos that collectors need to watch. Your transparency is a breath of fresh air and I truly believe good karma will bounce your way. Still a tight lot. Thanks for sharing your story!

[@TaserCake]

He should absolutely compensate you for the difference between the Kobe base and refractor. Even if he didn't know (which I'm fairly sure he did), he still should. Inadvertently or not, you were given the wrong information which had a huge swing on the deal. Major props for posting this.

[@Jakes_Sports]

I've been buying and selling collections for the last 10 years you should not be paying anywhere near 70% on a large collection. You are time is money and you have to factor that into the equation. On a large collection I pay close to 50% that's the highest. I have parts of collections that I bought from 4 years ago that I'm still trying to piece out and sell. The reason they're selling their collection is because they don't want to put in the time and work to do it.

[@ObsessedCollector]

30-60% is my range depending on the % of liquid or pc pickups. NEVER ever offer 70% unless it's top end stuff like high grade 30s-50s, sealed items etc.

[@2UGamingProductions]

Dealers do like 55 percent and sell 90 percent

[@MichaelIp]

Curious how you came up with the $10k loss figure. Seems like you loss about $3k - which still stinks. I've been burned on PSA mislabels before and it makes you feel like crap. Just gotta take that loos and make it up in the future.

[@bradysdogsanctuary]

hardcore click bait is how

[@scott8908]

He's probably including travel costs, but it still doesn't add up to 10k. Clickbait title. Can't blame him though, I would too if I lost a few thousand.

[@SamRothstein]

Props to you for taking it on the chin, but it doesn’t sit right to me when people knowingly sell stuff for way over what it’s worth, especially in a bulk deal like this. I don’t believe for a second that the LCS would have sold a refractor for $30, and in turn, he should have caught that when looking at your values.

[@TRIKE415SportsCards]

Hey Sam! Appreciate the insight as always. Just want to respond to make sure nothing is misrepresented. We never directly discussed the Kobe or the value of it specifically before the deal. He sent me pictures of everything (including the Kobe) and we agreed on a total price. He told me bought the Kobe raw from his LCS for $30 and then graded it himself Obviously I still feel things would have been handled differently, but just wanted all the facts out there as I know them

[@SamRothstein]

@@TRIKE415SportsCards Gotcha, totally fair.

[@engee4944]

sorry to say but you got fleeced. Seller absolutely knew what he had there's no way he had a collection this large and not know a thing or two about cards.

[@americanarbitragecards]

Bummer this happened bro. I will say this video, the editing and the story telling was outstanding. Just such a well done video man

[@LetsStormTheTeaCupRide]

PSA should do something for you on their mistake. Also, how did you lose 10K exactly?

[@TRIKE415SportsCards]

Hopefully they will. Deal was close to $10,000 in the end and it's definitely one I regret. So while I didn't "lose" my entire $10,000 investment, it's one I'm definitely going to end up losing on

[@revimayuyushobbyvlogs5636]

sorry for your loss. i am a filipino and i have been collecting basketball cards since 1994. and i am pretty familiar with 90s stuff. and i know that psa screwed on that one. this is a testament to the fact that psa or any other grading company arent always correct. due diligence in research is a must even if the cards are graded.

[@brockman562]

one word.....cooked. I woulda wanted to see AT LEAST 10-30 cards upfront that were $500-2k range before booking flight. if I didn't see 30 cards $500-2000 in the first 1-2 min...NO DEAL. that seller got exactly the amount that he wanted..and then some.

[@blisstradingcards]

Always enjoy every video - thanks for sharing the story and for the transparency. It's always what makes your videos my favorite that pop up on my Subs list. Really sorry to hear about the Kobe, not a bad idea to ping PSA - it's worth a shot.

[@mikeardini]

Max I would pay is $2k for that collection. Add travel expenses you are barely breaking even.

[@WhiteMamba440]

OMG I love the ja mordant auto!

[@tcountryy]

It’s pretty funny how Troy didn’t realize everyone that actually understands anything about cards would watch this and realize Troy knows absolutely nothing about them - glad to see the comments show the true reality of this scenario and how the Kobe card is absolutely irrelevant to how awful of a “play” this was This was a 0/10 play from any single angle you look at it from and the fact you aren’t more angry at yourself is why you won’t ever keep moving up in the hobby - this is your livelihood dude what are you doing

[@alainbao3604]

Just Subscribed - 1st time i Found a video with honesty and losing money when collecting cards. Everybody in every video is winning in card collecting...YOU EARNED MY RESPECT. THANK YOU VERY MUCHH. I collect some cards for fun but i always keep thinking be careful with those junk papers. It is very much like scratch lottery paper

[@carlosjr8642]

This is one of my favorite videos that you've posted. I admire that you were willing to share this. There is one thing that is upsetting to me though and that is that someone would say they didn't know either but would still keep the money you paid instead of giving it back to you. I don't understand how people can operate business like that. If it were me, I would apologize but I would NEVER keep your money. The right thing to do, especially after you spent all that money to fly up there, is to give you your money. Just sounds like a horrible person based on that.

[@andrewr6597]

Exactly

[@HJ-ru6mm]

No way the dude did not know. Refractor shiny base dull. Lol

[@editionsportscards]

Hey man, can PSA's guarantee be used to help refund your lose on the Kobe? It is technically their fault for mislabeling the card. I would at least contact them and explain your situation.

[@TRIKE415SportsCards]

Yeah I talked to them, I'm not too hopeful but they said they'd look into it

[@RickM23]

Did the seller get up charged the value of the Kobe refractor? If yes you have a chance. If the seller was not up charged, he knows PSA valued the Kobe as a base. So she should know since he submitted it for grading. Something sus on the sellers end.

[@PTdoubleOT]

There is zero chance that guy didn't know. It's not some random card, he graded it himself. Even if he wasn't familiar with the card he would've at some point been curious what the card was worth when he got it back and found out it wasn't a refractor. He can claim whatever he wants, he hung that carrot on a stick out there to squeeze you for extra cash. I'm sorry that happened to you Troy and I appreciate you sharing it with us bc I will now be making sure I know exactly what I'm looking at before I purchase anything. AND SHAME ON PSA!! They mislabel things WAY too much. All that time in QA Checks and they aren't doing SH*T LOL.

[@julyrogers5270]

Definitely scammy

[@mohash8626]

he bought a raw card for $30 and got it graded… then comped it at 2,000. he def knew..

[@kobechromerefractor7093]

Interesting perspective knowing you invested additional capital in the plane flight and all that goes into the logistics of the collection move in the deal. Much respect to you on this deal.

[@christhemagnif]

Thanks for sharing this. Too many times people only share big wins and it’s really important for people to know that deals can and will go bad and we need to be prepared for that

[@bjismyfavorite]

Travel expenses should be part of the leverage troy. You paid to travel to get it. The seller shouldve given you a better number.

[@pradaomygada]

It's ok, McDonald's is going to be paying $20/hr in CA starting next year.

[@ObsessedCollector]

if the self serve kiosks don't take over first lol

[@armchannel2]

It takes courage to share your mistake. you are doing something positive to this hobby by sharing it.

[@BobBoozle]

Great video. Going to Hawaii to buy cards and taking breaks between sorting to hit the beach, pool and local food spots sounds like so much fun.

[@erikcarlson1562]

I bought a Klay Thompson rookie refractor, and did not know it was mislabel till I went to sell it… You’re not alone, brother!!

[@PapaLu08]

Man the $15 and up cards is where you'll make your money. It looked like those boxes is where the money is at. Hope the card game picks up and your able to sell everything

[@brentman1000000]

exactly; even the lower value stuff adds up quick; that's where you can turn a potential loss into profit, via volume and doing the work...but may not be worth it to everyone, especially the time involved; sure, it'll take time, but everything sales for a price

[@joelrohrer5539]

I buyout collections and usually wouldn't even travel 200 miles let alone Hawaii.. when you travel far its easier to mess up as you don't want to feel like you wasted your time and end up buying stuff you aren't sure will make money..

[@damonhuck5115]

I apluad your transparency and humility in this video. These are the kind of mistakes that make us much wiser.

[@VideoDeGomes]

Sorry this happened to you man, but 80%, with travel and everything involved, is crazy high. Hopefully lots of the cards will go up in season

[@jessicalightner7947]

You spent 10k but didnt lose 10k.

[@jonnagel7022]

He knew what he was doing and definitely has no integrity knowing he was scamming the buyer. He even went out of his way to have him pay via PayPal FF = scam since he would have no recourse to make a claim once the card was discovered. I would blast his name was a slimy POS.

[@chrishiggins5936]

Way smaller scale, had a dude do porch pickup on a wii Console. Took console and didn't leave money. Aggravating but stay positive and keep grinding.

[@TRIKE415SportsCards]

Ah man I'm sorry to hear that, gonna try my best to stay positive

[@HuddleCardCollection]

Dang, feel bad for you. At least you got to go to Hawaii. Good luck in getting your money back.

[@cardzcardzcardz5562]

I saw the vid "I just bought a huge sports card collection" and under it was this and ngl im dying rn lolllll

[@grahamstewart1528]

Can't you get the PSA guarantee for something like this? You're relying on their authentication of this as a refractor and it turned out to be false. This seems like the exact scenario where you would be able to get some compensation from them for relying on their false description.

[@slangnrox7473]

I did a similar thing, purchasing a 1994 Finest Lottery Prize test refractor PSA 10 that was actually a base card. At least in my case the refractor is not labeled/serial numbered. If you're not familiar with this card, it's much rarer than the 1995 bordered myster finest refractos....if it was actually a refractor.

[@stevem9203]

I agree. I don’t think there is any way he didn’t know.. PSA should definitely take some responsibility as well since you relied on their labeling although it would be hard to prove what the loss actually was.

[@yuji0078]

He didn’t know????! He bought it and graded it himself. Obviously he knew the Kobe wasn’t a refractor that’s for sure. Ur just a very nice guy. It’s all good, you will make it back. It’s only money, people who dwell on situation like this will just stress themselves out. Lesson learned and u keep it pushin!

[@mikeeakin7619]

I would talk to PSA. If they mislabel something and you are not the original submitter. They should buy it back at market value. At lease that is how it was before.

[@mathyou6885]

At least you didn’t spend more than $700 in a break to get nothing from the team you bought and then only get compensated with $30 in packs :)

[@carlosjr8642]

btw...it would be interesting to see that guy's psa order form to see if he listed that Kobe as a refractor on the form. Would tell you a lot about whether he is telling the truth or not.

[@slugger82685]

aside from the kobe overlook (which im still not convinced the seller didnt know), i think this is a good lesson on how to evaluate a large collection purchase. someone selling their entirely collection in bulk should never be expecting to obtain 80% value, they should be more than willing to offer an even bigger discount because you are taking on all the work in one lump deal. your negotiations should really start no higher than 50% of what you are truly researching the retail value of the collection to be at. your purchase figure should be absolutely no higher than 60% of comp value because the time it takes to move all that stuff would far outweigh the minimal profits you would be getting anything higher than that.

[@carybensilhe4869]

I would definitely contact PSA about their screwup to see if they will offer some compensation. Why else are people paying these surcharges on grading for more expensive cards? I think the seller also knew about this error, but considering this was the biggest card in the lot I would have done my homework on as there are so many people in the hobby who mistitle their auctions refractor when they are not. I do applaud you for posting about your story as most people only post their wins and not their loses giving many newbies in the this hobby the false impression it is a easy money making machine.

[@TalkingBallCards]

PSA may be able to help you out with their grade guarantee, although I’m not sure that applies to label errors…

[@PrussianBlue11]

At least you did it man. You are wiser and it won’t ever happen again and you made content. It all adds up in the end.

[@MistaBoyerman]

Props to you for sharing this. Really takes a lot of share moments like this. All the best for you.

[@karmy2005]

Doesn't PSA insure any slabs if it's not correct?

[@julyrogers5270]

Wait how is it not the fault of the seller when he purposely showed you an expensive mislabeled kobe and refrained telling you about it and then proceeded to charge you $7k for the lot?? I would reach out to him..

[@alecjones9637]

That jalen Brunson is not 15$ and honestly this is a good price for the whole collection! Ps I’ll buy that jalen Brunson for 15$ lol

[@fazjewls14]

Thanks for posting. That’s why it’s better to see everything in person before making any tim3 of deals or agreements. Be careful next time 👍💪😎

[@comebackcardcollector]

Tax writeoff and content value will make it all worthwhile. Also, the value of learning from mistakes is priceless.

[@C.Baumann]

Contact PSA. That's on them for mislabeling. Not you. They should be held accountable.

[@ethano9527]

If he was such a nice guy, he would of gave that $1600 back. Someone grading card is going to know what they have. You bought a collection to far away and trusted the guy to much.

[@JasonL-o7f]

I wouldn't be so naive to think he didn't know beforehand that the Kobe was NOT a refractor. Not everyone is as nice/honest as you think

[@ryanadonis]

PSA mislabled the Card? The guy has to input the exact card from the list. He did it wrong, not PSA

[@davidthecardcollector]

Don't PSA have a guarantee for their graded cards? I would look at submitting a claim for the wrong label, they are supposed to pay you the difference in pricing.

[@Jakes_Sports]

Also don't rush in blindly buy a collection. I go through every single card first. I've had collections that I bought in that took three days to finalize.

[@sportscardsdenmark]

If he knows or didnt know, either Way he sells a card that is not worth What u paid for it. He has to refund u that part of the deal.

[@rippindickys]

At least you got a nice trip to Hawaii out of it! Who knows, maybe you can get most of your money back through the volume? It will just take a long time ⌛️

[@erikletendre7512]

I feel like that's on PSA more than the guy. He might've known but PSA is a service that's supposed to be renown for quality and mislabeling is NOT good.

[@PragmaticCardCollectors]

I'm sure the seller, no matter how "kind" he was, knew about that if that Kobe was the centerpiece of the deal. Will he take accountability and at least refund you the Kobe card part of the deal? How does that work on face-to-face deals, no returns on these? Pretty hard to believe someone with a ~US$10k worth collection will miss that detail though.

[@johnsheehan5648]

Your in the wrong business even if the Kobe was a refractor you still lose but how do u come up with 10k? What do your cars have to do with the cards unless you overpaid on those too. This is a BS story nobody spends a few thousand to get to the cards to make 2k.

[@Daniel-fn3ys]

When you lose you actually lose and not just clickbait, unlike some of your friends👀

[@vintagesportscardfinds964]

There is definitely a lot of work involved when it comes to the listing individuals and singles and all that stuff and it makes you wonder if it's actually profitable

[@bryanthuynh9772]

Can't you ask hin to refund because no loses money. The seller paid 30 on it

[@RobertLee-wi5kc]

Did you send it in to PSA, they won't pay it but they might give you lots of submissions. Dealers pay 70 for decent and 80 for big demand easy sales. It happens to the best of us:) Misleading title though don't you think??

[@scuffedmarshmello9334]

Ummmm, he told you he bought it raw from his LCS for $30 and he was cool with you paying $1600 for it, doesn't sound like a good dude. Mislabeled, its his card, and he should have been honest and told you it's not a $2000 card.

[@AlejandroGarcia-js8pq]

Super cool that you showed your expenses. Nobody ever does that

[@ObsessedCollector]

Sewel does :)

[@earlthemoneycult9787]

no chance he did not know…with the amount of card the seller he did not disclosed that info it was a mis labeled card…

[@MortsLindholm]

I would be more concerned that this card still shows up in PSA’s register as a reflector, when they’ve show in the past how quickly they can de-pop a card! whether the guy knew or didn’t knew is not up to me to decide, but I thank you for a very insightful and really honest story! Hopefully see you at a U.K. cardshow in the future

[@deesvintage1282]

I just don’t see the point of these big deals videos anymore. I’m convinced people are more interested in being influencers and clout rather than the cards themselves.

[@PhilipY]

If the seller knew that Kobe card was a large part of the value of the sale, it is hard for me to believe they didn't know it was mislabeled. I'm sorry but that is honestly very lame that that happened and I'm going to call bs on the seller claiming they didn't know

[@moby1kanob]

sooo many people did buying shit during the peak of pandemic and then trying to sell them now. I was not touching ANY cards during the Pandemic, I was just watching the show, now I am all on on cards...buying like crazy in the dip. Recession coming, once it passes, once income stats going up and people develop disposable income again, cards ^^^^^ and I sell outside of my PC items.

[@thecharleschow]

Kudos for sharing the ups and downs of the hobby. I'm actually from Singapore and will be in Santa Clara for work next couple of days. Was hoping to visit a couple of LCS and was wondering if you have any recommendations. Also if there are any any card shows happening this weekend in the bay area that you may be aware of.

[@crankycardguy1369]

The guy knew....

[@rdawg8514]

Great video. Thanks for the honesty! Hopefully someone you’re prospecting takes off and you look back and laugh at this deal!

[@fatmirsejdini5992]

Did the owner play it off as a kobe Refractor? 🤔

[@campbellbraxton8087]

that stinks man, I hope you find some crazy hidden value. Hopefully you had a good time in Hawaii at least.

[@santaclause3487]

Crazy! Somebody lost buying a bunch of random cardboard

[@505polarbcards]

I like to deal in cash and person to person. But right now that’s the hardest thing for me to do now. eBay is ok just don’t like the fees as with whatnot. Can’t seem to find a collector and not a flipper also.

[@Freethecommons]

I still don't get how did you lost the entire $10,000?

[@gametimeinternational]

Man that sucks with the PSA kobe, send the card to PSA with a note telling them your story and ask for a refractor of the card as a consolation.

[@throwbacksportscards9296]

2 things. 1) Don't understand how you landed at $10K loss per the video title. The video does not reflect this loss. 2) You had every right to go back to dude for the difference of the mislabeled refractor. Not sure why you took that addtl L, that's on the seller and they should remedy by refunding you X dollars

[@le9335]

Guy should have given you some money back for selling you a mislabeled card. If you buy a Samsung tv and bring it home and open the box and that’s not what is actually in the box, you would get a refund. He sold you a card that was not in the right box.

[@howbizarro1215]

So disappointing to see PSA make a mistake like that, and even worse that it burned you Troy. If there’s any silver lining, quality video and appreciate you sharing your experiences for better and worse.