eBay Drops Price For Trading Card Authentication, Shipping Problems Reported

UPDATE 8-25-22

The minimum price for trading card authentication on graded cards has dropped once again, down to $350, and eBay is now also including raw aftermarket autograph and relic cards in addition to pack pulled autographs in authenticity guarantee.

Authenticity Guarantee is available for individual sports trading cards, collectible card games, autograph and relic cards, and non‑sports trading cards $250 and above for ungraded cards, and $350 and above for pack pulled autograph and other graded cards.

Sets, lots, kits, decks, boxes, packs, graded after-market autographed cards, art cards, redemption cards, and graded cards that contain additional items, embellishments, or memorabilia, such as patches, jersey, swatch, equipment, props, relics, costumes, or wardrobe cards do not qualify for Authenticity Guarantee at this time.

UPDATE 7-7-22

eBay has now dropped the price for graded cards to $500.

Authenticity Guarantee is available for individual sports trading cards, collectible card games, pack pulled autograph cards, and non‑sports trading cards $250 and above for ungraded cards, and $500 and above for pack pulled autograph and other graded cards. Check back for updates and new eligible price points.

Sets, lots, kits, decks, boxes, packs, graded or after-market autographed cards, art cards, redemption cards, and cards that contain additional items, embellishments, or memorabilia, such as patches, jersey, swatch, equipment, props, relics, costumes, or wardrobe cards do not qualify for Authenticity Guarantee at this time.

UPDATE 6-9-22

eBay has added pack pulled autograph cards to the authentication program, after-market autos still do not qualify.

Authenticity Guarantee is available for individual sports trading cards, collectible card games,pack pulled autograph cards, and non-sports trading cards $250 and above for ungraded cards, and $750 and above for graded cards. Check back for updates and new eligible price points.

Sets, lots, kits, decks, boxes, packs, graded or after-market autographed cards, art cards, redemption cards, and cards that contain additional items, embellishments, or memorabilia, such as patches, jersey, swatch, equipment, props, relics, costumes, or wardrobe cards do not qualify for Authenticity Guarantee at this time.

UPDATE 4-29-22

eBay has once again dropped the minimum price for single, ungraded card authentication, now down to $250.  They've also added a new partnership with PSA to authenticate graded cards $2000+.

eBay Partners With PSA To Authenticate Graded Trading Cards

eBay drops price for ungraded trading card authentication to $250, partners with PSA for graded cards $2,000+

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

UPDATE 4-11-22

In case you missed it (eBay did not make a public announcement) the minimum price for trading card authentication has now dropped to $350.

According to the Wayback Machine, it looks like this change happened somewhere on/around March 31, 2022.

What items are eligible for Authenticity Guarantee?
Authenticity Guarantee is available for individual ungraded sports trading cards, collectible card games, and non-sports trading cards $350 and above.Check back for updates and new eligible price points.

Sets, lots, kits, decks, boxes, packs, autograph cards, art cards, redemption cards, and cards that contain additional items, embellishments, or memorabilia, such as patches, jersey, swatch, equipment, props, relics, costumes, or wardrobe cards do not qualify for Authenticity Guarantee at this time.

U.S. territory locations (incl. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Armed forces postal locations are not currently covered. Listings that offer only local pickup or items shipped to P.O. Boxes will not be eligible for Authenticity Guarantee. If the seller gifts a card free of charge to the buyer, the bonus card will not be authenticated.

Keep an eye out for more changes and updates to Authenticity Guaranteed for trading cards over the next few months as eBay opens the Vault, a 31 thousand square foot, secure storage facility and digital marketplace for trading cards and collectibles.

Peek Inside The eBay Vault

eBay is slowly revealing more info about the mysterious Vault - here’s a peek at what to expect as it rolls out in Q2.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton ~ Founder

We're less than a month into eBay's newest authenticity guaranteed program and already there are changes to the program and some concerning issues popping up.

eBay announced authentication for trading cards on January 25th.

eBay Introduces Authenticity Guaranteed for Trading Cards

eBay has announced the addition of single ungraded trading cards over $750 to their Authenticity Guarantee program.

Value Added ResourceLiz Morton

Some eagle-eyed sellers on Reddit noticed eBay has already made a significant adjustment to the minimum price from $750 down to $500.

I'm also seeing some problems with the new authentication program popping up - specifically around eBay's packaging choice that I'm sure someone thought would make for a cool presentation but risks possibly damaging cards.

YouTuber NEO Cards & Comics shared this story from Scandell Cards & Comics detailing similar damage to a $2500 card. 🤯

Scandell Cards & Comics has indicated the issue has not been resolved with eBay yet, so all eyes are on this situation and I know many trading card enthusiasts are watching carefully to see if eBay puts their money where their mouth is on the protections and promises offered by Authenticity Guaranteed.

However, to eBay's credit, I'm seeing a huge effort at engagement and outreach in many of the videos and posts across social media and in the community - I suspect largely being driven by Community Manager Trading Cards Marlin Carlson.

eBay often promotes the fact that many of their employees sell on the platform as well and Marlin is a great example of how that can be translated into better community engagement and improving the seller experience. It's clear he's very passionate about all things trading cards - I'd love to see him featured in the "7 Questions With..." seller video series in the community!

I've remarked before that Marlin is a model for what seller engagement in the eBay community forums should look like and it appears he may be getting a reputation for the same active engagement outside the community too.

"More communication and more sharing of information is always a good thing for ethical actors."

I couldn't have said it better myself. Jamie Iannone, if you're paying attention - hire more "Marlins", stat!

Have you used eBay's authentication service for trading cards? Let us know about your experience in the comments below!