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254 posts tagged buying
How outdoor gear is graded
By whether it still performs — and storage counts for more than use.
How sports equipment is graded
By what it can still do. Match condition, practice condition, worn.
How electronics condition is described
A state, then the specifics. And "working" is a claim, not a grade.
How minerals are described
Not graded — identified. Species, locality, treatment, damage.
How cricket memorabilia is assessed
Worn, issued or replica first. Condition is the second question, not the first.
How sports memorabilia is assessed
Two statements, never blended: what it looks like, and what you can prove.
How film posters are graded
Described rather than scored — and every intervention named.
How antiques are assessed
Not a grade — a history. Original, repaired, restored, married.
How bag condition is described
Five headings, no scale, and a word that has to be followed by specifics.
How jewellery and watches are assessed
There is no condition grade. There is a hallmark, a laboratory report and a service history — three different things.
How collectibles are graded
Most of the time, they are not. Here is what to say instead of a number.
How toys and collectibles are graded
Two objects, two grades — and for anything boxed, the cardboard carries the price.
How sneaker condition is described
No scale, three words, and a number out of ten that means nothing.
How manga is graded
There is no scale. There is completeness, and there is the spine.
How video games are graded
Mostly they are not. Completeness is the scale this trade actually uses.
How books are graded
A ladder with no service behind it, and a word that means the opposite of what it sounds like.
How records are graded
Six rungs, two objects, and the rule that good is not good.
How coins are graded
A seventy-point scale, and one word that has to mean exactly what it says.
How comics are graded
A half-to-ten scale, a universal rule about restoration, and a spine that decides most of it.
How sports cards are graded
The same four areas, the same ten points, and the parallel that changes everything.
How trading cards are graded
Four things assessed, a ten-point scale, and the difference between a grade and a guess.
Questions to ask before bidding on food or drink
Which date is it, what are the allergens, and how is it getting to me?
Questions to ask before bidding on beauty products
Show me the seal, the batch code and the dates. Then tell me where you bought it.
Questions to ask before bidding on baby and child items
Model number and date stamp. With those two you can do the one check nobody else can do for you.
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