Breakout the champagne; I just got scammed on eBay for the very first time, much like the virgin before me.
The item in question is a “sealed” Zap! Theme Deck. Seller description stated, “This is a sealed Deck the box is damaged never opened. It’s been sitting in a box for years with other stuff. Any questions contact me.” I’ve handled just at a hundred theme decks and this one is without doubt resealed. The plastic is heavy and the seals are in the wrong places. Pictures below. The deck in question is on the far left in every photo. Others are for comparison.
My question is, if I open it will I lose my ability to file a claim? And how exactly should I go about filing this claim?
For clarification, the condition of the item is not the issue. I expected it to be damaged and intended to open it. I did not expect it to be resealed.
Given its clearly resealed why would you want to open it? Your best bet would be to leave it as is and file a return stating you do not believe the item to be authentic. Then in the text box state that the item is resealed and not original as it was represented - even include the picture you posted here.
I bought this particular theme deck to test a theory, as I believe it to contain shadowless cards. Of course, if I open it and it does not contain shadowless cards I won’t know if I was wrong or they were replaced with shadowed. Really bummed out I can’t test my theory, but that;s the least of my issues.
I had a starter deck with that wrapping but never opened it. I’d have to dig it out of storage, but I’ve seen them before. Not sure if that helps as I might also just have a re-seal, but maybe @garyis2000 or others who have opened many decks could chime in.
I’d hate to let a resealed item back out in the wild, ya know?
Good idea. I know the so called 4th print themes have a different plastic, but the in question theme deck isn’t a 4th print. Plus, I have yet to see sealed theme with a top seal like this one. WotC seals are soft and folded neatly. This one is rigid and bubbled. Gonna have to differ this one to you @garyis2000, or @thecharizardauthorty
I’m uploading a video so that we can figure this out. I’ll post the link once it’s live.
I can say right now out of the ~40 theme decks presented in the video none has this particular wrapping. Additionally, I’m going through ~40 extra theme decks and none, thus far, have this wrapping. The only thing that even comes close is the Base Set 2 VHS Starter Kit, but I don’t find it odd being it is the biggest item present.
You can definitely return it even if you open it. The deck itself inside the box is factory sealed and has holo Mewtwo at the front. If you opened it and it wasn’t unlimited you’d still be able to tell if it’s resealed just by seeing if all the contents are there and all cards are accounted for and correctly ordered.
Then if you prove it to be fake, just do what BugCatcherDave said. Some people open booster boxes just to see if they’re fake & will return if proven so.
It’s very rare, I’ve opened 50+ of these decks and only came across 2 with this wrapping. One of mine had the original price sticker dated 1999 on the wrapping and inside contained an unlimited grey stamp machamp. They could be very old third party reseals from retailers in response to receiving product with damaged seals, or just another rare variant from the factory.
That’s a good point. I’m still on the fence about opening it; might sleep on it. Worst case, it’s full of energy, or something, and I can still get my money back. I really want it to be shadowless though
I acquired four Base Set 2-Player Starter decks with that wrapping a while back, I’ve opened two of them and they have both contained Shadowless cards.
Breakout the champagne; I just got scammed on eBay for the very first time, much like the virgin before me.
