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View Full Version : does having original packaging affect the value?



costas
07-31-2009, 12:20 PM
Does having the original box/invoice affect the value of a game used item? A couple of days ago I was trying to sell a jersey and was about to complete the transaction when the buyer decided to back out after I told him I did not have the original box/invoice. Has anyone else experienced this before? Is having the original box that big a deal? And why would anyone want the original invoice if it has someone else's name on it?

mattmueller
07-31-2009, 12:43 PM
I think it depends on the context of what the original invoice and packaging is from. Anything that allows a buyer to trace the provenance of an item is helpful.

I recently made a purchase from a gentleman who claimed to have purchased the item directly from a team. As part of his shipment to me, he offered to include the box from the team, as a way to provide a chain of record back to the team. An invoice would have been better, after all, the box wasn't labeled as containing XYZ item. As a seller, offering the box or invoice shows that I, the seller, did in fact obtain the item in the manner that I represented to the buyer. In addition to directly to a team, I would think that tracing invoices back to certain sellers (e.g. Halper collection, Steinmetz, etc.) or auction houses would also be useful as a way for a buyer to gain comfort with the provenance of the item. This is obviously only beneficial to the buyer if the seller also provides a letter that they sold you the item mentioned in the invoice.

All that said, unless you indicated you maintained and would provide original documentation as part of the sale, your buyers attempt to back out of the sale is pretty weak, in my opinion.

David
07-31-2009, 05:16 PM
The original shipping box and/or invoice is documentation of provenance-- where it came from. A return address of New York Yankees, MLB or Chicago Bull Charity is significant provenance and is great to have at resale time. In other cases the seller may be an eBay so the box may be neither here nor there.

Provenance documentation is nice and even important, but is only a piece in the authentication puzzle. You don't authenticate a Reggie Jackson bat by only reading the return address on the box, even the return address is Jackson's.

As a collector, I once bought two photographs directly from a famous photographer. You can bet I kept the mailing box as it had name and return address.

David
07-31-2009, 05:27 PM
In short, provenance documentation often isn't a big deal, but if you claim an item was purchased directly from the Chicago Cubs, the box, shipping label or receipt or other evidence of Cubs provenance will be nice. I don't know of any buyer who wouldn't like to get the original Cubs invoice with the bat.

costas
08-01-2009, 09:55 AM
thanks all for your responses, it was a Giants football jersey authenticated from MeiGray. I am the original owner but discarded the box and invoice which the buyer wanted. couldn't he have gotten a replacement one from MeiGray?

mdube16
08-01-2009, 10:34 AM
For something from Meigray thats silly. As long as it has their paperwork there is no reason to need the shipping box.

I bought a bunch of stuff from the Halper auction back in 98 or 99 whenever it was and for those items I did save the invoices that came from Sothebys.

David
08-01-2009, 01:50 PM
If you have other MeiGray documentation-- like the LOA-- then the box and receipt would ordinarily be no big deal and I'm rather surprised someone would insist upon it. Provenance is a big deal when it is required to prove a point. For example, if there is no evidence you purchased the item from the University of Wisconsin Charity Auction js you claim (no LOA, no nothing) except the return address on the box. Then the box is essential beyond your trusted word you got it from the UW. If you already have the LOA, the the box would almost be overkill.

Two points. It never hurts to keep receipts. A stack of receipts takes up little space and can be useful down the road. If there is a dispute or question you can pull the receipt to show you really did purchase the item from wherever.

The second point is no one expects collectors to keep all the packaging for everything they buy. They'd have to use a room just for packaging. If it came from Nolan Ryan himself, I'd keep the box, in part because of the coolness of having a package from Ryan. But I'm not suggesting people keep boxes and stuffing from every eBay purchase.

mattmueller
08-01-2009, 01:54 PM
UW Charity auction, whats that (asks the Wisconsin native)?

David
08-01-2009, 01:57 PM
I made it up as an example. As far as I know, they aren't having weekly Elroy Hirsch and Alan Ameche game used jersey auctions in Madison.

David
08-01-2009, 02:12 PM
One last point I didn't think of, for an expensive item a collector might want the receipt as proof or at least evidence it isn't stolen. In the European art scene with really expensive stuff, buyers wanting past sales receipts is common due to the amount of stolen on the market. The painting may be perfectly authentic, but the seller wittingly or unwittingly may not be the real owner ... This isn't the standard in the sports hobby, but if you're considering buying a World Series ring from a total stranger (especially if he's selling from his van in an alley), it's not an unwise thing to inquire about how and where he got it,

indyred
08-01-2009, 09:49 PM
Always keep all original packaging when buying from a known game used dealer or from NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB auctions. Anyone that collects game used stuff having a trail of where it came from is very important.