Appraisal & counterfeits
What is actually in the box.
Rare items are priced by whoever inspects them. Appraise before you buy, inspect before you sell, and assume the other side is doing the same.
Counterfeits run in both directions: relabelled stock leaves the shop and misrepresented stock arrives at it. The appraisal certificate is the only shared language.
Appraisal is the trade that pays for itself without selling anything: every avoided overpayment is margin you keep, and every certified item is one more reason an upper-level buyer walks in.
The counterfeit side is the same skill pointed outward. Cutting product quality, relabelling discounted goods and passing both off as genuine all hold until somebody with a magnifying glass disagrees.
Counter protocol
- Appraise with the magnifying glass before quoting a number.
- Certified appraisers decide which item types they will handle at all.
- A misjudged item is absorbed by the buyer — which is the entire argument for inspecting.
Related stock
Where this comes from
Rare items need proper appraisal to avoid overpaying.
“Rare items need proper appraisal to avoid overpaying.”
Appraisers can now refuse entire item types in the certificate window.
“Master Appraisers can now block any appraisal item type in the certificate window, as long as one type stays allowed.”
Suppliers overstate value and buyers push their luck, so margin depends on assessing what is in front of you.
“Suppliers overstate value, customers push their luck, and contraband often comes with issues you only notice after the deal is done.”
Tier 1 is the developer or publisher speaking, tier 2 is a large structured reference, tier 3 is player-made material. Anything a player measured rather than read is labelled as community-reported on this page.