Grinds my gears!!!!!!

[The 12th Prime]

BigWillay, I agree with your sentiments. What has happened to honour and humanity? Not happy with a fellow "well known" boardie myself 😉

[Chigimus]

@ BigWillay, I concur with your disappointment. It's disgusting when people try to sell unkempt items and take absolutely no time to make them presentable for sale and still have the audacity to advertise them as "mint". Scrapmaker's earwig incident is particularly gross.

Mint, even in the loosest sense, should be as good as new, meaning clean and not broken. Being covered in dust, tar stains, pet fur, pubes, ink or paint markings from kids playing with them, or being scratched, dented, or broken does not constitute mint whatsoever.

We have a feedback section on these forums for a reason, and it's not just so everyone can be applauded for being a good seller or buyer. It's only fair, and in every board members interest to communicate negative feedback where warranted. If we're not acting on this due diligence, why even have a feedback section? I make it a point to take some time to comment on the condition of an item when I buy from another boardie, and when they truly are above average condition, I stress that importance in the feedback I give them.

BigWillay, you may not want to call them out for the sake of being "polite", but I would encourage you to do so for the sake of being fair. This would help another buyer from having the same disappointing experience as you did if they carry that similar level of expectation.

[79transam]

I need to raise a point here- For the people who are knowledgeable enough to have a clear concept of what mint even means (many don't), that should also include the ability to realize that unless it's MISB, chances are it's been on a shelf and transformed ect. Not everyone is a meticulous person and it's crazy to assume that.
If you aren't buying a MISB collectible- don't expect a mint figure. Even if it's advertised as mint. If it isn't graded, and you complain it isn't mint as advertised, all you are doing is admitting that you talk smarter than you are. There's no such thing as a mint figure unless it's graded or handed to you right from the opened package.
Don't expect a mint figure. Period.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

^^ so what you're saying is assume everyone isn't telling the truth, even if it's unintentional. So if you buy anything that isn't as advertised, and expect it to be as advertised, it's your own fault for expecting what was promised to you.

Makes sense to me.

[Team Jetfire]

2.5 hours cleaning one figure?

I don't spend half that time cleaning my car...

That said, if it was advertised as clean, should be reasonably clean.

[79transam]

Originally Posted by Sun Swipe Prime

^^ so what you're saying is assume everyone isn't telling the truth, even if it's unintentional. So if you buy anything that isn't as advertised, and expect it to be as advertised, it's your own fault for expecting what was promised to you.

Makes sense to me.

No, what I'm saying is that one should assume anything advertised is probably exaggerated to some degree be it intentionally or from a different understanding of definitions. And once a buyer gets that, ask questions. Be specific. And if it's not as advertised when you see it, then use that inspection to either renegotiate or decline to buy the damn thing.
Handing over cash then playing the victim is just lame imo.
And I say "playing the victim" because 2.5 hours to clean a toy is just as big an embellishment as saying a figure is mint, if it's already opened and displayed

[Chigimus]

Originally Posted by 79transam

as big an embellishment as saying a figure is mint, if it's already opened and displayed

I disagree. There is such a thing as MLC vs MISB. An item doesn't have to still be sealed to be considered mint. There are a few other boardies who I've purchased from here who maintain a collection of great condition despite having been opened, displayed, transformed, etc. MISB is more like "mint +".

[79transam]

Originally Posted by Chigimus

I disagree. There is such a thing as MLC vs MISB. An item doesn't have to still be sealed to be considered mint. There are a few other boardies who I've purchased from here who maintain a collection of great condition despite having been opened, displayed, transformed, etc. MISB is more like "mint +".

I think there's already enough discrepancy in this thread alone, for potential buyers to recognize that assuming MINT is worth asking questions to the seller about before handing over cash. Some sellers definitely do earn a reputation as a meticulous and up front person in regards to accurately describing grade. But for all intents and purposes of this thread, buyers need to be the proactive ones, given that not everyone is (evidently) on the same page regarding what things mean.

I don't own one transformer that I have transformed that doesn't have a stress mark. Sometimes they're there right out of the box. And most transformers these days are already flaking paint just because you breathed on it. I could see a Spawn statue being mint once opened but a transformer? Not very likely

[Nocturn]

Originally Posted by Team Jetfire

2.5 hours cleaning one figure?

I don't spend half that time cleaning my car...

That said, if it was advertised as clean, should be reasonably clean.

Literally never spent 2.5 hrs cleaning anything

In my opinion, OP is, in his own admission, overly anal.

As far as "mint" goes, I wouldn't say dust affects the condition, as it easily blows or wipes off. The figure isn't permanently altered. I've bought dusty figures from boardies before and never gave it a second thought

[Chigimus]

Originally Posted by 79transam

I don't own one transformer that I have transformed that doesn't have a stress mark. Sometimes they're there right out of the box. And most transformers these days are already flaking paint just because you breathed on it. I could see a Spawn statue being mint once opened but a transformer? Not very likely

The thought of stress marks didn't even come up once in my previous posts in this thread but now that you bring it up, I can see why I may not have considered them as an indication of being mint or not. You're right, some toys can come with stress marks brand new right out of the box due to design deficiencies from the manufacturer or production errors. But that's exactly why I don't think the presence of stress marks (or lack there of) is a metric of "mintyness". On the other hand, overly numerous stress marks could be a sign of heavy use or rough play in itself.

Originally Posted by Nocturn

As far as "mint" goes, I wouldn't say dust affects the condition, as it easily blows or wipes off. The figure isn't permanently altered. I've bought dusty figures from boardies before and never gave it a second thought

Lightly dusted figures you could blow off, sure. Heavily dusted figures that have been on display out in the open for a few years or in an environment that's heavily dusty due to pollen, pets, or an occupation that has you coming home covered in debris would definitely be harder to clean. That heavier caked on dust doesn't easily blow out or even washes out from tiny crevices from joints or smaller moulded details. You need to poke at it with something tiny and small enough to get into those corners, but not sharp enough to scratch the figure. It's really hard to find an appropriate tool get that done right and often forces a person to accept an incomplete cleaning job.