What we are building, and what we are learning

Buying sports memorabilia in a live auction

Ask how they know. The answer, not the object, is what sets the price you should pay.

Buying anime and manga in a live auction

Ask for the publication page and the exact volume numbers. Everything else is detail.

Describing the condition of sporting goods

Match condition, practice condition, worn — and then the specific part that does the work.

Describing the condition of womenswear

The lining, the underarms and the beadwork. Three places that carry most of the faults.

Buying sporting goods in a live auction

Ask the specification, then ask what has been repaired. Those two cover most of the risk.

Buying womenswear in a live auction

Ask for flat measurements and the lining. Both decide whether you will wear it.

Describing the condition of menswear

New with tags, new without tags, excellent, good, worn — and the measurements that make them mean something.

Buying menswear in a live auction

Ask for measurements, not a size. Then compare them to something you already own.

Describing the condition of toys and collectibles

Grade the item and the box separately, and say what is missing before anyone asks.

Describing handmade work honestly

Variation is not a flaw and a chip is not variation. The description is where you separate them.

Buying toys and collectibles in a live auction

Ask for the back of the box and the contents laid out. Both are usually missing from the photos.

Buying handicrafts in a live auction

Ask who made it and where. Then ask whether the piece you are bidding on is the piece you get.

Describing the condition of electronics

Working, untested or for parts — then the screen, the battery, the ports and what has been replaced.

Describing the condition of antiques

Original, repaired, restored, married. Four words that decide what the object actually is.

Buying electronics in a live auction

Ask them to boot it, and ask whether it has been signed out. The second question saves more sales.

Buying antiques in a live auction

Ask for the underside and the back. The front was made to be looked at; the back tells the truth.

How sports cards are graded

Four areas, a ten-point scale, and the difference between a grade and a guess.

Buying sports cards in a live auction

Ask for the back, the corners and the card held still under side light. Then decide.

Describing the condition of bags and accessories

Corners, hardware, lining, shape, smell. Five headings, and nothing hides between them.

Buying bags and accessories in a live auction

Ask for the corners, the zip working, and the inside turned out. Then ask where it came from.

Describing the condition of jewellery and watches

Say what is worn, what is missing, what has been repaired, and what you have not tested.

Buying jewellery and watches in a live auction

Ask for the scale, the hallmark and the second hand. Three requests that cover most of the risk.

Describing the condition of cricket memorabilia

Condition and provenance are two separate statements. Collapsing them into one is where this goes wrong.

How comic condition is described

The 0.5-to-10 scale, page quality, and why restoration must always be declared.