Sixty year hibernation-

Hawknestmonsters

Ok....after a short 60 year hiatus, retirement, & the pandemic, I stumbled back into the hobby. So many questions and so little time...

1. Besides card stores and EBay what is the best way to find wanted cards?

2. The grading craze seems crazy. I started the PSA process on just one card. It was $20 plus $55 shipping/insurance. Why would one pay $75 for a card worth less than $50 and get a subjective opinion about the value/condition?

Lastly for today....

3. My recent purchases on EBay have been mostly productive, with only a few disappointments. My 1st selling experience, to test the waters is active.
   I listed an autographed 1961 Fleer Max Carey. This was received from the HOF’er in a SASE, back in the day. I have received one bid at the starting price.

Thanks for this forum and the great info provided.

DBesse27

1. Facebook groups have been great for me in obtaining cards I want, usually at better prices than eBay. Buying from members on here can be fruitful too.
2. The answer is, you wouldn’t just send in one card of that sort of value. It only makes sense to send in 1 or 2 cards if they’re much, much more valuable than $50. For cards in that value range, your best bet is to send a large group. Sometimes you can “piggyback” with other collectors and send in a bulk submission together. I think that going rate is about $10 a card.

thehallmark

1. Explore the PSA registry for the players & sets that you are targeting. Try to to make relationships with those who have been grinding away at those collections during your hiatus and acquire some of the cards they've upgraded. This message board will be helpful with that too.

2. Don't feel like you have to opt in. Some of the happiest collectors are not involved in grading at all. With that said, there is some value beyond the 3rd party opinion. TPG companies do their best to catch altered cards and fakes, giving you some piece of mind on that front. And then if maximizing investment/resale value is important to you, PSA grading will help with that.

3. Ebay is not always so seller-friendly. Keep your expectations low.

Hawknestmonsters

Thanks Hallmark & DBesse

thehallmark

Not sure if there's a thread for "New Seller Checklist" but there ought to be. There are a bunch of "bare minimum" things you should know. Make sure you have some sense of what a good and a bad packing/shipping job looks like. Describe your cards accurately & take good pictures of front and back.

Blahblahblah basically just sell the exact way you would want to be sold to. Golden rule applies.

Hawknestmonsters

Yes, I have a fairly good concept of packaging, having bought 50+ cards in the past few months. I’m actually very encouraged with the transparency of EBay sellers, in my recent deals.

robert67

PSA website has a wealth of information to explore. There are many knowledgeable people on this board as well.

The BST board here is a good way to find items that you may like.

Finally, as stated above, be cautious on Ebay. It has changed a lot over the past several years for sellers and buyers.

ElvisP

Good luck finding a card store these days. Welcome back.

ArtVandelay

This kind of reminds me of a twilight episode where a someone wakes up 60 years in the future.

mrmopar

MOST of the time, on ebay, something good (desirable) will settle in at a reasonable selling price in the last 10 seconds of the auction. Every once in a while, something slips through the cracks and you end up giving it away. That, of course, is always the risk of a no reserve auction with a low opening bid.

Lots of people wait and toss out last second bid to avoid problems. You may end up doing better than the opening bid price, depending on how high you started it.