Got back into Baseball Card collecting last November after 30 years off. Here's what I have learned:
yojimbosan
Posts: 16 ✭
- Ungraded Complete sets from the 1980's - NEVER AGAIN.
- "Factory Sealed" sets from the 1980s. NEVER AGAIN.
- On Ebay, do your research PROPERLY. I'm pretty sure every purchase I made in Novemeber/December 2020, I paid the highest price listed for Sold/Completed items for that particular item/grade.
- Speaking of Ebay. LOTS of data manipulation going on. I have to do a good 10-15 minutes research on an item just to find out where the scam is. And there are so many ways to scam... My goodness. The scamming has been optimized, I'm telling you.
- "Maybe I might enjoy ripping some new packs, I thought." Good Lord, the retail experience. Finding a box that hasn't been weighed for relics or otherwise compromised must be like finding a Shiny Fluffy Unicorn.
- Just because it's low pop, doesn't mean it is rare. I took a 1/1 poop this morning... doesn't make it valuable.
- Beware auction items with 1 or 2 bidders, aka "best buds." I have seen this so many times...
- "Factory Sealed" vending boxes, packs, etc from the 1980s. NEVER AGAIN.
- 3 Ebay accounts sell the same PSA graded card. All 3 way overpriced, one less overpriced than the others. What a great deal! Til you look at the sold/completed items. Oops.
- Private listings. Of which there are many. These aren't included in past results, so when you are researching, you'll always have an incomplete picture.
Jeez there is so much more to add, maybe someone else can help out.
Basically, I have had my butt handed to me in just about every single card purchasing avenue I have traveled on in Nov/Dec last year.
Almost. Now the good part. There are good buyers and sellers out there. Guys that are in it for the enjoyment, which may include profit, but is not limited to profit. There have been quite a few interactions that have gone above and beyond, from a buyer and seller standpoint. Thank goodness! I was losing faith.
So basically, I wandered into the 21st Century of card collecting like a lost child in the wilderness and pretty much got schooled at almost every turn. But I am learning.
Long and short of it? I hope the above will save any new collectors like myself some heartache/wallet-ache/pride-ache.
... and do your research. Thoroughly. That means this site, completed items, population scarcity, all of it.
Because it's a dog eat dog world out there, and we are all wearing Milkbone underwear. 
Comments
Caveat emptor, amigo.
Ebay may be a minefield, but there are plenty of opportunities out there.
Sounds like you are an 80's guy? Or did that just seem like a sweet spot?
Bosox1976
Couldn't have said it better. Do your research. It's not a race.
I can also add, learn from your mistakes. We've all had them
I love the Norm Peterson quote at the end! It’s a tough time to get into card collecting. I suggest going to card shows(when able) and hit up some brick and mortar card shops near by. You can learn a ton just by hanging around those places.
It's where I left off so I figured I would start back there. I have since moved on, haha.
Wise words indeed.
I would also suggest that you join some of the Facebook groups that are out there now. There are a number of different ones for whatever you are into. Unopened, graded, vintage, modern, modern unopened, PSA slabbed, registry groups, you name it. If you are into it, there is a group for you. Lots of those groups become communities, and those communities trade and sell back and forth daily. The nice thing is, peer pressure in those groups usually keeps shenanigans to a minimum and you can have a lot of fun. It's almost like having a group of your buddies when you were a kid. And in many of those groups, there is a lot of knowledge about population reports, good comps on prices, collation, etc. I'd encourage you to go find some of them and have fun. Ebay is one place to find things, but there are lots more places that can be better resources for you.
Have fun!
kevin
A 1 of 1 card is indeed rare, there is just may not a demand/desire in the market for it. As for a 1/1 poop, no comment on that.
I would add this:
Over the last decade, more and more eBay sellers have moved their inventory to the "buy it now" or BIN category, with some accepting best offers. Most BINs are overpriced and I think sellers just hope someone will bite. Many have been on eBay for years without the price being lowered. I believe many sellers received less than expected in the auction venue and now protect their inventory value this way. I will often make a reasonable offer for a BIN card even if the the seller is not accenting "best offers." You would be surprised how many sellers will agree to lower their BIN price if you are willing to buy it at the price you offer. My experience has been about a 20% success rate.
The reason PWCC or Probstein have a reputation for successful consignment selling is that they are among a handful of dealers who actually run auctions starting at a low opening bid. There is a lot of competitive bidding happening there because their sites offer highly desirable cards to a collecting/investing base that currently has a large appetite.
Just be wise as you reenter the hobby. Knowledge is king is this market so like others have said, continue to do your homework. The dialogue you can have with other collectors through the internet is something that was limited 20+ years ago. Take advantage of it! Also you mentioned some knowledge of what a card's value is. One thing that we are able to easily access now is information on previous sales of cards to guide our bidding/purchasing. If you don't have other sources, try the PSA "Auction Prices" link as it will provide you with many of the recent sales for a particular card.
I will say that cards produced in the 1980s-1990s are from an era with a lot of landmines when it comes to the investment side of the hobby. But there are a lot of iconic players whose high grade RCs have held their own over the years, even with high population numbers.
I'm in your shoes. I was away from the hobby for a very long time and recently came back. When I stopped paying attention there was some of the autograph and relic stuff happening, but with all the parallels and all the other parts of the hobby now? It's overwhelming.
I have all my 1980s sets I collected as a kid. Are they effectively worthless? Sure. But I'll never get rid of them The connection to those cards will always outweigh their monetary value.
Am I buying more? It's not my cup of tea but I know that some folks are diligently working on graded sets of this era because of their connection to them. Do what YOU want - don't follow anyone else's goals.
I wanted to get back in and start collecting two players in particular. I did a ton of research, got a ton of invaluable information here, and slowly waded back in. It's daunting, but worth it.
Lots of rock-solid advice in this thread, thanks everyone!
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welcome aboard.
one thing i can add here, when it comes to anything pre2000 of unopened, 8 little letters will save you tons of time, headaches and money. those coveted 8 little letters are BBCE FASC. anything that displays these letters in ebay listing will most certainly be higher priced. and worth every penny and most likely will come from solid, well-informed, veteran sellers.