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Sell or don't sell

Was wondering what you guys are thinking with these crazy prices. I am a collector myself, I never bought cards as an investment but with these prices it is really starting to make me think about selling. It's getting to the point now where it's paying off house type money. Anybody have a point where they will sell or hold no matter how much prices go up?

Comments

  • LarkinCollectorLarkinCollector Posts: 8,975 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I only somewhat regret one card I've ever sold. You have no idea how long this is going to last or what direction it's heading, paid off house makes all future financial decisions much easier. My dos centavos ...

  • emaremar Posts: 697 ✭✭✭✭

    I'm more of a lower pop better quality vintage collector.
    Maybe I'm delusional, I'm expecting slower and steady price appreciation. Less bubble like.

    If I'm a modern collector with big gains, I'd sell and risk buying back later at cheaper prices. To each his own

  • erikthredderikthredd Posts: 9,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 1, 2021 6:56PM

    I’ve sold off about half of my Jordan collection since the Jordan Mania/Last Dance months and haven’t regretted any of it. I put a chunk of the profits into a handful of cards from my whale list and then just cashed out the rest. I know I left money on the table by selling some when I did but I figured it will probably even out in the end. Everything I’ve bought over the past year is from Jordan’s 1984-88 years and the ROI is already up quite a bit on that stuff.

    I’d say if you a chance to help pay off your house or even just make life easier for your family then go for it.

  • addicted2ebayaddicted2ebay Posts: 2,094 ✭✭✭✭

    Hard to say / another round of stimulus / people still locked down with not much to do / sell some but not all might be a good idea

  • addicted2ebayaddicted2ebay Posts: 2,094 ✭✭✭✭

    @BriantheTaxGuy said:
    I'm not sure where this idea that stimulus money is driving this market but $600 ain't it, chief.

    Dude it’s not just stimulus

    QE, PPP, ect all and all its over 6 trillion and counting

  • Autos4AlexAutos4Alex Posts: 442 ✭✭✭

    I think it's the perfect time to trim down. I would guess you probably have some primary collection and secondary and tertiary. Keep the primary stuff and move some of the rest. It takes a long time to sell things! I have a house to pay off and toddlers that I'd like to prepare for college financially. This market boom has been a great way to accomplish some of those financial goals and refocus my collection. Some of my cards appreciated 100x, no way I could afford to be a buyer at those prices so it just makes sense for me to sell some.

  • @addicted2ebay said:

    @BriantheTaxGuy said:
    I'm not sure where this idea that stimulus money is driving this market but $600 ain't it, chief.

    Dude it’s not just stimulus

    QE, PPP, ect all and all its over 6 trillion and counting

    False.

    But keep believing that.

  • dontippetdontippet Posts: 2,606 ✭✭✭✭

    I started selling everything last April right at the announcement of the McGwire / Sosa documentary. I am still in the process.

    > [Click on this link to see my ebay listings.](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_udlo=&_udhi=&_ftrt=901&_ftrv=1&_sabdlo=&_sabdhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=61611&_sargn=-1&saslc=1&_salic=1&_fss=1&_fsradio=&LH_SpecificSeller=1&_saslop=1&_sasl=mygirlsthree3&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_fosrp=1)
    >

    Successful transactions on the BST boards with rtimmer, coincoins, gerard, tincup, tjm965, MMR, mission16, dirtygoldman, AUandAG, deadmunny, thedutymon, leadoff4, Kid4HOF03, BRI2327, colebear, mcholke, rpcolettrane, rockdjrw, publius, quik, kalinefan, Allen, JackWESQ, CON40, Griffeyfan2430, blue227, Tiggs2012, ndleo, CDsNuts, ve3rules, doh, MurphDawg, tennessebanker, and gene1978.
  • ReggieClevelandReggieCleveland Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If you can pay off your house I think that's a no brainer. There are still plenty of buying opportunities in this market that you can get on after you pay off your house.

    Arthur

  • GoldenageGoldenage Posts: 3,278 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I just sold a 9 and took the profits to buy a 7. I’ve also sold to buy cars and home improvements.

    If you have a 9 that you can make good money on, sell and buy a 5 with the profits.

  • thedutymon11thedutymon11 Posts: 668 ✭✭✭✭

    Afternoon,

    As a kid I started with Mars Attacks at 5/6 years old! Through my Teens I was into collecting anything/everything but mostly Comics and Cards and GF's. Left for Army at 17 and My Brother Stole/Sold off most of my Comics including my Amazing Fantasy 15 which was at least VF...today mil/mil 1/2 easy! (Story for a Different day)

    Got back into Comics the 80's and then in 1990 or so got a divorce (2nd/3rd?), Sold Comics off, about 300K, paid off her and My house that I got to keep! The start of a long Love/Hate relationship with Rental Residential properties, before it was done I Had 6! Funny thing was my Comic Business blew up after I got rid of the dead weight of the EX!

    2000's Got married again, by then was deep into Comics and Cards again. Then the Ugly Divorce word again but this one amicable but really complicated, because of having to Sell off Rentals, Collectibles, and reconcile two rather Large retirement accounts, plus hers was State Pera retirement. Garfield County Co. made us go to Arbritation 5 times to negotiate an agreement which we had already submitted to the Court, we just wanted a Judges Sig. They kept telling Her in these meetings (With me sitting there), you sure you don't want some of his Retirement or why are you getting 60% of the sale of one house and she is only getting 40% of the same house Sale proceeds. (Because I owned the House for 25 years, she was in it for about 9 years, we felt this was fair...So Screw You!) We were forced to Hire a Divorce Liquidation Accountant (Never Heard of this before), so 2012 sold off the last of the 7 Houses and about $450K in Comics, $200K in Cards, 5 Vehicle, 5 UHVs, a 37" Toy Hauler, even some Stamps and Coins! And of course this was all in 2012 at a great time for Real Estate. And Capital Gains then, fugettabout it!

    So after 3 years and $65K later, D was final, Exactly as we had laid out in our original filing! And for awhile I was completely out of Any Hobby! Then when Covid hit and I was bored, got back into it and have to say, with some Exceptions I have purchased back about 75% of what I had before in Cards. Comics are done, Baby Boomers are dying and nobody wants Bottom to Mid Grade Comics for the most part! So the point of this long boring story is, using me as an example, I am a Collector because there is something wrong in my DNA, and I have learned that about myself, that my particular type of Collecting mania manifests itself in making Me the Hunter...Searching, every nook and cranny for that latests Card or whatever you want, but once I have it, then the Hunt and Thrill are over, so its off to the next Collecting endeavor!

    So selling Off stuff doesn't end well at the time, but you will always get back into it! Money is only Money, Cards are only cards! If selling my stuff would in even the smallest measure make my Familys life better, I wouldn't hesitate! Plus I don't think this pace of growth can be maintained AT All, 6-12 months from now when these idiots realize that $500 for a 1990-91 Fleer Box is ridiculous, when they drop to $30 again! $1700 for a 1989 Fleer Basketball Box, that 6 months ago was selling for $3-$400 a Box. The run for the exits is going to be spectacular! And I will Cash any and all of them out for a dime on the dollar!

    And don't misquote me, I don't believe everything will Drop, MJ first few years of course not, but the Shiny New Manufactured Rareties.....Pfffftttt...GoodBye! IMHO....this is the most Ridiculous Artificial Market I have seen in 55 years of Collecting!

    In my day I've had probably 2 Mill in collectibles filter through my hands, most of it long gone, but One He!! of a Ride, let me tell you!! And more to come!

    Just my Longwinded 2 Cents!

    Thanks

    YeeHaw!

    Neil

  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭

    I think if you want to stay in the hobby, then it makes sense to downgrade at the present time (i.e., sell your PSA 10s, buy PSA 8s, and pay off your mortgage). Especially with modern stuff (post 1980). I love the hobby too much to completely divest.

  • VagabondVagabond Posts: 588 ✭✭✭✭

    That was more like 25 Cents :)

    I keep hearing about the bubble bursting but I keep seeing card prices going up. Not on every single card but many. I think a lot of cards were undervalued anyways. Yes, there are market manipulators and all that not so positive stuff but that's exactly what the stock market is as well. Collectors today need to already understand and accept that. Trading cards have become another form of currency and I'm not even sure if I would call it a hobby by todays standards. People involved in sports cards today have become the new day traders and you either accept that and keep moving forward and continue complaining and probably get left behind.

  • Some of these "through the roof" prices are simply too strong for me to ignore. I've sold a lot in the last year, but have managed to hang onto some of my favorites. But if it keeps up I'll let some of those go as well. IMO the market is just too strong to ignore, and if you have needs and/or a better uses for the $ then by all means let it them go.

    I'm a big Nolan Ryan fan OK???!!!
  • flatfoot816flatfoot816 Posts: 2,194 ✭✭✭

    do what I did--pick the stuff that you absolutely want to keep. Then pick the stuff that will bring you the best profit for the time versus the money you spent. Then: 1) pay off your mortgage; 2) kids education; or 3: make another investment and diversify a bit--I bought a beautiful beach house 3 blocks from the water that my fam will enjoy for decades
    --even tho some of the cards I sold have tripled in value--I still have the keys to my BH

  • Similar to above ... wadding into this market and thinking of selling off an old collection ... trying to figure out the best mix of raw vs getting things graded vs holding onto longer term ... its challenging but fun!

    Assuming everyone sells on ebay? Where else do you recommend?

    Always looking for 1950's Graded Banks Cards

  • @Cubsfan71 said:
    Similar to above ... wadding into this market and thinking of selling off an old collection ... trying to figure out the best mix of raw vs getting things graded vs holding onto longer term ... its challenging but fun!

    Assuming everyone sells on ebay? Where else do you recommend?

    The problem you are going to run into grading will be the insane turnaround times. It is possible (albeit highly unlikely) that the market will return to normalcy by the time you get your cards back from being graded.

  • baz518baz518 Posts: 1,238 ✭✭✭✭

    @BriantheTaxGuy said:
    I'm not sure where this idea that stimulus money is driving this market but $600 ain't it, chief.

    Because cards are like crack... stimulus just helps that first purchase, and then you're hooked.

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