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Logic in setting BIN prices...

Based on years of experience of roaming ebay for cards, I've come to conclude that there
is no rhyme or reason in the setting of BIN prices. Indeed, I've seen people set BIN prices
for cards with qualifiers which would not fetch that price even if there were no qualifier, e.g.
I've seen a BIN of $60.00 for a 1985 Mark McGwire PSA 9 OC when it probably wouldn't sell
for that price if it were a regular PSA 9. On the other hand, I picked up a 1965 Topps Steve
Carlton PSA 5 for a BIN price of $35.00 a while ago when it probably could have fetch twice
that.

Of course, I understand the concept of "maybe there is a sucker out there" who is willing to
pay double for a high population card. However, for 99.9% of the cards listed on ebay, the
ultimate goal is to consummate a sale. So now I see this. It's a 1952 Bowman Stan Musial PSA 5.
In my opinion, it's one of the more attractive and colorful cards out there. The seller has set
a reasonable BIN price of $224.35. Here's the link:

1952 Bowman Stan Musial PSA 5 with BIN of $224.35

I see this and I ask myself, why not $224.00? Or even $225.00? Why $224.35. The first thing
that comes to mind is the selling thinking to himself, "I purchased this card for X price and I'm
not going to lose any money on it, so I'll list it with a reserve and a BIN price where I'll stand
to make a decent profit." It is this a red flag? Sure. A huge red flag? Absolutely not. As always,
your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

/s/ JackWESQ
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Comments

  • kingraider75kingraider75 Posts: 1,500 ✭✭
    Well with an Ebay Store, you only have to pay .$.02 per month for a listing. I am actually going to try this store thing and see how it goes. With the cost being so low to the seller, they can sit and wait for someone to "overpay" on some items. Also, recall that this was 10 cent fixed price listing week, so people will generally list items at crazy prices looking for a sucker. Maybe next week the prices will go back to normal.
    Running an Ebay store sure takes a lot more time than a person would think!
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