how should i price these autos on ebay?

montanafan

hi.. hoping maybe some of the baseball autograph guys could take a look at these cards and tell me how i should proceed with selling them on ebay, in regards to getting the most money out of them. am trying to figure out my listing strategy, as far as start time, start amount, use of BIN, etc... any thoughts are most welcome. As i mentioned, i need to maximize what i get out of these cards, so please think of it from that angle if you can. I normally just run things auction-style and let the chips fall where they may, but i need to raise funds in a hurry.

these are the first 5 of about 200 autographed cards, bats and balls i acquired from a former padres bat boy. The rest have not been authenticated yet, i just wanted to make sure this guy wasn't full of crap so i sent 5 to psa even though i am certain that everything he has is authentic. Just wanted to be doubly sure before i presented any of these for sale. He showed me photographs of him as a bat boy with various players. These cards i had authenticated only, with no grade, they are in various condition from NM down to vg-ex IMO. These of course are not graded, just authenticated. There is a story behind a lot the cards. I also have bats and balls, all game used, with some autographed and team-autographed balls.

The bonds rc for example, he initially said NO when he asked him to sign it, but then this guy persisted and bonds finally signed it so he'd FO and leave him alone. For the lou brock, the batboy ran out and went to a card store near the stadium and bought a vintage lou brock card, then had it autographed. So the card is 1970 but the auto is 1990's.

Is any of this worth anything? Thank you.
(the shula auto is included just because it was on the same batch at psa.)



one of the bats:

ToppsCo1lector

I for one purchase non-authenticated autos of eBay. BUT, the seller has to have a perfect or dang near perfect feedback rating(the guy I go to has 100% positive feedback with 2800+ from different eBayers). Start the bidding low(between .50-.99 for regular non stars and between .99-3.99 for stars) and include as much backround info as possible. The majority will not sell for a lot, but they will sell as some bidders like myself are willing to actually compare certified autos to what is in front of me and bid accordingly. Also, post the pics of the ones that were authenticated and relay that info. The bat I would start higher between 25-39.00 simply because that's what a lot start at. If anything, I'd keep the bat but thats just me lol.

storm888

I would start with a 10-day BIN.

If they did not get gone in five days,
I would add the Best Offer feature.

I would look at SMR and price them
high by at least 30% on the BIN.

Sigs that are not in SMR can be compared to
modern auto cards listed in Beckett for pricing.

I would include a three-sentence version
of any bat-boy stories that relate to the
specific cards.

Each listing should have at least one generic
sentence about the bat-boy, even if there is
no specific story to match the subject card.

Bats seem to be hot right now. If you price the
bat(s) high enough, you could afford to give
a PSA/DNA gift certificate so that the buyer
could send the item in.

I would offer FREE S&H on the items.

On the last day, I would cut prices in an amount
equal to my desire to raise fast cash.


storm

Stone193

Montana

Great stuff!

I agree on start low and let it go...

Insure you list it as PSA/DNA! Some may only google autos that are authenticated.

Did the guy say the Will Clark bat is GU?

Carefully inspect the barrel of the bat - looks for scuffs that are from hitting a ball or seem marks imbedded in the wood - if not - the bat may be one that never left the rack. Some people will still take those - plus, this one is autographed.

Did he say how he got the Clark bat? I can't tell - what does it say on the knob?

mike

montanafan

what does it say on the knob?

stone, thank you.. it's stamped into the wood.. says in 1/8" type "460B" then in smaller type underneath is stamped "263-09".. there are various scuff marks on the bat, black and white marks, and there are dark marks around the shaft near the handle possibly from tape. The bat is also cracked. a v-shaped crack runs from the logo to about the painted black ring at the middle of the bat... it's not a bad crack, but it's definitely cracked.. i could probably load a close up if you think it matters... on very close inspection, i wonder if a personalization wasn't removed from just to the left of where it says "big stick".. i really don't know but the gloss of the bat is broken there in a small spot..

montanafan

RichG

If you need to maximize profit on these items, I would obviously start the auction with the first bid equaling the minimal amount you will accpet for each item.
Rich

montanafan

ok.. but that's what i'm trying to figure out.. what is the minimum amount i should accept for these 5 autographs?

Josephcb09

I would be interested in the Clark bat as well as any other Giants autographs in the lot.

Stone193

Hi Montana

Under the Rawlings - is there the number P302? - if yes - the bat is from 87-89; if no - the bat is from 90-97.

The number on the knob is beyond my ability - the only source I have says - the number 460B - would be the model. And under that should be a number like 95 - which would be 1995. Not sure what 263-09 would be? 09 could be 1989? Just not sure.

And, of course, the bat is worth less since it's cracked. A 2003 Sports Memorabilia guide - Krause - puts a 1991 Adirondack at $450.

Of course this stuff changes faster than my wife changes here mind - and that's pretty darn fast!

mike

montanafan

Hi Mike.. yes, there's a number 302 in small print under the rawlings logo.. so i guess it's from 87-89? that's cool.. $450 value you say.. so would i be out of line starting it at half that amount, say $200? also, how would the autograph affect that value? I was thinking of maybe selling the bat with the psa/dna clark auto card (2 clark autos together), because they go together well obviously, and this way i can get psa/dna into my title for the bat, without keyword spamming, and i think the authenticated auto on the card should convince anyone that the g/u auto bat is also legit... sound like a good plan so far? I would provide the story of the bat boy in all listings. Would it be worth it for me to scan some of his pictures from when he was a bat boy, and maybe post a picture of him with the stuff today, to remove doubt? I have perfect feedback and am a power seller so that should help. I was thinking of maybe guaranteeing all items to pass authentication at psa or offering a total refund.. any reason not to?

considering mike's info, here's roughly what i'm thinking:

10 day auction starting at $199 for the clark bat and psa/dna auto donruss card.

10 day auction starting at $99 for the bonds auto rc.

10 day auctions starting at $22.50 on the rest of the auto cards.....

do you think they'd sell at these prices? thanks!

i will now go round up the other bats and balls and post more info on them since this is proving to be most helpful. Thank you all! i will also post a list of the autographed cards and maybe you could tell me which ones are worth sending to psa and which i should just sell as is...

- upside sports

Stone193

<< <i>10 day auction starting at $199 for the clark bat and psa/dna auto donruss card. >>


I just checked Zane Bats who's a favorite of mine and whom I trust.

He has most of his bats starting in the hundreds - so $195 or 199 is not out of the question.

Personally? I think the bat and the fact that it's autographed can stand alone - but since he's probably not the hottest auto on ebay - I would guess - I can't fault ya for getting in the PSA/DNA thing?

mike