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Ebay Starting to get a tad bit saturated?

SDavidSDavid Posts: 1,584 ✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Was looking up random vintage commons to see how they were selling. This search yielded 52 hits from BIN's alone. Just about every common I looked up from that set had at least 30 BIN's with many above that and there are usually two or three auctions going at any given time. They aren't exactly flying off the shelves either. At 5 cents a month and with fees taken out of shipping, how can it be worth it to let an EX common priced at $2 or less sit in a store for 6-12 months? A lot of these sellers aren't even charging that much for shipping.

Comments

  • itzagoneritzagoner Posts: 8,753 ✭✭
    repulsive.
  • TonyCTonyC Posts: 1,399 ✭✭✭
    A few years ago I started taking vintage commons out of my eBay store for the exact reasons you have listed. Most of my eBay store is now newer, limited print run cards and publications (mostly boxing and wrestling magazines) because there is much less competition and you can sell it for more than a dollar or two so that it is worth putting it out for sale.
    Collecting Tony Conigliaro
  • ToroToro Posts: 1,515
    Between eBay fees,paypal fees and eating the cost for free shipping......it's no longer feasible to sell on eBay anymore unless you sell a high volume of items. If you sell a high volume of items, you get bigger discounts. I sold a pair of Jordan's for $225 that I bought for $105. That's a $120 gross profit......-$20 for eBay fees, -$7 for Paypal fees and -$34 for free shipping(figured it would be $15, ouch), I was only looking at a $60 net profit. The fees seem to get higher every year. Yes, I'm done with free shipping. Parcel Post or UPS Ground from now on.
  • jimmygjimmyg Posts: 139 ✭✭
    Ebay is a godsend for set builders. It used to take me months of trading/buying/weekly trips to the card shops to complete a set. Now, a simple search will yield upwards of 52 copies of the card I need!
  • DrKDrK Posts: 58 ✭
    It is stale and even worse it is a stale dumping ground for off-grade inventory that wholesale buyers think won't grade. Sure, there are exceptions but sifting through 50 off-center overgraded Ex commons to find one decent copy is such a beating that I would rather overpay somewhere else and move on with life.
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,438 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Between eBay fees,paypal fees and eating the cost for free shipping......it's no longer feasible to sell on eBay anymore unless you sell a high volume of items. If you sell a high volume of items, you get bigger discounts. I sold a pair of Jordan's for $225 that I bought for $105. That's a $120 gross profit......-$20 for eBay fees, -$7 for Paypal fees and -$34 for free shipping(figured it would be $15, ouch), I was only looking at a $60 net profit. The fees seem to get higher every year. Yes, I'm done with free shipping. Parcel Post or UPS Ground from now on. >>

    If I have it right - you invested $105 and earned 60 bucks?

    That's about 25% gross return - but if you look at the investment - then it's over 50% ROI - not including your time. That's not bad.

    I would guess - for most - the money earned on ebay is better than sitting at some stale show for 2 days - enduring the hackneyed remarks about how cheap this stuff was 40 yrs ago - or how my mom threw out...or the jerk who stole a binder full of commons or worse star cards...

    I think - until a better gig comes along - it might be best to see the glass as "half full" IMO?
    Mike
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