The Buy, Sell, & Trade experience

stuckinMA

Anyone who has been around over 2 years...was the B/S/T board ever truly a worthwhile experience?

From my experience, obviously limited to the cards which I collect, people are either simply overcharging or they are hoping to get back what they original paid no matter current FMV. What does not make sense to me, if you are actually trying to sell the cards, why not sell them for current FMV here and save all sorts of fees. You can charge what you want hoping to bait someone, than they don't sell and they evidently end up selling them on ebay, based on the plethora of look at my ebay listings posts. At this point, they will typically end up getting FMV minus all the related ebay fees or cosigner fees if they end up going that route.

For example a card that has a VCP or at some point in time sold for around $250...during the past 10 months has been selling for an average of $80, I'd be happy to pay over the current average, yet everyone attempting to sell the card is asking $280.

I have had a few positive experiences...but they are FEW!

Baffling...

Dboneesq

Very surprised at your post and sorry that is your experience. I believe there have been MANY transactions on the B/S/T board. Most members (I will exclude the ones with only a few posts who come here just to sell their cards) list their cards at or around FMV and many sell. I know that I have sold hundreds of cards on the B/S/T forum.

123Slider

I have had tons of positive experiences. Both buying and selling.

Pet peeve of mine, but why does anyone care what someone what someone else is asking for a card? Make an offer, or don't.

itzagoner

<< <i>Anyone who has been around over 2 years...was the B/S/T board ever truly a worthwhile experience? >>



i've been around for 6 and i've had only positive dealings with board members, both as a buyer and a seller, in fact i treasure quite a few of the cards i've acquired here.

i appreciate the trust invested in the process by our members and by PSA, who allows us to use it as an open marketplace.

it's also cool for those of us who use it to promote our auctions.

so, just a worthwhile experience? i dunno......almost nirvana some days.

yankeeno7

Since 2001 Ive had many many many transactions and I can only remember one that didnt go well. Whats wrong with trying to get FMV? Is that a bad thing? Is even profit a bad thing? Not sure what world you are living in. Sellers can ask what they want. Buyers can buy or offer what they want. I dont understand the big deal here? I dont think this board is filled with people in desperation. For myself, if I cant get my fair price, Im happy to stick in a box and sit on it for longer until I try again. No big deal to me. I think its bad taste to whine about not being able to buy low. If you can, good for you, but please dont whine about it.

Toro

I've been hesitant to buy on the BST board. I have no idea what to offer sellers so I guess I might be with the OP here. His price difference is a little extreme though. The auto rookie thing has pretty much exploded but I think only for asking prices. I have been buying a few raw rookie autos on eBay for about $10 but see them in slabs with the asking price of $55 plus. I suppose I can offer but I do not want to offend people. Now that I've posted this, I apologize ahead of time for offending you, cause I'm going to offer now.

mattinglymint23

I'm new to the board but already have three pending purchases on the b/s/t board. All at fmv according to vcp so overall a nice experience for me so far. I plan to list some for sale soon and would look for FMV but I want to get a little more established on the forum first.

I am happy to have connected with the board as I feel like there are no good deals on eBay even though I still use it.

cadets68

My experience is buying has been wonderful.


I do not post that often but I do send pm's and buy stuff. Seems to be fine for me

Shawn

TheTalkingWalnut

BST is straight. I'm an old hippie and in this "fingerprints first, taser you later" world we're in today I understand the confusion of n00bs.

I've been around here for 5 years (selling online pre-ebay for 16 or so; ebay for 14+) and while it may seem daft to sell without a background check or buy without a letter from Homeland Security, I've done dozens of deals on cards, currency and with those TeaBaggers on Precious Metals and haven't gotten stuck yet.

The BST is kind of like how it used to be, you know, on those old timey tv shows like Wonder Years or those stories your grandparents told you. Where you shook hands with someone and that was that, for better or worse. And if you effed someone, you got it back ten times worse.

My best advice would be for you to pick some sort of watermark, say 50 posts or 3 recommendations from someone here who posts 3 times a week. Jokers come and we all laugh with/at them, but they don't stick around for long. I'd go break someone's legs based on a post from a longtimer here who I respect; By the same token don't send a $500 card to someone without PMing a couple of people here with 500 posts who sound like they know what they're doing.

grote15

I have had nothing but positive transactions, both as a buyer and as a seller, on the B/S/T board. I'm grateful that we have that forum on this site.

KurtisJoseph

I understand what you are saying. . .once a card hits its heights, it is never "allowed" to regress.

Don't be afraid to take pricing off-line and PM each other and try to get the price that is fair or mutually beneficial.

I am newer to these boards, and do not post often, but am really impressed with the quality of membership. Sharp guys. And extremely friendly to work with.

I have had great luck in just the past few months acquiring a few things I needed. Just my 2 pennies.

Piggs

I go to the B/S/T board first thing when I log on. I don't buy much but there are many great cards and sellers. Don't check VCP or anything like that, I just buy it if I think it's a good deal for my collection.

digicat

I've bought and sold quite a lot on the BST board in the 7 years I've been here, and had nothing but good experiences.

hhmag70

I have only limited experience on the BST, but have had nothing to complain about either buying or selling.

scoutsout47

I've probably purchased only once from the B/S/T forum based on a specific listing, but my selling experiences have been great. On the selling side, I've been fortunate to have encountered only trustworthy buyers who promptly paid each time. As for FMV, my strategy for listing items here is to simply move the cards, and I don't mind taking a hit. Popular or high dollar items are saved for eBay to broaden visibility, which can often offset the fees incurred through paypal, etc.

Personally, if I see an item ridiculously overpriced -- and I see that often -- I just scroll down to the next listing. Don't let it irk you, partner, because it's not something that's gonna change in our lifetime. Save you money (and your sanity) by smirking and just moving on.

Downtown1974

When it comes to buying cards, my first choice is the BST forum. I have done atleast 100 transactions in the past 7 years. No problems at all. I cannot even remember the last time I bought a card on Ebay.

stormsurge

Have done many and only had two negative experiences. One was minor with the person being a slow shipper and one other time a wrinkle in the card wasn't disclosed which wasn't evident in the scans but was in person. Overall though far more positive experiences than negative.

cpettimd

I have done hundreds of buy sell and trade transactions on the BST - never with a problem. I have acquired many nice and key pieces of my collection through board members. I pretty much only sell and trade my duplicates and extras after an upgrade to my collection, and usually try to offer here first then Ebay if no one is interested.

I would also like to add that I have acquired some less common pieces through board members - that probably were not going to ever get to the open market. The people here are pretty awesome and knowledgable !

I rarely get best offers on my sell items- probably because I am priced 2-3x market value I would not ever be insulted on by any trade or buy offer.

stuckinMA

Surprised that the message was taken as whining...not at all, just asking a question based on my experiences so far. I have made probably about 5 or so purchases from the board and they all went great, I have not had an issue with any purchases. My issue has come when I ask what someone is asking for a card. As I said in the OP, I am absolutely willing to pay over VCP/FMV for a card for various reasons, just not what VCP/FMV may have been two years ago. I do not make offers any more, because the first three times I attempted this didn't go so well. I can't remember all the prices at this point but I know that two of the cards were fair for the grade and I offered the current VCP price, which I thought was high, and let's say the follow-up didn't go well. Other than that, I ask the seller what they are looking for and so far the majority of the time for me our price points have been to far apart. I am not looking for cards on the "cheap," I chose to not significantly overpay.

I think it's great that people can ask what they want and people can pay what they want, I am little bit of a fan of the free market system. The basis of my pricing issue was, people attempt to sell here at a high price and than go to sell on ebay and end up losing a bit of profit due to the fees etc...


I'm glad to hear there have been so many positive experiences, I will continue to keep on truckin' and hope I can have the same.

Discussion is fun.

mcadams

Stuckinma- What everyone else here has said is true...the folks on the board are for the most part trustworthy, friendly people to deal with. However, I have sensed a little bit of what you have mentioned. There are 2 ways to sell cards- 1) For what the market really is for a timely sale or 2) At the seller's price (in their mind) which could take much much much longer. Many sellers here are of variety #2, and are sometimes offended by an offer that you deem to be fair and at/market. If someone gets offended by your offers, just shrug it off and move on. That's just part of the hobby, not something specific to this forum.

stuckinMA

"Markets dictate the worth of something. Your ridiculous BIN price just lets everyone know that you're not part of the market" - mcadams

This. This is my point.

Sethro

I have had many positive experiences on the B/S/T, as well. So many that I cannot fit them all into my sig line. Both as a seller and a buyer it has been almost nothing but awesomeness. Seriously.


The only little peeve I have is getting completely low-balled on something I am selling. Like 50% of my asking price. The reason it bothers me is because I consider these boards a community, and I think it's craptacular to try and turn a profit off of a community member*. If you want to offer me 50% at a flea market or on eBay or on Craigslist or other places like that, fine. I'll still think you're a doofus, but it's acceptable to be a doofus in those locales. Doing it here seems wrong to me.


*-edit: Without being upfront about it.

otwcards

There are several factors that must be taken into account when buying. VCP is a tool, not a bible. Prices vacillate and VCP does not take into account such things as eye appeal, quality of an item versus others sold, or poorly listed or cataloged listings.

While I agree that some price items at ridiculous price points (I'm guilty of this at times), there is usually a rational reason for such pricing. Some sellers are looking to sell quickly and turn their product into funds for a myriad of reasons. Others are interested in selling, but only at their price.

If someone is asking the moon for the hottest card in the hobby, so be it. Perhaps the market will catch up. But if they're asking 10X book for Hideki Irabu, then I'm pretty sure the card will sit like a "fat toad."

What gets my panties in a bundle are when buyers inquire for scans or prices and when provided with such, fail to ever respond. If the price or image isn't to your liking, please have the courtesy to respond with a simple, "Thanks, but I'll pass," or "No thanks." Too many NEVER reply and while they may not like the price or the quality of the card, it is quite rude to ask for something, get it and fail to show any respect for the time and effort that was put forth, at YOUR request, by the seller.

Communication is the key to navigating the B/S/T boards and a small amount of respect and courtesy by buyers and sellers goes a long way.

MCMLVTopps

my 2 cents...

The OP uses two words that I find a bit off-point...overcharging, bait. Who is to say what price anybody puts on their stuff? If they paid "x", back when, and are asking "x" now, or more, so what? It's called the "free market system".

Just because VCP says this, or that, doesn't necessarily make the item's VCP price the price a seller should place on his sale. I certainly don't think anybody is trying to "bait" anyone. VCP and SMR are merely guides, no more, no less...I've seen a bunch of cards go high one day in within a week an identical item go for way less or vice versa. SMR? Well, that's another story...most would agree SMR is woefully unreliable in terms of decision making

I've made my fair share of good deals on B/S/T and have no complaints, met some nice people and enjoyed the sale and/or purchase. If I see something I'd like to have, I do a bit of research and make a decision. Have I paid above VCP, yes, have I paid below VCP, yes.

It's just a matter of what value you personally put on an item, not being dictated by a consensus of other sales.

I once bought a card for $31.00, cracked it and it happened to go up substantially, should I have sold it for just the $31.00? Of course not...the card sold for $968.00 on eBay. I had an opening bid on the card of $100...I didn't place the final bid, nor did I bait or overcharge anybody! I did however enjoy the final price!!

baseballfan

i have been on here trading, selling and buying for a long time

had a couple issues but for the most part really good people to work with

pulled off a big trade of graded t 206 cards for Graded 55 topps all american cards years back great trade

spazzy

If you think that someone is overcharging, dont buy it or make an offer. I have had positive experiences and have met and talked to many members. Sometimes when I had something up for sale, a member would just PM to say it was a nice item. There may be some outside scammers that visit the boards but I would say we are an up and up group!

bigdcards

I have had my best card buying experiences on this board. People are usually generous and share honest information. Like most, I've had a few rough goes on e-bay and at this point I only buy from a few big sellers. If it's someone like me who has perfect feedback but under 1000 and no store, I still don't buy. So the board works better for me. I've also gone to unopened pack school over the last couple of months with Tim (Grote15). I've never had an experience with an e-bay seller or online shop like it. The only thing I can compare it to was someone on another board for a totally different hobby who also enjoyed sharing knowledge about a common interest.

RipublicaninMass

many many happy dealing, far less issues than ebay! Only one issue, see sig line

fattymacs

I've completed well over a hundred transacations on the B/S/T ranging from $5 to $900 and I've only had one trade where we had to renegotiate. Lots of great people to deal with here, provide service you would expect in return and all should go well.

firstbase23

While I have only made a few sales, trades, or purchases. They have all been positive.

Matt

VikingDude

<< <i>I don't buy much but there are many great cards and sellers. Don't check VCP or anything like that, I just buy it if I think it's a good deal for my collection. >>



I will echo that.

eyebone

the op does have a point.

for example, a card typically sells on ebay for $100. but with the fees the seller clears $90. yet board members want $100 for their card on the bst forum and not $90. i consider this "wrong" in a couple of regards.

btw, i have had many positive bst experiences and only one that was negative.

eyebone

yankeeno7

Sorry to be so abrasive, stuckinMA. Sometimes I might read posts in the way they were not so much intended. There are tons of great members here and everyone keeps a close eye to be sure things go well.

WinPitcher

<< <i>For example a card that has a VCP or at some point in time sold for around $250...during the past 10 months has been selling for an average of $80, I'd be happy to pay over the current average, yet everyone attempting to sell the card is asking $280. >>



Can you be a little more specific on this?

Beck6

<< <i>the op does have a point.

for example, a card typically sells on ebay for $100. but with the fees the seller clears $90. yet board members want $100 for their card on the bst forum and not $90. i consider this "wrong" in a couple of regards.

btw, i have had many positive bst experiences and only one that was negative.

eyebone >>



Could you explain this further? I don't see a problem with it. I might be looking at it the wrong way, but I would rather give my $100 to a board member than someone random on ebay.

greencrow

BST positive HIV negative

bking

<< <i>

<< <i>the op does have a point.

for example, a card typically sells on ebay for $100. but with the fees the seller clears $90. yet board members want $100 for their card on the bst forum and not $90. i consider this "wrong" in a couple of regards.

btw, i have had many positive bst experiences and only one that was negative.

eyebone >>



Could you explain this further? I don't see a problem with it. I might be looking at it the wrong way, but I would rather give my $100 to a board member than someone random on ebay. >>


Yeah, that line of reasoning confuses me too.

In the Ebay example he gave, the market value is $100, whether the seller cleared that or not. If the seller wants to sell his item at market value here, where's the problem?

otwcards

I think a few are suggesting that the sellers should offer their cards for a "net" price on CU since they won't have to pay the eBay fees. An interesting line of thinking, but some of it sounds like the buyers want to reap the reward of a discount (the eBay fees) while the seller has no advantage or gain. Sounds like a win for the buyer only.

Hallco

I bought a card today on the BST and when I researched the current pricing of the card in the particular PSA grade, there was one that sold on Ebay for @$96.00(total with shipping). The seller here was asking for $100 shipped. As a buyer, I thought it was very much in line with what I might have paid elsewhere online; not to mention....the card is SWEET!!! If I feel someone is offering a price on something I am not willing to pay, I kindly pass on it(with sending a private message). It's no big deal really.

BigDaddyBowman

I have sold about $10,000 in vintage football..most on this board.... in the past 3 months so I can attest that it is of value to both buyers and sellers.

stuckinMA

Anyone who has been around over 2 years...was the B/S/T board ever truly a worthwhile experience? The results are in and the B/S/T, is in fact, a worthwhile experience with very few exceptions.

…overcharging…hoping to bait someone…If they paid "x", back when, and are asking "x" now, or more, so what? It's called the "free market system". I certainly don't think anybody is trying to "bait" anyone.

If someone sets a price based on “x,” that would be a fixed priced system not a free market and you’re right “bait” probably was not the best word to use.

eBay/price example: The premise to my eBay example was, from my experience, cards are listed for $100 on B/S/T, where they do not sell. During the past 6 months, there have been five sales of the card in the $70-$80 range. The card is listed on eBay and the sell price ends up at $75, with $3.5 s/h the seller nets $68. The seller lost 15% revenue if they would have posted on B/S/T for $80...I hope that clarifies things a bit. I appreciate all the responses, like I said previously, I will continue to test things out over there…might end up dealing with someone this week.