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A couple of questions about Ebay and the state of the market.

RonBurgundyRonBurgundy Posts: 5,491 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Having not been into this nearly as much as in the past, I have a couple of questions:

1) The past few years Ebay auction listings in, for example, the 1942-80 baseball category averaged about 40,000-50,000 listings on any given day. Free listings would spike it, then it would fall back again to that range. The last few weeks I've noticed the same category consistently with over 100,000 listings. Any particular reason why other than just free listings?

2) Has the popularity of Pawn Stars and American Pickers brought more people into the market? I've heard from some local guys that there has been an explosion of new people coming in and trying to deal because of this stuff.
Ron Burgundy

Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items

Comments

  • ABellPharmDABellPharmD Posts: 181 ✭✭✭
    I'm no expert by any means,but you may be able to explain the increase in listings by both the free listings AND the fact it's the holidays and people may be trying to unload for some extra holiday spending money.
    I collect Cal Ripken cards, T206, E95, E210, R319.
  • llafoellafoe Posts: 7,220 ✭✭
    I blame Rick Probstein! image
    WANTED: Cincinnati Reds TEAM Cards
  • itzagoneritzagoner Posts: 8,753 ✭✭
    free listings have turned searches into a free-for-all as well as the Groundhog Day style of repetition for the tens of thousands of items which will presumably never sell each week.

    i wish they had a crap filter setting. image
  • CocoaBeachDodgersCocoaBeachDodgers Posts: 750 ✭✭✭

    i wish they had a crap filter setting. image >>




    +1
  • BruceinGaBruceinGa Posts: 270 ✭✭
    It even looks as if the listed auctions that I am interested in have increased 10 fold just in the past 2 months. I'm guessing like others it may be the holiday season plus the $.99 listing special doesn't hurt either.
  • mlbfan2mlbfan2 Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Having not been into this nearly as much as in the past, I have a couple of questions:

    1) The past few years Ebay auction listings in, for example, the 1942-80 baseball category averaged about 40,000-50,000 listings on any given day. Free listings would spike it, then it would fall back again to that range. The last few weeks I've noticed the same category consistently with over 100,000 listings. Any particular reason why other than just free listings?
    >>



    Listing sports cards on ebay has been free from August to the end of 2012. I don't think that's ever been the case in years past.
  • BruceinGaBruceinGa Posts: 270 ✭✭


    << <i>
    Listing sports cards on ebay has been free from August to the end of 2012. I don't think that's ever been the case in years past. >>


    I didn't realize listings were free. I guess just memorabilia is .99. This is my first holiday season actively buying cards.
  • WalterSobchakWalterSobchak Posts: 2,096


    << <i>i wish they had a crap filter setting. image >>


    It would at least be nice if there was a box you could check which would block one exact listing and all future iterations of it, so you would never see it again regardless of how you worded your search.
    There's one seller who has been clogging up my '56 Topps searches for as long as I can remember. He has a couple dozen PSA graded '56s for sale. All his listings have small, crappy scans, all of them are centered poorly..... yet all the 'auctions' start at super-premium prices. They never sell, he never drops the minimum bid, and they just get listed over and over and over and over again. I'd love to be able to hit the hypothetical checkmark on those listings.
    'Sir, I realize it's been difficult for you to sleep at night without your EX/MT 1977 Topps Tom Seaver, but I swear to you that you'll get it safe and sound.'
    -CDs Nuts, 1/20/14

    *1956 Topps baseball- 97.4% complete, 7.24 GPA
    *Clemente basic set: 85.0% complete, 7.89 GPA
  • itzagoneritzagoner Posts: 8,753 ✭✭
    that is bright thinking....explains why you don't work for ebay. image

    if we could bypass relistings, there'd be around a dozen or so nice cards to look at.

    as it is, January can't get here soon enough and perhaps we can further explore the pleasures of the hunt once again.
  • gemintgemint Posts: 6,126 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>i wish they had a crap filter setting. image >>




    +1 >>



    +2. I'd like to find a way to filter out all the listings from that seller who lists all the 'OC' qualifier cards at a few bucks below SMR for the non qualified equivalents. They've been listed consistently for at least the last 6 months and I'd be shocked if his sell through rate is higher than 1%.
    https://ebay.com/sch/gemint/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
  • mlbfan2mlbfan2 Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>i wish they had a crap filter setting. image >>


    It would at least be nice if there was a box you could check which would block one exact listing and all future iterations of it, so you would never see it again regardless of how you worded your search.
    There's one seller who has been clogging up my '56 Topps searches for as long as I can remember. He has a couple dozen PSA graded '56s for sale. All his listings have small, crappy scans, all of them are centered poorly..... yet all the 'auctions' start at super-premium prices. They never sell, he never drops the minimum bid, and they just get listed over and over and over and over again. I'd love to be able to hit the hypothetical checkmark on those listings. >>



    You CAN block a seller. First do a search, then click "advanced search", then scroll down to where it says "sellers", block his ID, and then save the search.
  • WalterSobchakWalterSobchak Posts: 2,096


    << <i>You CAN block a seller. First do a search, then click "advanced search", then scroll down to where it says "sellers", block his ID, and then save the search. >>


    Can you only block the seller with respect to that particular search, or will the seller be blocked with respect to anything you search for?
    'Sir, I realize it's been difficult for you to sleep at night without your EX/MT 1977 Topps Tom Seaver, but I swear to you that you'll get it safe and sound.'
    -CDs Nuts, 1/20/14

    *1956 Topps baseball- 97.4% complete, 7.24 GPA
    *Clemente basic set: 85.0% complete, 7.89 GPA
  • mlbfan2mlbfan2 Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭


    << <i>will the seller be blocked with respect to anything you search for? >>



    No, just the searches that you block him for.
  • bbuckner22bbuckner22 Posts: 1,028 ✭
    +1 on what Walter said. Same thing in 1973's, a couple hundred show up every other week with ridiculous opening bid prices, hence they never sell. So a legit item sometimes falls thru the cracks. Ebay should limit the free listings to auction style, $.99 opening bid only.
    From what I can tell, 707 is the DOLLAR STORE compared to deans_cards. For what that guy charges, if I ever bought anything from him I would expect it to be delivered to me in a frickin' limo.
    ~WalterSobchak
  • jmmiller777jmmiller777 Posts: 1,324 ✭✭✭
    You do have some control. If you are looking for 1983 Topps Boggs cards, say PSA 10's, then you can "sort" by highest price and lowest price depending on what fits your needs. All they would have to do is include a window or a section where we could "exclude" certain words. Then you could get rid of the guys who throw catch words out to get us to view them. Example: PSA 9, not 10 for the exampke above. This would be nice and easy for ebay to do.
    CURRENT PROJECTS IN WORK:
    To be honest, no direction, but...
    1966-69 Topps EX+
    1975 minis NrMt Kelloggs PSA 9
    All Topps Heritage-Master Sets
    image
  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 12,000 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Having not been into this nearly as much as in the past, I have a couple of questions:

    1) The past few years Ebay auction listings in, for example, the 1942-80 baseball category averaged about 40,000-50,000 listings on any given day. Free listings would spike it, then it would fall back again to that range. The last few weeks I've noticed the same category consistently with over 100,000 listings. Any particular reason why other than just free listings?

    2) Has the popularity of Pawn Stars and American Pickers brought more people into the market? I've heard from some local guys that there has been an explosion of new people coming in and trying to deal because of this stuff. >>



    Free listings must be part of it, but if the total number has gone up by 50,000 listings, I would guess there's a lot of new people trying their hand at ebay.

    I would say the shows mentioned have increased the amount of people who dig through their attics and basements for collectibles and then sell them on ebay.

    Another possible reason could be the "garage sellers" are putting some of the stuff that they can't move on ebay, as people get more comfortable using the internet, they begin to trust it with their money.

    Joe
    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • thedutymonthedutymon Posts: 4,323 ✭
    Afternoon,

    My opinion its all about the Free listings, I am guilty of it as well. I listed about 3-4 months ago 500-600 auctions for low dollar stuff just to move it or throw it in the trash. My sell through rate was only 10-15 % or so, but why would I care, just relisted them over and over. Finally last week I stopped relisting them and filled a trash can! Imagine thousands of small time dealers like me doing the same thing, their's your clutter. It all ends on the first, so there's light at the end of the tunnell!!

    Neil
    Actually Collect Non Sport, but am just so full of myself I post all over the place !!!!!!!
  • mlbfan2mlbfan2 Posts: 3,115 ✭✭✭


    << <i>You do have some control. If you are looking for 1983 Topps Boggs cards, say PSA 10's, then you can "sort" by highest price and lowest price depending on what fits your needs. All they would have to do is include a window or a section where we could "exclude" certain words. Then you could get rid of the guys who throw catch words out to get us to view them. Example: PSA 9, not 10 for the exampke above. This would be nice and easy for ebay to do. >>



    You can exclude words by putting a hyphen in front of a word. For example: 1956 PSA 9 -not. With that search, any auction with "not" in the title won't show up.
  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>i wish they had a crap filter setting. image >>


    It would at least be nice if there was a box you could check which would block one exact listing and all future iterations of it, so you would never see it again regardless of how you worded your search.
    There's one seller who has been clogging up my '56 Topps searches for as long as I can remember. He has a couple dozen PSA graded '56s for sale. All his listings have small, crappy scans, all of them are centered poorly..... yet all the 'auctions' start at super-premium prices. They never sell, he never drops the minimum bid, and they just get listed over and over and over and over again. I'd love to be able to hit the hypothetical checkmark on those listings. >>



    The ultimate solution is to index FVFs to the % of a seller's listings that actually sell within a billing period. Until we get that I'm afraid we're stuck with the museum pieces.
  • msassinmsassin Posts: 1,564 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Having not been into this nearly as much as in the past, I have a couple of questions:

    1) The past few years Ebay auction listings in, for example, the 1942-80 baseball category averaged about 40,000-50,000 listings on any given day. Free listings would spike it, then it would fall back again to that range. The last few weeks I've noticed the same category consistently with over 100,000 listings. Any particular reason why other than just free listings?

    2) Has the popularity of Pawn Stars and American Pickers brought more people into the market? I've heard from some local guys that there has been an explosion of new people coming in and trying to deal because of this stuff. >>




    #2 has a lot of validity to it as well. I was with Swartz today at a card/memoribilia auction 20 minutes from our hometown this morning and I didn't recognize over 80% of the people bidding.
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