Heading to the National - Purchasing help needed

76collector

Hey guys, just booked my hotel for Chicago and got my ticket for Saturday at the National. I've discussed a bit on here before but I would like to get a Mantle rookie card. Unfortunately, I will have to sell some of my cards to get the money to buy it. I have a few questions for you veterans.

1. What forms of payment will vendors take on an expensive card like that (maybe in the 2k-2500 range ?) Will they take credit cards, checks or even paypal ?
2. Is there a decent opportunity to sell cards at the National to make some of the money or trade them to the Mantle owner ? Some of the cards I would be selling are Aaron rc psa 3, Clemente rc psa 2.5 Stan the Man rc psa 3, and some mid grade 60's and 70's hof rc's. Just trying to mention that I'm not trying to sell 10,000 commons.

Would I be better off selling those cards on ebay prior to the show and paying the 10% fee ? Also, since there is a $500 monthly limit on what you can take from paypal, I would probably only go that route if I could pay with paypal.

Anyway, thanks in advance for any advice you can give me, and hope to see you at the show. I will be in line for an Ernie Banks auto, and a Rickey auto with my son. Probably have a big grin on my face.

lbcoach20

I've done about a dozen Nationals so from personal experience I will say if you are selling, I would do eBay and take the fees. Sellers will offer signicantly less so they can profit due to their expenses. Tables are costly and they will let you know that. They have overhead and for it to be worth it they have to get into product taking that into account. Even with eBay fees you are selling at somewhat retail. High dollar cards you will do somewhat better on, but even in high grade dealers will only pay up to 60-70%. So that is what you have to consider.

Buying at the National most dealers take credit cards with minimum purchases at around $50 or so. Some will have Internet and may take Paypal. Cash is king as they don't eat PP fees. Also when buying don't look for too many "deals" as everything will be pretty much high priced. If you have time to browse then you can find deals. These will come from smaller dealers that don't have as much overhead as the big boys do. You can also pick up stuff and peddle it for profits to other dealers. I bought a Griffey bat a few years ago and flipped it for about $100 profit to another dealer 10 minutes later. Dealers are somewhat strapped to their tables after Weds. preview so this offers the opportunity for people to find stuff to flip.

Hope this helps and be prepared to see lots of extraordinary stuff that only comes out at the National. It is the granddaddy for the year! And lastly, have fun!