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Do You Think Sellers Are Just Greedy, Ignorant Of "Fair Market Value", Or ... ?
I believe that 99.99% of the Buy It Now prices for sports card on ebay are overpriced and that's fine. Seller are free to charge whatever they want for their card because, well, it is their card. Don't like the price? Just move on as you obviously don't have to buy.
But I have to admit, I do wonder if the inflated prices are attributable to pure and simple greed, ignorance as to the "true market value" of a card, or perhaps something else. Like virtually all answers to these type of question, I suspect it is a combination of multiple motivations.
/s/ JackWESQ
But I have to admit, I do wonder if the inflated prices are attributable to pure and simple greed, ignorance as to the "true market value" of a card, or perhaps something else. Like virtually all answers to these type of question, I suspect it is a combination of multiple motivations.
/s/ JackWESQ

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Sweet Morsels Toffee and Chocolates
Dave
1957 Topps 99% 7.40 GPA
Hank Aaron Basic PSA 7-8(75%)
2) For low pop cards it can make perfect sense to wait for a what you think will be, at some point, a market high for the card. This is especially true if you aren't concerned with being illiquid. The reason for this is that the marginal cost of keeping a card on the market (again, less the opportunity cost that attends the holding of the card) is virtually zero.
I can report:
1. There is a buyer for EVERY item, eventually.
2. My stuff, my price. UNLESS, I need/want money
quickly.
...............................
If I am not in a rush, there is NO reason to sell stuff
cheap. When the right person comes along - and they
always will - I collect.
No real mystery.
guess how much it is going to sell for if there is only one person interested?
I can't tell you how many times I have put up a card 30% over what I wanted to get out of it, and then selling it for 15-20% over cause the person buying
it though they had talked me down.
I am not sure if you are talking about vintage, or modern here, but can you blame anyone for trying to get the most out of what they are trying to sell? Ebay/Paypal's
fees don't help the bottom line either.
I say, if you have something rare, set the price high and see what happens!
Kevin
Kevin
<< <i>To me: $.50, maybe to someone else: $50? >>
That is my point. Try 900 bucks with 5 days left.
Kevin
You can look at BINs as greedy sellers taking advantage of suckers,
but not all buyers have the time or inclination to research what an item generally sells for.
I have won thousands of auctions over the years, but never a 'buy it now'
Why? Because I know that with patience I'll always find the items much cheaper at auction.
It's part of the fun of the hobby for me to get cards at as low a price as I can.
To others saving money is isn't that big of a deal. They just want what they want and they want it now.
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"
<< <i>an attorney starting a thread about greed, overpriced and fair market value is funny >>
//////////////////////
I was going to remind Jack of the potential for the perception of ironic
humor in his query, but he always exhibits pretty pro-working-class
attitudes so I restrained myself.
Most of the people I hang with are practicing or retired lawyers. VERY
few have tons of money, though some do. Some of the young ones have
ZERO money and HUGE post-education debts.
Some biz-BK lawyers are now billing well over $1000.00 an hour. Others, don't
clear $60 an hour.
Some of my pals have super-high rates that factor in an "opportunity
cost" designed to discourage clients from hiring them by the hour. Many
much prefer flat-rates and bonuses; many choose to hold-out for homerun
contingency opportunities.
In general, in my experience - others will have had other experiences - I have
not had any trouble with lawyers being greedy. Most of them negotiate much
more readily than I do with my EBAY buyers. And, once the client owes them
money, the client is in almost total control of such negotiations; the last thing
lawyers want to do is sue their clients for unpaid fees.
It's true that America has allowed lawyers to picture themselves as "better
than" the rest of the folks, but I find that most are just ordinary folks who worry
about getting a bargain on a collectible just like the "rest of the folks" do.
Now, please don't ask me what I think about "greedy" plumbers and other
trades-workers.
Dealers try and keep card prices up by over inflating them... this in turn keeps all card prices higher!
Its sort of like a Trading Card "Stimulus package"
1) A lot of dealers are really collectors who are masquerading as dealers. Levi would be prime example of this.
lol
Steve
Now I sell only modern stuff I pull that I feel I cannot get equal value for in trade.
I see what the last few have sold for and then make that my BIN and add a Best offer.
I had a card I sold last week. There had been only one on Ebay and it sold for $76+/ I listed it as an auction with a starting bid of $9.99 and a BIN of $80.
It ended up selling for $70.
Yes people are greedy but there is always someone in need of that 1 card.
Hell I need a 2007 SP Authentic Heath Evans By the LEtter "N" autograph. It's the last one I need for the set. BV is $25 and other letters sell for $6-$11. If one went on Ebay with a BIN of $20 I'd jump at it. Is that seller greedy and out of touch? Yes but I need that card
The lot had a BIN of $175.00. I valued the two 1967 Leaf Star Trek PSA7's @ $25.00 ea. and not knowing what the 1976 cards go for I arbitrarily assigned a value of $5.00 ea.
Accordingly I submitted a best offer of $100.00, expecting the seller to decline the offer. To my surprise the offer was accepted within 15 minutes and this is not the first time that's happened.
On high priced BIN cards/lots, make an offer that you think reflects the current market value. The worst that can happen is that the offer is declined.
R73 1933 Goudey Indian Gum - Series 288 - Nos. 118
Also looking for 1953 Parkhurst & 1953 Quaker Oats Ripley's BION.
If you have any available for sale PM me
<< <i>2) For low pop cards it can make perfect sense to wait for a what you think will be, at some point, a market high for the card. This is especially true if you aren't concerned with being illiquid. The reason for this is that the marginal cost of keeping a card on the market (again, less the opportunity cost that attends the holding of the card) is virtually zero. >>
For this strategy to work though you have to be willing to take the risk that the pop doesn't increase before you make your sale. Declining offers below your price is risky when 1 to 2 more pops could cause your card to decrease in value sometimes 80% overnight. Maybe auctions with a reserve are better for low pops than BINs with big opening amounts. You put pressue on the buyers to get it now as it might not come back around.
<< <i>
<< <i>2) For low pop cards it can make perfect sense to wait for a what you think will be, at some point, a market high for the card. This is especially true if you aren't concerned with being illiquid. The reason for this is that the marginal cost of keeping a card on the market (again, less the opportunity cost that attends the holding of the card) is virtually zero. >>
For this strategy to work though you have to be willing to take the risk that the pop doesn't increase before you make your sale. Declining offers below your price is risky when 1 to 2 more pops could cause your card to decrease in value sometimes 80% overnight. Maybe auctions with a reserve are better for low pops than BINs with big opening amounts. You put pressue on the buyers to get it now as it might not come back around. >>
Agreed, that is definitely a risk-- especially with newer stuff, where the fact that it's 'low pop' has nothing to do with the card being a condition scarcity, and more likely to be due to the fact that nobody has gotten around to submitting that card
<< <i>an attorney starting a thread about greed, overpriced and fair market value is funny >>
What a sucka punch... All; cops are out to get us, politicians are crooked, fathers are deadbeats, adopted kids are psychos etc etc. I don't even wanna get into a discussian of race with this poster! Are all Californians closed-minded and paranoid? Dumb question ehh?
Back on track., These sellers need one big score, periodically, to fund their online stores. Presumably by a novice non-collector. It doesn't move product very much. But it does create a market value for some of their investments -albeit artificially. It doesn't take long to realize, there is an awful lot of these rare treasures to be found out there at fair, even bargain prices.
What grade defines a low pop is also interesting, off the top of my head PSA 7 for pre-war, PSA 8 post war up until 1971, PSA 9 for 1972 until 1979 and PSA 10 for 1980 to present is what I come up with. I see alot of time a card such as a 1979 Rose PSA 8.5 where it states low pop or 1 of 2. But when there are like 100 PSA 9's of that card it isn't really a low pop considering.
I have more of a problem with sellers that do that then for people who price items high via BIN.
Steve