Getting Card-Blocked

[japhi]

I don't agree that it's greedy to price a card high, the dealer is counting on there being that one guy that will pay a stupid price. And we see it happen all the time, big prices for cards that make you say WTH. At the end of the day, it's never greedy to keep your cards or only sell them for a certain price, no one has rights to something you purchased or hit in a box of cards.

[canucksfan007]

yea there is one collector who i cant stand and he has every big kariya out there... he prob has doubles of many of the big ones as well. he will not trade or sell i would give up my entire collection for a kariya shield or a kariya property of card.

On the flip side .... im sure the collector you cant stand goes to bed with a smile on his face every night .... knowing he has so many rare and 1/1 cards you would give everything for .... and you're still the self proclaimed #1 Paul Kariya collector =P

[TheIronHorse4]

There's only been one card in my collecting life that I HAD TO HAVE. Since it never turned up while I was collecting the set; I can't say I'm in the same situation as your stories. I would for sure be aggravated though.

That being said, I don't think there's a card out there that if I possessed it would be untouchable. Anything can be had for a price in my mind.

[Gallinator]

I don't agree that it's greedy to price a card high, the dealer is counting on there being that one guy that will pay a stupid price. And we see it happen all the time, big prices for cards that make you say WTH. At the end of the day, it's never greedy to keep your cards or only sell them for a certain price, no one has rights to something you purchased or hit in a box of cards.

Agreed that no one has an inherent right to another's card. However, there's fine line between ambition and greed; to me, the Clutterbuck example is one of greed - others may view it as good ol' capitalism at work. IMO, hobbies thrive on the liquidity of the product, on both the primary and secondary markets. Dealers (or anyone acting as a dealer) still have a huge role to play in maintaining the health of the hobby and sustaining a thriving ans hopefully growing market. Clutching Clutterbucks (great name for a book at this topic, eh?) is more a sign of a dying hobby to me.

[Drewk86a]

I've located a 1-of-1 whale and the seller wants $2,000 for the card. It is worth a few hundred, at best, but the owner will not budge. I have been working him for almost a year to no avail.

It's is frustrating to say the least, but the guy holding the card holds the power.

[Gallinator]

I've located a 1-of-1 whale and the seller wants $2,000 for the card. It is worth a few hundred, at best, but the owner will not budge. I have been working him for almost a year to no avail.

It's is frustrating to say the least, but the guy holding the card holds the power.

One-of-ones are tough, which is why I've never really been that interested in them. They present a problem economically because there are specifically no good substitutions and the market becomes a singularity, which forces the seller to modify his mindset. A rational seller would identify potential buyers, try to determine which of them is capable and willing to make a deal at a certain time and seek to maximize his return, preferably by finding multiple willing partners (still talking cards here, LOL) and creating a bidding war. However, if there is interest from only one buyer or the bidding "war" tops out at a certain level, the seller should either make the decision to sell around that level or withdraw until a later date when other value determinants might come into play (winning a Cup, etc.). Effectively, that's what your seller is doing by sticking to the $2K price, which he knows you won't pay. Therefore, your rational decision is to move on, at least for now. I feel your pain, though.

[dudical]

One-of-ones are tough, which is why I've never really been that interested in them. They present a problem economically because there are specifically no good substitutions and the market becomes a singularity, which forces the seller to modify his mindset. A rational seller would identify potential buyers, try to determine which of them is capable and willing to make a deal at a certain time and seek to maximize his return, preferably by finding multiple willing partners (still talking cards here, LOL) and creating a bidding war. However, if there is interest from only one buyer or the bidding "war" tops out at a certain level, the seller should either make the decision to sell around that level or withdraw until a later date when other value determinants might come into play (winning a Cup, etc.). Effectively, that's what your seller is doing by sticking to the $2K price, which he knows you won't pay. Therefore, your rational decision is to move on, at least for now. I feel your pain, though.

I have been looking for some card for a couple of years and only one person had it. They were VERY kind to take my offer recently and help me finish a large part of a set for me. I have to say a very public THANK YOU to someone. Name starts with G... ends in Allinator.

:) Thumbs up.

Getting back to the OP post though, I have to agree that it can be very frustrating. I have basically decided to not collect one of ones for what can purchased instead with the same money.

[geschrocks33]

Agreed that no one has an inherent right to another's card. However, there's fine line between ambition and greed; to me, the Clutterbuck example is one of greed - others may view it as good ol' capitalism at work. IMO, hobbies thrive on the liquidity of the product, on both the primary and secondary markets. Dealers (or anyone acting as a dealer) still have a huge role to play in maintaining the health of the hobby and sustaining a thriving ans hopefully growing market. Clutching Clutterbucks (great name for a book at this topic, eh?) is more a sign of a dying hobby to me.

"Clutching Clutterbucks" sounds like a reality TV show. Maybe this will be my fantasy hockey team name next year lol

One-of-ones are tough, which is why I've never really been that interested in them. They present a problem economically because there are specifically no good substitutions and the market becomes a singularity, which forces the seller to modify his mindset. A rational seller would identify potential buyers, try to determine which of them is capable and willing to make a deal at a certain time and seek to maximize his return, preferably by finding multiple willing partners (still talking cards here, LOL) and creating a bidding war. However, if there is interest from only one buyer or the bidding "war" tops out at a certain level, the seller should either make the decision to sell around that level or withdraw until a later date when other value determinants might come into play (winning a Cup, etc.). Effectively, that's what your seller is doing by sticking to the $2K price, which he knows you won't pay. Therefore, your rational decision is to move on, at least for now. I feel your pain, though.

I completely agree, but here's the issue with your response, you take into consideration the economics of it, and mention rational sellers. How many of these people holding these cards are rational sellers? I'm willing to bet not too many. If you are trying to sell a Clutterbuck 1/1 for 500 bucks, I'd love to know the reasoning or rationality behind your decision. I saw a thread on another site yesterday or Wednesday with a guy asking 100K for a Granlund national treasures patch auto /99. Now I don't know about you guys, but if I ever spend 100K on a single card, someone please come put me in a mental hospital because that's borderline insane. The problem is that it's basically a supply and demand thing.

Is the demand for Clutterbuck high? No. But, is the supply for that 1/1 also low? Well yeah, it's the only one. Lesser demand - lower price, but lesser supply - higher price.

So from a seller stand point you ignore the demand side of it and try and get 10x what it would actually fetch, because it's the only one.

Some people do this for the love of the hobby, and because we like to get stuff of the players we like. Others treat it as a business, and try to make money on it. Can you do that? Sure. Can it fail miserably? Yep.

Sometimes I think sellers like this are trying to essentially balance out their losses on box breaks but pricing their 1 "awesome" hit astronomically. Which in my opinion isn't the way to go, but to each their own.

The fact of the matter is when all is said and done, sometimes it's best to just move on

[Gallinator]

I have been looking for some card for a couple of years and only one person had it. They were VERY kind to take my offer recently and help me finish a large part of a set for me. I have to say a very public THANK YOU to someone. Name starts with G... ends in Allinator.

:) Thumbs up.

Getting back to the OP post though, I have to agree that it can be very frustrating. I have basically decided to not collect one of ones for what can purchased instead with the same money.

Glad I had what you need, brother - especially a set killer! See, as a collector and hobbyist, I can actually enjoy helping my fellow collectors while getting fairly compensated - something these DEALERS (ptui!) tend to forget how to do sometimes. IMO, those types of dealers need to retire.