Where is everyone?

[jsokol1626]

huskies

personal attacks aren't going to land you that Crosby hot prospects. I just paid $400 for another copy so obviously I feel this is wholesale since my intention is to resell eventually.

I'm trying to understand your strategy here. Pass on cards that are in your price range on ebay and only wait for one to come along in trade. When one does, complain that it isn't as low as what you could (but won't) pay in cash. Just go pay cash...simple

I've been a dealer since I starting selling my personal collection 23 years ago. That's a complete mint run of opc sets 1968-1988, Vezina rookie, Morenz high grade 1930s etc.
I'll be around long after you leave this hobby - trust me on that one.

My gripe is with the wave of people who try to turn this hobby into a chance to make a fast buck. To them I say:

An honest to goodness pays taxes on his profits dealer? Someone who is willing to invest in wax and sell it at suggested retail prices? You know the type, the guy who has real overhead, the brick and mortar LCS guy. The guy who has sat through show after show paying table fees and taking the time to provide customer service. Because if you're none of those things you may think of yourself as a dealer, but you really bring nothing to the hobby. Please don't take this a personal attack, because it's not. You see I was an LCS owner, a show dealer and played everything by the rules. I'm just sick to death of unfair market practices that give an edge to people who lowball, evade taxes and take any advantage they can. That is why this hobby has lost a lot of its appeal. 'It's all about the buck, bout the buck, no trading'.........

Someone warned me long ago, never confuse your hobby with a job, once you cross that line the fun begins to wane. The best cards on the market? Haha, don't fool yourself. The best cards on the market have very little to do with price tags, unless of course you're a "dealer". I can tell you firsthand it was more fun to open nickel wax and hope for your favorite team or player. You learned the art of the deal by trading, fairly, with friends. Those days aren't gone, they're just hidden in places where the almighty dollar is secondary at best.

[Gallinator]

I agree with this, the ability to look up Ebay completed listings gives me - as a collector - at least a starting point in terms of what I'd expect to pay for a card. I'm not looking to pay the amount of the lowest completed auction every time, but neither do I expect to pay much above the average completed sale.

I've seen resellers buy a card on Ebay and post it on hobby sites for three times what they paid, within a week of purchase. They've got every right to do that, but I think we also have the right to know whether that price is consistent with Ebay sales.

I fully agree, Craig!

[rustyisin]

jsokol

I buy with a collectors eye - If I like an item and if it has value "to me" I buy it. But being honest here, everything goes out the door again after I've enjoyed it for a while. So yes, I admit that any item I own isn't going to be in my possession for longer than 1-2 years at most.
The Crosby hot prospects we're referring to here I've had for 2 years now - and only making it available since I bought an upgrade.

I've done the show circuit. All over western Canada, Seattle, Toronto, Hamilton, California etc. That was back in the 1990s. With work, a young family and a house in a continual state of disrepair I hardly have time for much else - so spending an entire day or weekend at a show just isn't possible. I still do a couple of shows/year in Edmonton when I visit family, mostly because folks there spend money (unlike show attendees in Vancouver).

I have a customer base from my 30 years in the hobby. It's all vintage, Gretzky, etc.
The new stuff I've only been carrying for a few years now - mostly because my mortgage is big and my wife hates working.

I have many items that are for sale that I'd just as well hold on to - that doesn't mean they aren't available...it means someone will have to pay more for them or make a deal in my favor. Most often I help collectors by doing what others would never do - trading high grade OPC Gretzky or Jordan rookies etc. The same holds true for many other items I own - owners of them would never trade them. Quite a few are happy to pay me a bit of a premium as it saves them $, and they aren't likely to ever have a chance to trade for the item elsewhere.
This is huskies3 frustration I think, he finally found a sucker who will trade a hot prospects Crosby but now he expects to pay his cash value (without ever having to use cash...???)

Most months I sell 4-5K worth of stuff. Most of those items never make ebay, or are sold direct pay.
I honestly haven't found these trading sites very useful at all. It's the process around selling an item that I enjoy...adding pics, posting descriptions, detailing my wants, etc.

[rustyisin]

For example, if I collected Sidney Crosby and someone was selling a Hot Prospects card of his for $550, I could check completed sales on Ebay and see that the card recently sold for $290, $340 and $400. Then I could decide to wait for a better deal for that card and spend my money more wisely on other cards of his that I don't have.

and for accuracy...the range in sales for this card is $429-1500 for ungraded. And the average asking price for multi-color swatch is around $1500 bucks. So I'll just file you in the "difficult to please" category and move on.

[Craig2]

and for accuracy...the range in sales for this card is $429-1500 for ungraded. And the average asking price for multi-color swatch is around $1500 bucks. So I'll just file you in the "difficult to please" category and move on.

What qualifies as a multi-color swatch? I'm just curious given the final price on this one, sold by a consignee who almost always gets max value on cards:

http://ebay.to/1M1F6r0

[geschrocks33]

My personal favorite is when people list in their thread "I will accept offers close to recent eBay completed listings"

Only completed listing is say $10, I offer $20, get rejected for "low-balling" - just doesn't make sense to me.

I've recently just been trying to work with people and help others out - it always comes back to you in the end. Quit getting worried about BV's and junk, just have fun and help out some other people. I've sent out about 5 various care packages in the past month or so - anything as little as a BTP insert to finish someones set, stuff up to a big package of Ovi's to another collector. And guess what, other people pay it forward, and then wow we're having fun again.

Just paying it forward sometimes helps out, and will find it's way back to you in the end.

[rustyisin]

What qualifies as a multi-color swatch? I'm just curious given the final price on this one, sold by a consignee who almost always gets max value on cards:

http://ebay.to/1M1F6r0

that's a steal - even with the cards condition issues

[Craig2]

that's a steal - even with the cards condition issues

Yeah, surprised me given the seller.

[piper1]

Just once I would love to read a thread that debated collecting and trading without evolving into another lengthy diatribe about this other site FREEbay.

[huskies3]

This is huskies3 frustration I think, he finally found a sucker who will trade a hot prospects Crosby but now he expects to pay his cash value (without ever having to use cash...???)
.

Dude, you have quite an active imagination. Here is what happened:

You posted a card for sale. I thought it was a cool card so I asked for a price. You PM'd me the price of 550. I then searched ebay for recent sales and saw sales of 290, 340 and 400. I decided that I am not going to pay your price In cash or trade. I dont need the card. I figured it would be nice tradebait. If i was really that interested in that card, i could have bought one of the other 3 that have sold on ebay.
I filed that in the back of my mind along with my interaction with you on the Stamos FWAP and moved on. But then I saw your post in this thread throwing in your two cents about why there isnt as much trading on this site as there once was and I thought the irony was too rich to let it slide.