card show frustration..

[aznmajik]

Before you exit this thread due to its length, please consider that I just want to gain some knowledge.. so if you can spare 5-10 mins of your time, I'd really appreciate it.

Before I ask my questions, here's a quick background story about my recent experiences. I went to 2 card shows within the last month and bought a total of 0 cards. It's not like I didn't see nice cards, it's the fact that the collectors/traders want way too much money for them. Usually asking for $5 less than high BV. (I do my research before I go, so I know how much the cards book, esp. the ones I'm looking for.) I find ebay much more cost efficient, even with the shipping costs considered.

Now here are the questions I pose, (maybe someone knowledgeable can write a guide to this..?):
1) From personal experiences, do the card collectors/trader charge more depending on the location of the card show? (the ones I went to are around some richers neighborhoods)

2) What's the most you would pay for a card you kinda like, and a card you REALLY like.. based on BV. (ex. 30-40% HI BV.. or maybe 80% HI BV)

3) What do you do/say when a guy is asking for 200-300% HI BV....?? Simply walk away, or tell him he must be kidding? (I saw a grown man flip out over this, I overheard their convo as I was searching through a box... that's why I'd like to know what some of you would do)

4) What are your experiences with trading/selling cards at a show, as a passer-by. (NOT as one of the guys who set up shop there)

5) Are there any MAJOR/WELL-KNOWN (huge semi-annually/annually) shows that you know of and would recommend others to go.

Once again, thank you so much for your time and your responses.
- Chris

[vikingfan101]

1. Cards prices usually fluctuate due to state your living in. In my case, since I live in Wisconsin, Packer cards at shows tend to be more expensive. The home teams tend to be that way, as dealers are figuring thats what people are looking for.
2. It all depends. If you like a card THAT much, go for it. But I always research on ebay first as well, to see how much there going for. Then either way the price, I try to haggle them down, or I bring a few nice cards of my own to trade for.
3. Dont waste your time with them, if they think they can get it, let some other sucker go for it.
4. Ive made quite a few nice trades, havent set up anything before. Its definitely worth it bringing a few nice cards of your own, Id advise keeping them somewhere safe on you, as there are quite a few card pocketers.
5. The main one I go to is In Chicago. I cant think of its name off hand, but when I find it Ill let you know. Its this month in a big convention center.

[golfermatt91]

i would say probably i would bay 25% for a decent guy 35-40% for a pretty good guy 50% for a really nice active player and 70-75% for a future hofer or hofer such as Michael Jordan, but a lot of people at card shows are going to juice the price up as much as they can to try to get the people that are out of town and comming for the card show to buy them, and hope to make a bigger profit then what the card is actually worth. I think it would be much more worth the money to just go to a local card shop and buy some things, because most card shops sell preatty cheap or you could risk it and buy a few nice cards off ebay, for about 100$ or even 50$. But yea like you were saying people who are selling at card shows are wanting way too much even for mid ranged cards, hope that this helps you a little, sorry for the lengthy response but i was trying to get out what i thought i should say about this topic. Let me know if wat i said helped you at all understand why they sell so high, and this is the reason i dont go to card shows anymore.

Matt G.

[TurdFerguson]

1) From personal experiences, do the card collectors/trader charge more depending on the location of the card show? (the ones I went to are around some richers neighborhoods)

Sure they do, wouldn't you if you knew you could get it ? Local area teams are always going to command a higher amount also.

2) What's the most you would pay for a card you kinda like, and a card you REALLY like.. based on BV. (ex. 30-40% HI BV.. or maybe 80% HI BV)

Ebay has spoiled many people for prices they are willing to pay for cards. When I but from ebay, I usually don't go over 33%. When someone is looking for singles, especially to complete a set, they will pay more for that 1 or 2 cards to just finish the set. Just last week, I was looking for some Jim Covert football cards to take to an autograph signing. I called a shop and talked to the owner who said, yeah he had some, come on in. When I got to his store, he had 5 different cards for me. I asked how much and he said $1.50. I know the guy, I've been in his store a few times but not recently and I know that the cards would probably be $0.05 - $0.10 each, but I needed them and said sure. After getting home, I check and find out that the cards have a total value of $0.49. So the guy made 300% over book on the 5 cards but like I said, I needed them & didn't care.

3) What do you do/say when a guy is asking for 200-300% HI BV....?? Simply walk away, or tell him he must be kidding? (I saw a grown man flip out over this, I overheard their convo as I was searching through a box... that's why I'd like to know what some of you would do)

Again, depending on where this show is & who the players are, that could explain it. If those things don't explain it, then ask him why he's asking double book value for the card. I've found at shows that some dealers don't change prices they have listed on the top loader as prices change. I have set up at shows, and the price changes is the reason I don't put prices on my cards that I set on.

4) What are your experiences with trading/selling cards at a show, as a passer-by. (NOT as one of the guys who set up shop there)

I have done both as a dealer and passer by. I think that when you are not set up at the show and want to trade, you should expect to trade in favor of the dealer since they had to pay to set up at the show & they are there for the most part to make money. On the flip side, when I trade with another dealer when I am set up at the show, I expect an even trade.

5) Are there any MAJOR/WELL-KNOWN (huge semi-annually/annually) shows that you know of and would recommend others to go.

The quality of the shows really just depends on the quality of dealers that set up at the shows. If it's a regular show (once a month), I'd say that those shows will get the better turn outs because people know that they are goning to happen on a regular basis instead of a by chance show that pops up. You can check Beckett.com, TuffStuff.com & Upcomingcardshows.com for listings of shows. Usually shows that have guests signing autographs tend to have better turnouts than other shows from what I've seen.

[aznmajik]

Wow, thank you guys for your in-depth answers to my questions. Really appreciate the feedback. Thanks