Why is everyone on SCF so cheap?! (Rant.....)

[2010CTyler]

Hey everyone,

I am absolutely puzzled and amazed by some of the members of SCF, specifically the ones in the "buying/seling" forum. I is quite apparent that many on here knowingly contribute to some of the problems we all usually discuss, or perhaps many members didn't pass 2nd grade math and understand the financial aspect of collecting, regardless of if someone is a collector or someone who is in it for a quick buck. I would like to touch on some of the things I see on SCF which absolutley boggle the mind and leave me scratching my head.

The Ebay Standard

It seems that true value goes out the window when a decent card sells for peanuts on Ebay. In recent years I have pulled some really cool cards (some high in BV), only to check out Ebay and see the same card that sold for next to nothing. Let me give an example: Here's one that I pulled from a box of 2010-2011 BTP (purchased for $100).

<A href="http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n626/2010CTyler/scan0030-1.jpg" target=_blank>
Pretty sweet hit right?....gold version,numbered out of 10. Wrong! Shortly after pulling this one, I decided to sell it since it was nobody I collected, hoping to recoup some of the cash I put out for the box. I immediately began getting offers from guys who would have loved to add it to their PC. I got huge offers too!.......$20....$18.....$15.....even $10 (shipped). These offers were insulting to say the least. I got a lot of good laughs that week. I took a look at Ebay, only to see similar cards from the same set selling for around $15-$20. It all made sense. These guys looked on Ebay and made an offer based on some lousy sales. When making an offer, they only took into account Ebay, not the rarity of the card, the numbering, the almost impossibe odds of pulling the same card, and the odds that one which was pulled was even available for sale. Assuming I took buddy's $10 offer, I would have had to ship for approximately $2.50, leaving $7.50 remaining......just enough for one pack. So after pulling a really nice card, all you have is people offering you money that is equivelant to buying one pack??!! Here's another example of one that I pulled recently:

Wow! Was I ever happy to pull this beauty!.........until I seen that the same card had sold on ebay from $35-$41. Really??!! Hold on a minute, Titanium is over $20 per pack with taxes. This card is only worth the cost of two packs? What are the odds that the buyer takes a chance on buying two packs ($40) and hitting this card? Pretty well near impossible.

Firesales

I have no problem with someone blowing out some cards, we all do it. However, it is tough to sell or even trade when certain people are practically giving stuff away free. Once a card sells for a certain price, that price is expected to hold up for other sales too. I currently have some decent Young Guns for sale. My price is certainly fair, even on par with Ebay. However, in contrast my price is still too high because some moron last week gave away his Young Guns for $1-$2 a piece for quick cash. It brings down the entire market for a certain card.

Selling "Hits" for $1

Titanium is a cool product this year. One hit in every pack! It's a ton of fun to open. However, it is expensive and roughly around $20 per pack. With that in mind, certainly not every pack will have a $20 return, but it's a gamble you take in the hobby.Hopefully if you have a decent hit, you should be able to recoup your money, maybe even more. Here's an example of something I see all the time:


Okay, here are some jerseys/auto I pulled recently from a box of Titanium. At a quick glance, there are some decent players and some C+ or D players in the NHL. Teemu Selanne has always been a great player and goal scorer.....that jersey, while not a huge hit, should maybe sell for around $8-$10 right? Wrong! It's a $1 card on most sale threads on SCF and even on Ebay. Well, Gaborik is a great player and while this jersey certainly isn't a hge pull, maybe I could get $5 for it. Wrong! Once again, this is a $1 jersey card on SCF and Ebay. Jody Shelly isn't that great. This is most likely a $1-$2 jersey. Ding! Ding! Ding! Correct! I guess that Jody Shelly and Marian Gaborik are on about the same level of skill and stardom.


People Complaining About Shipping Costs/Not Factoring In Shipping


One thing that drives me crazy (and makes me question the mental capacity of some people) is when a buyer complains about shipping costs or finds a price with shipping "too high". Perhaps an example would help:



Here's a YG that I am looking to sell for $6 (Below BV and on par with most Ebay sales). While there is interest, some people do not want to spend $2.00 on having the card shipped. Am I supposed to sell it for $6 shipped? Okay, let's see, bubble mailer, 50cents, toploader, 25cents, postage $1.50 (Over $2 to the US) Let's do the math children!
$6.00
-$0.50
-0.25
-$1.50-$2.00
-$$$$$ gas money to the post office
....................After selling this one for $6 shipped, I am left with a wopping $3.25 (not including gas money) Assuming I walked, I woul dbe left with $3.25.......just enough for one pack of Upper Deck. Once again, a hit is only worth one pack in return.
　
　
　
Cheapskates-Conclusion
I think that the common Cheapskate is the basis for this entire thread. Folks, I believe that we really need to start collecting again for the enjoyment of it. With that in mind, it should be enjoyable for everyone, not just the guy who bags a $20 Hall YG off a poor sap that needs quick cash. We really need to re-evaluate true value in "hits" and respect the money that your fellow collectors spent so that you can buy your favourite players or PC items. Whenever I buy a PC item, I am always willing to pay a good price. I respect and value the collector that went out, took a chance on a box, and pulled something that I can have the pleasure of buying, risk-free. There is certainly a lack of respect going on and it is ruining a lot of the passion that I have for collecting. If someone was gutsy enough to put out $100 bucks on a product and is lucky enough to have a nice hit, and it's something you want, have the decency and respect to pay a fair price for it

[htram9]

You need to blame the sellers on eBay for this. The people on here are offering what they are going for over there for the most part. You don't need to part with it that low. But the issue is the sellers on eBay don't control the price like they should. That card /10, and the Perry /25 can easily go higher if people placed BIN/BO on it. Instead some have them in an auction format and it sells for $41. Who is to say the one who won it at $41 placed a bid of $60 on it? If that card is a BIN/BO, he'd may be willing to pay $60 for it. So blame sellers on eBay for selling cards in an auction format, when cards like this should be sold in a BIN/BO.

[miscs75]

How many offers are from guys looking for resale. That's the only way I can see someone offering $15 for a card that clearly books/sells for over $100. I'm also a huge fan of people who don't read my trade thread. I get way too many offers for my higher-end stuff that involves $3-$5 autos in return.

[htram9]

How many offers are from guys looking for resale. That's the only way I can see someone offering $15 for a card that clearly books/sells for over $100. I'm also a huge fan of people who don't read my trade thread. I get way too many offers for my higher-end stuff that involves $3-$5 autos in return.

That card isn't a $100 SV card. Assuming you are talking about that quad jersey. But your point is well made, it isn't a $15 card. I typed in countrymen /10 on eBay and I see the Finland /10 went for $60 in a BIN/BO. I see the Quad being around that price. BIN/BO is the only way to drive prices back up. $15 offers are insults.

[Bojangles]

So let's say you're a home builder in Phoenix, AZ. You make homes for a living. So let's say you buy a plot of land for $100,000, and you put a house on that land with another $100,000 of materials. Up to this point, similar homes are selling for $225,000 so you're expecting to make a little bit of cash.

Then the market crashes and home values drop by 50%.

Are you going to call the buyers "cheapskates" because they'll now only pay $112,500 for the house that you built instead of the $200,000 that you put in?

Or, let's turn it around -- would you pay $225,000 for a house when you can get the same one for $112,500 right down the street?

[gladdyontherise]

I could be wrong, and apologize if I am, but it sounds like you're upset that the cards aren't going for as much as you'd like them to go for.

It's a simple case of supply and demand.

[2010CTyler]

So let's say you're a home builder in Phoenix, AZ. You make homes for a living. So let's say you buy a plot of land for $100,000, and you put a house on that land with another $100,000 of materials. Up to this point, similar homes are selling for $225,000 so you're expecting to make a little bit of cash.

Then the market crashes and home values drop by 50%.

Are you going to call the buyers "cheapskates" because they'll now only pay $112,500 for the house that you built instead of the $200,000 that you put in?

Or, let's turn it around -- would you pay $225,000 for a house when you can get the same one for $112,500 right down the street?

The decline in the hobby is self-induced. We are doing it to ourselves. There is no outside influence. If you buy a card online for 5%-10% of the BV, then someone along the line has lost money. It's a fact. I completely understand that there maybe never be 100% return in trades, sales, box breaks, etc

[RGM81]

A question, because I'm curious to know these types of things...

Because you, the seller, have no obligation to sell your property to people at the first offer that comes along, do you follow up the original offer with a counter-offer?

One thing that strikes me with things like "low ball offers" is that it is, viewed from a certain point of view, an opportunity for an initial negotiation point. Haggling is such a lost art these days that people just walk away from a PM without countering with what they perceive to be a more reasonable selling point. If you think that your card is worth $40 and someone comes along with an offer of $10, they're just casting out a line to see if you have room to wiggle from your initial price. It's not like you have to meet exactly in the middle at $25, but if you come down a little bit from the original price, you may just have a sale on your hands and a potential future customer as well. But if you are the type of seller that throws up a rant instead of negotiating people are going to be more likely to remember your name for that than for being a guy that they can talk to and work out a deal.

[2010CTyler]

I could be wrong, and apologize if I am, but it sounds like you're upset that the cards aren't going for as much as you'd like them to go for.

It's a simple case of supply and demand.

I just used my own cards as examples.lol. However, I do read almost every sale thread or box break on here and as soon as someone hits a nice card, the vultures start to circle.

[2010CTyler]

A question, because I'm curious to know these types of things...

Because you, the seller, have no obligation to sell your property to people at the first offer that comes along, do you follow up the original offer with a counter-offer?

One thing that strikes me with things like "low ball offers" is that it is, viewed from a certain point of view, an opportunity for an initial negotiation point. Haggling is such a lost art these days that people just walk away from a PM without countering with what they perceive to be a more reasonable selling point. If you think that your card is worth $40 and someone comes along with an offer of $10, they're just casting out a line to see if you have room to wiggle from your initial price. It's not like you have to meet exactly in the middle at $25, but if you are the type of seller that throws up a rant instead of negotiating people are going to be more likely to remember your name for that than for being a guy that they can talk to and work out a deal.

I always like to offer and counter-offer in trades, buys, sales. In my mind, that's half of the fun of collecting and turning your hits into someone else's PC item.