Lol Card Show

[YoungGuns1988]

Sorry to hear you experienced that. Can tell you for sure that not all shows are that way. My monthly one here in Nova Scotia, the prices are very fair - steals a lot of the time. Might be the smaller market/demand here, but most of my Leafs PC adds come from that show.

That said, there are those sellers asking way more than things are worth too. One for instance, the same day I picked up my Marner FWA for $200, this seller had one for $450 which is just Insanity

[doniceage]

When I find a seller who has something I want for a price I like, I don't even hesitate and I pull the trigger.

GOOD FOR YOU.

I think we could share stories forever about shows lol.

Don

[Maggot]

Lots of different dealers out there.
Some mark all their cards with book value and invite offers
Others have high prices just b/c they enjoy the show and aren't too concerned with actually selling
Some would rather only sell 5-10 overpriced cards than 50-100 underpriced cards (same amount of profit)
Some prefer to trade for their own PC or hot market items - the high marked price helps them get what they want

If you see something you like it never hurts to ask if their price is firm (it rarely is).

[g-force]

I went to my first card show today, Im in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The lol is for the prices some of these guys charge. Ill just give one example. A Nikita Alexeev rookie /399 that I sell for a dollar on ebay a guy was asking 15 dollars for. His whole display was a what the heck of prices. Every table seemed to be the same, except one. There was a table of a couple who was about 70 years old, they had lots of cards. For example they were selling a 9.5 Eichel BGS for 80 (Cdn) among other decent priced items. I got 6 items from them. Overall, oh boy, some delusional characters it seems.

Im just speaking for my experience, I have no idea if they are all like this.

I'm sorry that you did not have a good experience. Unfortunately, at any show you will find vendors that are out of touch with their stock and their pricing. I was set up as a vendor at this show. I priced my cards based on recent Ebay completed sales (ie. Gretzky Autos for $200 CDN), so I'm not sure if I was one of those delusional people or not. In fairness, I do not dive into the rookie cards much and my table was primarily CFL cards and hockey memorabilia/auto cards so you may have skipped past me if you were focusing on rookie cards. You have to realize that people are laying out money to set up at these shows so they aren't going to simply sell at or below Ebay prices. We can simply list the card on Ebay if that were the case. If you are going to a show looking to buy to flip on Ebay you are likely going to be disappointed. However, I did not feel that most of the vendors at the show were out of touch with their prices but there weren't a lot of steals to be had either. The spring show is usually the better show for buying and I would encourage you to give it a chance.

[jfreed]

I'm sorry that you did not have a good experience. Unfortunately, at any show you will find vendors that are out of touch with their stock and their pricing. I was set up as a vendor at this show. I priced my cards based on recent Ebay completed sales (ie. Gretzky Autos for $200 CDN), so I'm not sure if I was one of those delusional people or not. In fairness, I do not dive into the rookie cards much and my table was primarily CFL cards and hockey memorabilia/auto cards so you may have skipped past me if you were focusing on rookie cards. You have to realize that people are laying out money to set up at these shows so they aren't going to simply sell at or below Ebay prices. We can simply list the card on Ebay if that were the case. If you are going to a show looking to buy to flip on Ebay you are likely going to be disappointed. However, I did not feel that most of the vendors at the show were out of touch with their prices but there weren't a lot of steals to be had either. The spring show is usually the better show for buying and I would encourage you to give it a chance.

not sure which one you were, but the guy I felt was delusional was right in front of the door when you walk into where the majority of the tables were. Kitty corner to Kelvin I guess, or across from him. Anyways, hes the guy who had the Nikita Alexeev for 15 dollars and some other stuff that was just mind blowing expensive. The older couple against the far wall north east corner had great prices I thought. I got 6 cards from them. The guy who had the entire north wall had an absolutely amazing collection, I was stunned at how much he had

[RGM81]

Have to remember that at a show a dealer has table fees, is likely also buying stuff, and some have travelled a good way to get there. There is nothing more rude to a dealer than someone saying “I can get that for a buck on eBay.” Go get it on eBay then. And in six months people will wonder why that card show only has a couple dealers left or ceased to exist. Think of the card show as supporting your local trading community—paying a couple extra bucks for a card you want for the satisfaction of getting it then and there without the hassle and waiting time of eBay. You aren’t obligated to pay $15 for an Alexeev Auto just because it’s there obviously. LOL

Remember too for future events that a sticker price isn’t necessarily set in stone. Many people negotiate at the shows. But if a card is worth $20 and I put a $20 sticker on it, I don’t have any room to haggle now without losing money, so I put up a $30 sticker and hope for the best. Someone may even offer $25 and that’s always a nice feeling. But you can’t negotiate upwards right?


Sent from my iPhone using SportsCardForum

[Manny]

I paid $5 for an insert once at a local card show (I think BV was $4) because it allowed me to complete my set.
Honestly I only did that because I couldn't find anything else and I wasn't going to drive an hour and pay entry fee and not buy anything!

I've also been in situations where online (this site included) where people ask 200% BV + for a card, it happens.
I would do the same if I was to sell a card from my PC. Like someone else said, some people aren't interested in selling, they are more interested in showing off their card and telling people they can't have it lol :)

[kdmmw]

I was at the same show in Regina on Sunday. It was actually a terrible show. I know a few guys didn't come because this show in particular is getting yo close to Christmas and people not buying much. John Penn is a good guy and remember a lot of guys there will move on prices but you have to buy more than 1 card. A few guys from Winnipeg didn't come qnd a few others. Show in February should be much better.

[kdmmw]

Also one thing you have to remember at a show if a player is hot or a big gun sort of say you will very seldom find their cards cheap. If I want a card I buy it and if I Don't like the price I Don't. If it is a set killer I just pick it up and move on. But you do have to remember the guys that travel have more expenses also.