Pet Peeve

[07mears07]

When people do not know what they are doing... makes me mad. Someone had a glacial graph from this years ice that books 25-30. He got it for 10 off the bay.. then try to sell it to me for $60 SHIPPED!!!! I couldn't believe it... then he tries to say (but he is a rookie).... we all know a true rookie card... that isn't one. Please know what you are doing... and if you dont all of us can help you

[cnshockey]

When people do not know what they are doing... makes me mad. Someone had a glacial graph from this years ice that books 25-30. He got it for 10 off the bay.. then try to sell it to me for $60 SHIPPED!!!! I couldn't believe it... then he tries to say (but he is a rookie).... we all know a true rookie card... that isn't one. Please know what you are doing... and if you dont all of us can help you

care to pm me the username of this user so i can avoid him?

[Nashrules]

I'm frustrated by the continual "sense of entitlement" that some people have about cards in sale threads here.

I'm speaking specifically about the attitude that they should be allowed to purchase for less than ebay prices at all times, on all cards. I know not everyone has this attitude, but it's prevalent enough that it's listed in the top of of "buying" threads.

I recognize that I can avoid them, and I do. But they also tend to be persistent in PMing, requesting that price when you do have a sale thread up.

Personally, I like the idea of offering first to fellow hobbyists with which I have a connection, and it allows me the opportunity to avoid ebay fees and have faith I'll actually get paid for the card I sold. I offer very low shipping costs (and eat them on higher end cards), but I'm not looking to "fire sale" my cards, either.

Which leads me to my next pet peeve.

[Nashrules]

Fire sales.

In this economy, there are things that happen, that force some collectors to liquidate what they can, and unfortunately there isn't a 24/7 card show that's always going on that we can go to.

But there are some folks that are continually in fire sale mode, because they are spending far more than they can afford on cards! I have a rule that I have to make enough out of my box breaks to afford the next box. If I don't I have to wait til the next payday and use my "card allowance" from that payday to buy the next box. Occasionally, when I pull good enough cards where I know I will break even, I give myself an "advance" on the payment I'll recieve for the previous card, and buy another box, but I have strict limits on how much I'm allowed to do that.

I don't think people realize how bad it is to buy a lot and then sell at the bargain prices people will purchase mid level jersey cards for. It devalues cards further when people are willing to give decent cards away cheap.

[07mears07]

I cant say anything nashrules is perfect about everything. I sometimes see threads that say, "Looking for best lot so I can flip it..." That is ridiculous! I'll always sell based on averages on ebay. If a card goes 75-85 I dont mind giving it up for 65 to someone I can trust and to avoid fees. But I wont give it up for 50...

[30ranfordfan]

The last few messages, from Nashrules, about sale prices really just bring me back to some of the other stuff already mentioned in this thread.

If you want to sell a card, or cards, put your asking price out. I'm all for putting an asking price that's a little higher than what you actually would accept for the card. That will give you a little wiggle room if someone is interested, but feels like they have to negotiate.

I do agree though, people asking for lower prices.... I don't understand what the expectations actually are. If someone says they'll sell a card for $60, delivered..... and it sells regularly on eBay for $55-$65..... well, that's probably a fair price. If they've got 3 or 4 cards you want to buy, maybe trying to get a bulk discount price is the way to go (I've done it on here. You want $35 each for two cards I'm interested in, so I offer you $60 for both).

I would say this: At the end of the day..... if you want $50 for your card, and that's a firm asking price.... keep it firm. If someone PMs you and says "I really want that card for my PC, but I can only pay $40" then just keep it. Don't take it as an insult that they're trying to get it for less than you're asking for..... but they shouldn't take it as an insult when you say "I'm sorry, but the $50 price is firm. I can't go lower than that".

Fire sales..... it's the reality of things. If I can buy a mid-level jersey card (non-number, of a common-to-mid level player) for $1.00 on eBay...... people are going to have a hard to time selling it for anymore than that here. I've purchased a few lots from people, over the last several months, when the messages were something like "trying to clear out my bucket, take any 5 jersey cards for $12 delivered". Am I getting anything great? No.... probably not. But I'm probably finding 2 or 3 that I really do want, and then a couple of toss into the deal to get up to the 5. These are cards that would all likely be in a $2.00 bin @ a card show anyway.

Also, getting rid of stuff you don't want can be tough. The same reason you want to get rid of it, is the reason why other people probably ain't really keen on acquiring it. I had a TON of 08-09 Upper Deck base kicking around, a Series 1 & 2 mix. I posted a message saying anyone who wanted it could have it (500ish cards, anyway) if they sent me $10 paypal to cover the shipping costs. It only took a day to find someone who wanted it, at that price. If I'd even been trying to sell it for 10% of BV, plus shipping costs.... I'd probably still have it in my possession. Could I have got $15 for it? Maybe. But I just wanted it gone. Shipping actually came out to something like $10.96 CAN.... and I got $10 USD to cover it. A 550 count box is worth another 75 cents (roughly) and the gas I burned taking it to the post office...... I was probably VERY close with my $10 USD request. What else was I going to do with all of those base cards?

It also depends on how you acquired the cards. I know I sometimes purchase lots, because of one card I want. I'll use last year's OPC Premier as an example. I was looking for a Ranford / Fuhr Premier Pairings (dual Auto / Jersey..... #/50). The design on these cards was beautiful. The prices on eBay are still high, to this day. I couldn't get the card I wanted for anything less than $35 on eBay.... and that's more than I wanted to pay for it. I ended up buying a lot of 4 of them for $45. I got my Ranford / Fuhr.... plus a Slaming / Lidstrom, Tanguay / Gagne, and Morrison / Kessler. What did I do next? I stuck the Tanguar / Gagne, and the Morrison / Kessler back up... as a two card lot on eBay. Sold them for around $20. Is that fire sale prices? I don't know. I see a Morrison / Kessler with a BIT for $30..... but hey, I got what the Market dictated for the pair, and now I got my card (the Ranford / Fuhr) for $25 (what I wanted to pay for it, in the first place) and I've got a cool Salming / Lidstrom for my troubles.

I 100% agree though, when you talk about the money people sometimes spend. You do see a lot of messages titled "Need Paypal ASAP! Everything in Bucket for sale, even PC!". I'd like to think that this is because a card has come up for auction, that the user REALLY wants to get. I do wonder if it's often a case of "hmmmm, just bought a $100 card, and I've only got access to $40 in my paypal account. I need to raise $60 REALLY fast". Everyone should know what they can afford to spend, and stick within it.

Have I ever crossed that line? Yeah.... you bet I have.... several hard-to-find Ranford come up for auction all at one, and rather than picking an choosing, I've just gone for them all, wracked up credit card bills, and payed for them later. I've also missed out on a lot of 1-of-1s simply because the auction prices got too high for me.

[LT21Titans27]

^^Ive just gotten back into the hobby, and its tough for me to say no to a card when I want it, so Ive been gulity of racking up some credit, not that my gfs bday and my bills are coming around all at the same time too but I should have played it better, that said, I have to learn how to make deals on selling, Ive started one or two threads where I put what I want out there, and tell them to make an offer theyre comfortable with, but Ive got no buyers, idk if its because Im reasonably new or whaat, but its not like all these cards are bargan bin cards at a show, most are top teir players, decent swatches and autos, idk maybe like others have said in the current economy not as many are willing to buy right now

[Nashrules]

Oh, I agree, I have absolutely been guilty in the past of spending more than I could afford, and wound up having to sell fast and cheap. Thats the reason I'm hoping my message gets through to some people (I would never name them, but I can think of 3 specifically) who are constantly "on the hustle" to move the break they just did, in order to get the next, and theyve clearly crossed a threshold they should never have crossed.

The other thing that I hope eventually gets to those people is the feeling in your gut you get when you've just sold a mass of cards for way less than you should have gotten. I won't EVER let that happen to me again. I know there are times (sudden unemployment, health issues) where anyone could be stuck in that situation. Thats why I have money I keep that i dont use for cards under any circumstances.

The devaluation of cards is as much from the "get the next new thing" as it is from ebay. I'd blame the card companies too, but thats a different thread.

30ranfordfan - I completely get you about the commons. And in my mind, thats different. Boxes of cards that essentially have no value except at card shows in the .10 bin don't mean anything to the hobby in terms of value lost. It's the people selling cards that eBay for $25 for $10 here because they dont want to wait for auction sales to end.

Also, the point someone made about team bags. As soon as someone starts buying my team bags for me, I'll start using them. Until then, I can do 300 cards or more on a single roll of $.99 tape. I dont go tape crazy. 1 piece does the trick.

[30ranfordfan]

You're right, of course. It matters very little what set you're talking about. Look at Upper Deck Young Guns. When they were brand new, people were paying fairly decent money for even the commons. It's already easy to find common YGs selling for $2.00 or less now. They may get listed in the price guides as being worth $5 or $8, or whatever... but those sale prices don't last much more than a couple of months.

Go on eBay, and look for 05-06 Young Guns. I'll be you can get a lot of 20-30 'common' rookies for $20 or less. I'm as guilty as the next one (I've got a near set of 08-09 Upper Deck that says so) but "what's new" is what people want. Rookies were short printed, with the assumption that it would drive the value of the cards up.... and in turn, Upper Deck (or other manufacturers) would be able to get more for their product. The products cost more than they used to..... but I don't see the long term values being any higher.... except at the top end of the scale (though, I guess that is something good).

Really, does it matter to much to anyone that they can sell their 05-06 YG of Jordan Sigalet for $1, instead of $0.25 ?? Obviously the short printing of YGs has vaulted the Crosby YG to $250 instead of being a $30 card, but the amount of cards that actually gain (and retain) that much REAL value are few and far between.

The devaluation of cards is as much from the "get the next new thing" as it is from ebay. I'd blame the card companies too, but thats a different thread.

[gregmal05]

I buy on credit all the time. I do not really think it is wrong, because it is just another way of doing business. There was a time when there was no such thing as money. People just bartered and exchanged goods of similar value. If I see a great deal on a card whether it is $30 or $1200, why not buy it? If I am certain I am getting a good deal on it, and know I could easily get rid of it for around what I paid for it, then that is fine by me. Now, I am not saying I do this to make money at all, but what I am saying is that if I see a PC card I really want, why not buy it? Worst possible case scenario, I can sell it and get my money back. This is where not overspending is big. There is a fine line between spending carelessly, and buying at a good price. If I see a Stamkos Ice Premieres for $150, I will buy it every time because previous cards /99 from other years have held value well, especially the top rookies. However, paying $100 for a Stamkos Spx rookie is silly because previous years top rookies with proven track records have usually sold for less than that.