Beckett Going and Gone

[30ranfordfan]

I honestly don't know, but I would assume they must. There's no way they could ignore a site like eBay.

Using Beckett as a specific example.... their prices aren't even that out of line with eBay sales. They are with some stuff (i.e. the Hab Centennial Autographs) but for the most part.... the LO value usually nails the average eBay sale value pretty good.

Do Price Guides include eBay (and other auction) sales when setting prices? I know they get information from retailers and card shops, but I think a more accurate picture would have to include all sales.

[jagrnyr68]

I honestly don't know, but I would assume they must. There's no way they could ignore a site like eBay.

Using Beckett as a specific example.... their prices aren't even that out of line with eBay sales. They are with some stuff (i.e. the Hab Centennial Autographs) but for the most part.... the LO value usually nails the average eBay sale value pretty good.

agreed. i think patches are the only ones that don't, but there's so many different patches that it would be impossible to bring all of the sales together to nail down one value for it.

[roy.the.greatest]

I hear that complaint so much about Beckett (or any other Price Guide). I still think Beckett's decision not to list those prices is the right one.

If there are 25 copies of a card, how many sales will Beckett actually see? 10? Maybe less? They'll still put a price on that.

When you get under 25.... how can you say what a fair "list" value for a card is? You can't. It's impossible. One day the card might sell for $150, the next day it might only sell for $40. There are too many highs and lows, and not enough transaction to balance it out.

A Crosby YG, for example, let's say it sells in the range if $150 to $300. I'm sure you will find one, at sometime, that sells for only $100 or less, and there will probably be some that get $350 or even $400. There are so many transactions that fall between the $150 and $300 range that you can accuratly make those as the HI and LO values.

Then take the HG /10 on the same Crosby card. How many times have one of these been sold? I don't know the answer. What did they sell for? $5,000 ?? $2,500?? $7,500?? If one goes up for auction, and two guys get into a bidding war.... maybe the card sells for $6,000. Another goes up for auction 3 months later, and maybe it only sells for $2,000. What is the right price?

There is not enough information to set a value on low #ed cards.

A database of completed sales would be useful, I suppose. But that would take a lot of resources to compile.

I do not agree. You don't need to "see" a sale to estimate the value of a card. When someone knows the hobby, he knows what is a "steal", a fair price, or when it is overpaid whatever the print run of a card is 1, 25 or 100. It just showed the Beckett staff wasn't really aware of the hobby, a lack of experience in some hobby departments. A Hockey magazine price guide cannot be built by only 2 guys sit in an office for over 2 decades. It simply doesn't work for an accurate "guide".

[RocWells]

Ok I been buying my Beckett Hockey in my Town each Issue since 1990 plus every once in while baseball & basketball when he could get them in which was not very often

Just found out today that the General Store will not be Getting them any more he sold 6 a month in a small town ..

I now have to go to Lindsay to get one which is 20 Minutes Away

PS Tuff Stuff has not been sold around here since 1997

mike

don't they offer a subscription? and you can save %30 off the retail price or somejunk?

[30ranfordfan]

So you think Beckett should just make up prices, based on what passed hobby trends have been?

For you or me to estimate the value of a card, I agree with you. I don't need a magazine to make a good guess as to what the value of a card is. For Beckett, or anyone, to publish a 'value' for a card though.... they had better have some actual sales data to back it up. You can make a lot of assumptions.... if Lecavalier card is selling for $2, it's probably safe to say that the Joe Thornton card from the same set would be worth about $2. How much an 06-07 Limited Logos of Mike Modano sold for should have absolutely nothing to do with a price on a similar 08-09 card.

When does the estimating stop? If Cam Ward wins 60 games next year, should all his cards double in price? My guess is they wouldn't move more then 10% (and that's being generous).

The absolute worst thing that could happen is a well know magazine like Beckett publishing values of what cards "should" be worth, or what they "estimate" they'd be worth, rather than what they sell for.

I do not agree. You don't need to "see" a sale to estimate the value of a card. When someone knows the hobby, he knows what is a "steal", a fair price, or when it is overpaid whatever the print run of a card is 1, 25 or 100. It just showed the Beckett staff wasn't really aware of the hobby, a lack of experience in some hobby departments. A Hockey magazine price guide cannot be built by only 2 guys sit in an office for over 2 decades. It simply doesn't work for an accurate "guide".

[flamguinfan]

Beckett is only a guide.On some ebay auctions if you get the right bidders on the right day you may get way over Price guide value.An example of this is I had a 02-03 UD Behind the Mask Andy Moog SP jersey card that Books for 20 HI.And that day my auction ended I lucked out and had 2 people that wanted that card.It ended at a mind blowing $49.Then you may get a BV $20 card for 99 cents.There is really no set value for a card it all comes down to what someone is willing to pay for what they want.Beckett is only a GUIDE people have to remember that.It comes in handy for trading but not for selling.

[30ranfordfan]

I agree completely. You probably had two guys trying to finish a set (or were big Moog fans) and didn't want to loose. In the end someone pays 2.5x what the guide says it's worth.

My guess would be if someone else came along and tried selling the same card a week later, he might only get $10 for it.

But the point of a price guide (and you're right, heavy emphasis should be on the word 'guide') is to show what the market typically pays for a particular card. If you see 100 copies of the same card sell, and 98 of them sell for between $15 and $20..... that's probably a good place to set the values. If the other two sold for $3 and $43..... it's probably okay to ignore those sales.

That is why cards with less than a 25 print run should NOT get values in a price guide. There isn't enough market activity to fairly set a value. If you've only got a handful of recorded sales.... the price would be too dependant on any number of factors (poor details in the listing, bad scan of the card, two bidders that refuse to loose, etc, etc).

Beckett is only a guide.On some ebay auctions if you get the right bidders on the right day you may get way over Price guide value.An example of this is I had a 02-03 UD Behind the Mask Andy Moog SP jersey card that Books for 20 HI.And that day my auction ended I lucked out and had 2 people that wanted that card.It ended at a mind blowing $49.Then you may get a BV $20 card for 99 cents.There is really no set value for a card it all comes down to what someone is willing to pay for what they want.Beckett is only a GUIDE people have to remember that.It comes in handy for trading but not for selling.

[RocWells]

I think people should just use these price guides to insure their cards, thats all I use them for I have alot of vintage and low numberd stuff thats is in a safty deposit box,(will sell them when my boys start college or university in about 18yrs) I have them valued at around $25 000, now I know if I were to sell them I maybe get if I'm lucky $8000cdn, the only ones I might get BV or more is my bobby orr rookie thats in good to very good condition and my Gretzky rc thats in my opinion ex-mnt only the back has the famous factory machine off centered cut.
and remeber its just a price GUIDE, not price fact

[blindros88]

Personally, price guides mean nothing to me, except as one other person noted above, insurance. There are people that can gauge the price on SEGMENTS of the hobby, whether it be a player, set, type of memorabilia, etc., but no one can accurately price everything.

[TeamChevelle]

On cards /25 or less just tell me how many sold in the last 6 months and what was the range of pricing. If 5 sold and they ranged form $85-$105 I have a good idea what its worth. This would seem to be an easy way to put a value on these cards. Ebay would be the logical market to use but there seems to be a real resistance to use Ebay even though it by far the largest market. I would think Ebay would be happy to be in on something like this??