Posted By:
T206CollectorI completely disagree. There is no relevance is seeking more competition for ebay. The fact that there is one gigantic market place (i.e. ebay) within which there are countless buyers and sellers is what makes for the closest to ideal conditions for educated buyers and sellers to purchase and sell their cards (or anything else for that matter). It's very simple economics. At a card store or even a show, you are at the mercy of the seller. On ebay, you can pretty much get anything you want if you are willing to pay a marginal cost above what another buyer is willing to pay. Moreover, the internet is what has given PSA and SGC so much business. Sure, you can look at a scan and read what the seller says about a card, but if PSA or SGC have graded it, that's the loudest most reliable voice in the auction.
In any event, I am a big fan of BaseballVintage.com's auction, and try to support that site whenever possible. And it would be great to see more sites like it that cater to our interests. But check out this Vintage Links site:
http://www.homestead.com/runscott/VintageLinks.html
I think this shows a pretty decent proliferation of very well-run and interesting sites, including my two favorites:
http://www.oldcardboard.com/
and
http://www.t206museum.com/
You have quite a bit of information about vintage collecting on these sites, and with this board. I just cannot express how much the internet has developed my knowledge of vintage cards and enhanced my ability to collect the cards I truly want to add to my collection. I didn't have to spend money to fly to the National this week. Shipping and handling on the 18 T206 cards I bought on ebay this week was a combined $2.50, and the average price per card? About $11.00, including three Hall of Famers. Show me those prices at a show, with no traveling costs, and I'll show you true competition for ebay.