Deans cards

[IgnatiusJReilly]

Anyone know if the folks at deans cards will negotiate? They seem to have high eBay prices compared to comps but they have a card I would really like. Any info would be helpful.


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[MikeF34]

Their prices are ridiculous

[Directly]

A few years ago I was in the market to purchase a T205 Cobb and contacted them by phone concerning one listed on their website.

Their price was discounted a little versus their Ebay asking price, they were firm on the advertised price.

I suppose you could contact them to try to negotiate if desired. ( You might try posting on the Buy/Sell section on this site)

[Phil68]

I've tried and failed, but I would guess it depends on the card in question.
Website prices are typically better because there are no eBay fees.

[iowadoc77]

They have told me prices are not negotiable.

[cardsagain74]

I guess there's no need to negotiate when some people will pay you 5 to 10 bucks for a 1970 Topps common in VG-EX. Their sold listings make me question the rate of evolution on this planet lately.

If it's an item you can't find anywhere else, then you could at least understand an impatient buyer giving in. But that's usually not the case.

[trambo]

They don’t deal at all. I tried once but Dean told me not a chance. He wasn’t mean about it, though.

That said, I have bought some things from him and while they were all on the high to very high side of value, their customer service is really good! Plus if you buy enough from their website, the prices are just moderately insane!!

[toledo_mudhen]

Deans is the only seller that I have blocked in my eBay searches and I've been doin eBay since 1996....

Just my 2 cents worth

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by trambo

They don’t deal at all. I tried once but Dean told me not a chance.

Was he Frank with you?


I actually bought a card he had listed, and he refused to ship it. It ended up Being the only card hes ever auctioned.

[buymycards]

1960 Topps - [Base] #451 - Curt Simmons [MINT]
$100,000.25
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Standard Shipping Only

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Owner: DeansCards Item: 75507341
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1960 Topps - [Base] #451 - Curt Simmons [MINT]
$100,000.25
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Make Offer
Owner: DeansCards Item: 75507455
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These are currently listed on COMC by Deans. They are listed as Mint, but they look more like VG. I wonder if they are accepting offers?

[japhi]

Allow me to be the outlier here but I respect his model. He understands that there is a cost to buy, scan, store, sell, pack and ship and card and it’s more then what most sellers charge. There are a lot of guys doing this as a hobby and probably making just enough to fuel collection purchases. Good on him for making money in a business most struggle to make money in.

[japhi]

Also, people complain about his prices but if these cards are so easy to get for much cheaper elsewhere whats the problem? I’ve bought from him because I haven’t been able to find reliable online sellers. So paid a premium I guess, but was the best option for what I was looking for at that moment. That is obviously his marketing strategy....he knows that unless you have access to card shows or a great local dealer, its not that easy for set builders to find a stack of cards they need

[trambo]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Was he Frank with you?


I actually bought a card he had listed, and he refused to ship it. It ended up Being the only card hes ever auctioned.

I think he was Dean trying to be frank with me. Then again, it may have been Frank trying to impersonate Dean. I'm not really sure...

[wondo]

Dean's pricing includes a predetermined discount available on its website dependent upon the dollar amount. I bought a Fatima team card from them that I had difficulty finding on the marketplace. It was the only one available in a six-month period - I finally relented. Pleasant on the phone, quick service, good packaging. nice card.

My take is that Dean's can be useful if it's a hard to get item, but not the commodty type cards.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by wondo

Dean's pricing includes a predetermined discount available on its website dependent upon the dollar amount. I bought a Fatima team card from them that I had difficulty finding on the marketplace. It was the only one available in a six-month period - I finally relented. Pleasant on the phone, quick service, good packaging. nice card.

My take is that Dean's can be useful if it's a hard to get item, but not the commodty type cards.

+1 .....The one or two things I have bought from them were discounted something like 10%-20% on their own website vs ebay. And i called them and they said that was their standard rate. Not sure lately as this was a few years ago. Good service but kind of high asking prices on most things. But they do have a lot of good stuff.

[Case12]

Millcreek Sports seems to do this too.

[Fuddjcal]

The thing I always like about Dean's is that his prices are exactly DOUBLE that the actual "Value" of the card so I used to like to look a t his stuff and divide it in 2 so I know how much to pay.

That said, profit is not a dirty word and if he wants to double his prices, as a broker, that's fine with me.

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by wondo

My take is that Dean's can be useful if it's a hard to get item, but not the commodty type cards.

Bingo! I collect obscure and mostly unknown printing flaw cards, and Dean's Cards has been a treasure trove over the years but you really have to search for them. Their high quality scans of the fronts and the backs are very useful. I would not have any of these printing flaw cards minus the 63 Sadowski and the 80 Niekro if not for Dean's. All of the cards other than the 73 Reuss are partially missing the final black ink coating. I agree it is ridiculous to pay their prices for regular cards that you can find on eBay in the same condition for much less.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Case12

Millcreek Sports seems to do this too.

I like Millcreek Sports. I live in Washington State, where they are located. I live in a city with no LCS. I trust them because of service and authenticity. They get access to public signings for the Mariners and Seahawks. And they offer a large supply of hall of fame players. I only buy autographs through them, but they do have good discount sales once or twice a year. So if you have an eye on an item, and you can wait, you get a better deal.

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[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Fuddjcal

That said, profit is not a dirty word and if he wants to double his prices, as a broker, that's fine with me.

This might be the first time I have ever agreed with Fuddjcal; maybe bc it’s the first thread I have read where he sounds lucid and not like a raving mad lunatic. But I agree that profit is not a dirty word and Dean is free to set his prices at whatever he wants. (Meanwhile, is there actually a Dean?).

I have never bought from Dean, and I expect I never will given his silly high prices. But then again, almost every card listed on eBay for the past two years is listed at a stupid high price, making eBay a nice app to look at but a non-existant buying option for me.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

I’m thinking of buying a Goudey Ruth from them, but I’m pretty nervous about the grading/trimming scandal. I might just wait for something to pop up on BST here.

The card they have is a 144 SGC 3.5 that looks really sharp. $8k seems really steep though.


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[JollyElm]

A picture is worth a thousand words...

I saw this thread and decided to do a random search for a card. All of my ebay searches have "-dean" in them, so I had to first eliminate that. Then I decided on "1972 Rod Carew PSA 7," and hit search to find these two cards at the very top of the page, one right after the other...

deanscarew.jpg

(And here's where the contrarians will chime in to say something like, "Well, Dean's card looks nicer for the grade." Whatever. But, you can see that the cards here are very similar to each other with that same tilted layout, and Dean-o's is hugging that left border.)


So, I said what the heck and did another search, this time for "1970 Hank Aaron PSA 6," and gee willikers, what did I find?...

deansaaron.jpg

(I won't even mention that the Dean's card is most definitely a trim job, as it appears to be the 'after' picture in a Weight Watchers ad. Look how much cardboard is missing from the left side. You can practically fit another card inside the holder. This probably accounts for the Deaner's 'lower than usual' price.)

These are two random searches off the top of my head, so I didn't even try to find egregious examples of his BS. If I did, my God the things I would see!!! It doesn't matter what card you search for, you will always get the exact same result. Hey, capitalism is great. You wanna pay his laughable prices? Go for it.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by japhi

Also, people complain about his prices but if these cards are so easy to get for much cheaper elsewhere whats the problem? I’ve bought from him because I haven’t been able to find reliable online sellers. So paid a premium I guess, but was the best option for what I was looking for at that moment. That is obviously his marketing strategy....he knows that unless you have access to card shows or a great local dealer, its not that easy for set builders to find a stack of cards they need

This is exactly the opposite of what I've found since I got back into the hobby recently I don't know if this is the case with pre-WW2 material (since I'm only into late '40s-mid 70s stuff), but I've filled sets and gotten whatever else I needed from various dealers and auction houses of all sizes on ebay, and reliability and customer service has never been an issue. Most of these people also "buy, scan, store, sell, and pack, etc" too. If you look into a seller's ratings/buyer comments, their merchandise, and how they present things, it's not that tough to see who to avoid. And there usually isn't a problem with finding what you need at a somewhat reasonable price either (especially with auctions). The big houses are always breaking all kinds of sets of various grades.

But, to each his own. And as far as Dean's business model, he's obviously free to do whatever works. But I just don't see eye to eye with anyone who makes his living off of knowingly charging people much, much more than something is worth for merchandise (partly the guise of "customer service" making up the difference, because it doesn't). There is also an element of taking advantage of those who are vastly overpaying but don't realize it.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

This might be the first time I have ever agreed with Fuddjcal; maybe bc it’s the first thread I have read where he sounds lucid and not like a raving mad lunatic. But I agree that profit is not a dirty word and Dean is free to set his prices at whatever he wants. (Meanwhile, is there actually a Dean?).

I have never bought from Dean, and I expect I never will given his silly high prices. But then again, almost every card listed on eBay for the past two years is listed at a stupid high price, making eBay a nice app to look at but a non-existant buying option for me.

That Fudd, what an actor. It's just that he's really pissed off about the trimming PSA scam that everyone has fallen victim to. He is the passionate & funny voice of reason when others don't want to hear the truth...

And, I have one of your Hotchkiss Total Vehicle Suspensions on my Resto Mod Fake 76 Trans Am, so I am a raving fan.

[Phil68]

Originally Posted by toledo_mudhen

Deans is the only seller that I have blocked in my eBay searches and I've been doin eBay since 1996....

Just my 2 cents worth

Interesting. I have nothing AGAINST Dean's, but I have only blocked two sellers on eBay and he's one (sportscards-forver, the other). Basically, there are so many cards--and the majority are so expensive that it clutters things a bit as I search.
Both sellers have nice material and present them well.

[Stampsfan]

My take has always been the owner can ask whatever he/she wants, and the buyer can choose to spend their money anywhere they choose. Getting mad about it is silly.

I’ve seen people at card shows on both sides of the table get upset at either low offers or high prices. If a buyer makes a low offer, the seller has the right to say no. If a seller has high prices, the buyer has a right to not purchase. It’s business, and nothing more. No need to be offended.

[ALR-bishop]

Useful site if you need to see a good scan of the back of a card as Cliff noted above ( same for COMC)

He does exist, and I personally found Hadley's book The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Topps and Bowman sets 1948 -1955 an interesting read

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

My take has always been the owner can ask whatever he/she wants, and the buyer can choose to spend their money anywhere they choose. Getting mad about it is silly.

I’ve seen people at card shows on both sides of the table get upset at either low offers or high prices. If a buyer makes a low offer, the seller has the right to say no. If a seller has high prices, the buyer has a right to not purchase. It’s business, and nothing more. No need to be offended.

It's not that black and white. If someone offers $10 for a $50 card at a show, the person receiving the offer might perceive it as "does this person think I'm that clueless about this card's worth?", or see it as someone trying to pull one over on them.

While there's no point in getting upset or taking offense, it's easy to see how someone could.

[BobbyVCP]

As long as there are people out there willing to pay his prices he will not change his format. I am sure if he had no sales for a few months he might reconsider his business plan.

[CurtisFlood]

Originally Posted by buymycards

1960 Topps - [Base] #451 - Curt Simmons [MINT]
$100,000.25
Item Stored Remotely
Standard Shipping Only

Add to Cart
Buy Now
Make Offer
Owner: DeansCards Item: 75507341
Add to Watch List
1960 Topps - [Base] #451 - Curt Simmons [MINT]
$100,000.25
Item Stored Remotely
Standard Shipping Only

Add to Cart
Buy Now
Make Offer
Owner: DeansCards Item: 75507455
Add to Watch List

These are currently listed on COMC by Deans. They are listed as Mint, but they look more like VG. I wonder if they are accepting offers?

Well, that Simmons card is hard to find centered.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

My take has always been the owner can ask whatever he/she wants, and the buyer can choose to spend their money anywhere they choose. Getting mad about it is silly.

I’ve seen people at card shows on both sides of the table get upset at either low offers or high prices. If a buyer makes a low offer, the seller has the right to say no. If a seller has high prices, the buyer has a right to not purchase. It’s business, and nothing more. No need to be offended.

Couldn't agree more. I never understood "Their offer was insulting" Your ugly and your mother dresses you funny is an insult. An offer is a number. Never been insulted by a number.

[cammb]

I am not a fan o Dean's Cards but posting his prices versus others is a no no. It is like you selling a card on this site and others knocking you because of the price.

[jchcollins]

I don’t have a problem with his model, I just struggle to see how he stays in business. I can’t imagine paying 2/3 of what he asks in most cases for cards I want that I see on his site.


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[bnorth]

I would buy from Dean's before I bought anything from PWCC, Probstein, and many others.

I would love to hear Peter and Franks opinion on this subject.

[cardsnstuff]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I don’t have a problem with his model, I just struggle to see how he stays in business. I can’t imagine paying 2/3 of what he asks in most cases for cards I want that I see on his site.


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This is what I can never figure out; if you check their feedback they sell thousands of cards every month. I am happy for them, I just can't figure it out, I imagine they have a strong customer base; they did buy a card off me once, probably to fill an order and then flipped per ebay solds for like 50% more.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I don’t have a problem with his model, I just struggle to see how he stays in business. I can’t imagine paying 2/3 of what he asks in most cases for cards I want that I see on his site.


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When you google most cards or sets, Dean's comes up first. Between that and all the positive ratings and the "bigger is probably safer" assumption about businesses, I imagine that a lot of people simply google, look, and pay.

Many of them probably don't know the first thing about cards or collectibles otherwise (or don't want to bother with learning how to use ebay or other steps to compare prices).

[Promethius88]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

This might be the first time I have ever agreed with Fuddjcal; maybe bc it’s the first thread I have read where he sounds lucid and not like a raving mad lunatic. But I agree that profit is not a dirty word and Dean is free to set his prices at whatever he wants. (Meanwhile, is there actually a Dean?).

I have never bought from Dean, and I expect I never will given his silly high prices. But then again, almost every card listed on eBay for the past two years is listed at a stupid high price, making eBay a nice app to look at but a non-existant buying option for me.

This is probably the best part about this entire post!!!

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

Bingo! I collect obscure and mostly unknown printing flaw cards, and Dean's Cards has been a treasure trove over the years but you really have to search for them. Their high quality scans of the fronts and the backs are very useful. I would not have any of these printing flaw cards minus the 63 Sadowski and the 80 Niekro if not for Dean's. All of the cards other than the 73 Reuss are partially missing the final black ink coating. I agree it is ridiculous to pay their prices for regular cards that you can find on eBay in the same condition for much less.

That's interesting, finding nuances because of their vast inventory and high quality scans.