[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by BobC

No, the dealers set the prices, and many of them use every advantage, gimmick, or trick they can to make as much as possible. The idea of all boats rising with the tide to me is tied back to and has a lot to do with how price guides, like Beckett's or SCD, started proliferating everywhere in the marketplace, infusing the idea that card prices were all tied together and more or less based off what a NM version of that cards would sell for. What was it, VG was like 25%-30%, EX 50%-60%, something like that. But now these extremely high condition cards, many better than NM in a lot of cases, are being used as the new base to start figuring these condition price percentages. I never felt these very rare, high condition outliers should be used in setting the price of that same card in a lower grade, but they very often are. It isn't always the case, but I feel that kind of thinking is very pervasive in the hobby, and is exactly what the flippers and those potentially trying to manipulate the market are hoping for.

No the dealer is basing his price off what the investor is pumping/pushing it for in these auction. The dealer, he is basing his price off auctions realized sales which imo have been manipulated they’re playing musical chairs! We all see it.