Interesting discussion. Now that ebay has dropped ebay bucks completely, I find myself shopping there less. I was already perturbed when they lowered the percentage. But I digress.
For me, when the listed price is just stupidly above market value, I won't even bother making an offer. Because what's the point? In cases like that, I assume that the seller has no intention of selling unless some clueless buyer comes along and overpays. For all collectables, not just cards, I find that many sellers tend to do this. I think they're trying to influence the market. As in if people see the high asking price, they'll assume the item is worth more than the actual market value and the market for the item will go up. Surely, this has actually happened in some cases.
I generally prefer buying from forums, as it's easier to develop relationships that way. I do find it annoying when guys post ebay prices on forums though. They want to get the full ebay value without paying the fees. It's understandable from their perspecive, but if I'm going to pay ebay prices, I'll do so on ebay or at a brick and mortar shop. That way I'll get some buyer protection/piece of mind.
Also, as has been mentioned somewhat, when I see an item on ebay that I like (generally with pricier items), I often check if the seller sells outside of ebay. Many ebay sellers have online stores that they sell on for a bit cheaper than their Ebay price. And some guys who sell a lot here on net54 do the same thing. Posted on ebay, but also here for a bit cheaper. It's smart to ask the seller or at least check around the net a bit before pulling the trigger on the full ebay price.
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