eBay offer etiquette

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

As much as I love cards, no one "needs" a card in the way they "need" food, shelter, etc. Many sellers, on the other hand, "need" to sell. Buyers control the purse strings, end of story. This doesn't mean that sellers are somehow powerless- it merely means card values and sales, like any extravagant collectible, start with the folks who want them (and who have the final say on whether they will buy). Some sellers shy away from the reality of this statement, which doesn't change it's ultimate accuracy. Many sellers are buyers themselves and understand the reality. The ones who don't, eventually dig holes for themselves by employing pretzel logic or "entitlement economics" while explaining their sales philosophy (you know, the guy who buys a card for $1000 and insists he "has to get" $1500 to make it worthwhile in a sale, or who expects a possible buyer to overpay for a certain card's "potential", among many examples). I can smell that greed from a mile away, and there is no clever oratory which will persuade me otherwise. Sadly, I am much more likely to run into this type of seller on ebay, thus my preference to avoid it if possible.

Trent King

That's the first time I've ever been accused of being clever

I don't think we are saying truly different things. To be clear we are focusing on BIN behavior, not auctions. I think we can both agree auctions are the best way to allow a card to price via the market and that people who pester sellers to end active auctions are genuinely annoying and are doing a disservice to everyone. I just ignore those people entirely.

The core is seller "need" versus "want." Some sellers may need to sell to put bread on the table. Other sellers do not. Some seller do not actually want to sell at all. They list cards to avoid having to pay sales taxes on their purchase by classifying the item as inventory (run it once and then you have a record to prove it) or to appease a spouse who tells them they must try to sell (true story: a member here told me that is exactly what he does, which is why his asks are so high--he wants to keep his collection and his wife), so the cards are priced not to sell. I don't need to sell; thankfully, I have a day job that puts bread on the table. I want to sell sometimes to get rid of the weeds in my collection garden or because a card has gone up to a point where I think it makes sense to take a profit or because I was fortunate enough to obtain a collection and i want to turn it out. That last one is where auctions are useful. Post 'em up and let it rip.

i completely agree that no one needs a card, which is why I find it hard to understand a collector getting all bunged up over a seller asking too much for a card. Just move along, there is likely to be another one eventually, and the hunt will probably be more satisfying than the ending:

"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."



What I object to are the bottom-feeders on eBay, who I find far more annoying as the sellers who run card museums on eBay. I forgot to turn on the automatic reject on one of my Best Offer listings over the weekend. I was peppered with offers to buy the card at 10% of the asking price, which was itself set at about 90% of the most recent sales. One person even offered the same 10% offer multiple times. I have since activated the automatic rejection function.

I also have a bone to pick with self-righteous buyers who demand discounts on the equivalent of Babe Ruth and pitch a hissy fit when I say no. If I do not need to move the card, why should I ever discount Babe Ruth? I mean, it's Babe Ruth. He's as safe a long term bet as anything can be. I have never regretted not selling a Babe Ruth card. I have always regretted selling some of them. You want me to deal on Harold Baines, sure, I get that, and I usually start those as auctions with cheap openers but not on the Babe Ruths of the world.