Best offer...pfft!

Runscott · #1 03-24-2014, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t206hof

I will go ahead and further say I believe everything should be started for either .99 or 9.99 and let fly. I am aware that this will bring shilling more to the front but I for one only put in what I am comfortable paying.

With such a rule, you will no longer have any legitimate vintage card sellers on ebay. I know this is lost on many buyers, but unless sellers make a profit, they move to another venue or go broke.

bobbyw8469 · #2 03-24-2014, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Runscott

With such a rule, you will no longer have any legitimate vintage card sellers on ebay. I know this is lost on many buyers, but unless sellers make a profit, they move to another venue or go broke.

100% agree. If I buy a card for $100 (and VCP average is $140), put it on Ebay for .99 cents and after a whopping 10 day auction, see the $100 card sell for $52.50, then I won't be in business for long. Alot of the buyers aren't supporting the true 99 cent auctions. They seem to support Probstein and PWCC but hardly anyone else. I am afraid that is what is happening on Ebay right now. That is why only Probstein and PWCC survive, and everyone else is running BIN's. Not too many people can afford to lose alot of money per pop. I can for a little while, because I write off all my purchases on my taxes. Still, noone wants to see a $200 item at $40 with 12 hours to go.

Runscott · #3 03-24-2014, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

100% agree. If I buy a card for $100 (and VCP average is $140), put it on Ebay for .99 cents and after a whopping 10 day auction, see the $100 card sell for $52.50, then I won't be in business for long. Alot of the buyers aren't supporting the true 99 cent auctions. They seem to support Probstein and PWCC but hardly anyone else. I am afraid that is what is happening on Ebay right now. That is why only Probstein and PWCC survive, and everyone else is running BIN's. Not too many people can afford to lose alot of money per pop. I can for a little while, because I write off all my purchases on my taxes. Still, noone wants to see a $200 item at $40 with 12 hours to go.

Also, I haven't seen where anyone has discussed Probstein and PWWCC's consignment fees. Probstein offers consignment fees that are so low that if I were do do so, I would take a loss on every single card. He is getting a great deal from ebay, that the smaller sellers cannot get (I did the math - I'm right about this one).

pbspelly · #4 03-25-2014, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

100% agree. If I buy a card for $100 (and VCP average is $140), put it on Ebay for .99 cents and after a whopping 10 day auction, see the $100 card sell for $52.50, then I won't be in business for long. Alot of the buyers aren't supporting the true 99 cent auctions. They seem to support Probstein and PWCC but hardly anyone else. I am afraid that is what is happening on Ebay right now.

I don't quite understand this. If the VCP average is $140 and you put it on eBay for .99 cents, why would it sell for $52.50? Wouldn't other knowledgeable dealers, such as those on this forum who know the true value of the card, bid it up to at least $100 or more? Economists will tell you that the value of something is what other people are willing to pay for it. Considering the relatively wide exposure a listing gets on eBay, why isn't the eBay auction sales price the true value?

I am not saying this in order to criticize you, or say that you must have overpaid or should accept the low eBay price. I'm just curious about why the price of cards sold at auction on eBay would be considerably lower than what many here think is the true market value of those cards. If that's the case, why aren't people on this forum buying them, or bidding them up closer to the perceived market value?

I know, for instance, that if I went out and bought a brand new $400 cell phone and listed it on eBay at .99 cents, it would probably sell for $375 for so. That's basically the market price minus what I would call a "risk discount," the discount a consumer would need in order to entice them to accept the risk of buying on eBay rather then from a more established retailer. I could then list another $400 cell phone and get pretty much the same price.

Any thoughts on why the market for cards on eBay is so illiquid?

bobbyw8469 · #5 03-25-2014, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbspelly

I don't quite understand this. If the VCP average is $140 and you put it on eBay for .99 cents, why would it sell for $52.50? Wouldn't other knowledgeable dealers, such as those on this forum who know the true value of the card, bid it up to at least $100 or more? Economists will tell you that the value of something is what other people are willing to pay for it. Considering the relatively wide exposure a listing gets on eBay, why isn't the eBay auction sales price the true value?

I am not saying this in order to criticize you, or say that you must have overpaid or should accept the low eBay price. I'm just curious about why the price of cards sold at auction on eBay would be considerably lower than what many here think is the true market value of those cards. If that's the case, why aren't people on this forum buying them, or bidding them up closer to the perceived market value?

I know, for instance, that if I went out and bought a brand new $400 cell phone and listed it on eBay at .99 cents, it would probably sell for $375 for so. That's basically the market price minus what I would call a "risk discount," the discount a consumer would need in order to entice them to accept the risk of buying on eBay rather then from a more established retailer. I could then list another $400 cell phone and get pretty much the same price.

Any thoughts on why the market for cards on eBay is so illiquid?

I can't control the bidding. There could be a number of factors why a high value card sold for half of the VCP average selling price. People find good deals all the time, as well as people overpay all the time as well. For every card I sell at an extreme discount, some have sold for record prices. However, the scales seem to have been tipped in the "discounts" favor, as opposed to the "record-setting" prices favor.

bobbyw8469 · #6 03-25-2014, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Any thoughts on why the market for cards on eBay is so illiquid?

I wouldn't say it was illiquid. It basically depends on what you are selling. PSA sells better than SGC. A Topps card of a popular player does better than an oddball, thinly traded issue of a borderline HOFer.

Deertick · #7 03-25-2014, 04:45 PM

I have re-listed items progressively lower many, many times with few page views. My original price is usually market or lower. I have then listed at the original price for a one day BIN and sold the item within hours. Success is dependent on who is looking for what, when.

effe · #8 03-25-2014, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deertick

Success is dependent on who is looking for what, when.

Bingo

t206hof · #9 03-24-2014, 12:05 PM

Scott, that is fine let them move on. In life sometimes you have to settle, houses, cars, jobs, even women. They should come to realize you cannot always get top prices for their cards simply because They own them. Just like life they will sooner or later learn they need to settle also.

Runscott · #10 03-24-2014, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t206hof

Scott, that is fine let them move on. In life sometimes you have to settle, houses, cars, jobs, even women. They should come to realize you cannot always get top prices for their cards simply because They own them. Just like life they will sooner or later learn they need to settle also.

Most of the ones you are looking for (.99 or 9.99 starting auctions) have either moved on, or converted to BIN. I think you are missing that most us who sell, used to do so exactly the way you are asking. Again, fun is fun, but in the end we cannot take a loss and keep doing this.

Asking for people to shill in order to survive under your desired selling scenario, is not a good idea.

bn2cardz · #11 03-24-2014, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t206hof

Scott, that is fine let them move on. In life sometimes you have to settle, houses, cars, jobs, even women. They should come to realize you cannot always get top prices for their cards simply because They own them. Just like life they will sooner or later learn they need to settle also.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Runscott

Quote:

Originally Posted by t206hof

Scott, that is fine let them move on. In life sometimes you have to settle, houses, cars, jobs, even women. They should come to realize you cannot always get top prices for their cards simply because They own them. Just like life they will sooner or later learn they need to settle also.

Most of the ones you are looking for (.99 or 9.99 starting auctions) have either moved on, or converted to BIN. I think you are missing that most us who sell, used to do so exactly the way you are asking. Again, fun is fun, but in the end we cannot take a loss and keep doing this.

Asking for people to shill in order to survive under your desired selling scenario, is not a good idea.

I think he is just wants to be able to get deals that he feels that he is missing out on by people selling at straight prices.

I don't like seeing a bunch of cards priced higher than I agree with, but I don't have a problem with it anymore than seeing overpriced cards at card shops and shows.

Not everyone on ebay is there to get a quick sale anymore. There are some people that do it to show off what they have. Some people do it to supplement their webstore. Others are there to sell, but don't need the money quickly so are willing to wait for the right buyer at the right prices. The sellers that just need to sell quickly at any price do exist, but you shouldn't assume every seller on ebay is one of those sellers. Not everyone is sitting there with a "woe is me, why aren't my cards selling quicker?" attitude.

ksabet · #12 03-24-2014, 01:44 PM

It's important to remember Ebay's role in this. They have continually shifted there strategy to support a market place as opposed to an auction site. I think they falsely view Amazon as their competition where they really can't compete and should stick to auctions.

If I am not mistaken don't they take a larger cut if an item sells at BIN as opposed to auction?

edjs · #13 03-24-2014, 02:34 PM

Slightly off-topic, but why do sellers on e-bay raise the price on items that didn't sell? I have been following one item (auction only with an assigned minimum bid) for about 6 weeks or so, it was doing fine, $79, didn't sell, re-listed for $65, didn't sell, re-listed for $59, didn't sell, now I am thinking "perfect, just what I was wanting to pay for it, about $45-50!" Seller re-listed today, $79! Ugh. I don't know the fair market price (very obscure item, nothing to compare to), I only know what my budget is, and what I am willing to spend on something I like but don't really need. I just don't understand why after lowering the price twice and not selling, then raising the price back up. Can anyone explain this? I understand when sellers re-list at the same price, but why raise a price on something that didn't sell?

bobbyw8469 · #14 03-24-2014, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edjs

Slightly off-topic, but why do sellers on e-bay raise the price on items that didn't sell? I have been following one item (auction only with an assigned minimum bid) for about 6 weeks or so, it was doing fine, $79, didn't sell, re-listed for $65, didn't sell, re-listed for $59, didn't sell, now I am thinking "perfect, just what I was wanting to pay for it, about $45-50!" Seller re-listed today, $79! Ugh. I don't know the fair market price (very obscure item, nothing to compare to), I only know what my budget is, and what I am willing to spend on something I like but don't really need. I just don't understand why after lowering the price twice and not selling, then raising the price back up. Can anyone explain this? I understand when sellers re-list at the same price, but why raise a price on something that didn't sell?

$59 might have been the lowest sale point that he is willing to sell and still eek out a profit. No seller wants to break even. Apparently, his break even price is your "BUY" price.

glchen · #15 03-24-2014, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edjs

Slightly off-topic, but why do sellers on e-bay raise the price on items that didn't sell? I have been following one item (auction only with an assigned minimum bid) for about 6 weeks or so, it was doing fine, $79, didn't sell, re-listed for $65, didn't sell, re-listed for $59, didn't sell, now I am thinking "perfect, just what I was wanting to pay for it, about $45-50!" Seller re-listed today, $79! Ugh. I don't know the fair market price (very obscure item, nothing to compare to), I only know what my budget is, and what I am willing to spend on something I like but don't really need. I just don't understand why after lowering the price twice and not selling, then raising the price back up. Can anyone explain this? I understand when sellers re-list at the same price, but why raise a price on something that didn't sell?

There are a bunch of different reasons why a seller might raise prices on items that didn't sell. I wouldn't know the specifics for this case, but here are a few possible answers:

(1) Even though this card didn't sell, the seller believes the price for this card is going up. For example, the seller lists this card for sale for $50. It doesn't sell. However, at the same time, this same card in the same condition sells for $60 from another seller like PWCC or Probstein123. Seeing this, the seller raises his price to $60 to match what it recently sold for.

(2) The seller is raising the price so that he can lower it again later. The card price has gone from $70 to $50, but hasn't sold. Rather than drop it to $40, the seller raises it back to $70. Since potential buyers have seen that the card is not going to drop below $50, when the seller lowers the price in the future, the buyer will just grab it at $50.

(3) The seller is pushing for an off-ebay deal. Similar to the last one, the seller has already hinted at what his lowest price is. He has raised the price back up. If you want that lower price, or even lower, contact the seller for an off-ebay transaction.

(4) The seller no longer needs the money. Sometimes, ebay sellers need cash immediately, whether it is to pay off a large purchase they made personally or for the business. They slash the prices on a lot of their ebay inventory, even selling cards for a loss or below what they would usually accept in order to raise cash. However, once they have raised enough funds, they can bring the prices back to their original price.

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