AH (PWCC) Reality Check Please

[Runscott]

Straight auctions on ebay generally succeed when the consignor shills his own auctions, the AH has employees who shill the auctions, or both.

I feel for you Steve, but it's a lesson all honest consignors have to learn once. Certainly the market price changes and the election night ending made it a triple-whammy for you (those two, plus your being honest).

[Luke]

Yeah, the timing wasn't great, but I was bidding in that auction and nothing that I wanted went for a bargain. I'm only talking about T206s, but the bidding seemed to be as strong as it normally is. I went big on a couple cards I really wanted and was surprised to be the under-bidder.

[PhillipAbbott79]

PWCC just lists items on Ebay. They do nothing special for you as a seller, and charge you more money on certain items than if you just listed it and shipped it yourself.

To think they reach more people listing their items in the exact same place and location as you, is absurd. People should only be using them if they are to lazy to list and ship their own items or you are willing to hire someone to do it for you, for whatever reason.

I have never seen any proof that their items generate more money for you as the seller. Not every card is created equal. Most of the time if a card brings more money...it was a nicer card than other ones in the same grade.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by PhillipAbbott79

PWCC just lists items on Ebay. They do nothing special for you as a seller, and charge you more money on certain items than if you just listed it and shipped it yourself.

To think they reach more people listing their items in the exact same place and location as you, is absurd. People should only be using them if they are to lazy to list and ship their own items or you are willing to hire someone to do it for you, for whatever reason.

I have never seen any proof that their items generate more money for you as the seller. Not every card is created equal. Most of the time if a card brings more money...it was a nicer card than other ones in the same grade.

This is incorrect. They get a ton of eyes on their auctions. You very rarely see anything falling through the cracks for crazy cheap price because so many people are watching the auction as items are ending. If I list 10 items to end on a Tuesday night, I guarantee you there are not hundreds of people watching my listings end. They have created a brand that people are loyal to. I very rarely find a bargain via PWCC but I find them elsewhere all the time.

[PhillipAbbott79]

They sell lots of items at regular list price or under every auction. Some go for more and some go for less. Just like any sale result you will find with your own listings.

[smallpaul2002]

PWCC has more followers on ebay than most others..It is highly unlikely you snag an item off a PWCC auction that is "a deal", you likely paid "market price" at the time...What a person "thinks" their item is worth and what a buyer is willing to pay are always the topic of conversation when it comes to collectables. PWCC usually has quite a few eyes focused on their items, when at auction, I think the closing time is irrelevant, if someone wants your item they will pay for it.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by smallpaul2002

PWCC has more followers on ebay than most others..It is highly unlikely you snag an item off a PWCC auction that is "a deal", you likely paid "market price" at the time...What a person "thinks" their item is worth and what a buyer is willing to pay are always the topic of conversation when it comes to collectables. PWCC usually has quite a few eyes focused on their items, when at auction, I think the closing time is irrelevant, if someone wants your item they will pay for it.

Not true at all. I don't care who you are. If you are selling items when no one is watching, they aren't going to bring high prices. Period.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by PhillipAbbott79

PWCC just lists items on Ebay. They do nothing special for you as a seller, and charge you more money on certain items than if you just listed it and shipped it yourself.

To think they reach more people listing their items in the exact same place and location as you, is absurd. People should only be using them if they are to lazy to list and ship their own items or you are willing to hire someone to do it for you, for whatever reason.

I have never seen any proof that their items generate more money for you as the seller. Not every card is created equal. Most of the time if a card brings more money...it was a nicer card than other ones in the same grade.

That is manifestly ridiculous. On major cards they blow away everyone except a few other regular and well-known ebay sellers. One can speculate as to the reasons why, and there has been plenty of discussion, but a tour of VCP confirms it without question.

[PhillipAbbott79]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

That is manifestly ridiculous. On major cards they blow away everyone except a few other regular and well-known ebay sellers. One can speculate as to the reasons why, and there has been plenty of discussion, but a tour of VCP confirms it without question.

There are auction prices all over the place that do not get recorded in VCP, and private sales.

You are entitled to that opinion. I can respect that.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by PhillipAbbott79

There are auction prices all over the place that do not get recorded in VCP, and private sales.

You are entitled to that opinion. I can respect that.

You were comparing PWCC to the option of listing and shipping yourself so VCP is certainly the relevant measure. There have been probably hundreds of threads or posts noting PWCC prices setting world records and just generally being extremely high. Sure, they don't set records on every card, but that doesn't negate the point.

[PhillipAbbott79]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

You were comparing PWCC to the option of listing and shipping yourself so VCP is certainly the relevant measure. There have been probably hundreds of threads or posts noting PWCC prices setting world records and just generally being extremely high. Sure, they don't set records on every card, but that doesn't negate the point.

You state that they get big dollars for prime time cards. I didn't qualify what I said. You qualified your statement to what I said to prove that I am wrong, instead of proving it wrong in the fashion it was made. I didn't state anything about dollars. I said they don't get any more people to view their auctions than if I listed it myself. There is no VCP for number of views. Your entire argument is bunk.

Here is one fact: you would be unable to determine what a card would sell for had you sold in the same manner but yourself, compared to what they will sell it for in identical fashion since you can't list the same card 2 times at the same time, and selling one after the other would potentially eliminate competition on the card.

Do you regularly buy a big card on ebay then consign it to PWCC for them to relist it back on ebay because the margins are so much bigger? No. Of course not. I suppose there will be no changing your opinion and I do not have any intention to do so. Again, you are entitled to it, but to say what I said is "manifestly" ridiculous is...well ridiculous.

[Snapolit1]

RunScott - thanks. I'm willing to let this thread die, having said what I needed to get off my chest, but I just wanted to add that I discovered your eBay store a month or so ago and you have extremely interesting, cool stuff. If anyone on the board hasn't checked it out and followed it you are making a huge mistake. Lots of stores are the S.O.S. Your store is really cool.
Steve

[ajquigs]

That's lousy. While it's fair to say there is a "seller beware" aspect to what happened, I agree that PWCC - which I think is a well run business - could have been more mindful and avoided clashing with a truly unique event.
I could easily see the same thing happening to me as a seller and I'm sure I wouldn't be pleased.

[bobbyw8469]

I had a card sell for peanuts because Ebay had a "glitch" and no one was able to access the auctions and see the items, much less place a bid. I lost a bit, shipped the card and moved on. The winning buyer flipped it for a tidy profit. Comes with the territory. Just forget about it and move on.