Out of Touch

[Brent G.]

I think we're in the midst of another buying frenzy similar to 2020-21. Like then, people are spending more time (and money) in the hobby to avoid looking at the god-awful world outside ... I know I am. There's also an increasing number of educated buyers going after the best of the best. What's different this time is this isn't propped up by free money from the U.S. government.

[Kutcher55]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

I think we're in the midst of another buying frenzy similar to 2020-21. Like then, people are spending more time (and money) in the hobby to avoid looking at the god-awful world outside ... I know I am. There's also an increasing number of educated buyers going after the best of the best. What's different this time is this isn't propped up by free money from the U.S. government.

Yep I concur.

[brunswickreeves]

There’s definitely been a fascinating shift in buying and selling since Covid. I’ve dialed in my PC focus to keep resources and time laser focused. I’m also increasing time and energy on maximizing my own core competencies to create the economics possible for the cards I love. Reason being is that:

eBay: Buyers have more competition than ever to win under radar auctions, thus driving up prices. Buyers are also facing elevated prices for BIN items, given a proliferation of business sellers maximizing profit, vs individual sellers less knowable about their collection’s value or happy to sell for some profit and to a help a collector fulfill a mission. Thus non professional buyer’s flipping of cards may be less profitable and require significantly more time on the platform to find and snag gems.

eBay: Sellers pay higher fees (unless registering as a storefront), pay tax in some cases, and have to wait sometimes weeks after a sale for money to hit their bank, after their sold card meanders down the new eBay authentication path and then gets repackaged and sent to the buyer.

AH: More total number of auctions each year drive increasing costs of iconic cards (eg 52 Topps Mantle or CJ Jackson). Greater competition of more ‘investors’ and ‘speculators’ also drives up prices, sometimes even causing one to bid against themselves. Sellers are also turning more to AHs to maximize their card’s exposure and profit, reducing availability on eBay.

Seller websites, FB, IG: Growing presence on social media may be rising card prices through greater awareness, being part of a collector group, and FOMA.