Question about Ebay "Buy It Now or Best Offer" etiquette

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by GoSoxBoSox

Agreed, that can be the case.

I have a few cards listed at very high prices as compared to their last sales prices simply because I had bought them when the market was higher and I only want to sell them if I get my money back. There aren't a lot of these cards listed and some collector might be willing to pay my price in order to snag the card regardless of the last sales price. I frankly think the last sales price for many cards is worthless and people put too much into VCP. Common T206s are different for sure because they are common cards.

Tom,

I understand what you are saying. If you can get your $ back fine, if you can't you will sit on it for awhile. I have been told many times when I have made an offer on a card, "I have more than that in it." To me that's irrelevant if you want to sell it to me. Your example also says a "few" cards not a few hundred for several months/years, etc.

[GoSoxBoSox]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

I have been told many times when I have made an offer on a card, "I have more than that in it." To me that's irrelevant if you want to sell it to me.

I hear ya.

Us sellers are just telling you why we can't drop the price. I guess I would rather explain why I can't drop the price rather than just answer "No". I actually like to put an autodecline in at the level at which I won't go below so that I don't have to say anything.

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by GoSoxBoSox

I hear ya.

Us sellers are just telling you why we can't drop the price. I guess I would rather explain why I can't drop the price rather than just answer "No". I actually like to put an autodecline in at the level at which I won't go below so that I don't have to say anything.

Tom,
I hear you too. When I swap it kills me to get less than I have in something in value but I have done it.

[GoSoxBoSox]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Tom,
I hear you too. When I swap it kills me to get less than I have in something in value but I have done it.

We all do, Jeff. However, there is surely a limit to how much one will leave on the table. I think we would all agree to that and that thinking is the basis for many prices that might seem high in a given market. Not all, but many.

[teetwoohsix]

Thanks Anthony. That sounds about right-I appreciate your response.

Sincerely,Clayton

[Doug]

I'm not a dealer trying to make a profit so if I want to sell a card I normally just list it with the BIN set at whatever I paid for it so I can break even and take the guesswork out of the process. Pretty much the only time I use the best offer option is when I know I overpaid for a card and I'm trying to see if someone is willing to give me at least something close to what I have in it.

[teetwoohsix]

You may be a rarity Doug- it seems like most of the BIN's on cards I look up are usually priced 3-4X above what they are really worth.

Of course, I don't expect a seller to go through all of the trouble to make 0 off the whole thing- but when the seller will only come down 4 or 5 dollars from an outrageously high BIN, it is a turn off and I would likely look elsewhere at that point.

Clayton

[HRBAKER]

What you are really seeking is a meeting of the minds here. The fact is that many of the sellers we are talking about here are not in a position to have to sell the cards that they have listed so they can wait it out. That is good for them but it is also no reason to overpay. I have always heard that a fast deal is probably a bad deal. If you are dealing with cards that pop up with frequency (T206s with common backs, etc.), a little patience can save you a lot of money I would think. Tom's point is a good one, his initial out lay for the card is a relevant consideration for his pricing.

[Exhibitman]

Patience and rarity are key words. I waited a long time for a T206 Cobb red portrait to come up for sale at a price I liked. There are enough of them out there that I can wait. I've also BINed some cards at record prices because I know how rare they are and don't want to miss them.

I also like to test the waters on a card. I sometimes will offer a rare card at a substantial BIN. I don't need or want to sell it so I can set my price and sit back if it doesn't sell. The whole "market price" thing is just silly for cards like that, and more often than not I get offers that get the card sold. Given that, I do understand the model of certain "overpriced" sellers who have a large Ebay inventory of high demand cards--if you want it now you will pay for it now at their price. If not, go find it elsewhere. It must work for them since they remain in business.

One thing that I don't like with Ebay Best Offer is that it caps the number of best offers you can make. I've been capped out a couple of times on an item and I know I'd prefer unlimited offers on my cards. As long as I have the automatic rejection mode set, let the buyers "bid" against my reserve. I think Ebay should abolish any limits on the frequency of Best Offers if the seller has an automatic rejection or an automatic acceptance level. It would make for more sales, hence more revenue for everyone, if bidders could bid against themselves.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by teetwoohsix

You may be a rarity Doug- it seems like most of the BIN's on cards I look up are usually priced 3-4X above what they are really worth.

Of course, I don't expect a seller to go through all of the trouble to make 0 off the whole thing- but when the seller will only come down 4 or 5 dollars from an outrageously high BIN, it is a turn off and I would likely look elsewhere at that point.

Clayton

I'm not really sure if I'm a rarity, I'm just not a dealer that needs to make a profit for a living. I just mess around with cards for fun so as long as I can break even I'm happy.

[GoSoxBoSox]

Originally Posted by Doug

I'm not a dealer trying to make a profit so if I want to sell a card I normally just list it with the BIN set at whatever I paid for it so I can break even and take the guesswork out of the process. Pretty much the only time I use the best offer option is when I know I overpaid for a card and I'm trying to see if someone is willing to give me at least something close to what I have in it.

That explains most of my listings well, Doug. Unfortunately, the market is wayyyy down.

[iggyman]

Originally Posted by GoSoxBoSox

That explains most of my listings well, Doug. Unfortunately, the market is wayyyy down.

A little part of the reason why the "market is way down" might just be because buy-it-now's, best offers, or the straight "For Sale" sign do not really work for collectibles. At least, not if you are trying to quickly move cards while maximizing positive cash flow. Nothing gets the juices flowing bids going like an old fashion auction (starting at .99 cents with highest bidder being declared "the intercontinental champion"). Too bad the current eBay management doesn't see that.

Lovely Day...

[GoSoxBoSox]

I think some are a little unfair at judging peoples seemingly high prices. You have no idea why some prices are so high so you shouldn't assume it's about profit. In many cases prices that are x3-4 market value on eBay is strictly because the market value has changed drastically in the last 2 years.

For example, in December of 2008 I won an 1887 N175 Ezra Sutton in PSA 2MK condition in an eBay auction (not a BIN purchase).

I listed it on eBay about 6 months ago at $950 with an autodecline for anything less than $900. When you figure that I have to pay eBay and paypal fee's I would lose money at $900 if it sold. No big deal though. The highest bid I got was $525. So I bet in that case people must have thought my price was ridiculous. Was it? This same story can be true for any card listed on eBat. Not just the rare cards.

Most of my BINs are the same story. Not all of them, but many of them. The market is way down so many prices on eBay that seem high reflect the same issue. Plus, you need to sell a card for ~15% more than you bought it for just to break even and VCP doesn't show that.

The shame of it all is that anyone in this position on a card may not ever recoup their investment.

[cozmokramer]

Its common for me to make offers of about 50% of the BIN price.

Believe it or not its accepted quite often. That means sellers are way overpriced and they know it.