OK, what's your opinion???

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Posted By: Dan Paradis

I am selling cards for a friend. He is paying me a commission to sell the cards.

My problem is that there are some cards that I am selling for him that I am interested in buying for myself.
1. I can't negotiate with him because he doesn't know the value of the cards
2. I don't want to use SMR because it is not even close to accurate for most cards (I believe it usually favors the buyer which of course is not fair to him)
3. VCP is the closest to accurate that I know of. However, as we all know it still doesn't reflect accurate prices in many cases:
A. PSA 4 sells for $xxx, you can't see the card image because it was removed from EBAY. The card sold was centered perfectly which many times costs 20-30% premium).
B. Card was sold with a major auction house which sometimes has ridiculous prices.
C. Card had a PSA qualifier not recognized by VCP
D. Card was sold by a EBAY seller with a poor rating or even a scammer
etc. etc.
4. I'm not taking the time to examine past EBAY sales

I feel the only fair way is to bid on the card through EBAY like everyone else. To do this I would have to have my wife bid for me. This could easily be viewed as "shill" bidding. Although I would be bidding on these cards as I would any other card I would be buying through EBAY.

I guess the only other way is to use the average sale price from VCP, but I still don't think that is fair to him (and I guess sometimes me).
I forgot to mention that not all of these cards are graded.

Thoughts?
Thanks.
Dan

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Posted By: Dave F

Taking the average prices to me is the best solution. He gets that amount for sure on those cards...and he doesn't have to worry about seller fees, paypal fees, shipping, etc. A win/win for both of you.

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Posted By: Richie

Hey Dan, Well offer him fair price. That sounds fair to me. What cards is he trying to sell that you are interested in. Enjoy weekend Richie

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Posted By: fkw

On the cards you want, start the bidding at what you would pay. If someone tops it then oh well. If no one bids its yours.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Having your wife bid on cards you are selling is not appropriate. Sit down with the seller, make him a fair offer, and explain to him why you think it is fair. If you both agree, you have a deal.

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Posted By: Dan Paradis

Fkw, that's a great idea!! Now why didn't I think of that. Thanks!

Barry, he's not the type of guy you sit down and make an offer to. He's very wealthy and would say "yes" to whatever I offered. For example, he was willing to take $1000 for the 14 CJ Mathewson we found! I'm just not comfortable with making him offers on the cards. However, I agree with you about not bidding on my own auctions, it would not have felt right.

Thanks everyone, I'm going with FKW's suggestion.

Dan

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Posted By: 1880nonsports

the second i read F's comment I thought that would be very fair solution. I'll keep it in mind for myself as I've come across this situation before. I sorta did what Barry said - but still thought that "I" would feel more comfortable for "him" - if he could see evidence of the values at that specific "moment in time" on eBay - not those refleted in a price guide. He never thought I was taking advantage in any way - I wasn't of course - but the primary goal of a buyer besides the object itself - is to get it at a good price - and the seller to get a good price....... In a situation like that - it can create a confict of interests - as I always want to be as fair to my friends as I can be - but I try to get things for my collection cheaply (pockets not that deep) - unless they are rare in which case I usually overpay . If the items were rare - I suppose making an offer would be even more problematic.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

List 'em on eBay in your account. Be sure to list in correct catagories accurately. Your wife bids on the ones you want.

(I'm guessing you have about 100 times as many eBay transactions as your wife, and that lots of your transactions are with baseball cards.)

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Posted By: Steve Murray

"On the cards you want, start the bidding at what you would pay. If someone tops it then oh well. If no one bids its yours."

Presume that if you are willing to pay $1,000 that you will list the card at $1,000. I'm not real thrilled with that.

How about telling the owner that you are willing to pay up to $1000 but would rather let the market dictate the price. Then list the card with a minimum opening bid and a Reserve of $1,050. Agree with the owner that if it doesn't meet the Reserve that you will buy the card for an average price between the high bid and the Reserve. If it meets reserve then the card would be sold to the highest bidder. Unfortunately that will not be you. On the other hand if it doesn't meet Reserve you will be able to purchase the card for less than the $1000 and that will be fair to both you and the owner.

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Posted By: Jerry Rucker

I think people shy away from items with reserves on them. There is just to many other things to bid on that don't have reserves. Unless it's super rare or something, I've found that throwing caution to the wind is usually the best policy. There isn't alot of stuff that falls through the cracks anymore. Although, I am starting to like Buy It Now with the Best offer feature.

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Posted By: boxingcardman

and make your best offer. If the cards are for keeping, that is. He will accept it or not accept it. If all you are doing is flipping, list them and take your commission and be content.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: John H.

If the seller is a friend of yours you should be able to tell him that you would like to purchase them at fair market value. He'll either go for it or tell you that he would prefer to open them up to the public. I don't know why he wouldn't sell to you, though, if you explain to him how you arrived at your offer price.

John

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Posted By: Steve

One thing to worry about having your wife bid (even with a different screen name) is the simple fact she will be using the same computer.

Steve

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Posted By: Red

"He's very wealthy and would say "yes" to whatever I offered. For example, he was willing to take $1000 for the 14 CJ Mathewson we found!"

This doesn't compute. Do you know enough about cards from this era to be able to tell real cards from fakes? The last thing you need is listing or buying stuff that turns out to be no good. If you're unsure then post some pictures here before buying anything or offering them for sale.