State of the Hobby

[Steve D]

I've noticed recently that Levi at 707 Sportscards has been taking best offers in his ebay auctions. He has in fact, in two instances that come immediately to mind, accepted best offers on very popular pre-WWII cards.

We all know and love Levi, as he is one of the absolute best dealers in the history of the hobby. I've bought from him on ebay, and have always received superior service. He is not however, known for having what would be termed the lowest prices around, nor is he really known for haggling on prices. His price has always been his price, and if you didn't like it, then you could always go somewhere else.

What does this mean for the hobby in general, that Levi is now showing a willingness to haggle on prices. Is this a sign that the hobby (pre-war in particular) is now showing scars from the ongoing economic situation in the United States? Or is it just a sign that Levi is sitting on so much inventory, that he is wanting to unload some of it?

I just wanted to hear some thoughts on this.

Steve

[53Browns]

You're right Steve, I have bought from him as well and with 707 I know I can always count on two things. First, not many price breaks and second, a solid experience with good material offered. If you have spare cash lying around (I don't darnit), this is a GREAT time to load up. Actually, has a similar experience a month ago. I bought a 1954 Bowman Peewee Reese PSA 8 (OC), it was a different seller but he was askign $125 and I made an initial offer of $75 and he took it immediately. I was surprised. I expected a counter offer. I think I got a good deal.

[53Browns]

I just checked and over 25% of his Ebay listings are now "accepts best offer."

[jheffron]

There is more of an opportunity to deal in a rough economic time. Because sellers have gotten accustomed to a nice cash profit look for better material to surface so that cash will continue to flow. Should be good times to buy.

[HRBAKER]

To me it is like any other inventory driven business, when sales slow your profit is tied up in inventory. This should be particularly true for sellers who have multiple copies of the same card at the same grade. The trouble with many still is that a 25% discount off of their asking price can sometimes be multiple of what the card "retails" at.

[Section103]

I havent experienced his willingness to deal just yet. I made an offer 75% of his B-I-N price and completely in line with VSP (I was slightly over) and he came off $6. That's his right, but Ive come to accept the fact that we're just not going to make a deal.

[tbob]

I have noticed more than just 707 taking best offers, several sellers who used to run cards with way too high prices are now accepting decent prices for "best offers."
I have also noticed that although pre-WWI cards are holding pretty steady, 1933-1960 cards are really selling for great prices now (for the buyers). I have no clue why that is but Diamond Stars, Tattoo Orbits, DeLongs, Goudeys, etc. are really selling for relatively lower prices.
It's a good time to be a buyer.