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not everyone goes for the cheapest card
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Bronze Card Talk Member
posted
Recently while scanning the sold listings I noticed a Women of Dynamite promo on auction sold with a starting bid .99c was sold for $9 plus shipping $2.48 at the same time the same seller had exactly the same card on bin for $3.90 plus free shipping do some buyers go blindly into deals dont do their homework or just dont care I know our hobby needs stronger prices but why push up prices on cheap cards as a lot of sellers base their prices as sold at auction then wonder why their cards do not sell but there were also other buyers chasing the same card thus pushing it up to the $9 sold price
 
Posts: 759 | Location: New Zealand | Registered: November 22, 2016Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Gold Card Talk Member
Picture of cardaddict
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I think these people are just taking a wild chance that someone not in the know will jump on the first auction or BIN they see of a card (or book, etc.) they are looking for. I've seen some paperback books worth about a dollar being offered on Abebooks for thousands of dollars apiece, which is utterly ridiculous, but if the seller gets just one gullible person to buy one of these books, he or she has made a tremendous profit.
 
Posts: 2502 | Location: USA | Registered: November 08, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Titanium Card Talk Member
Picture of wolfie
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A lot of folks get tunnel vision on auctions. When they bid on an auction they stop looking at all the others, they have to win this one and will not be defeated.

____________________
Come, it is time for you to keep your appointment with The Wicker Man.
 
Posts: 28999 | Location: wolverhampton staffs uk | Registered: July 19, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Diamond Card Talk Member
Picture of Raven
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If I understand your example correctly, a BIN was available for $3.90, while the same card from the same seller went for $9 plus shipping. There are many reasons why this could happen starting with whether on not you love an auction and just who is estimating the card value. Sometimes price guides contribute to both buyers and sellers thinking cards are worth more than they should be.

I have found BINs to be the best way to buy on eBay, provided you know what the card should cost and how likely it is that other buy opportunities will come along. Perhaps this is because I don't really fare well in auctions. Going after autograph cards means that few are really, really cheap and many other people may be looking for them too. As a result, auctions on my interests generally run higher than true BIN value and are not bargains. I have often missed them because they got too high or, even worse, won them too high. Yet the lure of auctions, and that you could get that card close to starting bid, is what makes them attractive for some buyers.

While I have soured on auctions, many buyers just set maximums and leave them. Then someone comes along who runs you up to the too high maximum you have set. Bingo, a BIN would have been cheaper. Also as cardaddict noted, there are gullible buyers who sometimes want things so badly or just have so much money to burn, that they don't look or don't care.

If it is not cards from the same seller, there are good reasons why you might want to pay more. Sometimes things look too good and you know something is off. If the seller has few sales or has bad feedback, you might want to pay more for a card and feel secure. If the card could be in a lesser condition, or the details indicate some issue, you might want to avoid that.

With autographs you have to look at the actual card, not a stock photo. Certified autograph cards can be very different between copies depending on how the person was signing when he/she got to that card. So a nice clean signature on early cards might be worth way more than the sloppy ones from the later cards. With autographs it's more than just the card, it's placement and clarity, to be the best version you can get out of however they person may sign. Always insist on seeing the actual card you are buying.

So not everyone goes for the cheapest card or should go for the cheapest card. The main thing is that you know you have a reason for paying more on a card and that you don't regret it when you see the next BIN or auction closing price. If you are consistently paying more than 20% over average you are doing it wrong.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Raven,
 
Posts: 10379 | Location: New York | Registered: November 20, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Gold Card Talk Member
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Hi Raven,

Yeah, I think a collector can get excited about seeing a card not seen in a while and jump on it without even checking the seller's other items or looking for it elsewhere. Even a rare thing can appear a couple of times within a month. I once bought a card that I hadn't seen before for $8 only to find that I could've gotten it for $2. After that, I was more careful. It was a lesson costing $6 that could've been more expensive later if it hadn't happened then.

It isn't just for autographs that you have to be wary of stock photos. It's like you said. I would rather pay $10 for a card represented by a clear photo of the actual item for sale than $5 for a card with a blurry shot or someone else's shot. Usually, you can ask the seller for a better shot or one of the back and you'll get it, but sometimes, the seller doesn't reply.

Jess



quote:
Originally posted by Raven:
If I understand your example correctly, a BIN was available for $3.90, while the same card from the same seller went for $9 plus shipping. There are many reasons why this could happen starting with whether on not you love an auction and just who is estimating the card value. Sometimes price guides contribute to both buyers and sellers thinking cards are worth more than they should be.

I have found BINs to be the best way to buy on eBay, provided you know what the card should cost and how likely it is that other buy opportunities will come along. Perhaps this is because I don't really fare well in auctions. Going after autograph cards means that few are really, really cheap and many other people may be looking for them too. As a result, auctions on my interests generally run higher than true BIN value and are not bargains. I have often missed them because they got too high or, even worse, won them too high. Yet the lure of auctions, and that you could get that card close to starting bid, is what makes them attractive for some buyers.

While I have soured on auctions, many buyers just set maximums and leave them. Then someone comes along who runs you up to the too high maximum you have set. Bingo, a BIN would have been cheaper. Also as cardaddict noted, there are gullible buyers who sometimes want things so badly or just have so much money to burn, that they don't look or don't care.

If it is not cards from the same seller, there are good reasons why you might want to pay more. Sometimes things look too good and you know something is off. If the seller has few sales or has bad feedback, you might want to pay more for a card and feel secure. If the card could be in a lesser condition, or the details indicate some issue, you might want to avoid that.

With autographs you have to look at the actual card, not a stock photo. Certified autograph cards can be very different between copies depending on how the person was signing when he/she got to that card. So a nice clean signature on early cards might be worth way more than the sloppy ones from the later cards. With autographs it's more than just the card, it's placement and clarity, to be the best version you can get out of however they person may sign. Always insist on seeing the actual card you are buying.

So not everyone goes for the cheapest card or should go for the cheapest card. The main thing is that you know you have a reason for paying more on a card and that you don't regret it when you see the next BIN or auction closing price. If you are consistently paying more than 20% over average you are doing it wrong.
 
Posts: 4375 | Location: San Jose, CA, USA | Registered: December 23, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Gold Card Talk Member
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I can't remember exactly what it was, but a month or so back, I saw an ebay seller with multiples of the same card, but with a $ 2 or 3 difference in the initial asking bid for each item. Not sure why he'd ask $ 3 for one card, and $ 5 for the identical card in a second auction. It wasn't an sketch or an auto, either
 
Posts: 3996 | Location: NY | Registered: August 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Titanium Card Talk Member
Picture of wolfie
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quote:
Originally posted by Tommy C:

I saw an ebay seller with multiples of the same card, but with a $ 2 or 3 difference in the initial asking bid for each item. Not sure why he'd ask $ 3 for one card, and $ 5 for the identical card in a second auction.



It's an old trick. If you want $2 for something put two seperate auctions up, one at $4 and one at $7. Somebody will think the $4 one must be an error and buy it and the seller has got $4 for his $2 card.

____________________
Come, it is time for you to keep your appointment with The Wicker Man.
 
Posts: 28999 | Location: wolverhampton staffs uk | Registered: July 19, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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