View Full Version : Vintagecardprices.com Relevancy?
dani0100
12-30-2012, 10:59 AM
Folks:
I've had occasion recently to use Vintagecardprices.com to try and come up with some prices for my pre-war eBay listings. However, I am noticing that so many of the listings I see for pre-war cards have very sparse data, much of it 2 years old for many grades.
It occurs to me that the very active b/s/t board on this site are very likely to have seen many transactions of the cards I am looking up, but of course none of that data is reflected at vintagecardprices.com. This makes me wonder if the vintagecardprices.com model has become irrelevant for pre-ward cards that do not seem to bought and sold that often eBay anymore.
Could it be that the vast majority of pre-war sales are now happening on the b/s/t board of N54? If so, is there any interest in capturing the sales data for posterity? I have always found it frustrating that, when a transaction is complete, it seems that the standard protocol on b/s/t is for the seller to immediately delete the price info for the card. I always thought that it would be very useful and educational to have this data in tact so one could simply search the forums for past sales, and I never understood the rationale for removing the data.
What are folks' thoughts on this issue? What do you rely on for pricing data these days? What are your thoughts about trying to preserve some of the data from the b/s/t boards here? What other marketplaces are becoming more relevant as eBay becomes less relevant?
Miguel
packs
12-30-2012, 01:47 PM
The site tracks auctions so unless a card is sold at auction it won't carry the price. I find it very useful most of the time but when you're buying rarely seen cards I don't think a price guide will give you a real sense of what it would sell for anyway.
bbcard1
12-30-2012, 02:49 PM
I recently had a lot of 11 Delongs i was bidding on that I dropped out of at $440...duplication of what I have, the cards I needed were weaker, etc. The lot went for $650 or so. I had listed my needs on the BST and the successful buyer emailed me minutes after the auction closed offering me the 6 I needed at $575 or so ... and telling me that was at VCP, so I was obviously getting a great deal. He was keeping the stronger condition cards in the lot...he eventually came down a little, but we never got anywhere close. My point is that obviously VCP would not factor in such a sell, which imo is somewhere between wholesale and retail.
I have to admit I price and buy mostly by feel these days. That can be a problem with rarer issues, but you see enough T206s, Goudeys and Delongs to where you get a pretty solid feel.
ullmandds
12-30-2012, 02:57 PM
VCP certainly has it's limitations...but I like to refer to it to get a history of transactions...however relevant they are...ultimately I also will pay what I feel is appropriate for a card...regardless of previous sales.
I'm not sure it'd be possible to track BST sales as transactions happen so quickly sometimes...and sales prices get removed frequently. Also deals get negotiated via email or the phone...so actual transaction prices aren't known.
freakhappy
12-30-2012, 02:58 PM
I may be wrong here, but I thought Leon encouraged sellers on the BST to not delete the sale info after a transaction had been made.
Again, I could be wrong, but I believe I heard this before.
ullmandds
12-30-2012, 03:15 PM
Leon may have encouraged it...but I often remove prices after I sell cards...and I see it often.
freakhappy
12-30-2012, 03:31 PM
Leon may have encouraged it...but I often remove prices after I sell cards...and I see it often.
Any reason why you remove the price after an item(s) have sold?
It's almost like covering your tracks for whatever reason. I know it's whoever's business to pretty much delete the thread after their item has sold, but never understood it. I go back quite often to see items and what they sell for and if something is still available. I'm not sure why someone wants to erase possible important data like a card's sale history. I've seen this happen often after an item sells after only being on for a few minutes and I don't even get to see what was up for sell and how much it went for...kinda sux.
ullmandds
12-30-2012, 03:40 PM
Quite honestly...to me pricing vintage bb cards is not a perfect science...never was never will be. You can't just look up a card like an e94 jennings with purple background in sgc 30 as if you were looking to buy a share of verizon stock on any given day. There are too many variables that go into valuing a card for this to happen!
I may price a card based on what I paid for it...how long I've owned it(the longer the more valuable to me!)...whether it is a replacement/upgrade/downgrade(I may price it to cover costs regardless of actual worth?!)...desperation for cash...whether I had had a few drinks while listing the cards...it could be anything...and it's not always rational!
So in this regard...what's the point!
freakhappy
12-30-2012, 03:43 PM
Quite honestly...to me pricing vintage bb cards is not a perfect science...never was never will be. You can't just look up a card like an e94 jennings with purple background in sgc 30 as if you were looking to buy a share of verizon stock on any given day. There are too many variables that go into valuing a card for this to happen!
I may price a card based on what I paid for it...how long I've owned it(the longer the more valuable to me!)...whether it is a replacement/upgrade/downgrade(I may price it to cover costs regardless of actual worth?!)...desperation for cash...whether I had had a few drinks while listing the cards...it could be anything...and it's not always rational!
So in this regard...what's the point!
Very true Peter! Just a personal preference I guess :D
I think more of what I'm talking about is when a seller deletes everything from their listing...not just the price. And now that I think about it, Leon may have said something along the lines of deleting all the data from a post and not the price. I continue to confuse myself :o
rainier2004
12-30-2012, 04:03 PM
I delete the price after the card is sold b/c I figure at that point it becomes mine and the buyers business and Id rather delete than ask for permision to leave the sale price up for viewing from the buyer. Its easier to leave it, but I always thought the protocol was to remove as it seems to be the case 90% of the time or so.
Here is a Blurb from the BST section of the rules posted on this board. No one reads them but they are still there :)-
Once any transaction is completed in the Buy/Sell/Trade areas, or over with, that transaction shouldn’t be deleted. Specific pricing, or confidential information may be removed but the other information should stay.
My motto over there has always been the fewer rules the better. Don't scam anyone, communicate a lot and act professionally. All will be good if that is done. Knock on wood but the BST is one of the smoothest parts of the site as far as moderating goes. As far as leaving pricing after a deal is done, I usually will remove it as a courtesy to the buyer.
.
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kmac32
12-30-2012, 05:09 PM
Pricing could be left on because as a rule the asking price and actual price are rarely the same. Most of the transaction is done via PM or email so the true sales price is only known to the buyer and seller, hence even if the prices were left on for VCP to see, it would not be relavent.
freakhappy
12-30-2012, 05:55 PM
Pricing could be left on because as a rule the asking price and actual price are rarely the same. Most of the transaction is done via PM or email so the true sales price is only known to the buyer and seller, hence even if the prices were left on for VCP to see, it would not be relavent.
Good point, Kmac...
Leon, I knew I was getting close to what you had stated before :)
One question Leon: Why would it be courteous to delete the price for the buyer's sake? Kmac made a good point that no one really knows the final price unless the seller made a point of letting it be known after the fact.
Pricing could be left on because as a rule the asking price and actual price are rarely the same. Most of the transaction is done via PM or email so the true sales price is only known to the buyer and seller, hence even if the prices were left on for VCP to see, it would not be relavent.
+1
Why not leave the asking price?
As for VCP, I find it to be a very valuable resource even with its limitations.
JimB
Good point, Kmac...
Leon, I knew I was getting close to what you had stated before :)
One question Leon: Why would it be courteous to delete the price for the buyer's sake? Kmac made a good point that no one really knows the final price unless the seller made a point of letting it be known after the fact.
At the point it's sold I think the price is between the buyer and seller. I really don't care if people leave them or not but I don't. I don't really sell that much over there so it's not a big deal. Whatever folks are comfortable with, with respect to that issue, is fine.