Seasonal trends in vintage card sales

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Posted By: <b>Anson</b><p>Do you find that selling/buying prices of vintage cards are affected by seasonal trends? In other words, is there a typical shift in prices due to the time of year? Obviously we see corrections when certain sets get hot or cool off.<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>leon</b><p>Maybe on the sub $200'ish cards there would be a softening as those on limited budgets might have to save for Christmas and Hannukah (can be spelled 47 different ways and this isn't one of them but oh well) presents. On the higher end cards I don't think there will be a difference in prices due to the time of year. If someone sees a card for 1k and they have to have it then they will buy it, if they don't think they will see one again for some time...or if it's a 2k card for 1k then they will buy it for the value....just my 2 cents but good question.....regards

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Posted By: <b>T206Collector</b><p>...there may be a trend towards vintage cards in the off-season which peak in the weeks leading up to Christmas. During the regular season, I think many people shift some of their card money into the shiny new stuff when, e.g., a hot new rookie appears on the scene or a veteran approaches a significant milestone.

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Posted By: <b>Bill Stone</b><p>This may sound corny but I start the year with a budget and a list of cards I would like to acquire during the course of the year --inveriably I will tend to spend more for cards I still need at the end of the year than I would early in the year --I guess the money is burning a hole in my pocket but I really want to spend what's left before the start of the new year--not saving for a better grade or cheaper card at this point.

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Posted By: <b>Adam J. Baxter</b><p>I've never noticed much in the way of fluctuating prices during the silly season, at least not on Ebay. One thing that I have seen over the last two or three holiday seasons, is that all the tougher stuff seems to start hitting Ebay right after Thanksgiving. Lots of folks selling to cover holiday shopping expenses, I guess.

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Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>when sub-$200 cards are considered limited budget items...makes you stop and think...

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Posted By: <b>warshawlaw</b><p>For those of us who are self-employed, the last balancing act of the year with the IRS takes place in December. And out here property taxes are due in mid-month. Maybe another reason why some nice stuff hits ebay between Thanksgiving and year end.

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Posted By: <b>Cat</b><p>Leading up to Kwanzaa, I often scale back my spending since I need to direct more of my expenses toward family. Then after the celebration, I also tend to spend a little less in anticipation of the pending Visa bills.

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Posted By: <b>Scott Gross</b><p>Good question, and one I was going to bring up. From the responces so far, although there are many differing reasons for selling/buying at this time of year, one thing stands out: Increased activity. And ask any PhD Economist or sales clerk at Wal-Mart, increased activity is good for business.<br />So ... Sell ... Sell ... Sell ... Buy ... Buy ... Buy ...<br /><br />Oh, and two "trying to be clever" post-scrips:<br /><br />1 -- Could you please "super-sub" my card budget.<br />2 -- Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa ... lets be politically correct and not forget the Winter Solstice.<br />

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Posted By: <b>Charlie O'Neal</b><p>1. Ebay 11.7 million unique hits<br />2. Amazon 5.6 million<br /><br />I think that prices for $10 - $150 items are up a bit due to the holiday season. I have sold almost every T206 common I have for the holiday season and made a profit on all of them. I plan on buying a couple of T206 thru the season but will mainly start buying after the first of the year when I expect prices to ease a bit. This might just be a crazy idea but then again I hope it works out as planned