Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Bryan</b><p>Not to offend any dealers on ebay but I am wondering what are some of your thought about dealers picking up underpriced cards only to resell on ebay. I realize that they are in the business and need to make money to stay in the business but as a vintage collector on a budget I have been beaten numerous times by dealers looking for a bargain. Kind of disheartening losing a card I had my heart set on to a person only looking to make a buck.<br /><br />The obvious solution for me would be to bid more but sometimes that doesn't work to stay within my budget. Just seems like the dealers are making it harder to find the card you want at the price you are happy to pay for it.<br /><br />My post is more geared to people in the same boat as me. Also be aware I have only a couple of dealers in mind and am referring to them in particular.

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Scott Elkins</b><p>The best advice I can give is to bid high on the stuff you really want. If not, and you expect to acquire the card in the future, you will be paying that price PLUS the profit for the dealer!<br /><br />Some advice I can give you as well to help fund these extra bid amounts needed to win cards you really want is: Buy cards you don't even collect when you see them at a bargain, wait a couple months and resell for a profit yourself. These small profits add up and can be used to make sure you win the card(s) you really want when they come up for sale. ENJOY THE HOBBY!

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Richard</b><p>Just my two cents:<br /><br />I have been beaten my share of times by dealers for items which I thought that I was going to win at a decent price. The same names come up over and over again - people who buy and sell full time as well as those weekend warriors who just look to flip cards for a quick buck as supplemental income.<br /><br />While the initial reaction may be distain for those who are swooping these cards out of the hands of "collectors" who want the cards for their personal collections rather than flipping, keep in mind that a lot of these full time dealers have many customer want lists they are trying to fill. They could be bidding on their customer's behalf, and the card's next stop may be permanently in someone's collection afterall.

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Ben</b><p>Bryan, the heartbreak of getting outbid on an item you really wanted is something I think <i>everyone</i> here can sympathize with. I'd say I win about 1 of every 10-15 items I bid on, and that sort of winning percentage is probably pretty typical of most collectors on a budget. Frankly, getting outbid is what ebay is all about, and it's something you'll have to come to terms with as a collector. If a dealer choses to buy for the sole purpose of flipping for a profit, they are free to do so and there's really nothing inherently wrong with that. <br /><br />Believe me, things could be ALOT worse. Just stay patient, keep your chin up, and you'll pick up things you treasure every so often....and that's all a collector on a budget can really ask for. Good luck.

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Judge Dred</b><p>Ben,<br /><br />Your high bid rate is much higher than mine for sure. One out of ten to fifteen is not bad. I think I win about 1 in 50. I usually try to find bargains so I don't win much on ebay. There have been times when I've found a few neat gems (a D304 Cobb for example) and gotten lucky. <br /><br />Typically if I really want something I'll watch it closely but I'm not going to go overboard for something I think I can find at a later date at a better price. Ebay is an open market so you it's hard to fault someone for bidding on items that are selling for below their market value. Dealers and collectors both can recognize a bargain.<br /><br />What I detest is a dealer or anyone else that wins something that is encapsulated and then sells it whilst claiming "I was robbed by SGC, PSA or whomever". That kind of salesmanship bothers me as well as people that resell items without disclosing defects that were disclosed in the auction in which the item was originally won.

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>pete</b><p>sell off a couple of your less desired (by you) items and put that $ towards your more desired cards...hopefully breaking even if not making a small/big profit...sometimes cutting your losses is better for your hobby in the long run.....which brings me to say that I will be selling about 10 less desired cards (hopefully breaking even) on ebay in a month or two to get those more expesive cards I really want.<br />pete-

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Texas Ted</b><p>Yes Virginia, I am a dealer. But I can tell you, as a dealer I almost never bid on single cards on ebay with the idea of reselling for a profit. The profit is just not there to make that kind of transaction worthwhile for me. I do however purchase singles on ebay for my personal collection. Occasionally, I will buy a card that is an upgrade, and then I will sell the card that I replaced.<br /><br />The only auctions I go for on ebay are large lots or full sets of cards that I can break up into singles or smaller groups for a profit. In that way, collectors on a budget can get singles without having to buy umpteen cards they don't want or need. One of my absolute favorite purchases are the lots in the major auctions of "shoebox collections" or whatever each calls it that group several hundred cards from the same time frame together into one auction. I know the sellers are somewhat appalled by this, but it is my bread and butter. But again, I really don't think many collectors on a budget are shooting for these auctions.<br><br>Texas Ted<br />Starting my third attempt at a second childhood.<br />

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Robert</b><p>Your thinking is not correct because EBAY in my opinion is the true price indicator of the value of cards and what people are willing to pay for that card. It would not make much sense for a dealer to buy cards and try to flip them back on EBAY. Just because it sells less then the SMR the chances of them re-selling again and making SMR are pretty slim. Then there are those freak times when you get 2 idiots trying to outbid one another but that is a rarity as well, but nice when you are the seller.

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>If I ever won one of those giant misc. lots from a glossy catalog, I'd have them slabbed and I'd throw them all up on eBay. At this point in time, it would be a gamble since the prices are out of control, but that's the preferred way of filling holes and purchasing trading cards. I see A LOT of dealers buying off eBay and perhaps they are putting them in their Retail Forum and/or sending off to Mastro for bigger profits. <br /><br />You have trusted sellers on Bay who ALWAYS seem to have the vintage cards and then you have sellers on eBay who don't know what they are doing at all and they can't get the prices...or get their scanner to work for that matter. <br /><br />I've seen a T206 Bat Off Shoulder Cobb PSA5 sell on eBay anywhere from $1,350 to $2,100 in the last five months. I don't know if eBay is the 'new Price Guide' but I can tell you that with all these Grading companies, Glossy catalogs, the 'En Fuego' Market and such, I don't think there really is an accurate way to determine what anything will sell for. <br /><br />My two cents.<br /><br />DJ

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Dan Koteles</b><p>the only way to combat that a little is to focus on ungraded cards. There are alot of people that shy away from them...especially dealers, so....just know where they are(the cards) coming from.<br /><br />If you not that good about sizing , find an knowleged person that you can trust to help you.<br /><br />Good evening<br />-Dan

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>Julie</b><p>1) I'm MUCH more likely to be outbid by COLLECTORS than dealers. Dealers buying to make a profit have to buy cheap!<br />The sight of "husband-of tammy" in the list of bidders strikes fear into my heart, not "kityoungcards"!<br /><br />2) My winning % is right around 75. But ony 93 feedback since 2001! I don't bid on many things.<br /><br />

Dealers on ebay
 

Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>The cards I WANT always seem to have those big baseball card dealer id's attached to them as high bidders. <br /><br />There are two prominent dealers that outbid me on a weekly basis on tough T206 backs which is what I aim for now that OJ's are out of sight.<br /><br />DJ