Getting burned out
 

I am getting so burned out on ebay. I check my 80 searches once every six days and find nothing. Meanwhile, people seem to be on it like vultures and if good stuff ever does pop up, it's gone immediately. A pennant I needed went for a steal today, BIN. Recently, some rare PM-10s were gone in a heartbeat (also BIN). A friend lucked into a rare pin, BIN, for about a tenth what I would have paid. It boils down to I'll never win an auction for a rare pin or pennant (there's always that one other guy) and I'm not on ebay constantly in order to steal anything BIN. I used to love collecting but I'm not willing to devote every waking minute to ebay. I'm feeling like I should just be done.

I’ve been there Rob. Take a breather and then rejoin the pack refreshed. My focus is pretty myopic so I understand your situation. It’s frustrating but in the end it’s who we are and there is no escaping this illness. You’ll be back.

Rob, I agree with Mike, take a breath. Consider doing ONE early morning search with your coffee and one abbreviated one before heading to bed.
That's become my personal approach, FWIW.

Ebay seems to really be sparse in what you seem to see these days.
IMHO, I think the new tax law has slowed or stopped some eBay would be sellers.

Carry on my Wayward Son...

You can set up alerts via email for those searches so you’ll automatically learn when a new item is posted, you shouldn’t be manually entering 80 of them every week, that’s too labor intensive.

Yeah, I have alerts but, unless I’m wrong, you only get them daily. Meanwhile, the vultures are on ebay 24/7. And I cant really hate the vultures, but I’m just not ready to be one of them.

I agree with Rob. eBay really stinks, compared to just a couple of years ago.

Way harder to find (much less win) decent memorabilia, endless BINs with unthinkable prices, and takes forever to weed through the endless junk. So much more futile and frustrating than eBay's first 20 years of existence.

Agree with Scott... their new tax reporting policy has to be playing a big part in the recent "disappearing act" of quality memorabilia.

It's the immutable irony of our hobby that we obsess so much more about what we don't have than about what we do. You need to:
1) Accept and integrate that fact into your mindset so it doesn't drive you crazy.
2) Learn to love seeing your treasures every day and appreciate what an amazing collection you have.
3) Take a break and focus on other aspects of your life you enjoy.
4) If the above doesn't help, sell out and find something else to do.
I wish you the best.
Hank Thomas

Total agreement on EBay getting much, much harder to find auction listing that fall into my definition of being worth pursuing. But what really gets my is when after all the time/effort you finally win an key auction of something in your wheel house. The seller refuses to send item. Happened again this week for the 4th time this year. Oh well back to the search, good hunting everyone.

It's the same on the card side. Almost nothing lately but I am a hawk over there and do look quite a bit. There will be a rare good buy but they are getting further between. I did see this several months back, and bought it back to put into my collection again. Greg Morris had it so I called him and he's like, sure, no problem and he gave me a very family type deal.

What Hank Said.......

I believe there's lots of treasures still to be found on eBay in many categories, but not in the realm of pins. As Muchinsky's book and Seaweed's inventory illustrate, there are simply more rare pins than common ones — unlike cards, publications, autographs, etc. It's my belief that a high percentage of PM-10s were essentially salesman's samples. Most of the common ones come from the east coast teams. As a Reds fan, I have only the common Ted Kluszewski and nothing else. In contrast to pins are caps. I continue to find caps that are old and rare and often unique, and almost nobody is bidding against me. Pins have become popular, and there aren't enough of them around to satisfy the demand.

If you don't live on ebay hitting refresh every 30 seconds it will be very hard to get a good pennant. I've actually done that and still been beaten to the pennant. That is what ebay has become in the past 2-3 years. Nothing good will last. If you get there 2 minutes after it's listed, you are too late.

The exception would be extremely over priced pennants that sit in the eBay museum for years and years and auction style listings, which likely won't be a deal, but at least you've got a shot. Of course, you run the risk of watching the auction and having it disappear because someone made the seller an offer they can't refuse. You've got to hustle to win on ebay. Passive comes in last.

It started during Covid and the combo of Covid and good stuff drying up has really made ebay a boring, frustrating challenge for pennant hunters. It's actually lead to my interest in rare 70s and 80s pennants. It's an untapped market. Not a lot of interest (and in most cases value) but some really cool rarities in there if you know what too look for.

Rob,
If acquiring items you don’t have is the only part of collecting you find enjoyable, it’s time to sell what you have and start a new hobby. Collecting something else will open up tons of opportunities to acquire new things and the money you receive from selling your old collection will fund it all.

Absolutely.

I am also a bit burned out. It comes and goes. Especially with the price situation. Looking back at where we were four, five years ago and seeing where we are now. If I had the money back then, that I do now, I would've be able to take care of most of that I wish to buy now.

Take a breather. Sometimes I just like hanging around here, reading the new posts. Seeing other people get excited over a new pickup is always nice. Or just having general discussion on the forum.

I look on eBay but pretty much given up with them. Been unable to buy for a long time from their site.

Mainly because the prices everyone puts on is way way over priced and the things I want seem to sit their for months and years without moving.

I also see many flippers who buy cards at auction and within days or so it pops up for sale on eBay at 40% or more above what they just won it it.

But if it is their right to buy and price as they want and my right to not pay those prices. Then I wait for another auction or 2 or 3 and eventually get the card at what I am willing to pay and for less than their price.

In specific response to the OPs question, I too, recommend just taking a breather, then come back. Once a collector always a collector.
.

Just when I am just about ready to write eBay off for good I get a steal at a great price. Usually from someone who selling baseball stuff along with other things. Not one of the established card sellers. Or god forbid photo sellers. Those guys are crazy.

Last month I got a raw dodgers ticket stub I was tracking for a long time for $400 that I got graded and it’s easily worth 6 or 7 time what I paid. Been a few of those this year.

I agree, the supply of vintage 50’s-70’s Cubs pins that I collect has completely dried up and if something does pop up I have to pay a ridiculous high bid or make someone else pay a ridiculous high bid. I collect several different things so there is usually something available I need it’s just a matter of paying the sellers overprice. I recently bought the last 1947 Tip Top Cubs card I needed at twice the actual value, and wouldn’t you know it the USPS delivery person put it in the wrong mailbox on my street. The person refuses to respond to USPS notes and the USPS refuses to tell me which address it is so I am currently out $254 and a card I desperately need and can’t replace.

Sage advice, right there!

I've been blessed in so many ways, and was very lucky to start collecting eons ago. Sad to see the good stuff dry up, but can't ever forget to stop and appreciate what we do have vs. what we don't.

I'm also very burned out on eBay. I do occasionally find something at a decent price but it seems to take far longer, with endless pages of overpriced BINs to sort through (as others have said)

Always like seeing that one, Leon. Genuinely rare.

Lots of overpriced items on the Bay for sure….enjoy what you have in the stable - take a breather - pull up eBay when you feel like it - don’t get frustrated…..it’s supposed to be fun - it’s not a contest…..and remember, you can’t take it with you…..

Someone just listed a Yankee 1923 ticket stub on eBay. Gehrig on team but didn't play. PSA 1.5.

I have one. Bought last year on eBay for $650. Companion exact same stub sold days ago at Heritage for $810. Though of grabbing it bit passed.

Now on eBay for $3,999.

Ebay Frustration
 

A different frustration with Ebay. A seller less than ten miles from me has a group I would like to explore/have. The item closed and I (also others) cannot reach him due to Ebay not allowing communication between seller and potential buyer - so for now we both lost out.
mkbow2@surewest.net

What do you mean by ebay does not allow communication between seller and buyer/bidder? I do not recall ever seeing a listing where you cannot contact the seller. If you mean you cannot send him your email or vice versa, there is a way around that. Take any photo at all. If you have an editing program that is good, if not, then marker or pen. Put your email on the photo and sent the seller a message and attach the photo which is quite easy. Ask them to look at the photo you sent. That gets around the ebay censors. I knew someone who lost my business card, but I knew their ebay name. I sent them a note and they did just that. My business with them was not ebay related so this was just a means to an end.

Two things I've done:
1. A guy had a $1,000+ item, and our offers and counter offers were close, about $200 apart (which was about the ebay fee.) So I bought an inexpensive card he had listed, and from that I got his return address and contacted him. We made the deal on the more expensive item easily.

2. I live in a small town and my phone number is listed. So I'll send the seller a message through ebay and sign with my full name, city, and state. If the seller understands what I'm doing, he can easily look up my number.

Good idea. If he follows through that is great. If not you may wish to try my idea.

This has been my philosophy the last several months. Have pretty much taken a self imposed break from buying and checking EBAY every day. What I have been doing is working on the memorabilia room, enjoying the stuff that's already displayed, and making sure all my checklists/documentation/want-need lists are all up to date. It's been a nice refreshing change, and what I've come to realize is that I'm never going to be able to buy of find everything I want/need so I'll just enjoy what I have and the rest will sort itself out.

Too many eyeballs everywhere. There were always some deals that fell through the cracks ), but now less than 1% of auctions I'm winning. That include ebay and auction houses. Buy it now, unless you are in the first 30 seconds of a deal, fuggetaboutit

What I’m reading a lot in here, especially pertaining to eBay, is the lack of “finding a steal”. Many of us collectors get the serotonin high of adding something rare or never before seen for a fraction of the perceived value, myself very much included.

If it’s something very specific that you’re on the hunt for and don’t mind paying almost anything in your budget at an auction house etc, that’s one thing. You’ll still be able to cherish that item. But it seems the burnout comes from getting less and less of the “thrill of the hunt” and going longer and longer without the high. And it doesn’t help when we see covered items snatched for that “good price” and FOMO sets in.

Especially true for collectors who collect items more than several generations old. There are always going to be unfound items out there in the world, but unless they’ve been held as family heirlooms/storage for generations, there’s not going to be an abundance of rare old stuff unpicked/flipped by at least one person in this day and age.

Once in awhile I still find what I consider a rare steal, but it has definitely slowed down post-pandemic. I think the pandemic era turned many more people into pickers and flippers in many areas of collectibles.

Sometimes when it all seems too much I just take a break. Usually finding something cool when I least expect it lassoes me back in and starts the cycle of obsession all over again.

This +1...I have been pretty much doing the same thing since Covid hit...I am now very organized and have most of my display rooms in great shape and it has been extremely enjoyable

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Thanks for all your responses, guys. Good to know I'm not alone.

A few further thoughts/follow ups:

I definitely understand the BIN philosophy if you're selling, say, a crockpot. I hate when memorabilia sellers do it because, if it's "good," I'll never see it in time. If everything I was after was in an auction, at least I'd have a chance. I'd still probably get beat most of the time by "that one other guy," but I can live with that. Most of you guys are probably familiar with ebay seller jonsstats...I think he auctions everything and starts his auctions at 99 cents. I believe he almost always gets a good price when his stuff is good. Besides me not liking BIN, I think it also often hurts the seller.

As far as "looking for a steal"...I'm not. I just want a chance. Steals are super rare and usually only occur when you stumble upon something with a bad description and/or bad picture(s). There's just too many damn eyeball for much of anything to ever fly under the radar.

As far as starting a new collection...God, no! :p

Finally, the "salesman's samples" theory on rare PM-10s is interesting. It's a possibility. It makes sense that guys like Mays would be produced and bought (in the day) in the greatest quantity but I also have thought that kids would have pestered their Dads into buying the other guys for them on subsequent trips to the ballpark.

I completely feel you Rob, and agree with pretty much all advice offered.

I have a weirdly eclectic collection, and I frequently miss things for a multitude of reasons, but after a few minutes stomping around cursing God for hating me and denying me that Newcombe m114 or that Koufax scored first win program, I get (mostly) over it and remember that the chase is better than the catch, ok well not better than the actual catch, but the having it in my collection after the catch (which is why I sold my Topps collection after I had it 99.999% "complete").

And look on the bright side, your Giants are beating up my Dodgers in their own house right now, and if they finish the task tonight (by winning their 4th game against the west coast answer to the Evil Empire, in only 14 tries) they will still have a shot at WINNING the NL west!

Doug

Ha fucking ha :mad:

D**gers are not the “west coast answer to the Evil Empire”…..they ARE the Evil Empire!

Some of us know who he is. Notoriously buying from auctions and then jacking up the price 5X, 8X, 10X or more and then letting it sit for years in the ebay museum.

According to Motorhead, yes it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktB0bxo2oQ

I'm right there with ya on the burnout, Rob.
For me nothing seems to scratch the itch anymore. I've never had as much disposable income to spend on the hobby as I've had in the last two years. I've picked up a few amazing pieces this year, but nothing really satisfies that collecting itch anymore. The last time I felt this way was in 2012 and I completely stopped collecting for 14 months. When I got back into the hobby in the fall of 2013 it was a blast again.
Probably time for another break.

I can't figure out how the hell anyone is on ebay so much &$%#* time. They must not a $%^&^%$ life.

Amazing! That made me laugh out loud, and of course I am listening the that song now...

I agree. I’ve thought about starting a “How Much Time Do You Spend on eBay?” thread but I’m not sure some people would own up. I, honestly, spend about four hours per week.

I work in front of my computer all day, so I have eBay on and will check for Expos stuff often, I don't find much on ebay that fits my collection, I have much more luck on local websites similar to craiglist in the States

I hear you Rob and have been there. One of my narrowest of narrowcast eBay searches struck gold a while back, only to have the package break open in transit and put back together with the wrong contents.

Thanks a lot UPS. And don't even get me started on THEM.

And if anyone happens to have or comes across a Fresno Suns bat...you know where to find me. Sucks to find one of your white whales and know it's leaning against a wall in a UPS office somewhere. *%#@ers.

I have a small list of saved searches that I can go through in a minute or two from any device. Typically I am able to do this a few times during the course of a work day but I realize not everyone can do that... My bigger problem is staying awake for extended auction bidding :)

Not so much no life (well maybe).....as it is their life.

Jonstats is an example. Everything you see him listing over the years is stuff he finds on Ebay.

I know a number of occasions I've inquired about a new listing and the seller will told me they just sold it, and I sometimes ask if it was JonStats and they'll say Yep.


So I know he is on there pretty much 24/7.

IRob, I really value your contributions on this board. Hopefully your burnout doesn't extend to Net54... just ebay.

I agree with many of the suggestions in this thread. I've noticed more, interesting things being listed now that the bubble seems to have died down. But good items at good prices go quickly. The same thing happens in BST.

Taking a breather seems the best cure for burnout.also focusing on a smaller number of searches helps me. I have aot of saved searches but I have a handful that are my key searches. I'll check those a few times a day on my phone.

I’ll take a different approach to this topic. There are many advanced collectors here. The reality is that the more advanced your collection gets, it has to get harder to find new items. Add to that the fact that the hobby is as hot as ever…add to that the fact that memorabilia collectors hold on to items longer than card collectors…and it is going to be hard to grow your collection in 2022.

My best advice, stay patient, enjoy what you do have, and celebrate when you do find something new!

+1 Great point(s)!

Great topic of discussion. Stay in the hobby long enough almost everyone will feel this way at some point. Completely natural and understandable.

If I may offer a suggestion….try working out trades with similar collectors. If you narrow the scope of your focus some of the nicer pieces in your collection may become expendable. Some of the best pieces in my collection were obtained this way.

Don’t go nuclear and sell everything. You’ll regret it down the road.

Mark

If you list memorabilia on ebay, you can expect an offer from him within minutes. Sometimes less. It became a running joke with myself. The first offer I received, was without fail, always him.