Posted By:
Charles Prawdzik1. SCAN ebay for items with wrong spelling, incorrect category listing, closing during "off" hours, postings by uninformed sellers, photos that include items not described, etc. Ask Seller questions. I do this for low priced, novelty and unusual items only, not graded cards from reputable dealers. The only bargains I have ever found are from this approach. Must be very careful to avoid fakes and scam artists.
2. RESEARCH for my primary vintage purchases. This consists of price comparison (T206 website, SCBC, SMR, Aucton catalogs, and eBay completed sales), Population (graded higher and total graded from the slab service websites) to identify low pop cards, and historical (National BB HOF, BB-Ref and BB-Library .coms to provide an education on players, games and teams.
3. SNIPE once a week I identify 6-8 cards, usually from one or two dealers, that I would like to own, after looking at 50-75 cards. Must be very careful to avoid fakes and scam artists. I take one sheet of plain white paper and complete a manual spreadsheet for these 6-8 cards, summarizing my research, and arriving at the maximum price I am willing to pay to own that card. I will enter those bids manually, 5 seconds before auction closes. Each week I will bid on 4-6 and usually win 1 or 2 auctions.
This works for me, and for me the hunt is as exciting as winning.