Posted By:
George LYes, some of the names you mention have been successful with outrageously priced buy it nows. I know that I had to give in and bite the bullet on some 61 topps high #'s. I needed 4 or 5 of them quickly and unfortunately he was the only guy offering them. I emailed back and forth and he wouldnt budge. I think after spending a ridiculous amount of money, he waived the shipping fee. Guys like 707, Fritsch and others stayed in business because although prices were high, many times they were the few you can count on to have a card that was needed quickly.
I felt ebay helped them list and reach a greater audience, but also probably hurts them because many of their cards they list can be readily available for half the price. As a previous poster said, it is very inexpensive to list a buy it now all year...fortunately for them, you only need one person who either doesnt care about money and just pays the price, or like I was, in a jam and needed it quickly.