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Old 07-10-2009, 01:55 PM
cyseymour's Avatar
cyseymour cyseymour is offline
Ja,mie B.
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Join Date: May 2009
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I'd just like to mention a couple possibilities other than the most cynical ones:

a) The high bidder failed to pay, and therefore the card needed to be relisted (Perhaps Goodwin, unlike Mastro, was wise enough not to send out the card before the bidder paid).

b) The other thing is that this is a hobby for many, and collectors, especially, don't always act rationally (i.e., a card of Jim Tyng sold for $20,000). A lot of collectors, I bet, buy an item and feel excited about getting it, enjoy it for some time, and then the thrill of owning the item wears off and they want to sell it. That might sound crazy to some, but it is the psychology of the collector.

c) When people buy cards, they usually purchase them thinking that they got a good deal. So they don't realize that they actually didn't get a good deal until they've sold it in auction.

One way to look at it is kind of like day-traders in the stock market. 90% or more lose money, many going almost broke. That's why you should never buy a card and try to flip it. If you didn't want it, don't buy it in the first place. Also, the best cards I buy, I find, are the ones I'm least excited about when they actually arrive in the mail. If I'm not excited about it, that means I didn't chase after the card. If I'm jumping up and down with excitement about "winning" the card, it probably means I chased after it at auction.
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