Quote:
Originally Posted by 7nohitter
As a low-mid level collector (by the standards on these boards) I am NOT going to go to a show like this, and here's why:
1) Why look at a $700 price tag on a card when I KNOW I can get the card on the 'bay for at MOST half of that...
2) Why walk around a table, only to be given poor (at best) service by the guy who had to get up to answer my questions
3) For what I'd pay in gas I could buy a decent 206 to add to my collection.
Now, that aside, I MISS the discussions with the guys (like on this forum) who sell at these shows...unfortunately, the good guys are FAR outnumbered by the AS&SHOLES at these shows...
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There’s a flipside to this way of thinking….as a collector/part time seller.
For every good customer there are far more as you say A$$hole customers who want nothing more than to ask to buy fair priced cards for half price and are upset when sellers won’t sell at requested prices.
The problem is that most people who attend these shows are looking for deals and I don’t mean reasonable deals I mean steals. I’ve set up now at three of these to sell off some of my extras I see it time and time again. Some guy walks up to a table asks to see some cards asks me what I want and I give a fair inline ebay avg. price and I get offered half. Why would I sell an EX graded card that is going every day on eBay say for $80 for $45?
I say no then they get bent out of shape. Like I have a case full of graded baseball cards at a baseball card show and have no rough idea of value really?
I agree there are crazy prices on some dealer’s stuff I just don’t buy from them. However this is no different than eBay good god look at all the same cards that pop up each week with BIN’s that are 1500% more than current retail value.
If you are going to these shows with hopes it will be like the shows in the old days where you expect to find cards for half off or super sweet deals you’re wasting your time. The same would be said for hitting antique malls with the hopes of finding a Wagner card shoved in a case being sold by some hermit that’s lived in a hole for the past 30 years, it’s not going to happen. People know what they have.
You will find two prices at shows today, overpriced and retail.
Yes you can do the same by hitting eBay but much more can come of shows. One sometimes there are goods at shows that don’t hit eBay I spent about 10k at Oaks on stuff a guy had I didn’t even know about. Second meeting people is nice and sometimes you get to hold and see cards that you only see in pictures on eBay.
There is something to be said for holding a Wagner T206 or seeing a super obscure regional issue up close and personal as well as meeting the other collectors who call this hobby home.
Long live the local card show!
Cheers,
John