COVID-19 Sales Slowing Down?

[samosa4u]

When this pandemic hit, my eBay sales took off like a rocket. I used to sell one card per week, but I suddenly started selling a card per day - sometimes three cards per day! And I'm not talking about five-dollar cards here. Some of these cards I sold were $300, while others were $600. I suddenly found myself with a lot of moolah, and of course, I spent it all on cards! However, sales started to slow down around mid-June, and now, things look like they've returned back to normal.

What is going on with all of you folks? Are you guys still selling cards like crazy or has things slowed down for you as well?

Thanks for reading

[rjackson44]

Sales are fine everywhere .im buying like ive gone nuts😃

[buymycards]

I had a couple of slow days, but sales are still great.

[hcv123]

I sell a lot of categories - not just cards - sales have still been strong, but slowing a little bit from April and May.

[Snapolit1]

Like many of you, I follow all the big auction houses. While there have been some eye popping one might say Inexplicable record breaking prices, I think there has been a lot of softness on vintage once you get off the top tier. Some cards have gotten very hot. Jackie Leaf. Others not. Seems like Cobb postcards have cooled off a bit.

[Northviewcats]

My June sales are very strong. According to eBay up 34 % over last month. 151 % over same period last year.

One interesting observation. I only list Buy-it-Nows on eBay. For some reason on days when I list a lot of items on a given day, my sales go way up, but not necessarily on the newly listed items.

Best regards,

Joe

[phikappapsi]

Originally Posted by Northviewcats

My June sales are very strong. According to eBay up 34 % over last month. 151 % over same period last year.

One interesting observation. I only list Buy-it-Nows on eBay. For some reason on days when I list a lot of items on a given day, my sales go way up, but not necessarily on the newly listed items.

Best regards,

Joe

pretty simple from a consumer behavior standpoint. More people search by "newly listed" that any other filter. so, more people see your storefront on those days than any other - pretty safe to surmise the rate of click through to "see sellers other items" remains static per page view; so more total page views equals more traffic to your store on those days

[Santo10Fan]

The Fourth is next weekend so likely it's mere prioritization. I don't drink alcohol (anymore) and plan on spending around $600 on fireworks and I'm pretty sure that's low compared to some. Add some party favors in and you're way up there.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Santo10Fan

The Fourth is next weekend so likely it's mere prioritization. I don't drink alcohol (anymore) and plan on spending around $600 on fireworks and I'm pretty sure that's low compared to some. Add some party favors in and you're way up there.

Yes party favors can get extremely expensive but worth every penny. My former neighbor spends a few thousand on fireworks every year. I go watch fireworks at his house.

I am just hoping not to get a lot of returns on ebay. That extra 600 a week on top of regular unemployment is going to stop soon. Everyone I know who is getting unemployment does not want to go back to work. Many are making way more not working right now.

[Shoeless Moe]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Yes party favors can get extremely expensive but worth every penny. My former neighbor spends a few thousand on fireworks every year. I go watch fireworks at his house.

I am just hoping not to get a lot of returns on ebay. That extra 600 a week on top of regular unemployment is going to stop soon. Everyone I know who is getting unemployment does not want to go back to work. Many are making way more not working right now.

I think there will be a big rise in employment on or about Aug 1. Might be a good time to buy stocks. A few weeks ago when the numbers were better then expected stocks went way up. Once people arn't getting $600 any more they will be forced to look for work. Had been no point until mid-late July to look. But not all will get jobs as they waited too long enjoying the extra $600. Time it right.

[Exhibitman]

boxing has been strong

[n5gwu]

There has been keen competition for vintage non-sport in most of the auctions I have participated in during the last 3 to 4 months. Prices are up considerably on high grade post war graded cards.

Ebay sales of high grade cards are tough right now with a lot of competition and I'm finding that desirable cards with make offer options won't accept more than a 3 to 5% reduction.

It's a good time to be a seller and if you have the cash, a great time to be a buyer.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Besides cards, I do a lot of action figure sales on e-bay. April was fairly strong, May was phenomenal, June has been down substantially from the past couple of months, although pretty close to being on par with typical sales before the pandemic began. Guess I should add that March was terrible, the very beginning of the pandemic, I went 10 days at one point without a single sale.

[joejo20]

I have a business selling vintage motorcycle parts on eBay and a website. March April and May were our best months in our 10 year history. June has slowed down to normal rates for us. Joe

[pokerplyr80]

I've been waiting for sales of any card I'm interested in to cool off. I haven't noticed any bargains yet.

[Dpeck100]

I don't sell much but I am constantly getting requests on various sites and social media platforms to buy cards.

The listings I have had on EBAY have sold pretty quickly with no issues. I sold some signed Wrestling All Stars through Instagram to a guy I met in NY and prices were very strong just recently.

There is a guy on the CU message board that decided to hit the bid and list his collection by the name of Chad and ran them through PWCC. The market has been so hot he just couldn't resist selling. He had a very eclectic mix of non major sport cards including lacrosse, golf, MMA, boxing, wrestling, and soccer and had explosive results the other night. His PSA 3 UK back Tyson went for $653. He was actually the guy I got into the bidding war with when I won my first Tyson in 2010 and in doing research on the sticker found a message board thread where he was discussing it and what caused me to first join a message board.

Nothing went cheap and if anything many went well above expectations. To me the market is still accelerating in many cases.

[samosa4u]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

His PSA 3 UK back Tyson went for $653.

Here is the bid history on that card:

https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/35...p2047675.l2565

Does that look normal to you?

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Here is the bid history on that card:

https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/35...p2047675.l2565

Does that look normal to you?

Chad sure as hell isn’t shilling any auctions.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Here is the bid history on that card:

https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/35...p2047675.l2565

Does that look normal to you?

Normal?

[Dpeck100]

There seems to be this belief system that most of these sales are either helped or fake.

No seller who bought the sticker for less than $50 is going to shill it to $653. The whole point of him selling his collection was this is the reality of the current market.

I don't know if it was the fresh released boxing videos and speculation of a comeback or the explosion of top stars but Tyson has skyrocketed. I was the first person online to suggest Tyson was a buy and his cards had huge potential. They ran up significantly and then stagnated for awhile or in stock terms consolidated and then when this recent surge happened just exploded.

I don't sell much but my wrestling card buddies are having beyond record sales. Like crazy sales numbers compared to prior years. List stuff at what seems like a stupid price and sold. List another one at a higher price and sold.

Heck a Flair PSA 8 just sold for $750.

[samosa4u]

Sorry, Peck. This PSA 3 sale looks too fishy to me. I'm not buying it.

And If a PSA 3 (UK version) is now worth $650 USD, then heck, the PSA 6 currently sitting on eBay for $1,230 USD is a steal then, no? How come no one is biting? But oh wait, there's more! Look at the nice PSA/DNA examples that have been sitting on eBay since last summer. Again, shouldn't they all be gone by now?

And look at the clowns listing their PSA 9s for ten grand! Do they seriously think collectors are dumb enough to fall for that?

[Dpeck100]

It’s pretty insulting to a guy like Chad who I have dealt with to suggest he shilled his listings.

It was his Popy Hogan and lots of other cards in the auction. His 1994 Dwayne Johnson 8 came from me in a cash and card trade and it went light. I guess he should have shilled that one too.

On the Tyson front there was a 3k offer on one of the 9’s. He let it expire after posting in my CU thread. I just sold a PSA 5 Gritti back of his second year Italian Panini like I said for $225. Bro prices are up.

[swarmee]

Shill bidding can also be done by other bidders for a multitude of reasons. Quite often, it's used to set new Auction Prices Realized to push the market.

[Dpeck100]

The top two bidders have no bid retractions and nothing looks suspicious about their bidding history. The only thing that is shocking is the final price and that is the market we are in.

There was an Andre card that didn't get paid for it appears on the last auction PWCC ran and guess what it went for 25% higher this time and I know the buyer and he is as rock solid as they come. The market isn't going down right now.

[Dpeck100]

Here is the “false” raw sale at $615 that could have never taken place from the UK.

It’s easy to research stuff before drawing conclusions.

[samosa4u]

Well, that PSA 3 Tyson definitely got PUMPED UP. I didn't say your homeboy Chad did it, but someone definitely did! Maybe somebody with a few high-grade examples. We'll probably be seeing some of them hitting the market soon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EcjWd-O4jI

PUMP IT UP! WHILE YOUR FEET ARE STOMPING!
PUMP IT UP A LITTLE MORE! PUMP IT! PUMP IT! PUMP IT! PUMP IT! PUMP IT UP!

[Ronnie73]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

What is going on with all of you folks? Are you guys still selling cards like crazy or has things slowed down for you as well?

Thanks for reading

I had the same thing happen also. Card sales spiked as the virus spread. I always figured it was because many of the card shows were canceled so people were forced to buy online. But recently my sales have slowed while questions and best offers continue to come in.

I've been purchasing more lower grade cards at discount rates, with the intention of reselling them in the near future.