Dean's Cards - Deja Vu All Over Again

[JollyElm]

Their slogan is: "Why pay much, much less when you can get fleeced by Dean?"

Every time you see their dumbass red logo on ebay in the list of cards you're looking at (I set up my searches to eliminate that ridiculous pest, but no matter how much Raid you use, some ants still appear), simply check above it or below it to find out what you 'should' be paying for the exact same card...

1969mantledeans.jpg

1966mantledeans.jpg

1963mantledeans.jpg

PATHETIC!!!

[mechanicalman]

I used to be adamantly opposed to buying anything from them, but for some reason, I've found that he undervalues Mathewson relative to other dudes. I recently purchased a nice T206 and T3 from him directly and didn't feel like I got completely hosed.

My only issue is that his eBay scans are downright nuclear and cannot be accurate representations of the cards offered.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

My only issue is that his eBay scans are downright nuclear and cannot be accurate representations of the cards offered.

That was my thought when I saw the examples posted - the scans are so obviously altered that they alone would cause me to not buy from Dean, never mind the prices.

[Zan]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Their slogan is: "Why pay much, much less when you can get fleeced by Dean?"

PATHETIC!!!

This demonstration made me laugh. I have purchased one card at market value but it was raw. Maybe the prices are inflated for graded cards only?

[conor912]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Their slogan is: "Why pay much, much less when you can get fleeced by Dean?"

Every time you see their dumbass red logo on ebay in the list of cards you're looking at (I set up my searches to eliminate that ridiculous pest, but no matter how much Raid you use, some ants still appear), simply check above it or below it to find out what you 'should' be paying for the exact same card...

PATHETIC!!!

Jeez. Is an honest guy asking strong prices really your idea of pathetic?

[ALBB]

You cant spell dependable without D E A N

[Roulette44]

Lol

[jchcollins]

Have to agree that Dean's and others (Levi and 707 Sportscards were the original eBay overpriced, non-negotiators on the web with a huge inventory, before them in the days of just websites it seemed to be Bill Henderson who had not so much overpriced, but just so many horribly OVERGRADED cards...I digress) have frustrated me for some time. There have already been countless examples on this thread, but here was mine:

Going after a '67 Topps set - and got my SGC 5.5 Brooks Robinson high number for ~$125. What doest Dean want for a comparable version of the same card on his website - $350 / 315 after a "discount"?

https://www.deanscards.com/p/225346/...rooks-Robinson

I had seen several other things in my search results that just bothered me, so I emailed the link to Dean's in their eBay auctions and pretty much just point blank asked how they stay in business by charging such egregious prices. This is the (no doubt canned) response - although it was within about 5 minutes... I got back:

----------

Hello,

Your input is greatly appreciated. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that our pricing is perfect! As you may know Dean’s Cards has a million cards online. Keeping up with prices of each individual card is beyond the ability of any human, so Dean has developed software that sets and adjusts our prices automatically. These prices are determined by many factors, including the availability of a given card, recent sales, and market prices. Prices which turn out to be high will automatically adjust down to the correct price if they do not sell. Please also realize that we do not negotiate prices. Dean’s Cards has built in volume discounts that take effect when your order reaches $50. This policy allows our customers to rest assured that they are receiving our “best price.”

I hope this all makes sense. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be happy to help. Have a great day.

Thanks,
The Team at Dean’s

----------

Um, ok...I'm sorry but what? "Keeping up with prices of each individual card is beyond the ability of any human..." Uh, no wait - so that would be WRONG - whether you use something as simple as an eBay completed items search, or PSA Auction Prices Realized - or want more detail and pay for a monthly VCP subscription - it IS totally possible in 2018 to keep up with the fair market price of a pretty specific type of card at least in the ballpark condition-wise of what you are looking for. Beyond that for one, I have never seen them obviously reduce card prices month after month if something high-end and ridiculously overpriced sits there forever and does not sell. Maybe it happens, but it would certainly not appear to be a policy. I doubt for the type of cards I collect (usually mid- to lower-grade HOFers from the 1970's and earlier...) that I'll be seeking Dean's out anytime soon. A few months ago, I was part of a card group on Facebook that had to counsel a guy who was new to the group to RETURN cards to Deans, rather than pay the exorbitant prices. I think he had bought a PSA 1 T205 Mathewson for something like $500...I think some of the previous comments here on folks that simply don't know any better - or those that see eBay as some type of "risk" - are applicable. I have no doubt that his customer service skills are good, but sheesh. It's not worth all that, certainly not with the variety that is present either at arm's length - or with eBay - usually within a week's length - for increasingly little risk.

Not to be overly negative, so I will try to end on a high note - I do think that Dean's grading is accurate, (just based on the scale I've seen him use and his descriptions of cards on his site) and I have used his photo resource as a good guide for others who are new to grading. They even have a video on grading which is more or less on the money. The site as a whole is also a pretty decent resource on baseball cards - I guess just because his inventory is apparently so massive.

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by conor912

Jeez. Is an honest guy asking strong prices really your idea of pathetic?

I think “Pathetic” refers to the people who buy from Deans when they could get it cheaper without hardly looking. It’s the buyers that keep these overpriced sellers going.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by conor912

Jeez. Is an honest guy asking strong prices really your idea of pathetic?

Nice narrative using "honest guy" and "strong prices." Really??? He's a complete rip-off artist with his pricing, and it doesn't matter where you go--ebay, Amazon, COMC, etc.--you can't avoid his BS. He has infected everything. Ebay is Pompeii and Dean is the ash from Vesuvius. And the pictures I showed were the result of looking at ebay for a mere 7 seconds. If I spent any time on it, I could post a million other examples of his ridiculousness. If you enjoy paying his laughable prices, feel free and have fun, it's your money. Me? I'll buy the same cards from other sellers at half the price.

[mintacular]

I share the frustration of his inflated priced cards dominating all the major websites

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Their slogan is: "Why pay much, much less when you can get fleeced by Dean?"

Every time you see their dumbass red logo on ebay in the list of cards you're looking at (I set up my searches to eliminate that ridiculous pest, but no matter how much Raid you use, some ants still appear), simply check above it or below it to find out what you 'should' be paying for the exact same card...

Attachment 334146

Attachment 334147

Attachment 334148

PATHETIC!!!

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Nice narrative using "honest guy" and "strong prices." Really??? He's a complete rip-off artist with his pricing, and it doesn't matter where you go--ebay, Amazon, COMC, etc.--you can't avoid his BS. He has infected everything. Ebay is Pompeii and Dean is the ash from Vesuvius. And the pictures I showed were the result of looking at ebay for a mere 7 seconds. If I spent any time on it, I could post a million other examples of his ridiculousness. If you enjoy paying his laughable prices, feel free and have fun, it's your money. Me? I'll buy the same cards from other sellers at half the price.

LOL, maybe they just need to be excited about the price to sell.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Nice narrative using "honest guy" and "strong prices." Really??? He's a complete rip-off artist with his pricing, and it doesn't matter where you go--ebay, Amazon, COMC, etc.--you can't avoid his BS. He has infected everything. Ebay is Pompeii and Dean is the ash from Vesuvius. And the pictures I showed were the result of looking at ebay for a mere 7 seconds. If I spent any time on it, I could post a million other examples of his ridiculousness. If you enjoy paying his laughable prices, feel free and have fun, it's your money. Me? I'll buy the same cards from other sellers at half the price.

Ok. Have a nice day.

[autograf]

I'm with Eric.....search his sold listings and you'll see TONS of stuff sold at ridiculous prices. If people pay that, he'll keep selling at those prices. He's been around a LONG time with the same sales model. Something must be working for him even if it's not for the rest of US.

[RedsFan1941]

prices too high? don't buy from that seller. getting your panties in a bind because his listings "clog up" a website is downright laughable. ignore them and move on. if you visit the BST here for any length of time, you're used to doing that.

[kailes2872]

While I haven’t bought from him, I think back to business school. You have product, price, and service. You win on one and manage the other two. Dean prides himself on having at least one card in every grade for at least the post war issues (product). I have heard that his service is impeccable. His pricing is abhorrent to some - but I guess not everyone buys based upon price. I do, therefore he is out of my consideration set, but enough people value the rest of his business model that he can do it profitably.

I would guess that this is his best time of the year as spouses, significant others, children, etc. want to buy something for Dad. They don’t know the market and he will have what they are looking for. The last thing I would do this time of year is lower prices in that circumstance.

Plus his bubblegum war book was really good.