Selling raw vintage ... what's a good price?

[wdwfan]

First of all, I'm not sure if this is in the right place or not. If it's not, please move it to where it needs to go. Thanks.

Here's my questions...
I'm fairly new into vintage (been collecting since August) and have been trying to sell off some of my vintage doubles as well as other cards/lots from years I don't like. But I'm having trouble, and I'm looking for help from vintage experts.

What's a good percentage to sell cards at? I'm talking 1975 and older. I checked ebay, and it seems most of the big boys list Vg-Ex to Ex stuff at 30% of BV or higher. I know that's ebay, and you can't get that on places like BO, SCF and Net54.

I started listing at 25% of BV with no takers and then dropped below that a little bit. Now I'm down to 20% of BV and still can't get any takers. So what am I missing?

I'll use one of my cards as an example. It's a 1966 Topps Hank Aaron (BV $120). I started it at $40, got no takers, dropped it to $30 and got no takers and am now down to $28 (less if you buy it as part of the lot it's in). So I can't move it for 20% or less than BV.

So what's a good percentage? Or am I missing another variable that I'm not aware of. Sometimes I wonder if it's because I'm not selling big names. But in the case of the Aaron, that's not the case. So not sure what the deal is. Any help would be appreciated because I'm setting up in a show in Dallas in about a month and need to know what to price all my vintage cards at. Thanks.

[bnorth]

The biggest problem I see with people using book value is they are using book value of NrMint cards and selling cards in VG condition. Are you doing this or are you using the book value for the condition your cards are really in?

I rarely sell but for buying I go to eBay and use the sold listings. I offer around 75%-90% of what similar condition cards sold for. You could do the same for pricing to sell.

[Cozumeleno]

Book or a percentage of book doesn't work the same for everything. Your best bet is to run searches on completed eBay sales to see what cards similar to yours have sold for. If you're selling on eBay, in particular, that's always going to be your best bet.

[x2drich2000]

Please take the following as some constructive criticism.

I would forget using a percentage of book value like Beckett. This may have been the best approach years ago, but I believe a much better way to price raw cards in today's environment is to figure out what you believe the grade is and then look at recently completed sales from Ebay, VCP, or PSA's auction values (https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/) for graded cards and then subtract a certain percent to reflect that your card is not graded (or look at the value of the card a grade or 2 lower for comparison). That is what I would expect to get. Obviously, you want to maximize what you get as much as possible and also leave room for negotiating/discounts/fees/etc when pricing your card at a show.

The biggest issue with this approach is you need to properly grade your cards. Unfortunately, the only way to learn that is by handling a lot of cards and also by being critical of what you have. This is not always an easy thing to do as we tend to think the best of what is ours. Looking at the Aaron you have on the BST (and the front only), I think this probably would only grade a 2 (Good) due to multiple creases/wrinkles, surface issues, soft corners, etc. I don't think this card would be considered anywhere near VG/EX. For comparison, here's your card and a PSA 4. With this in mind I would probably price the Aaron at $25-30 and jump at any offer over $20, maybe even a little less if the customer is buying more stuff.

[wdwfan]

bnorth, the book I have only has a high and low BV. It's the annual vintage book that comes out. So that's why I go off of.

cozumeleno, I could see doing that for a couple of the bigger cards/stars or for graded. But I don't deal in graded, it's all raw. Plus, I'm pricing a couple of thousands of cards for an upcoming show. So don't want to take the hours upon hours to check out each $5 BV card to see what it sells for. Would rather just throw them all in a $1 box or a $2 box, etc.


x2drich2000, thanks for the help. That Aaron was the first big vintage card I bought after getting into vintage about 4-5 months, and I was told it was in Ex condition.

It does have a very small surface issue on the left side just under the word Braves. The seller said it didn't go all the way through the card, so it's not technically a crease. It's more an indentation or a bend. I know it also has some soft corners and is off centered.

That's why I listed it as VG and at $28. I figured someone might throw that for a VG condition card that books for $120. But still learning, and I've been trying tto learn since picking up my first vintage card about 4 months ago. It seems vintage is a lot tougher to sell/trade/move and figure up condition than modern ever was.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

bnorth, the book I have only has a high and low BV. It's the annual vintage book that comes out. So that's why I go off of.

Usually when it is just listed as high and low that is the price range for NrMint cards. This is just a general rule but try this as a start.

NrMint 100%
ExMint 50-75%
Ex 30-50%
Vg 15-30%
G/F/P 5-15%

Hope this helps.

[wdwfan]

It does. Thank you.

Originally Posted by bnorth

Usually when it is just listed as high and low that is the price range for NrMint cards. This is just a general rule but try this as a start.

NrMint 100%
ExMint 50-75%
Ex 30-50%
Vg 15-30%
G/F/P 5-15%

Hope this helps.

[Cozumeleno]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

cozumeleno, I could see doing that for a couple of the bigger cards/stars or for graded. But I don't deal in graded, it's all raw. Plus, I'm pricing a couple of thousands of cards for an upcoming show. So don't want to take the hours upon hours to check out each $5 BV card to see what it sells for. Would rather just throw them all in a $1 box or a $2 box, etc.

Oh yeah, for sure. Anything under like $15, I wouldn't recommend that for. Not worth your time. But eBay's completed sales are generally a good indicator for standard vintage like that and there should be plenty of raw examples to compare with. Prices do fluctuate a little based on who's watching and what not. But that will be much more representative than any price guide.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

That Aaron was the first big vintage card I bought after getting into vintage about 4-5 months, and I was told it was in Ex condition.

Then I would strongly advise you to stop everything and learn the grades before you proceed. A proper grasp on grading is imperative to buying and selling raw, otherwise you're going to get burned on both ends.

[Fred]

What is considered "book value" (BV)? Would that be NRMT? EXMT? What's the starting point?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Fred

What is considered "book value" (BV)? Would that be NRMT? EXMT? What's the starting point?

I think book value is usually NRMT condition when they speak of it. And then the percentage of book. If I get 15-20% on my commons, or even mid tier HOF'ers, I am usually happy. There are too many 50s-70s Topps, in avg condition, for the number of collectors and the issue isn't getting better. Just my half cent.

[Rrrlyons]

I will repeat what most people are saying don't go to the "book" first go to eBay do a search on a card if you don't really know and the sales will give you range.
A search on that card shows at least 20 cards that have sold in the last month in that condition from $4.31-$20 most in $15 range. Rick

[wdwfan]

Problem is I didn't see the card until it arrived. Then it was too late. The buyer told me it was Ex. Since it was my first purchase, I took thier word for it.

Originally Posted by conor912

Then I would strongly advise you to stop everything and learn the grades before you proceed. A proper grasp on grading is imperative to buying and selling raw, otherwise you're going to get burned on both ends.

[glynparson]

Everything is card by card there is absolutely not some magic percentage at which all things sell, well maybe 0% you can surely move everything. You just have to research each item individually. Nice pics and a reputation as an honest seller will help you eventually get more for your offerings. Good luck in your future dealings.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by conor912

Then I would strongly advise you to stop everything and learn the grades before you proceed. A proper grasp on grading is imperative to buying and selling raw, otherwise you're going to get burned on both ends.

And before buying raw vintage in supposedly NrMt or better, learn the tricks of the card doctors. A loupe to view the edges is a good start--they should re rough, not razor sharp, and not pinched at the corners. Also learn what the printing dot patterns should look like.

Happy hunting,

Larry