If you need one card.......
 

If you need one card to complete a set or any type of run you are collecting, if its not a real easy card to find in your price range, will you spend more than the card is really worth on a BIN if you find one, would you bid higher than normal on one in an auction, or would you be stubborn and wait until you can find one that you feel is priced right even if it takes a long time?

I know myself, I would pay more to get one faster if its a card that doesnt pop up frequently in a price that I can afford. I would push my "envelope of affordablility" because I have no patience and when I really want to complete a Yankee team set and need that one card, I want it big-time!!!

Yep, I'm with you. I have no patience. If I want it, I buy it...

With some cards, "the time to buy it, is when you see it". Usually this saying involves a premium.

Yes I have done that a few times most recently to finish my Series 2 T210's.The problem is that every time I pay a premium for a card I have been having trouble locating another one pops up within a week that I would have been just as happy with.Oh well......

On certain items I pursue, the right price for me is often much more than most collectors would pay. I will pay what a card is worth to me, though I am quite happy to pay a bidding increment higher than what a card is worth to the underbidder beneath my bid!

:D

If the card is really tough then sometimes you've just got to bite the bullet and grab it when becomes available, even if it's over the perceived book value. If it's that tough then the perceived book value could be understated.

Yes, I have done it for just about every set I've ever finished and have never once regretted it.

I believe that just about everyone, including myself, will say yes to this question without much hesitation.

Almost every passionate collector has paid more than they intended to acquire a card. I do it all of the time :(. I have almost never regretted it....

Seeing how just about everybody would be willing to spend more for the card they need. The follow up is sort of how long do you look before giving in to that higher price. Obviously if the card rarely appears your timetable is predetermined.
I'm at the point where I need one card to finish two different sets. The cards I need are readily available but not at the price I initially anticipated. I've been looking for probably close to 3 months and have just about reached the point of "Heck with it. I'm buying even if it is >30% more than what I wanted to pay."

I would usually pay the premium to complete the set. A couple factors I would consider is how long I've tried to find the card/complete the set and how much of a premium I am paying.

If its a tough card to find, or one you don't see for sale often yes.I have done it many times.

This has become the norm...dramatically overpaying for a card you want/need...esp if it's a tough card that doesn't come up often.

Price guides are meaningless...previous hammer prices can be meaningless...a card is worth what someone is willing to pay at that time...prudence be damned!

30% isn't that tough of a pill to swallow for a card you've been needing to complete a set for 3 months. Will you ever make your money back? Probably not...but chalk it up to the cost of the satisfaction for completion. That's my take anyway.

I Agree With Leon
 

It has been more than once that I overpaid for a card on my want list.

Was I happy to have spent more than my target amount? Hell, no!

Was I happy to cross that card off my want list? Hell, yes! :)

Patience . . . .
 

I rarely post, but I've been here for a long time. There are a number of collectors like myself that won't overpay. We'll wait. That's why some of us work on sets and different subsets and collections for 10, 20, 30 years. The hunt, the wait, the satisfaction that comes from being patient is truly worthwhile. I'd get bored if I simply overpaid for a card because I needed it - I enjoy finding the cards on my terms.

That being said, I've probably overpaid on occasion, no regrets (but it doesn't happen often).

Mike (18colt)

One of the biggest challenges for me when it comes to pre-war cards is the relative lack of supply (which I realize is good for value) of the cards I want to add to my collection. I lack the patience to assemble sets, and the financial resources to spend money on commons, so I'm focused primarily on key HOF'ers but finding (for example) a E92, E102, or E101 Sam Crawford in VG-VG/EX is really testing my patience, so when I do I'm sure I'll overpay...just so I can check it off my want list and move on with my life.

Mike, your patience amazes me. I have zero patience. Big fault of mine. I get in a frenzy to get those last couple of cards, particularly the last card to complete something. It stinks, and I supposed your way is better, but I just cant be that way!! Enjoy bud.