Never understood "paying strong" on BST
 

You are "paying strong" for Goudey Ruths? Or for Cracker Jacks? OK, go to Heritage and PWCC and start buying away. "Paying strong" always seems to be some amorphous term that means some price that never quite reaches going market rate.

So many nice Goudey Ruths on the block. Go buy them Mr. Paying Strong.

Maybe it means applying physical strength to the action of transferring money. Like, "here's twenty bucks" while simultaneously punching the cash into your arm.

You have to be very educated, but there is a sweet spot where you can "pay strong" and get them for less that you could get them from the auction house and pay the seller more than they would get from the auction house without the wait and rigamarole.

LOL. Good one. Will try at the deli tomorrow when I get my coffee and breakfast.

"Paying Strong" for a very rare card or item could actually mean what it implies, but for most stuff it means...." paying you as little as possible but maybe if I call it strong you will sell it to me cheap???"

LOL.....All Star Cards puts out a "BUY LIST" on their monthly periodical. Sight unseen (but they ARE PSA graded cards).....The "paying strong" man can never beat what that magazine is paying.....so much for "paying strong".

I use it to mean, "if you have one and are willing to sell it, contact me first bc I am most likely willing to pay more than what you'll get for it elsewhere". I have a BST thread right now "paying strong for a '41PB Williams". I will happily pay the same, if not more, than it would get at auction....with 100% net to the seller. But it's got to meet all my criteria, which is proving hard to find. I understand for the '33G Ruth's, but for something you're having a hard time finding, it can help pry stuff out of collections....sometimes :)

Do you own All Star Cards?

Of course not...they are based out of Kansas. I live in NC.....but I have used them....and "Paying Strong" has never beat their offers...would you like to know what they are offering for a 1941 Play Ball Williams?

Why not. What's a 5 worth to them?

Buying strong
 

I wish there was a "like button" for this thread.

Yep, when someone says they are paying strong is usually some reverse phsycology to make seller think this guy is gonna pay more than anyone else.

I've always understood it to be used when someone is looking for a hard to find card and is willing to pay "strong" in a private sale rather than it going to auction. But yeah doesn't make much sense for cards that are readily available so I'm not sure

They are running a business, and looking for collections / desirable cards to obtain. Like ANY business, I would not expect them to buy at what they would sell an item for. They would soon be out of business.

Obviously they would like to be the first ones contacted if someone is selling.

Nit picking over terminology. Must be a slow day for everyone.......

My version of paying strong is this- I am looking for several nearly impossible John McGraw T206 backs and I will overpay to get them due to rarity. This is the only context I understand this phrase. Paying strong for a readily available card doesn't mean much to me.

That makes sense. I will pay strong for a Gehrig Rogers Peet of Gekrig kut out because I've never seen one.

I guess I don't understand the confusion here. My presumption is that if a collector is "paying strong" they are willing to pay above the VCP average, the idea being that they are trying to buy a card not currently for sale, and they need to compel a seller to part with a card.

I'm not sure if the reference to All Star Cards is a joke or not, but their buy price on a 41 PB Teddy is $550. If I found a centered example in the same grade, I'd probably pay double that. I'm not sure it makes sense to compare the dealers who are "paying strong" vs. the collectors doing so.

Ha. $550? For the right one, I would happily pay double that, maybe more.

Paying strong
 

I believe that it means that you have strong desire to own the card and you will buy at fair price and will not try to negotiate a lower one . I have seen the term used for beaters when trying to complete sets. I may be wrong ???


Sharing my Yankee’s
https://www.flickr.com/photos/151843924@N04/albums
Share your Yankee’s
https://www.facebook.com/groups/554519474738304/

The key word is 'fair price'.....fair to the buyer? or fair to the seller? I have had GREAT transactions on here. However, when someone reaches out to me looking a particular card, their expected "buy prices" are seldom fair - they are usually wanting them for less than Ebay.

VCP can only get you so far. If the last sale of a particular Ruth or Cobb card in that grade was $1000 in 2014, what's a fair price now?

Well
 

Now you know how dealers feel when someone tells them VCP is ($blank) well if that was all i wanted id give it to PWCC or other auction and move on to the next buy.

^^This is how I see it also^^

15% less than eBay if fair to both parties. Seller gets within a few cents of the real amount they receive after fees from eBay sale. Buyer gets a discount and probably buys from that seller again.

How is selling for less than you can on EBay fair to the dealer? That certainly wouldn't be paying strong. 5% below EBay would be fair to both.

5% is fair also. The buyer saves 5% and the seller gets 10% more cash than if sold on eBay for the same price.

As a buyer I might return to the seller giving 5% and making more $ in their pocket. I will definitely go back to the seller giving 15% off and getting the same exact money as they would get from eBay after fees.

I use terms like "paying strong" or "paying above market" to attract people who may have a card I want, but would only sell for what many would consider an exorbitant price.

For example, an M101-6 of Gavvy Cravath books for 175 dollars in the Standard Catalog - if someone had one I would gladly pay 6-7x that for it, maybe more. There might be 2-3 other collectors out there who would pay that much for the card - this is not a Goudey Ruth.

Someone that had this card probably got it quite a while ago in all likelihood (I haven't seen one for sale publicly) so maybe my offer to "pay strong" would convince them to sell a card that has a narrow market for a nice chunk of change - can't hurt to try on my side...

strong
 

After the words " paying strong "..later on comes " what the least you'll take for it "

This is where I've seen it most useful. I've never used it myself, but I've seen the best response with this.

15%
 

15% below eBay price is a fair price, considering that eBay takes 12% and PayPal takes 3%, so it would be a wash for the seller and the buyer would save 15%.

When did EBay start taking 12%? It was 10% for the card that I sold last month. Also, EBay discounts off that. The seller is losing 2% + and the buyer is the only one with savings. Fair is both buyer and seller meeting in the middle, not one taking all the savings plus more.

If all cards have an exact value, then auctions are obsolete.

I prefer paying weak, but I don't advertise it on the BST board. That's why I buy on COMC or buy auction lots on eBay. Do some digging and you can find a bunch of wheat in the chaff.

Seems to me that everyone is confused on what Ebay takes....it is 10%. Less if you have a store.

rats60
 

Hi, you are correct. When I had my basic store I was paying 12%, but that was over a year ago. I checked on eBay and the final value fees have been lowered to 9.15%, but remember that you are also paying a 9.15% fee on shipping charges, and a basic store costs 19.95 per month for an annual subscription and $24.95 per month for a monthly subscription, so those fees need to be factored in. PayPal takes 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. Maybe something in the 12-13% discount range would be more fair.

Rick

Seems to me people are forgetting some fees.:)

For regular sellers eBay takes 10% of everything including shipping. PayPal takes $.30 plus 2.9% of everything including shipping. On lower end sales the total fees are over 15%.

EDIT: To keep this kind of on track I also like to pay weak.:)

Crap, NOW you tell me :D

"Paying strong" usually means "I'm a lowballer and I'll do whatever it takes to steal that card from you, including lying about my willingness to pay even market value."

Too many cynics here. I am sure I have used the term and I mean exactly what Conor said -- if I like the card I will probably pay more than most people would for it, although not off the charts insane new world record wtf type price.

You say cynics....I say "seasoned pros"....doubtful any of us will buy a card from yepbg or 707 anytime soon.....

I've bought from Levi, if his price is right to start it's great. Just very little negotiating room if you don't like the price.

Cynics
 

A lot of cynics here, I see. "Paying strong" implies to me that there is a collector that desires a certain card(s) and will pay a price that sold at a nice price via auction/somewhat high-ish BIN for said card... i.e. They are not looking get a "fair" (mediocre) price and of course not a resale price (to
"flip") but want that card(s) without waiting for said card to be listed in an auction. That said, of course folks misuse / abuse that term.

Example: A few years ago I was dead set on completing a 1957 Topps Baseball Set in EXMT+/NM centered condition. I think it would be fair to say that the right card I would spend "strong" in that the right common for example I would pay close to book if the eye appeal/centering was right.

My mom always told me....actions speak louder than words. Just saying you pay strong doesn't necessarily make it so.

The one time that I used the debated lingo (in a BST thread I started), what I intended to express was that I would pay substantially more than current VCP for a card that was not readily available. Maybe I would have gotten more responses if I had articulated that more clearly. I ended up paying "very strong" :cool: for a card that I found outside of Net54.

different take
 

I collect wrappers primarily and I would "pay strong" for wrappers I need. Since there is no accurate price guide for wrappers, "paying strong" to me means that I will pay what you want for the wrapper with little negotiating, unless it is off the charts. I am in no way trying to low ball anyone and would share what knowledge I have of recent wrapper purchases to arrive at a value. In several cases, I have paid OVER what the seller wanted in order to be fair. Without a price guide, values are difficult to ascertain.

Fair enough.....I think what the OP was getting at was when someone says they "pay strong" but in actuality pay weak. Guess not everyone fits that mold.