It's more so to get rid of stuff I don't want. I buy collections, lots, starter sets and even packs/blasters from time to time. Anything I don't want or doesn't fit into my collection is what I try to trade. No sense in keeping it if it's not anything you collect/want.
But I also try and trade to get even value on stuff. For example, if you've got a $100 card that doesn't fit your collection that you want to get rid of, you're going to sell and lose out on fees and shipping. You're going to make $75. Whenever you go to replace it with something else, you're going to have to pay $125 (on eBay anyways as tons of sellers list prices are over comps) plus shipping and taxes. So you're losing $50. If you trade, you give up a $100 card and you get a $100 card. That's the way I look at it, and that's why I prefer to trade.
But it can be tough to find a match, as you said. You've got to find someone that has what you want and has something you need in return. But the conversation and back and forth is the fun part of the hobby.
The trading thing explains why my BSTs where I'm selling/trading never get any interest. But that doesn't explain why my posts looking to buy don't. The one I just created did, and I've bought 2 lots from people that reached out in response to my post. But that's not usually the case. It's usually just crickets.
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Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5
I can appreciate your style. I just don't understand it. Even if I was in a position where I had to get rid of cards in my collection in order to obtain something I want in my collection more, trading usually makes little practical sense. In order to trade I would need to find a specific person with the specific card I want. And that specific person would need to also want the cards I want to get rid of. And be willing to do so in exchange for the card I want. With the advent of the internet, trading became pointless. Now you don't have to find someone with the card you want who also wants your cast offs. You just reach a massive audience of people willing to buy your card. Then take that cash and find the person who has the card you want. It's so much easier, and far more likely to actually happen than a trade. Trading doesn't exist much anymore simply because it no longer serves much of a purpose for the collector. There are better/faster/easier ways to turn the cards you have into the cards you want nowadays.
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