What the internet should be (and card collecting...)

[Archive]

Posted By: ty_cobb

Being a long time collector, the most important avenue
of getting cards was the old Trader Speaks publication.
There were no scanners, few pictures, but pretty good
deals nonetheless. Similarily, I recall the early days
of the internet (for me 1998-2000) as capturing that
earlier magic from a collector's point of view. Great
deals, you had to watch the scans more closely for fakes!
but overall a time when availability was good, and the
traditional dealer could be circumvented.

To me, the internet has been somewhat of a disappointment in that in 2004;
Ebay should have had more competitors by now (and their
direction of offering reprints, fakes, and newspaper cutouts to no abatement is pathetic)

The pendulum has swung again to the dealers (lets regress
in time to 1996), I see collectors as stifled in their
selling interests as compared to corporate interests.

If you look at Old Cardboard's site, most of the individual collector site's were constructed several
years ago, why is there a lack of success for them??
(or why aren't more individual collector's putting up
websites with commercial content?) I see no new website
construction at all of individual collectors.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

Why would ANYONE buy off the internet if he could see and touch the card or whatever before buying it? Doesn't make sense.

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

becuase people are too busy with other things to be bothered with human interaction anymore. Or, in case of me and my brother, we live so far from any decent show that the internet is the only viable way to add cards to our collection.

Jay

[Archive]

Posted By: ty_cobb

1)It is not useful to a collector to have only
Ebay as the prime internet selling option.

2)I'm not questioning the validity of buying
in person from the dealers, at say, the National.
What I'm getting at is 15+ individual collectors
started websites between 1998-2001. After that point,
very few individual collectors have found any reason,
commercial or otherwise, to continue the earlier
internet growth.

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

I know a number of people have yanked personal sites because they got tired of having to deal with people wanting them to sell cards from their collection that they posted on their site when it was clearly stated that nothing was for sale.

Jay

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

unless they're for sale or trade--as a rule. I sort of do, even if they make me envious.

[Archive]

Posted By: Gary B.

I just got back into card collecting after being out of it since the late 80's, and boy it has changed.

Whilst believe me, I prefer human interaction over the internet any day of the week, things have changed in the card collecting world to the point there really is no choice anymore. I live in an area with 2 card shops, with a few more a long drive away that I've been to. After buming around on ebay a good deal, I have come to realize that ALL these dealers are SERIOUSLY overpriced and many completely out of touch with reality, at least when it comes to the scant vintage cards that they have. You just cannot go by a price guide to price these cards. They're going off of book and even discounting off of book, but it's still not reality. Like it or not, if you want to know what a card is truly worth, the only way to know is ebay (and the sometimes the few auction houses). Look and see what range a card is selling for and THAT is the value. I've been to several card shops now and it is SO tempting to buy a card that is right there in front of you - it is SO much nicer than buying something on ebay, but the harsh reality is this - the card is marked $50, the guy is giving you what he thinks is a good deal by giving it to you for $40, but you KNOW from looking in ebay that that card sells for $15-$20 all the time. The difference in cash output is just too great no matter how nice it would be to buy that card that's right in front of you. Card shows can be a little better in that you can find good deals if you're lucky, but the couple I've been to since I got back in the game had very few good deals, and almost universally all the cards that interested me could be had less, and usually MUCH less expensive on ebay.

I miss when I was younger going to card shops, going to shows, etc., but it's just not the same now.

There are plus sides like this board - I've met some great people and bought some items offered to me directly as opposed to having to bid against others, and I have found some nice deals on ebay. Shoot, I even found someone on ebay that was selling in my own hometown, e-mailed him and asked him if he had any other cards for sale, met up with him in person, and bought some cards from him at a very good price. It is what it is and we just have to work with it as best we can...

[Archive]

Posted By: Pcelli60

Its a whole new world of faceless collectors and dealers. But I still like on line collecting as it gives me more choices/options..Of course we all need a balanced diet, so looking a dealer in the eye every now and then keeps us all "honest"...

[Archive]

Posted By: T206Collector

I completely disagree. There is no relevance is seeking more competition for ebay. The fact that there is one gigantic market place (i.e. ebay) within which there are countless buyers and sellers is what makes for the closest to ideal conditions for educated buyers and sellers to purchase and sell their cards (or anything else for that matter). It's very simple economics. At a card store or even a show, you are at the mercy of the seller. On ebay, you can pretty much get anything you want if you are willing to pay a marginal cost above what another buyer is willing to pay. Moreover, the internet is what has given PSA and SGC so much business. Sure, you can look at a scan and read what the seller says about a card, but if PSA or SGC have graded it, that's the loudest most reliable voice in the auction.

In any event, I am a big fan of BaseballVintage.com's auction, and try to support that site whenever possible. And it would be great to see more sites like it that cater to our interests. But check out this Vintage Links site:

http://www.homestead.com/runscott/VintageLinks.html

I think this shows a pretty decent proliferation of very well-run and interesting sites, including my two favorites:

http://www.oldcardboard.com/

and

http://www.t206museum.com/

You have quite a bit of information about vintage collecting on these sites, and with this board. I just cannot express how much the internet has developed my knowledge of vintage cards and enhanced my ability to collect the cards I truly want to add to my collection. I didn't have to spend money to fly to the National this week. Shipping and handling on the 18 T206 cards I bought on ebay this week was a combined $2.50, and the average price per card? About $11.00, including three Hall of Famers. Show me those prices at a show, with no traveling costs, and I'll show you true competition for ebay.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

how much I miss all the great shows that used to be within half an hour of where I live (Berkeley, California); the Vintage Baseball Card Forum almost, if not completely, makes up for it. Ebay (only 80 feedback, after three years) is usually slightly disappointing. Add up a lot of "slightly disappointings" and you get--a big diappointment. Paypal was very novel, until I started feeling like i was being nibbled to death by mice. The tips and outright sales I've gotten from this board, however, really lessen the pain a LOT! Not to mention the information, outside contacts and friends. And TRADES! I never traded before...

[Archive]

Posted By: Hal Lewis

Anytime any of you are in the Tallahassee, FL, area and want to see these cards IN PERSON ... let me know and we can do it:

http://www.lewisbaseballcards.com/

^^^ THESE CARDS, JULIE ^^^ (not yours)

(But as Jay said ... do NOT ask if they are for sale!)

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

But I'm going to leave Ewing in ANYWAY. Got it from Barry Sloate for a song (it has a spot of ink in one corner). Barry got stiffed in the ratings in VCBC because he was mistakenly listed as a dealer rather than an auction house, leaving people scratching their heads. You win something from Sloate, and it looks BETTER than the scan! It can work both ways...

[Archive]

Posted By: David Vargha

What's up with the color Mayo card next to those other three?

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

[Archive]

Posted By: hankron

is that in one week I bought a rare movie poster from Italy, 2 photos from Austria, 7 photos from England and sold a photo to a someone in London-- all paid overnight with PayPal and all buyers were satisfied.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

Young woman I used to...know.


I scanned this 2 1/2x2 1/2" photo a long time ago--how did it get so HUGE? Anyway, sorry for taking up so much space with my puss.

[Archive]

Posted By: hankron

An 8 year old girl in Austrailia emailed asking for help with her homework

A man in Pakistan emailed asking for information on how wirephotos were made

A man in Paris emailed for information on some prints he had

A famous photographer and European magazine publisher who I had bought from a single and not terribly expensive photograph and had in casual email conversation mentioned my birthdate emailed me out of the blue to wish me a happy birthday

Those are things that would never be duplicated at a local shop.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

I'm just saying that's it's not the best place for the buyer of visual material too look at the stuff he's buying. Unless he already knows the seller very, very well.

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie Vognar

I didn't say a thing for sale (or to look at) COULDN'T be
crystal clear and represented exactly as it is; I'm saying that it won't necessarily be that way. The very technology which makes the photo reproductions you just posted so great can be used to hide, blur, lie about and gloss over faults!

[Archive]

Posted By: Pcelli60

" ..I felt I was being nibbled away at by mice..." I love it! That explains my re-occuring dream as a piece of cheese!

[Archive]

Posted By: Hal Lewis

I edited my previous message JUST for you!

PS - I think you had kind of a "Crossing Jordan" look going in that photo (I can't think of the actress' name)...

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

Does that mean I have to remove my Mayo Ewing? Maybe I can talk my way around it. I see Bill has had time to edit out David Rudd's gorgeous photos--because they aren't baseball related??? Good grief, I thought that eye's iris was moving!

I'm the PBS and HBO exclusively type, but I must admit I asked Bob a week ago "What is this "Crossing Jordan" thing? It sounds interesting." I'll check it out.

[Archive]

Posted By: Hal Lewis

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

I doubt Bill removed the picture. If David does like me and hosts his own pictures, he may have removed the picture himself.

Jay

[Archive]

Posted By: Julie

I doubt he removed them. But it's possible. DRATS, didn't save those!

The actress is fairer and has less exaggerated features than I did, but there's a slight resemblance.

[Archive]

Posted By: hankron

Julie, I removed the images on my own choice.

[Archive]

Posted By: hankron

The only interesting fact about the photos I posted is that one is owned by the woman in the photo.