Ouch! Steiner Sports...

[mschwade]

I just got off the phone with Steiner Sports because they have Derek Jeter coming in on 3/31 for a Private Signing and I wanted pricing... I need a Derek Jeter index card (which is considered a flat).. It would cost me $500 in this signing for him to sign a flat! Ouch. I love Derek, but those prices are ridiculous.

[drc]

You could get Jimmie Foxx or Tris Speaker for less than that.

[GrayGhost]

That price for Jeter is utter nonsense, when as was stated, you could get two of the all time greats for less than that, plus a nice cobb too, Id bet.

[Wihawk]

500$ not bad, That's only 450$ more than I'd be willing to pay. For that kind of money give me the Foxx or Speaker like drc suggested.

[mschwade]

Originally Posted by Wihawk

500$ not bad, That's only 450$ more than I'd be willing to pay. For that kind of money give me the Foxx or Speaker like drc suggested.

To be honest, I would have paid $200 for him because of the importance he has in my project and the fact it's coming with a Steiner holgram that it was signed in front of them. But GrayGhost is right.. Utter non-sense.

[smotan_02]

Give it 10 years and catch him for $20 at the White Plains show.

[J.McMurry]

So I'm guessing that works out to $250 for Derek to sign his name,and $250 for Steiner to stand there and watch him sign his name,...good work if you can get it.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by drc

You could get Jimmie Foxx or Tris Speaker for less than that.

David - You are one of the really good guys here and have always been helpful to me but you wrong on those two autographs.
If you can find legit Foxx and Speaker for less than $500 let me know, I am a buyer and could easily resell at a profit.
And yes, $500 for Jeter is insane. Beyond insane, but I guess Derek needs the dough, isn't he back with Minka Kelly?

[mschwade]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

David - You are one of the really good guys here and have always been helpful to me but you wrong on those two autographs.
If you can find legit Foxx and Speaker for less than $500 let me know, I am a buyer and could easily resell at a profit.
And yes, $500 for Jeter is insane. Beyond insane, but I guess Derek needs the dough, isn't he back with Minka Kelly?

To me, if it's more about money, he'd charge less and attract more volume. 10 items at $200 apiece > 2 items at $500 apiece.

[RichardSimon]

At $500 a pop I say the over/under number is 300,,, what do you guys think, over or under 400?

[travrosty]

its the age old question of signing more items for less money and making it up in volume, or holding out and signing less for more money and creating artificial scarcity. i can see it both ways, it's just a strategy they pick and they go with it.


bob feller signed anything that wasnt nailed down for a reasonable price, and on the other hand mike marshall wont sign hardly anything and when he does, he charges an arm and a leg, same for bill russell, celtic great, although he has signed more lately.


but once you start signing more, then you have to go that route, you cant go back and create scarcity anymore, the flood gates are open.

the guys like jeter who sign less for more have only one outlet like steiner, kind of like a legal monopoly, when there is only one pipeline to obtain his sig, they can charge more.

i represent corrie sanders, former wbo heavyweight champ who knocked out w. klitschko for the title. his signature is not normally in demand, but some people collect signatures of all the wbo champions, so they need him when they want to fill that hole in their list of wbo champions.

when they find out there are almost none out there, because sanders is from south africe, and i have some for sale, they will expect to buy one for 25 bucks or something like that. i charge a lot, well over 100, more than it would normally be worth, and some people tell me they would never buy it for that much. they swear and call me a nut, but then later they come back and buy it anyway, because they checked around and cant find his signature anywhere. but as long as there is only 1 avenue to get his signature, it can work like that. once there is more than one place to get it, then competition kicks in and the price comes down. i dont sell very many, but when i do, its at a nice price.

i give corrie all proceeds from the sale of his signature, i don't keep any, so the guy who took the beating in the ring gets the profits from his own signature. the way it should be in my book.

[MGHPro]

I was told Jeter doesn't want to sign bats or jerseys anymore and that he is charging 1k to sign those now.

As far as a cut.. You can get legit signed copies of his book, The life you imagine, for 150 -200 regularly on ebay, so you might want to buy one and cut it.
Matt

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by MGHPro

I was told Jeter doesn't want to sign bats or jerseys anymore and that he is charging 1k to sign those now.

The more I hear about Jeter, the more respect I have for Mariano Rivera.

Anyway, you can get Steiner Jeters on the secondary market for way below Steiner retail. You can get "un-authenticated" but undoubtedly real for a fraction of Steiner.

However, the issue is with adding him to group items. I have a 16x20 '96 Yankees photo signed by almost everyone except for Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. I received the same quote for Jeter when I called Steiner for a previous private signing and I passed. Just not worth $500 to me.

It will be interesting to see if Jeter changes when he retires, but I doubt he will ever be an available and accomodating signer. Unless you are a kid, have giant breasts (man boobs don't count) or wave a $500 bill, he ain't signing for you. His PR machine has finely honed his image as a "great guy" ... so much so that he actually does not need to be a great guy. Ironic that AROD is actually more fan accomodating.

Another interesting aspect is those who collect HOF Postcards. The pricey modern HOFers are practically non-existant in this format. And it really kills me to pay hundreds to get a postcard signed.

[mschwade]

Originally Posted by MGHPro

I was told Jeter doesn't want to sign bats or jerseys anymore and that he is charging 1k to sign those now.

As far as a cut.. You can get legit signed copies of his book, The life you imagine, for 150 -200 regularly on ebay, so you might want to buy one and cut it.
Matt

Thanks for the tip Matt... BTW, Steiner's quote on equipment was $800.

[Cooptown]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

Another interesting aspect is those who collect HOF Postcards. The pricey modern HOFers are practically non-existant in this format. And it really kills me to pay hundreds to get a postcard signed.

I collect HOF signed postcards. It's been a bit of challenge the past few years. For example, Alomar charges the same price for a HOF postcard as he does a bat, and more than a normal flat. Doug Harvey will sign anything if you slip him $5 in the mail, but his exclusive contact with the Bob Feller Museum requires him to charge $45 for a plaque. I do remember Gary Carter signing the HOF plaques for a bit more of a premium when he was first inducted, but then lowered the price to $25 for one on his website.

When I first started collecting them, I thought it was a good idea. Fits in a regular sized envelope for TTM and private signings, and because of the smaller size you can sometimes get a card discount on them (such as $35 for Nolan Ryan through his foundation's website). The only problem is that you cant stock up on them before their Induction like you can an OMLB or a signed rookies....you have to wait until the price goes up. Man, I do miss those Perez-Steele postcards. I still cant believe there isnt a ton of money to be made in that target area of the market.

Anyways, Jeter will never be seen for $20 at the White Plains show. Those guys that appear there (Cepeda, Marichal, Aparicio) made a very small fraction of the money Jeter made in his career. Unless he invests poorly, Jeter wouldnt have to do any type of promotional/signing appearance the rest of his life. That's going to be a major problem for HOF collectors in the future.

[travrosty]

You would think Lenny Dykstra would have made enough too but they find a way to blow it all.

Jeter will be sitting there in a wife beater w/ a pot belly signing for 20 bucks a pop someday.

j/k but you never know.

[David Atkatz]

Originally Posted by Cooptown

Unless he invests poorly, Jeter wouldnt have to do any type of promotional/signing appearance the rest of his life.

He doesn't have to do any type of promotional/signing appearance now!

(And at $500 for a flat, don't tell me he's just helping out his fans. He's a greedy prick.)

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

He doesn't have to do any type of promotional/signing appearance now!

(And at $500 for a flat, don't tell me he's just helping out his fans. He's a greedy prick.)

Agreed. The only reason he signs anything at all is probably because it is part of a whopping deal with Steiner to pimp his DK3K tchotchkes. He shows up twice a year and signs for an hour and the rest of the year Steiner is promoting the hell out of "The Captain."

[Cooptown]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

He doesn't have to do any type of promotional/signing appearance now!

(And at $500 for a flat, don't tell me he's just helping out his fans. He's a greedy prick.)

I am in agreement with you (and I am a Yankees fan). He doesnt have to do any now. He does them because he's greedy.

My argument is that I highly doubt you will ever see the man doing any type of show for anything less than a few hundred dollars.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

He doesn't have to do any type of promotional/signing appearance now!

(And at $500 for a flat, don't tell me he's just helping out his fans. He's a greedy prick.)

David,
Its the Steiner Effect too. Every single time they get an athlete in a signing deal, you can expect that the price goes up exponentially. Koufax, etc., etc. It eliminates much of the potential market because the pricing is too toxic.

I'm certainly no fan of Steiner Sports!

[4815162342]

Does the $500 price include game-used dirt?

[David Atkatz]

No. But it comes from a game-used dirt-bag.

[Bilko G]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

Anyway, you can get Steiner Jeters on the secondary market for way below Steiner retail.

Im curious how this works. Ive noticed this with a bunch of Steiner items (not just Jeter), that on Ebay you can often buy them for 1/2 the price Steiner has on their website. A couple years ago i purchased a Steiner Eli Manning jersey with a couple inscriptions for under $300, the same jersey was on Steiner site for $600. Is this just people losing money and reselling?? Ive been curious how these Steiner items sell for so much less on the secondary market?

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by Bilko G

Im curious how this works. Ive noticed this with a bunch of Steiner items (not just Jeter), that on Ebay you can often buy them for 1/2 the price Steiner has on their website. A couple years ago i purchased a Steiner Eli Manning jersey with a couple inscriptions for under $300, the same jersey was on Steiner site for $600. Is this just people losing money and reselling?? Ive been curious how these Steiner items sell for so much less on the secondary market?

That would be my guess... people need a few bucks or lose interest and resell at a loss.

[packs]

Steiner sucks. I'm so glad my hero Don Mattingly doesn't go for his crap. I was at Dodger Town the last year they were in Vero and Mattingly signed for EVERYONE. He even took inscription requests and was happy to do it. This was his first year with the Dodgers and as soon as the work outs were over he signed for a good 45 minutes until everyone had something to go home with.

It's too bad too because Jeter used to be such a good signer. I remember when he first came up he'd sign outside of Yankee Stadium on his way in every single time me and my dad were there. He was literally a LOCK. Now IF I see him singing, even for little kids, he refuses to add any inscriptions or sign the sweet spot. He says he "can't."

The only time I've been able to get him lately was years ago at Spring Training. It was media day so of course he was just trying to look good. What a day though. I left with a ball signed by Jeter, Torre, Posada and Rivera. Of course I had to ruin that ball by getting Giambi, who had won MVP the year before. I still kick myself for that.

[71buc]

I contacted them about Hank Aaron a few months ago. I wanted to know what it would cost to have my game worn spikes signed. They have been in my collection for more than twenty years, without his signature they have always seemed incomplete. I was rather taken aback when they said 700.00. I decided not to pay that amount at the time as I already have him on a ball and a flat. The more I thought about it I realized my window of opportunity is narrowing as he isn’t getting any younger. Due to this I contacted them again a couple of weeks ago and was informed he would sign one of the shoes for 350.00. Although it still hurt I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. I sent it in last week. Having one shoe signed is certainly better than the alternative. After reading these Jeter prices I am starting to think I got a deal which at least takes some of the sting out.

[MilBraves]

Wow, that is steep for that Jeter and the price on the Aaron is out there too. Last winter, I won an auction from Steiners for Hank Aaron to sign anything I wanted. Hammer price was $170.

[71buc]

Originally Posted by MilBraves

Wow, that is steep for that Jeter and the price on the Aaron is out there too. Last winter, I won an auction from Steiners for Hank Aaron to sign anything I wanted. Hammer price was $170.

I could have done without that knowledge. I am now feeling the sting once again. What did you get signed?

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I could have done without that knowledge. I am now feeling the sting once again. What did you get signed?

If people would resist the insanity of Steiner then their prices would have to come down, but as we know collectors HAVE TO HAVE that item.

[71buc]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

If people would resist the insanity of Steiner then their prices would have to come down, but as we know collectors HAVE TO HAVE that item.

Sanity has never been one of my strong points

[MilBraves]

I had him sign a '57 world series champs commemorative bat given to me by my father. He had it signed by just about all the members of the '57 team over the years but never got Hank.

[71buc]

Originally Posted by MilBraves

I had him sign a '57 world series champs commemorative bat given to me by my father. He had it signed by just about all the members of the '57 team over the years but never got Hank.

Nice gift, my spikes were a college graduation present originating from my father as well. It sounds like your 170 was very well spent in bringing that bat to completion.

[Tom Hufford]

$500 isn't bad, but if they insist of putting a sticker on the item, they should give you a $499 discount.

[David Atkatz]

$500 isn't bad? If it were being donated to charity, than, no, it wouldn't be bad. But when most of it is going to a thirty-something multi-multimillionaire, it's a travesty. Just think of what that greedy bastard could do for, say, children's charities--St. Jude's, perhaps--just by signing his name. But that has never entered his mind.

(And please, don't tell me about how much he probably does on the QT. These guys don't hire full-time publicists in order to keep that stuff quiet.)

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by David Atkatz

$500 isn't bad? If it were being donated to charity, than, no, it wouldn't be bad. But when most of it is going to a thirty-something multi-multimillionaire, it's a travesty. Just think of what that greedy bastard could do for, say, children's charities--St. Jude's, perhaps--just by signing his name. But that has never entered his mind.

(And please, don't tell me about how much he probably does on the QT. These guys don't hire full-time publicists in order to keep that stuff quiet.)

Some do set up charitable foundations, but my sense is the primary goal is to provide cushy jobs to relatives and a nice tax shelter. The fact that those in need may benefit is incidental.

I am getting too cynical...