Is the economy REALLY affecting card sales?

[tbob]

I agree with most members here that some card sets have taken a dive because of the economy but on the other hand I find that some sets which are a little less mainstream have, especially graded cards, really gone up in the past few months. I don't know if this is because a lot of collectors have finished several of the mainstream sets and are diving in to less collected sets or what. I was wondering what others thought.
tbob

[barrysloate]

Supply and demand.

[Leon]

I agree with Barry. If you have a card that is high demand and low supply, it will do fine in a current sale. If you have a common E card in gd-vg, it won't do quite so good. Overall, prices for those cards are down quite a bit from a few years ago. I would say about 30%-50% overall. This is just my experience and others might see it differently. This is a great time to be a collector and and a very poor time to be a dealer and have old inventory >. regards

[Peter_Spaeth]

I wish I could find these supposed lower prices, but mostly my experience has been that in auctions the cards I am interested in are selling not too far from what they sold for 2-3 years ago, and on ebay almost nothing shows up in a true auction and the fixed prices (from which the sellers won't discount) reflect 2-3 year ago prices.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Also something to keep in mind, not everybody collects sets so collectors who look for individual players, themes, etc. may seek the rarer stuff while the more common mainstream sets may tend to gravitate more towards set collectors. The major premise of this theory is that the collector of rare cards has more disposable income to spend than the set collector, which may or may not be accurate. If that is the case however, I could see where a strong market could exist for the rarer stuff and a softer market on the more mainstream issues, especially in lower-grade.

[vintagecpa]

The economy has turned Ebay into a less enjoyable outlet for cards. A few years ago, there were tons of stuff to bid on. Now, the stuff I collect simply has inflated BIN prices with very few auctions. I don't blame sellers. I don't throw as much stuff on Ebay anymore either after getting burned on a few cards.

[Rich Klein]

to comment!

[CMIZ5290]

Vintage cards that are fantastic buys right now for me have been t202 triple folders. In auction settings, they can usually be bought for prices substantially lower than smr prices. I still don't understand why the smr prices on these cards have pretty much remained the same, and not gone down.

[CMIZ5290]

Another vintage set way off are 33 goudeys. I have never seen them so cheap as they are right now on ebay. There are some dealers selling psa 6's and 7's for really low prices. Sgc comparable grades are even less.

[bbcard1]

I think the vg-ex stuff is a harder "value" sell the the p-f-g stuff. I think it always has been. There are a lot of things out there with price tags on them that will never sell.

[Republicaninmass]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

(we need Bruce)to comment!

Wonder where "they" is

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

Wonder where "they" is

From my perspective "they" is gone for good from this board. Don't need them, don't care for them and wish them all the best.

[rp12367]

Originally Posted by vintagecpa

The economy has turned Ebay into a less enjoyable outlet for cards. A few years ago, there were tons of stuff to bid on. Now, the stuff I collect simply has inflated BIN prices with very few auctions. I don't blame sellers. I don't throw as much stuff on Ebay anymore either after getting burned on a few cards.

I agree with vintagecpa a quick e-bay search for T206 produces:

5,816 items found for t206 in Baseball Cards: Pre-WWII (Pre-1942)- Buy It Now and Auctions
Only 637 items found for t206 in Baseball Cards: Pre-WWII (Pre-1942) Auctions Only - Which about 15% or 20% have unrealistic start bids anyway. Which I can't totally blame the sellers for by the time you add in e-bay and paypal fees...

[jcmtiger]

I sure can't find any Old Judge cards at lower price, H***, I can't find any Detroit players at any price.

[Ericc22]

Great info folks - thanks. I never really explored the T202s. I love them, so thanks for pushing me towards them. I'll mess around on ebay to see what turns up.

Thanks!

Eric

[Bilko G]

Originally Posted by Leon

From my perspective "they" is gone for good from this board. Don't need them, don't care for them and wish them all the best.

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by Leon

From my perspective "they" is gone for good from this board. Don't need them, don't care for them and wish them all the best.

You're saying "they" are no longer able to communicate directly with the Board's posting mechanism? An era ends. There will never be another "them".

[joeadcock]

tbob
Prices seem to be down on less popular cards or cards that are out in large quantities(i.e. E90-1). However, some of the T206 prices seem to be about the same. HOF prices seem to be higher or even in most circumstances.

Some prices are diff to figure. The recent ebay E107 went for over $700 but a similar card went for under $500 in a recent auction.

Overall, agree with those who feel this is like the HOME market, for the buyer and not the seller.

Frank

[barrysloate]

Bruce has been sending out group emails to a bunch of lucky recipients, passing along the good word to all who will listen. I get them every couple of days and I can assure you they are beauts!

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by tbob

I agree with most members here that some card sets have taken a dive because of the economy but on the other hand I find that some sets which are a little less mainstream have, especially graded cards, really gone up in the past few months. I don't know if this is because a lot of collectors have finished several of the mainstream sets and are diving in to less collected sets or what. I was wondering what others thought.
tbob

Hi Bob,

My 2 cents...based only on my limited observations...

As a general rule, I found Pre-War cards took a big dive in late 2008 (after the stock market crash). I found prices in 2009 were way down...I suspect ultimately a low point in the market looking backwards and forward. The prices in 2010 stayed relatively soft, but some recovered a bit (witness the mixed results of 2010 REA - some bargains and some strong prices). Looking only at late 2010 and the first week of 2011, I'd say generally prices are getting stronger and there is more competition for quality Pre-War items.

All of this is subject to my December caveat. I have found over the last several years that you can absolutely STEAL cards in auctions held in December...especially towards mid-December. I snagged some unreal cards at unheard-of prices in December of 2009. And once again in December 2010, I got a few cards from eBay auctions at all-time low VCP prices. This I consider an anomaly - so much so that I disregard December prices in my own thoughts on market trends.

Cheers,
Blair