Collecting quarantine

[Tyruscobb]

I hope everyone is safe and doing well. I’ve stayed and worked from home this past week. Although my social and work habits have changed, my baseball card thirst has not (probably should in this uncertainty environment). As usual, I’ve periodically checked my want list with eBay auction listings.

I was optimistic that I would find a few deals. Although the BIN listings are still plentiful, especially ones with absurd prices, has anyone else noticed that quality auction listings are essentially bare? It appears that individual sellers have stopped listing quality cards in fear that they will not reach the desired price.

The auction listings that do exist have absurd minimum bid requirements. I guess I can’t blame the sellers. With quality card listings down, Beckett and PSA closed, and the National up in the air, looks like collecting is being shutdown as well.

Godspeed.

[Baseball Fan]

It does make sense. Not sure I'd be comfortable doing auctions right now unless I was an auction site and really had to keep doing them.

[Vintagecatcher]

With the economy shut down in many areas, and with more eyes on eBay, I'm expecting to see some tougher items appear on eBay.

With all the extra eyes, a smart seller who prices his items well could still do very well.

I'll be watching here in Maine!

Patrick

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Vintagecatcher

With the economy shut down in many areas, and with more eyes on eBay, I'm expecting to see some tougher items appear on eBay.

With all the extra eyes, a smart seller who prices his items well could still do very well.

I'll be watching here in Maine!

Patrick

A lot of sellers are worried about eBay returns if the economy stays bad for very long.

[swarmee]

I auctioned a bunch of stuff that ended this month through COMC's new eBay auctions consignment option. Got hammered on the majority, and the only card that sold for way over expectation wasn't paid for.
So yeah, auctions are very risky for mid-grade stuff right now.

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by bnorth

A lot of sellers are worried about eBay returns if the economy stays bad for very long.

Ben makes a very good point. That 180 day return window is worrisome.

[Exhibitman]

I've had more NPB in the last two weeks than in the entire year up to then.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by bnorth

A lot of sellers are worried about eBay returns if the economy stays bad for very long.

Hadn’t even thought of that. These concerns that should not exist is why I won’t sell on eBay anymore. Just zero seller protections exist and yet they somehow erode the zero number into the negative consistently.

[Exhibitman]

Good point, Justin. Mgmt. at eBay used to be content being America's garage sale, with all that entailed: final sales, part-time and occasional sellers, etc. But since the powers that be decided to be Amazon Lite, they treat some guy selling cards out of his rec room on the weekend like he was Wal-Mart. We are all forced to take credit cards now, with all that implies in terms of charge-backs and refunds. It will get worse as time goes on and people have second thoughts about purchases, and still worse when eBay forcibly migrates sellers to its payment system, which seems to have all of the screw the seller rules that PayPal figured were just too onerous to adopt.

I have a basic store which I probably will non-renew when it comes up. My cost of sales is practically the same as AH vig, and I don't have to work at stuff I consign.

[Tyruscobb]

Originally Posted by Vintagecatcher

With the economy shut down in many areas, and with more eyes on eBay, I'm expecting to see some tougher items appear on eBay.

This is what I expected. People can only mow the yard, catch up on home projects, watch tv, etc. so many times before old habits return - such as shopping for baseball cards.

I expected sellers would want to sell now than before a recession potentially hits. Today’s market is surely stronger than what it will be months down the road. Maybe it’s me, but I was shocked that the listings were essentially barer than the supermarket’s toilet paper aisle. I’m excluding the consignment shops.

[sb1]

My Spring auction opened Friday morning and in the first 24 hours had twice the normal number of bids for that period.

I think most people are at home with little else to do and at this point most have money in their pocket that they have not been able to spend at shows, shops or ebay.

The lots range in price from $5 to several four-figure items, the more expensive items are see spirited bidding from many, many different bidders. At this time quality material is still doing well!