Is there a secret to getting traction on BST posts?

[wdwfan]

Just curious if there's any tricks as my posts never get comments or any responses. I'm talking a variety of posts (buying posts, posts to move cards like what I just posted). Stuff like that. So, is there a secret? I was told by someone at a card show that it's hard to BST on here unless you're a long-time member, sort of a like a buyer's group. But that's just what I was told. So I am just curious. What is everyone's thoughts?

Again, it happens whenever I make a post to buy or a post to move (sell/trade). I know my cards aren't most popular (Mantles, etc), and I'm not looking for thousand dollar cards. And maybe people don't move cheap cards (like $100 or less). So that could be it too. But I'm just curious.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

Just curious if there's any tricks as my posts never get comments or any responses. I'm talking a variety of posts (buying posts, posts to move cards like what I just posted). Stuff like that. So, is there a secret? I was told by someone at a card show that it's hard to BST on here unless you're a long-time member, sort of a like a buyer's group. But that's just what I was told. So I am just curious. What is everyone's thoughts?

Again, it happens whenever I make a post to buy or a post to move (sell/trade). I know my cards aren't most popular (Mantles, etc), and I'm not looking for thousand dollar cards. And maybe people don't move cheap cards (like $100 or less). So that could be it too. But I'm just curious.

Never mention "book value" again as it is completely worthless. Everyone can look at eBay sold auctions and see what they really sell for. Posts need good pics and a good price and they will sell as there is no "buyers group" in the BST section. If it is priced properly it will sell and if you can take a little less than eBay it will sell very quickly.

[wdwfan]

Oh, I don't mention it. I know people here go by VCP. I've now joined VCP, so I can find pricing. However, along those lines, I know people on SCF and The Bench still use book value. As do lots of vintage guys at shows. I can't tell you how many times I've found a card at a show, asked the price and the guy brings out a Beckett to look it up.

Gotcha as far as prices. I usually do 20% below eBay averages (not last sold, but average of last 4-5 sold). So I believe pricing is decent. Not really sure. But thank you for the tips and advice.

Originally Posted by bnorth

Never mention "book value" again as it is completely worthless. Everyone can look at eBay sold auctions and see what they really sell for. Posts need good pics and a good price and they will sell as there is no "buyers group" in the BST section. If it is priced properly it will sell and if you can take a little less than eBay it will sell very quickly.

[raulus]

A lot will also depend on what you are selling, and the relative price range. Popular stuff from stars selling for 2 figures or low 3 figures will move fast. Stuff selling for high 4 or 5 figures is going to sit, even if your asking price is reasonable.

Selling obscure postwar stuff can be a real slog sometimes, unless it’s something in high demand.

For better or worse, there’s only so many eyeballs here, and most of them are focused on prewar.

[wdwfan]

Thanks for the tips. I'm a very low-end collector. I can't afford the high dollar stuff. Everything I Have is going to be like $150 and under, lol. It's just basic Topps from the 60s (Mantle, Banks, Rose, that type stuff). And it's pretty much all graded. That's all I have.

And I hear that about pre-war. I just wasn't around when any of those guys played. So I have no idea of most of them. But I do know some of the big names. As I said, though, I'll never own those as I'm a very small-time dealer.

Originally Posted by raulus

A lot will also depend on what you are selling, and the relative price range. Popular stuff from stars selling for 2 figures or low 3 figures will move fast. Stuff selling for high 4 or 5 figures is going to sit, even if your asking price is reasonable.

Selling obscure postwar stuff can be a real slog sometimes, unless it’s something in high demand.

For better or worse, there’s only so many eyeballs here, and most of them are focused on prewar.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

Oh, I don't mention it. I know people here go by VCP. I've now joined VCP, so I can find pricing. However, along those lines, I know people on SCF and The Bench still use book value. As do lots of vintage guys at shows. I can't tell you how many times I've found a card at a show, asked the price and the guy brings out a Beckett to look it up.

Gotcha as far as prices. I usually do 20% below eBay averages (not last sold, but average of last 4-5 sold). So I believe pricing is decent. Not really sure. But thank you for the tips and advice.

I looked and you did quit using book value in your listings. I honestly haven't looked at any of your listing for a very long time because you used to use it all the time and it was always way higher than you could buy on eBay. I will start checking them out again.

[raulus]

I think part of the fun is also that fixed price listings aren't going to get anyone's animal spirits going. There's just no trigger to get people to act quickly. If I can buy it here for $100 today or tomorrow on eBay for $100, then the odds are low that you're going to get a sale today.

In many ways, you might need to be willing to list it for a bit of a discount to eBay, such that it motivates buyers to move on it before someone else gets it. My guess is that if you're saving the eBay selling fees then maybe you break even or come out slightly ahead, depending on the amount of discount to eBay. Either that or it had better be nice, with better centering, which always seems to get the centering savants to click the "buy now" button.

I think too in general that selling with fixed price listings means you have to be patient. Someone could come along today and want it, so it sells today. Or it might sit for months or even years. Like I tell my son, you don't have to fool all of the ladies, you just have to fool one. And in your case, you just need to get one buyer to decide to bite, but it tends to be a bit random when that buyer will come along, particularly with the smaller pool of eyeballs here.

[wdwfan]

Thanks everyone. Got a follow up question. Seems no one trades here anymore. Why is that? I guess everyone has now gone to buying, selling and flipping and no one truly collects/trades anymore?

Again it could just just be me. Not sure.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Never mention "book value" again as it is completely worthless. Everyone can look at eBay sold auctions and see what they really sell for. Posts need good pics and a good price and they will sell as there is no "buyers group" in the BST section. If it is priced properly it will sell and if you can take a little less than eBay it will sell very quickly.

Agree with the above. Ben gives good advice.

[wdwfan]

Yes, I learned BV is irrelevant years ago, lol. Only a few people still use it (my LCS being one of them). But people on other sites, TBT and SCF, still use it. As do some guys at shows. Was at a show a few weeks ago, and I found several cards I was interested in. I asked how much, and the vendor said to give him a few minutes and proceeded to pull out his Beckett vintage book. I was like I'll come back.

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Agree with the above. Ben gives good advice.

[rugbymarine]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

Just curious if there's any tricks as my posts never get comments or any responses. I'm talking a variety of posts (buying posts, posts to move cards like what I just posted). Stuff like that. So, is there a secret? I was told by someone at a card show that it's hard to BST on here unless you're a long-time member, sort of a like a buyer's group. But that's just what I was told. So I am just curious. What is everyone's thoughts?

Again, it happens whenever I make a post to buy or a post to move (sell/trade). I know my cards aren't most popular (Mantles, etc), and I'm not looking for thousand dollar cards. And maybe people don't move cheap cards (like $100 or less). So that could be it too. But I'm just curious.

Here's some genuine feedback:

Improve the quality of your photos and/or scans. A photo with 4-6 cards, using a carpet as a backdrop is objectively awful. A scanner, with quality settings, and repeatable technique will yield improved sales results for you.

Selling low-dollar items is hard. When you're selling an item for $50, that means the costs of the transaction (payment fees, shipping, packaging, etc) are likely to make up at least 10% of the cost.

Low-mid grade (2-4.5) cards from the vintage era are tough to sell right now, unless it's a high-dollar, well-centered card (think: 1954 Mays)

This falls more under my own personal preference and strategy, but I've seen better results by either (a) listing individuals cards for sale or (b) being more strategic about how you group cards together in your post. "For Sale: 1962 Topps Manager's Dream SGC 4.5" is more likely to get a click from me than "PSA & SGC grade Mantles Roses and Banks" (I realize that this would require more time and effort to make separate threads)

Trading is difficult for the reasons mentioned above, but it is possible. I've had 30-40 deals on net54, including one awesome trade.

Hope that helps!

[JollyElm]

Touching on Ian's point, I'll add this:

236. Deceiviation
When someone is touting a major Hall of Famer card for sale, but when you look at the listing, you find it’s not the player’s ‘regular’ card, but a much-less-desirable combination card, World Series or league leaders card, a checklist or even a 1975 Topps MVP card.

An example of your thread titles is, "Who is looking for 1960T and 1962T Mantle? Moving with a pair of Banks too."
The title clearly says ('suggests') you have both a 1960 Topps #350 and a 1962 Topps #200 Mantle available (which 99% of Net54ers are interested in), but opening the thread shows the Mantles to be 'lesser' multi-player cards...and it's disappointing to anyone who decided to click on it.

Take it for what it's worth. Be specific with what you have to offer.

[wdwfan]

Thank you for this. I would think being specified would mean fewer eyes would actually see the post because it's only targeting people looking for that specific card. But I tried it yesterday on a new post. We will see how it goes.

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Touching on Ian's point, I'll add this:

236. Deceiviation
When someone is touting a major Hall of Famer card for sale, but when you look at the listing, you find it’s not the player’s ‘regular’ card, but a much-less-desirable combination card, World Series or league leaders card, a checklist or even a 1975 Topps MVP card.

An example of your thread titles is, "Who is looking for 1960T and 1962T Mantle? Moving with a pair of Banks too."
The title clearly says ('suggests') you have both a 1960 Topps #350 and a 1962 Topps #200 Mantle available (which 99% of Net54ers are interested in), but opening the thread shows the Mantles to be 'lesser' multi-player cards...and it's disappointing to anyone who decided to click on it.

Take it for what it's worth. Be specific with what you have to offer.

[wdwfan]

Thanks for this input. I don't have a fancy scanner or anything. I've got one I've had for like 15 years. But I know I have to do coind photos on other sites, and so I just crop out the coin and use that photo. And you can't do coined shots on the scanner. So that's why they're like that. Not sure where else to put them. Maybe the bed? Or a table?

Originally Posted by rugbymarine

Here's some genuine feedback:

Improve the quality of your photos and/or scans. A photo with 4-6 cards, using a carpet as a backdrop is objectively awful. A scanner, with quality settings, and repeatable technique will yield improved sales results for you.

Selling low-dollar items is hard. When you're selling an item for $50, that means the costs of the transaction (payment fees, shipping, packaging, etc) are likely to make up at least 10% of the cost.

Low-mid grade (2-4.5) cards from the vintage era are tough to sell right now, unless it's a high-dollar, well-centered card (think: 1954 Mays)

This falls more under my own personal preference and strategy, but I've seen better results by either (a) listing individuals cards for sale or (b) being more strategic about how you group cards together in your post. "For Sale: 1962 Topps Manager's Dream SGC 4.5" is more likely to get a click from me than "PSA & SGC grade Mantles Roses and Banks" (I realize that this would require more time and effort to make separate threads)

Trading is difficult for the reasons mentioned above, but it is possible. I've had 30-40 deals on net54, including one awesome trade.

Hope that helps!

[Leon]

This thread was moved to the front page as it's good for all members.
As far as "coining", you have been here for 10 yrs with hundreds of posts. LMK if someone doesn't trust you and I will enlighten them on how to look for scammers or trolls. This site is far different than other sites as there are far less rules. (on purpose, I hate rules)

You can't do coined photos on scanners? I have been doing them for about 20+ yrs. I think I might have invented it LOL...

Not my Texas Tommy any longer but it was probably scanned with that coin 15- 20ish years ago. I just do them to show the size of the card.

To answer the question specifically, as others have said, have a competitve price on something that is desirable and many times it will sell.

Originally Posted by wdwfan

Thanks for this input. I don't have a fancy scanner or anything. I've got one I've had for like 15 years. But I know I have to do coind photos on other sites, and so I just crop out the coin and use that photo. And you can't do coined shots on the scanner. So that's why they're like that. Not sure where else to put them. Maybe the bed? Or a table?

[Snapolit1]

I post unique nice things on BST and seldom get anything more than a random compliment. I think there are people here who will pounce if you list something absurdly cheap, otherwise stuff mostly sits. People here are educated consumers and monitor nearly every major auction. You won’t get the random customer base of eBay. A few times I have sold things to board members and seen them listed on eBay for $3000-$5000 more than what I just sold for. Most of the time they don’t sell so it doesn’t annoy me that much.

Unfortunately listing on BST has largely been a waste of time and energy for me the last few years. Probably all caused by wild market fluctuations Covid and post covid.

[BobbyStrawberry]

I could be completely wrong, but it seems to me that over the past year or so, the BST just generally has slowed way down from what it was 4-5 years ago when I joined here.

And here's another one for the "you know you've been on net54 a long time when...." collection:

...when you see a BST post of a card you want, but upon seeing who the poster is, you don't even bother clicking on it because you know the price is going to be too high

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by rugbymarine

Improve the quality of your photos and/or scans. A photo with 4-6 cards, using a carpet as a backdrop is objectively awful. A scanner, with quality settings, and repeatable technique will yield improved sales results for you.

I would add that the acquisition of a "high quality" scanner (and taking the time to learn how to use it) will improve anyone's sales rather quickly.

I do know that Epson makes some great scanners -

I personally invested in a Canoscan 9000F Mark II Scanner and couldn't be happier with it.

[wdwfan]

Yea, I just told my wife last night that I need a new scanner. I'd like to get one that also prints the eBay labels (the sticky ones you just adhere to the package) so that I'm not constantly using tape to tape on the labels, lol. Not sure they make one of those though. But I do need a new scanner. However, as I've said, I have to have coined photos for other sites. So I just use that and crop out the coin since it takes 5+ minutes to do one scan (scan, upload, edit, download, upload to Flickr, change size, etc and post). Just takes a while.

Originally Posted by toledo_mudhen

I would add that the acquisition of a "high quality" scanner (and taking the time to learn how to use it) will improve anyone's sales rather quickly.

I do know that Epson makes some great scanners -

I personally invested in a Canoscan 9000F Mark II Scanner and couldn't be happier with it.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

...I need a new scanner. I'd like to get one that also prints the eBay labels (the sticky ones you just adhere to the package)...

Here's a nickel's worth of free advice:

If you want to get a good scanner, buy a good scanner. Don't try to get a piece of multipurpose equipment. Those all-in-one devices tend to do a mediocre job at multiple things. Their scanner (for example) typically lacks the technology to scan items with depth. Long story short: the scans of graded cards will look blurry and defeat the purpose of having a new scanner.

[wdwfan]

That's the problem of the one I have now. The PSA and SGC slabs are all blurry. The regular cards are pretty good (see below). That said, I just bought a ring light yesterday. So my weekly card budget is gone. And I plan on buying a new webcam next week with that week's allotment of $40, lol. So maybe the week after I can get a scanner at Walmart or something.

Originally Posted by Eric72

Here's a nickel's worth of free advice:

If you want to get a good scanner, buy a good scanner. Don't try to get a piece of multipurpose equipment. Those all-in-one devices tend to do a mediocre job at multiple things. Their scanner (for example) typically lacks the technology to scan items with depth. Long story short: the scans of graded cards will look blurry and defeat the purpose of having a new scanner.

[gregndodgers]

I will echo what others have already said. If you are selling high demand (or even medium demand) pre-war cards at a reasonable price, it will sell. Knowing what is in demand and what is not is one of the keys to selling in any platform.

I’ve bought numerous pre-war cards here. It’s a great service!