Post a Price..or "Make an Offer?"

[Luke]

I think the way Leon moderates is likely the best. No matter what he does, some people will be upset, but I think the hands-off approach has worked well.

My biggest problem is that the lack of rules creates an environment where people can use the BST for widely differing purposes. Most of us list things for sale that we would like to sell at a reasonable price. I think the general sentiment would be that that is the purpose of the BST, and to use it in any other way is poor etiquette.

My biggest pet peeve with the BST is the people that use it like their own personal ebay museum, posting cards with ridiculously high prices, and then bumping them 10 times with price drops. Then, when the thread gets too long, they start a new thread for the same card. That seems like an abuse of the BST to me. If you want to put a crazy price on something, do it on ebay imo.

I think that make an offer listings are fine when it is tough to price an item, and when the seller doesn't do it all the time.

There was a recent post where a guy was trying to sell a SGC graded Cobb at well above VCP for the card, but wouldn't put a price. In my opinion that should be kept to a minimum. It makes it seem like the seller is fishing for someone who will pay way more than the card is worth (that's what it looks like to a lot of people, but I am not saying that is the seller's intention - I don't know). I don't think there's anything wrong with pricing a card well above VCP. Some cards present much nicer than the grade, and I've done it myself on this site before. But in a case like that where VCP is like $2000 and the seller wants $2500, I don't see why a price couldn't be posted.

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

I think the bst section can facilitate both straight priced cards and those that members want to guage the market and take best offers. If you're a good buyer you should be able to navigate both scenarios

I think that's true. But that doesn't change the fact that it is a buy/sell/trade forum, not a "buy/request-for-proposals/trade forum." If you are offering something for sale, the convention has always been that the seller is the first to propose a price. Even people running yard sales set prices for what they're selling, from which the haggling begins. It is only when you see something in the back of the garage--something that wasn't meant to be offered for sale--that the person says, "I don't know, I guess I might sell that. Make me an offer."

[jcc6252]

Originally Posted by Filthy

No conspiracys here, but I wolud guess that you will have quite a few voting in the poll, that didn't have the chutzpah to post in this thread.

This is hardly a thread where you need balls to post. I read plenty of those here, and this ain't one of them. Anyway, I'm not a big poster, but I do use the BST fairly often, and enjoy dealing with fellow members. I do have a couple of opinions on this:

I figure those that go priceless are either not serious about selling or want an unrealistic amount. Most of the times I have inquired about these cards, my offer wasn't really close.

I wouldn't try to sell a card without a scan, either. To me, that is just as important as the price. It presents a much clearer picture of the offering. You'll get more interested parties. And, since many adjust the amount they are willing to pay based on the pluses and minuses of the card's attributes they value, you are more likely to find a match quicker.

[bobbyw8469]

This is hardly a thread where you need balls to post. I read plenty of those here, and this ain't one of them.

Agreed. No ground breaking controversy here. The poster is new though, so maybe cut him some slack....lol

[Jeffrompa]

Maybe the buyer can be the seller too .

[Rich Klein]

It's the same argument about putting prices on cards at a show

99 percent of the items can and should have prices but there is always going to be that percent of items which is truly eye of the beholder and ..... any price could be good or bad for either buyer or seller. Ergo, as a rule, yes prices should be on items in BST but I would wager there are items in Baseball Memorabilia section which can nicely live without prices in BST

RIch

[RCMcKenzie]

If I have to ask, I can't afford it.

[mechanicalman]

Funny story...not really: when I first joined, I inquired about another member's cards that he had advertised multiple times in the BST and referenced many times in other posts. I asked if they were available, and at what price, and this member asked me to "make an offer." So, I did my diligence, researched VCP and made what the seller called a "fair offer." But, in the same breath, he said that he "checked his inventory and realized they had already sold."

In sum, this guy knew that they had sold; yet instead of telling me that when I first inquired, he still wasted my time fishing for a number. For what reason? I have no idea...as Bryce Harper would say...clown move, bro

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

Funny story...not really: when I first joined, I inquired about another member's cards that he had advertised multiple times in the BST and referenced many times in other posts. I asked if they were available, and at what price, and this member asked me to "make an offer." So, I did my diligence, researched VCP and made what the seller called a "fair offer." But, in the same breath, he said that he "checked his inventory and realized they had already sold."

In sum, this guy knew that they had sold; yet instead of telling me that when I first inquired, he still wasted my time fishing for a number. For what reason? I have no idea...as Bryce Harper would say...clown move, bro

If you offered a stupid high price, he would have secured the cards. Sorta like famed seller WhereTheyAint.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

If you offered a stupid high price, he would have secured the cards. Sorta like famed seller WhereTheyAint.

I could have offered 10x VCP and my first born child. The seller did not have the cards about which I was asking. Other posts I found later (again, I was new to the board) showed that the cards in question had sold. But instead of telling me this, he went fishing for a price after the fact. Completely disingenuous.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

I could have offered 10x VCP and my first born child. The seller did not have the cards about which I was asking. Other posts I found later (again, I was new to the board) showed that the cards in question had sold. But instead of telling me this, he went fishing for a price after the fact. Completely disingenuous.

And do you think WhereTheyAint owns any cards???? He would have found them.

[Daveyc]

As a buyer, nothing annoys me more than no prices posted.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Have you ever seen a mattress or rug that was not on a clearance sale?

I used to work in retail (bed linens) at Marshall Fields in Houston. I believe (it's been a few to several decades) by law we were only allowed to have items on sale for 9 months.