A Cards Worth

[jefferyepayne]

Since I don't resell cards but hope that someday they will be worth something, I tend to try to do both of these things at once when I buy cards. I usually try to figure out what price a dealer will pay for the card assuming a standard markup for resale. I always bid more than what I believe dealers will pay so I don't get sniped by a dealer. Now I'm down (in theory) to collectors and base my final bid on a variety of factors: 1) determined value of the card, 2) how many/frequent are the bids on this lot, 3) how close to my determined value the auction is already, 4) how close to completing the set I am. The higher these variables are, the higher my bid will probably be. I use gavelsnipe not just for its bidding convenience but also so I'm not tempted to bid up a card that goes beyond what I've already decided its worth to me. Once I set my max bid price I just forget about it until the auction ends. I'm not interested in a bidding war with another collector and will just wait for the next card to come along if I get outbid.

jeff

Originally Posted by Leon

When valuing cards, especially to buy, I have two ways of going about it. One for my collection and one for resale. If it is for my collection, and I don't think I will see another "ever", or at least very soon, then you can forget about a guide or a perceived value. Those ideas are shot to hell. I will bid with my heart and not my brain (depending on my resources at the time). When I am bidding/buying for resale, I (try) to bid more with my brain than my heart. On those purchases I will try to get a comparable value, no different than any other kind of buying in life. Great question though and hopefully some others will chime in with their thoughts. best regards