Why do many put so much emphasis on PAST sales??

[Mike D.]

The market is imperfect. 2005 Topps U&H Verlander. Last sale was for $49. Prices on eBay BIN $51-115.

I got one via auction late last night for $20.50. Does that mean it’s worth 50% less (or more) than everyone thinks? Did I just get a good deal? Both? Neither?

[jefferyepayne]

I subscribe to VCP and use it as a loose guide for a card's trend and price. But as many other have said, it is only one data point in a sea of other considerations.

One thing I do do is take out ALL BIN prices in VCP and ALL sales from a certain large seller as well. I personally don't believe much of that data with all the shenanigan's that go on in our hobby.

Obviously a conservative approach but it has worked well for me. I think I suggested to VCP at some point that they allow you to 'ignore' particular sales when looking at their pricing data but don't think this functionality exists right now. So I do it by hand. I'm hoping some day this feature appears (hint, hint).

jeff

[kmac32]

I don’t know about imphasis but I do know about emphasis. It gives you a basic guideline on where to start on price. If something is worth a certain value and a seller wants twice what it is worth then it gives a buyer an idea what to offer. Same is true on the opposite side where a buyer offers half of what a card is worth then negotiations can proceed from there. Both sides need to be reasonable if a deal is to be made.

It always gets me when a seller has a card but wants a buyer to throw out a price without the buyer having any idea where the seller is at. If there is really interest in selling a card, at least shoot back a realistic offer. The game of guess the price is really not fun or fair to anyone.

My two cents

Kmac