Sticker price at card shows

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Don't offer anything. Ask the dealer to make the offer. Make him bid against himself. You will be surprised how many dealers will knock off a substantial sum from the sticker price, especially if prices on the card are stagnant and the card is relatively easy to find. I like to go with "what is the absolute lowest price you will accept for this card?" See what happens. Better than dickering.

That said, don't expect much movement on a card that is iconic, soaring in price or a rare one. No need to discount those. Last show I did some guy wanted me to discount a rare boxing card. No thanks. I can't just find another one on eBay. I think many dealers will hold a genuinely rare card until they get their price. I know I will.

Agreed. At the CSA show this weekend, I asked dealers with reasonable starting prices, "What is your best price on this card?" I was looking for 1969 Topps Mantle (yellow letter) graded PSA 7. Before the show, I did some research on Ebay and found the price to be around $1,300. I found a few examples on the floor. Two dealers had the card at $2K. Like others on the thread, I didn't even open my mouth. I believe dealers hate to hear "I can get a better price on Ebay or the consensus Ebay price is XXX." One dealer had the card for $1,465. I thought there was some room left on that card, and planned to return to the table after getting autographs. I have been kicking around the idea of collecting the 1961 Topps AS subset and the same dealer had a 1961 Maris AS card for $225, so his prices were not outrageous. If the country is headed for a recession in 2023, it will be interesting to see if card prices fall.

CSA seems to be trying to cram more dealers into a smaller space. Mail order is clearly king. It might have just been me but the floor seemed pretty cramped. I overheard two dealers chatting and although business seemed good (Sunday, much better than Saturday from my polling) the dealer said to the other - "I have two tables and with costs, I am $2K in the hole before making a sale. I could simply avoid the hassle and sell on Ebay. Of course, I will have to pay the fees, but I can just ship it out and be done with it." I have always thought that CSA is more of an autograph show than a card show.

Oh, in the event you are wondering, I did not get the 1969 Mantle or !961 AS Maris. On Saturday, I had purchased a 1958 AS Mantle and was happy with the purchase.