Auction houses vs. Ebay

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Posted By: JimB

I think it a lot depends on the card you are selling. If it is a high-end card in terms of value or rarity, chances are it will do better in a big auction house because a lot of the people in the market for those cards are not patrolling ebay. If it is a low to mid-grade T206 or something along those lines, then ebay is probably better for the seller. I think there are a lot of variables to consider and blanket statements tend to make black and white what is by nature grey. The big auction houses thrive for a reason. The buyers have the security that the items have been examined by real experts in the hobby and that if there is a problem found down the line they have some recourse. That said, some trusted names probably do well selling high-end cards on ebay. I am thinking of someone like Greg Busineau at Legacy Rarities who has been selling high-grade cards for years. He can sell PSA 8 T206s, etc. and get good prices for them on ebay. But for the super-rarities, I still think the major auction houses are the way to go. Look at the fiasco a few months back when the T210 Jackson was (sort of) offered. There were a bunch of insincere bids and nobody knew if the seller was even serious about selling. I am not in the market for a 100k+ card, but if I was, I would not want to have to deal with that sort of b.s.
JimB