Opening price vs (known) reserve Poll

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

When the economy was strong and prices for baseball cards were bullish, a reserve wasn't really necessary. It's a much different landscape today and like it or not, we are going to see more lots with reserves. That may soon be the only way auction houses will be able to consistently get consignments. It's a sign of the times.

Barry,

I agree with you but what you end up with is little more than a fixed price sale masquerading as an auction.

[GoldenAge50s]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Barry,

I agree with you but what you end up with is little more than a fixed price sale masquerading as an auction.

Jeff---

That's true, but if you have a Reserve that's in line w/ current values you are just protecting yourself from someone literally stealing a card from you by lowball bidding--and I'm not including those ridiculous 4x-6x BV Sellers.

I'm willing to sell my cards at fair market/decent values, but just because the economy is off I'm not going to GIVE quality cards away!

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

Jeff---

That's true, but if you have a Reserve that's in line w/ current values you are just protecting yourself from someone literally stealing a card from you by lowball bidding--and I'm not including those ridiculous 4x-6x BV Sellers.

Or you are protecting yourself from "current values."

In some instances really.

[GoldenAge50s]

Well, Reserve or no Reserve, low min or start @ what you expect, I think a Seller builds his reputation on many things, among them is not asking Strasburg prices if you only have a t206 Wagner to offer!

Buyers get to know how you operate if they give you a chance, and I value quality along w/ reasonable pricing as my way of doing business.

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

Well, Reserve or no Reserve, low min or start @ what you expect, I think a Seller builds his reputation on many things, among them is not asking Strasburg prices if you only have a t206 Wagner to offer!

Buyers get to know how you operate if they give you a chance, and I value quality along w/ reasonable pricing as my way of doing business.

Agreed. My comments were of a general nature. Now is a "risky" time to absolute auction a lot of things and not so others. My point was that some sellers (as is their right) don't want to acknowledge that "current value" may not be what they think it is.

[GoldenAge50s]

We are on the same page! Thanks for your comments!

[steve B]

I'm more likely to bid on a no reserve auction. I know if I'm the high bidder I'll win it.

But I also bid on auctions where there's a reserve, either stated or hidden.
If it's stated, I just have to decide if I want to pay that much. Pretty easy, protects the seller, and gives me an idea wether I'm going to be close to affording it. If the reserve isn't stated, and I'm really interested, I'll ask what it is. Sometimes The seller will say what the reserve is if asked. I've sold maybe 5-6 things with a reserve over 10+ years. I don't always state the reserve, but will if asked. All but two of my reserves were laughably low, one ended up being 1/6 of the final selling price. The two I was too high on I ended up discussing the price with people that eventually bought the items.
One convinced me I was too high by about half, the other I had a lot of profit, the price was ok and the collection it went into was a great match.
(The buyer taught a college program on the books topic)

What I don't get is the sellers that refuse to state the reserve even when asked. Usually they say it's to "be fair to the other bidders" which makes no sense to me. And usually I won't bother bidding. If they say it's just their policy to not reveal reserves, I may bid, but usually bid less than I might if I knew the reserve.

Of course on Ebay there's sneaky ways of finding out. I've never done it, but it's possible to have a friend place a very large bid which goes immediately to the reserve, then retract it. Pretty slimy, and I've never wanted anything badly enough to resort to that.

Steve B

[3-2-count]

I voted, # 1 and #2 are about the same for me. I have no problem bidding on an item if I know what the reserve is .
If it's placed higher than what I think the cards worth I just don't bid. Pretty simple........

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Or you are protecting yourself from "current values."

In some instances really.

There is nothing wrong with this. Auto auctions run like this all the time. It's well known that some sellers sometimes just want to see what the current market is for their car, and if it meets their reserve, then they will sell. This doesn't seem to bother anyone. My uncle bids on cars all the time, I've never heard him complain about reserves.

Alot of cards do sell for their "current value" today, some people are taking losses. I also think that some collectors are still licking their wounds from previous years and are reluctant to bid. I think this trend is temporary. I'll find as many good deals as I can, while I can, and so will everybody else.

When it comes time for people to sell all of these great deals they found during these tough times, they won't be putting reserves on their cards. They won't have to.