Henry Yee Winnings

[71buc]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

+1

Another thing to consider is that Henry Yee's auctions do bring buyers to eBay that would not normally venture onto the site.

Not everyone is willing to invest the time to dig through the morass of crap presented on eBay on a daily basis to pull out the few gems, in the same way that not everyone is willing to dig through a pile of clothes at the thrift store looking for designer labels. Many will just go to the designer's stores where they know there will be an abundance of what they are looking for, albeit at higher prices, rather than investing the time and energy hunting for something that might be at the thrift store for a cheaper price. Pull all the "good stuff" off into one small section that is only open a few days each year though, and make the buyers compete with each other for the opportunity to buy it, and you'll have well-heeled collectors and bargain hunters alike elbowing each other to get at the goods.

And the prices inch (or leap) up accordingly.

Lots of factors to consider here, and lots of things done right on Yee's end. I just get tired of the kneejerk "high prices = shill bidding" response without any real evidence to back it up.

I love his auctions as well but cannot afford to compete any longer. This is the first year I will be shut out on all items I wanted. I too continue to be amazed at the prices his items realize. Below are two items that sold the last couple of days in his auction. The unopened pen and pencil bat on the left sold for $86.00 yesterday. The one on the right I purchased for $10.00 about six months ago. The Jim Thorpe photo on the left sold an hour ago for $212.05. The one on the right is from the Tribune's Ebay site I paid $32.49 a year ago. The Yee bats include Maris and mine has Frank Robinson. Does Maris make it worth an additional $70.00? My photo has a small ink mark on the front which apparently devalues it $180.00. He is quite the salesman. That being said, I will continue to "dig through the morass of crap presented on eBay on a daily basis"