What a letdown this auction was. What could I have done better?

[cjedmonton]

Good point about the economy, and no I didn't post on the B/S/T because I'm brand new here and am not entirely sure how that works, etiquette-wise.

[Jay Wolt]

Many members post items for sale in the various sections or in the auction area advising us what they are listing on eBay.
There's a bunch of members who only post there w/o adding any posts to the main boards.
So feel free to post away and alert us of what you have for sale

[cjedmonton]

Okay, will do. Thanks, Jay. This item was only the tip of the iceberg. Over 40 other programs came out of this estate, along with a Dizzy/Paul Dean signed ball, a 1951 Dodgers silk scarf, plus several other interesting items.

I'll post a full list with scans when I can.

[thecatspajamas]

Since it sounds like you have a pretty good idea of the prices you would like to get for them, you might try posting them for sale in the B/S/T section, or using a Fixed Price type listing on eBay.

Auctions are definitely quicker, but I have found that, if you have a good idea of what the "value" of the item is, eBay auctions will hit below that mark more often than exceed it. The trade-off is you get your money back much quicker than if you fish around for that one high-end sale on each item.

[prewarsports]

I actually think you did very well. Had each of these signatures been signed on a blank page where they could easily have been seperated, than your price would be a touch low, but there is NO WAY these things could be removed and broken up in an attractive way (hopefully nobody will try). And in that case your price is actually VERY strong for a multi-signed item with Cy young being the best.

[bender07]

I agree with some of the others that you did well with it. I've seen you post the program in other forums so I knew what the item was going to be. I figured you'd get around a grand for it. Nice job!

[JimStinson]

Wow ! are you bragging or complaining ? I think the listing did pretty darn GOOD ! Congrats ! stop watching the "Antique Road show" and tune into "Final Offer" or "Pawn Brokers" More of the real world in terms of autographs reflected there. AND here ! don;t look at what is the "asking" prices on e-bay, they are hilarious ...look at the actual selling prices ! You did REAL swell !

[theshleps]

Same happened to me with getting way less than expected on some equally desireable vintage items. Unless it fits a real niche like vintage Dodger or Yankee- it seems only vintage rare signed cards are meeting the prices of a few years ago. Economy is down and alot of neat stuff (other than rare signed cards) are hitting the market. I still have 8 Barney Dreyfuss signed contracts but may hold them as I doubt they will get what they were once worth

[cjedmonton]

To Jim: I'm most certainly not bragging, but guilty as charged with some mild complaining! I was only trying to elicit some advice from this pool of knowledge so I can maximize the potential for future listings. This is my first foray into the world of selling vintage material, so I'm learning as I go.

A seal of approval from you all is most appreciated, though. If the consensus is that it was a solid price, then that helps.

I obviously had too high an expectation for the program, but only because I thought I was the only one who appreciated the significance of the theme and the rarity of some of those sigs (whether separate or all together).

[otismalibu]

Using Yankees, and Dodgers in your title would be good.

Agreed. You only want words in the title that people are searching. Words like "with" and "alumni" probably did nothing for you.

Autograph, auto & signed...I often search all three.

[Exhibitman]

My initial impression was that the item was not attractive due to the Young singature being splashed across the woman's head. Had I been looking for a Cy Young I'd not have considered this one at the price realized, so I think you did well on the sale.

[Plinvestments]

I think you did fine with the price you got. Remember that EBay is not a place to maximize value, it is to sell quickly. You probably could have gotten more if you consigned it in a live auction.

[ibuysportsephemera]

Originally Posted by Plinvestments

I think you did fine with the price you got. Remember that EBay is not a place to maximize value, it is to sell quickly. You probably could have gotten more if you consigned it in a live auction.

Sorry, I totally disagree with this statement. I have sold in both forums (eBay & live auctions) and have had success and failures in both.

Jeff

[ibuysportsephemera]

My experience on eBay ( I have been a seller since 1997) is that you get your best sales average when you list multiple items that are related. These items can be loosely related (i.e. all baseball related or all ticket stubs, etc.) or very specifically related (all Dodgers items). The ability to cross promote from your existing auctions and the ability to change up titles usually gets better views. BUT, the thing about eBay is that some items will still not perform to your expectation, some will exceed your expectations by a very large amount and some will hit the exact mark. When all is said and done, if you average the total, most times you will be in the ball park that you expected.

Jeff