T206 Plank Auction

wonkaticket · #1 07-27-2013, 11:08 PM

Leon, no doubt there are members who are very active in the hobby but not active on the board per say. However to say that if you're not on here your not really in the hobby is a bit naive. Not only the old timers but many of the hobby's biggest purchases have been made from folks outside the hobby investors etc. not all of those folks know of this place nor would they flock here if they did.

Look I like Net54, and other chat boards as much as the next guy but they are not the driving force behind this hobby and if Net54 and the banner ads went away overnight theses guys would still be selling cards and lots of them.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,

John

Leon · #2 07-27-2013, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonkaticket

Leon, no doubt there are members who are very active in the hobby but not active on the board per say. However to say that if you're not on here your not really in the hobby is a bit naive. Not only the old timers but many of the hobby's biggest purchases have been made from folks outside the hobby investors etc. not all of those folks know of this place nor would they flock here if they did.

Look I like Net54, and other chat boards as much as the next guy but they are not the driving force behind this hobby and if Net54 and the banner ads went away overnight theses guys would still be selling cards and lots of them.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers,

John

Where did I ever say if you aren't on the board you aren't in the hobby? That sounds crazy. I would never say that.
Of course all of the auctions would still have sales if there were no Net54baseball at all. The point is though, they probably make more sales and or get higher prices, at least sometimes, because of the ads. To think differently would be very naive indeed. Just look at the several responses in this thread alone. They would have bid in the auction had they known about it...and if that company advertised on this board those members would have known.
Do you really think these advertisers would be advertising if they didn't think they get a good ROI? You think they are throwing their hard earned money away? And some of them have been doing it for over 5 yrs straight. There is a reason. And of course, if they didn't advertise they would still get sales. They just get potentially more sales and higher prices, and maybe a few more consignments because of them.

Matthew H · #3 07-28-2013, 12:04 AM

I heard from an auction house that some of their bidders don't even have email addresses, so I'm assuming they aren't members here. with that being said, what is probably the best collections ever assembled belong to hand full of people that are members here, they even post from time to time.

I don't think that plank could have been helped by advertising here, but I do think many lots could be helped by a few things. Like maybe not changing the name of your company every few years. I'd say I miss at least half of his auctions. All of his emails end up in my spam folder. That doesn't happen to any other AH. His auctions just seem a bit more low key. Definitely more low-key around here. I have never seen a Greg Bussineau pick up thread.

Thromdog · #4 07-28-2013, 12:23 AM

Wow, my intent in initially posting this thread was simply about the Plank itself but its turned into a great discussion. My 2 cents as a low scale card hobbyist....
1. The Plank, even as a low 5, still seems undervalued and the buyer got a good deal.....which means the seller (gets 63k) likely got hosed considering it sold for roughly 90k last go round....which leads to.....
2. This auction house should be advertising everywhere hobbyists visit. If for no other reason then to do everything for his client who has trusted the house to do whatever possible to get bids and every dollar available. That includes advertising and email campaigns. I've registered at 2 houses just from seeing banners here on net54.
3. I found this auction by proactively googling "Plank t206 for sale". Considering time spent online searching boards, etc, I shouldn't have had to do that.
4. If you are consigning some of your collection, would you hand your stuff over to a house that people have said "man, there was some good prices on stuff over there....who is he"? That would probably be a red flag.

Anyway, I'll be watching for Greg's fall collection. Good site, some interesting stuff.....

wonkaticket · #5 07-28-2013, 12:39 AM

Leon, didn't say you said that it was Scott who made the comment "anyone who is anyone is on this board".

Leon no need to be defensive about your business model. I'm not asking you to justify the merit of why someone would advertise on net54 I can see the value for some folks.

My discussion here was more that not everyone who is a collector, investor or has a nice collection is a member of Net54 or any other forum nor do they have to be. Saying something like "anyone who is anyone is a member" I felt was naive and uninformed. I think you would agree perhaps not.

In terms of ROI with costs of $150-450 bucks a month for an ad it's hardly about ROI. If anything it's more about PR. Those numbers for any auction house worth a salt ends up as a rounding error not a serious investment in advertising with ROI concerns IMO.

Cheers,

John

P.S. I think saying that anyone who doesn't see the value in advertising on here is a bumbling idiot, isn't the best way to win them over as a customer. Obviously Greg feels he can pass on placing ads hardly makes the man a bumbling idiot just a potential future customer.

barrysloate · #6 07-28-2013, 05:50 AM

My two large cents on this:

Both John and Leon are right. Yes, the majority of collectors know this site and read it, but clearly not all do. Leon, I introduced you to an old time collector this week, you spoke with him on the phone. I mentioned Net54 to him and he had no idea what it was. And he's been collecting vintage cards for decades. I had a very good customer who used to place significant bids on tobacco cards in every auction I ran. He didn't even know how to use a computer, and had to phone his bids in to me. And he's been around for decades too. The number of people who know this site is growing every day, but there are still many collectors who aren't aware of it.

Should all auction houses advertise here? Of course, it's not expensive and it reaches a ton of collectors. Would it have had an affect on the Plank? Probably not, that card wasn't an "all-there 5", and many serious bidders chose not to go any higher. But I always advertised here before an auction and would unquestionably recommend it to someone who doesn't.

ScottFandango · #7 07-28-2013, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonkaticket

Leon, didn't say you said that it was Scott who made the comment "anyone who is anyone is on this board".

Leon no need to be defensive about your business model. I'm not asking you to justify the merit of why someone would advertise on net54 I can see the value for some folks.

My discussion here was more that not everyone who is a collector, investor or has a nice collection is a member of Net54 or any other forum nor do they have to be. Saying something like "anyone who is anyone is a member" I felt was naive and uninformed. I think you would agree perhaps not.

In terms of ROI with costs of $150-450 bucks a month for an ad it's hardly about ROI. If anything it's more about PR. Those numbers for any auction house worth a salt ends up as a rounding error not a serious investment in advertising with ROI concerns IMO.

Cheers,

John

P.S. I think saying that anyone who doesn't see the value in advertising on here is a bumbling idiot, isn't the best way to win them over as a customer. Obviously Greg feels he can pass on placing ads hardly makes the man a bumbling idiot just a potential future customer.

John, I thought a smart fella like yourself would recognize hyperbole when you see it versus a "naive, uninformed" LITERAL statement ....

It's true when many people started their large collections years ago, Net54 may not have existed....

However in today's day and age of google search engines, smart phones and wifi, one may say that a serious collector who has NOT FOUND THIS SITE is
"naive and uninformed"

Cheers

Leon · #8 07-28-2013, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonkaticket

Leon, didn't say you said that it was Scott who made the comment "anyone who is anyone is on this board".

Leon no need to be defensive about your business model. I'm not asking you to justify the merit of why someone would advertise on net54 I can see the value for some folks.

My discussion here was more that not everyone who is a collector, investor or has a nice collection is a member of Net54 or any other forum nor do they have to be. Saying something like "anyone who is anyone is a member" I felt was naive and uninformed. I think you would agree perhaps not.

In terms of ROI with costs of $150-450 bucks a month for an ad it's hardly about ROI. If anything it's more about PR. Those numbers for any auction house worth a salt ends up as a rounding error not a serious investment in advertising with ROI concerns IMO.

Cheers,

John

P.S. I think saying that anyone who doesn't see the value in advertising on here is a bumbling idiot, isn't the best way to win them over as a customer. Obviously Greg feels he can pass on placing ads hardly makes the man a bumbling idiot just a potential future customer.

I wasn't talking about Greg Businneau when I used the term "bumbling idiot". I will just leave it at that. A rounding error huh?

Sounds like you think I need a price increase!!

travrosty · #9 07-28-2013, 08:46 AM

in defense of greg, its not like his auction isn't written up on the net in popular places. it was in a psa article here. i know of many boxing collectors, many old timers who don't use a computer, or very sparingly and sparingly or never use email. They are not blooming idiots, or uninformed idiots, or idiots of any stripe and they do just fine finding what they want to buy.

http://www.psacard.com/Articles/Arti...-today-july-25

Edwolf1963 · #10 07-28-2013, 09:05 AM

Too many auctions/auction houses. I can't keep them all straight - and even though I'm enrolled with most (.. I think), I can't keep track of who has what, when, and when it ends.

BTW - you know the market shrinks as the costs go up. In other words, there are far fewer people with the means to buy a Plank in that condition than, per say, a Dots Miller in a common back 2. That said, IMO - any chance you have to reach even one potential buyer in a cost effective manner should be at least considered. Word of mouth alone from one member here to someone who may not be, but in the market for that card, can be the difference in thousands (next bid increment on that card)

Do banner ads drive sales? To some degree, I believe so - but it's more about merchandising and top-of-mind awareness than "clicks" (unfortunately too many advertisers seem to only look at "clicks" and "leads" unless it's an ego buy on mainstream mediums like TV, Radio, Newspaper, Billboard, etc). These are two important factors that more than a few members have mentioned in not even being aware of Greg's auction or end date this go-round. I will add myself to that list BTW.

Would the banner ads have made them aware, take note and bid? Who knows for sure, but I'd rather look at it from this point - not having them here, not advertising here certainly played a role in potential buyers NOT being made aware, not being in the game.

the 'stache · #11 07-28-2013, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travrosty

in defense of greg, its not like his auction isn't written up on the net in popular places. it was in a psa article here. i know of many boxing collectors, many old timers who don't use a computer, or very sparingly and sparingly or never use email. They are not blooming idiots, or uninformed idiots, or idiots of any stripe and they do just fine finding what they want to buy.

http://www.psacard.com/Articles/Arti...-today-july-25

In my work as a stock broker, I was quite surprised to learn just how many of our wealthy clients avoided computers and the internet altogether. Typically these were the firm's older clients. They were, of course, highly intelligent, and well-educated, but for one reason or another, they felt intimidated by the technology, and politely declined when I offered to help educate them. They were still able to conduct their business successfully by employing what we might consider antiquated means.

I might be making an educated guess here, but it would not surprise me in the slightest if there were similarly hobby enthusiasts, with quite extensive collections, who did not use the internet, or partake in discussions on forums like this one. However, I would expect that to change. While investment firms are willing to do whatever is necessary to help their clients achieve their goals, the hobby is changing, and with the precipitous drop in the number of "brick and mortar" card shops, these old fashioned collectors will be forced to adapt in order to continue on.

wonkaticket · #12 07-28-2013, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon

I wasn't talking about Greg Businneau when I used the term "bumbling idiot". I will just leave it at that. A rounding error huh?

Sounds like you think I need a price increase!!

Leon, all joking aside if the advertising is as effective as you say and I have no reason to doubt you. I would say yes an increase isn�t a bad idea because those prices seem a little cheap.

wonkaticket · #13 07-28-2013, 02:46 PM

Scott,

Sorry must have missed the hyperbole as you continued to explain your case.

Also perhaps I was too busy reading your PM to me. You know the one where you rambled about your higher education and stacks of degrees, the one where you wanted to know if I was a silver spoon baby or a self-made man?

Scott the only reason you can send me PM�s like the above is because I as collector choose to share from my collection. If I was like others I would be unknown to you and you would have no idea about me or my collection. Not unlike the many you claim don�t exist because they haven�t found an internet chat site.

Scott me saying your statement was uniformed wasn�t a personal attack against you. I was simply disagreeing with you and felt it was a na�ve blanket statement that wasn�t true. I think I explained myself in a civil manner to you as well.

So do me a favor please don�t be gentle and vanilla on the public forum then fill my inbox with snappy attacks and cheap shots. You have something to say want to take a shot at me do it publicly. In simple terms due to my overall lack of higher education�grow a pair say it for all to read or just don�t say it.

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