1964 topps tatoos shill bidding galore bassik and morris

[MattyC]

Heavy accusations without very strong proof.

In general, I wonder if there is a natural psychological reflex in some to see and cry shilling, so as to offset a loss at auction?

[pawpawdiv9]

LOL! maybe thats why my Mantle auto-ball is not selling-- I am not asking not enough.
Those are some really strong prices and nothing wrong with it. I only happen to speak to Sean a few times thru a PM, He seems legit for me to do bussiness with. 2 thumbs up are someone trying to run a bussiness in this decade.

[sflayank]

i did not bid on it and couldnt care less
simply showing the board that insanely ridiculous prices were paid and the 3 top bidders were all the same guys who virtually only bid on your stuff
check out the red sox logo tatoo...1/2 a tatoo should i say
172$....a joke...ive listed tatoos in that shape starting at 99 cents and didnt get a bid...$400 for killebrew? ive never seen an ungraded tatoo of mantle sell for 400...let alone killebrew

[Sean1125]

Originally Posted by sflayank

i did not bid on it and couldnt care less
simply showing the board that insanely ridiculous prices were paid and the 3 top bidders were all the same guys who virtually only bid on your stuff
check out the red sox logo tatoo...1/2 a tatoo should i say
172$....a joke...ive listed tatoos in that shape starting at 99 cents and didnt get a bid...$400 for killebrew? ive never seen an ungraded tatoo of mantle sell for 400...let alone killebrew

I know the prices were strong. All the auctions were legit.

[bobsbbcards]

Not questioning the legitimacy of the auctions one bit, but I'm truly baffled why people would pay some of these prices for raw cards that have absolutely no chance to grade higher than advertised if sent in for grading.

Take the 1956 Topps Clemente EX-MT card that was shown as selling for $390. Here's a scan:



Average VCP for a PSA 7 is $386.93. One sold on March 19th for $354. One sold on March 1st for $382.59.

Clearly the raw card shown is NOT a PSA 7 (6 at best, and that's debatable), yet it sells for more than one?!? Huh?

[Sean1125]

Originally Posted by bobsbbcards

Not questioning the legitimacy of the auctions one bit, but I'm truly baffled why people would pay some of these prices for raw cards that have absolutely no chance to grade higher than advertised if sent in for grading.

Take the 1956 Topps Clemente EX-MT card that was shown as selling for $390. Here's a scan:



Average VCP for a PSA 7 is $386.93. One sold on March 19th for $354. One sold on March 1st for $382.59.

Clearly the raw card shown is NOT a PSA 7 (6 at best, and that's debatable), yet it sells for more than one?!? Huh?

I would agree with an earlier statement that someone made saying Greg has a cult following.

[MattyC]

Here's what some people don't get, and I will use myself as an example to illustrate the point:

I collect something other than cards. It's not my main focus but every several months I will look to splurge on some of these items. They are readily available on ebay, often for much cheaper than I wind up spending on them. But I am not super knowledgable on the market nuances for these items; I am not sure who the legit sellers are, and who is selling knockoffs, or how prevalent knockoffs are, though I suspect quite prevalent.

So what I do, is instead of bargain hunting on ebay through various sellers of unknown reputation, I willingly and happily pay top dollar and then some to get what I want, in one shot, from one guy whom I know is 100% legit, selling legit stuff.

And if he were to run auctions, I would only buy these items from him, and slug it out with other bidders, including those like myself-- who are loyal to this guy. I know I may in some cases be paying way over what I could find these items for elsewhere, but I am too busy to learn the seller landscape and am happy to pay a fat premium for what I want and the confidence in what I am getting, when I buy from this one point of sale.

Now if this is how one guy thinks with respect to one seller of a collectible, there are doubtless legions of others with the same mindset. And though I know how to parse a good card from a bad one no matter who the seller, there are likely many guys who think about cards the way I do about this other collectible.

This explains why some guys who have built a business, a reputation, and a following on a mass scale (the Probsteins, the PWCCs, the Morris, the Novellas, etc.) seem to get bidding and action that others don't. Many people are busy with work or other things and just want what they want, and are happy to "overpay" for confidence in seller and the items' legitimacy. Other sellers who do not get the same action should look to market themselves accordingly, so that they can enjoy the same benefits of a loyal following.

[ALR-bishop]

Originally Posted by Sean1125

I would agree with an earlier statement that someone made saying Greg has a cult following.

If so, Sean, I hope it's not like that one on The Following