Overpriced cards

[pbspelly]

I think it would be great if eBay had an automatic markdown system like Filene's used to have. After 14 days, the price drops. Another 14 days, another drop. Etc. Or perhaps eBay could start increasing the listing fee the longer something has remained unsold. I know there are some logistical issues to these ideas (what's to stop someone from just starting a listing all over again), but I just find it really annoying when sellers use eBay as a perpetual show window for overpriced items they really don't have much interest in selling. I don't see how it is in eBay's interest, either.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

I think it would be great if eBay had an automatic markdown system like Filene's used to have. After 14 days, the price drops. Another 14 days, another drop. Etc. Or perhaps eBay could start increasing the listing fee the longer something has remained unsold. I know there are some logistical issues to these ideas (what's to stop someone from just starting a listing all over again), but I just find it really annoying when sellers use eBay as a perpetual show window for overpriced items they really don't have much interest in selling. I don't see how it is in eBay's interest, either.

If dealer's could stay in business with such a system, I'm sure they would be fine with it. But if they could not, they would leave ebay.

All anyone is looking for is a fair playing field with a fee structure that allows a reasonable profit. You also need to keep in mind that not all sellers possess the same business sense or skills - some have hit on workable formulas, while some have not. I don't know if the guys with 100% mark-ups are making money or not. I know that some accept very discounted offers and I know that some do not. I also know that some who do not have been in business for many, many, many years, so they are doing something right.

[Luke]

A lot of the problem is that ebay's fees are way too high. It doesn't really make much sense to do all the work (scanning, pricing, packing, shipping) and pay ebay 10% and then take your chances with an auction listing on ebay. You're just not going to recoup your money very often and you're out your time. I also scratch my head when I see cards priced at like 10x retail, but as a guy who sells on ebay, I understand it to some degree.

A simple business model of selling nice vintage cards at auction on ebay would result in the seller going broke eventually. This doesn't apply to guys like just_collect who are buying collections at massive discounts. But a weekend warrior type seller who gets some good buys here and there, and tries to sell at a small profit to feed their card habit just can't do it on ebay with market value (the prices realized on the BST for example) retail prices.

[LEHR]

I probably have 20-25 items on my eBay watch list that have sat there for over a year at the same price. Or the seller may occasionally lower there $300-$500 item $10-$20 for a "sale". I keep thinking that someday maybe one of the sellers will wake up and realize that there item is obviously overpriced. No luck yet.

[pbspelly]

In my opinion, eBay needs to do something about the high prices if it wants to regain its popularity. From a buyer's perspective, the whole point of eBay is to get a good deal. There's always a certain amount of risk involved in an eBay transaction, so if you are not going to get a good deal--a discount off of retail market price--there's little point to using eBay. It is usually safer to buy somewhere else. Nowadays, though, there are so few bargains on eBay that a lot of buyers, myself included, don't even bother looking all that often. Which is a big reason that eBay's growth has stalled apart from its paypal unit.

Let me give you an example. Let's say you go on eBay and search for Mach 3 razors. A bunch of sellers come up listing an 8-pack at a BIN price of $15.99. Why on earth would I buy from them when I could get the same thing from Amazon for $15.25? And not have to worry who they're coming from, whether they are defective, and whether I have recourse if they are. Yet eBay doesn't seem to do anything to encourage those sellers to lower their price.

EBay, and those who sell on it, need to understand that it is a discount marketplace and buyers are not going to use it if they don't get a discount.

I sell things on eBay sometimes, but I understand beforehand that I am not likely to get the same price that I would if I sold it in a store. At the same time, I am likely to get a much higher price than I would selling it in a yard sale on my lawn.

Now, obviously vintage baseball cards are different than razors, since you can't just go get what you want at your neighborhood supermarket. But still, if eBay wants to attract buyers, it needs to encourage discounts more than it does, in my opinion. Instead, it seems to encourage people to list things at BIN prices and even recommends a market price for them. Which is why it's so hard to find good deals, and why eBay is becoming less and less popular.

Just my two cents.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

In my opinion, eBay needs to do something about the high prices if it wants to regain its popularity. From a buyer's perspective, the whole point of eBay is to get a good deal. There's always a certain amount of risk involved in an eBay transaction, so if you are not going to get a good deal--a discount off of retail market price--there's little point to using eBay. It is usually safer to buy somewhere else. Nowadays, though, there are so few bargains on eBay that a lot of buyers, myself included, don't even bother looking all that often. Which is a big reason that eBay's growth has stalled apart from its paypal unit.

Let me give you an example. Let's say you go on eBay and search for Mach 3 razors. A bunch of sellers come up listing an 8-pack at a BIN price of $15.99. Why on earth would I buy from them when I could get the same thing from Amazon for $15.25? And not have to worry who they're coming from, whether they are defective, and whether I have recourse if they are. Yet eBay doesn't seem to do anything to encourage those sellers to lower their price.

EBay, and those who sell on it, need to understand that it is a discount marketplace and buyers are not going to use it if they don't get a discount.

I sell things on eBay sometimes, but I understand beforehand that I am not likely to get the same price that I would if I sold it in a store. At the same time, I am likely to get a much higher price than I would selling it in a yard sale on my lawn.

Now, obviously vintage baseball cards are different than razors, since you can't just go get what you want at your neighborhood supermarket. But still, if eBay wants to attract buyers, it needs to encourage discounts more than it does, in my opinion. Instead, it seems to encourage people to list things at BIN prices and even recommends a market price for them. Which is why it's so hard to find good deals, and why eBay is becoming less and less popular.

Just my two cents.

I don't think EBAY could care less about their vintage baseball card sales...honestly.

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

I don't think EBAY could care less about their vintage baseball card sales...honestly.

I wasn't just talking about vintage card sales. I meant eBay in general.

But now that you mention it, that may be one of the problems with eBay, that it doesn't care about vintage card sales. It ought to, because vintage cards are something you can't always get somewhere else. EBay ought to focus on (a) items you can't easily get somewhere else, and (b) items sold at a discount compared to what you'd pay somewhere else. Instead, it tries to be another Amazon. And loses.

[steve B]

One of the hard things for dealers is the need to balance selling inventory and having inventory. When it comes down to it, nearly all dealer stocks could be sold in under a month if they really wanted it gone. Some could even do that and still have profit.

In a way inventory is advertising.
How often do you pass by a table at a show because you take one look and just know they probably don't have what you're looking for?


Pricing that inventory so you have sales and profit, and enough better stuff to attract customers is harder than it seems. The biggest challenge at times is simply replacing inventory.
Shops- Generally have prices that are a bit high but need to be because of overhead. And many aren't all that flexible.
Shows - If someone only does shows, their prices are usually a bit lower, or there's more flexibility on price.
Flea markets - Yeah, flea markets. A whole range of pricing strategies. From everything dirt cheap because they don't want to drag it around anymore, to reasonable, to what I came to refer to as "imaginative" (The ones I used to go to were all under power lines- That might have something to do with the pricing. ) Usually there's a load of flexibility. When I was selling at flea markets occasionally I had stuff marked with the catalog value or what I figured retail would be. Most stuff I'd take far less. The OJ rookie? Yeah, catalogs 90, but I'll take 20. The signature rookies signed Jeter? Nope, catalogs 30 and that's what I want. (And that should give you an idea how long ago that was) Many I'd take half of what was marked. But then I was only selling once a year or so.

Ebay for all they've done to try and make it more retail/amazon like is still like a big crazy flea market. And I think everyone is still trying to figure out the best way to make it work. Ebay themselves probably want the boatloads of overpriced things to stay. When someone looks the category says there are around 2.9 million baseball cards. Of course I'll look, there's probably something I want. Other online auction places have fewer, bidstart has about 64 thousand. And the impression is that there's nothing there to buy. So there's fewer buyers and sellers.
The two items shown - Looking at the sellers other stuff some of it is pretty reasonable. One seems to be unfamiliar with sports stuff other than it's worth a lot of money. The other does cards, and is a bit more reasonable on his other stuff.
High priced items can also be a bit of an ad, the two posted got me to look at their other stuff, so it's done better than a lot of other ads.
Retail does stuff like that all the time. When Toshiba had a 48 inch crt television the shop had a big sign out on the mall. "Come see the worlds largest crt television!" It was impressive, and got a lot of people into the store. Sports cars and sponsoring racing teams are the same thing. Chevy doesn't really make enough money on Corvettes, except for the people that go in to look and get something else.

Steve B

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

I think it would be great if eBay had an automatic markdown system like Filene's used to have. After 14 days, the price drops. Another 14 days, another drop. Etc. Or perhaps eBay could start increasing the listing fee the longer something has remained unsold. I know there are some logistical issues to these ideas (what's to stop someone from just starting a listing all over again), but I just find it really annoying when sellers use eBay as a perpetual show window for overpriced items they really don't have much interest in selling. I don't see how it is in eBay's interest, either.

Yes more ePay rules for Sellers would be awesome!

[swarmee]

I have bought two 1969 Mantles recently...both on eBay. One in a lot with 10 other 1969 Topps Hall of Famers for $35 and one in a lot with two other Mantle cards and a Musial for $66. How did I get them that cheap? Neither lot had Mickey Mantle in the title. One of the listings got 17 different bidders, while the other probably had 4. Very few people actually saw these listings. One of the lots had Mantle spelled "Mantel" and the other didn't even show that the card was in the lot (except for his hands gripping the bat and the Louisville Slugger logo further up the card). eBay and even REA/major auction houses are places where imperfect knowledge reigns. Not everything is listed accurately, and many sellers suffer from poor/incomplete information. There is definitely a place to turn a profit just by reselling on eBay.
The real trick, for most people, isn't buying low and selling high. It's doing those and not siphoning profits off into a personal collection. ;-)

[1952boyntoncollector]

when we talking about mispelled listings etc...I think we all can agree that we wouldnt count those for market price....i would agree completely that a mickey Mantel spelling could result in a sale under market price...and if you looked at the link of the auction you would see that....thats just all the way on the other side of the spectrum...nothing to bring up in a market price argument..

the fact that you cant count on ebay sales to resell items on a regular basis means that they are going for close enough to market to not be able to sell

in addition, in a house analogy...even when the housing market goes down...people still will need a place to stay and rent. There is always some value in houses...there could be a time when cardboard is just cardboard..

this argument i am making about long term potential of a large downward trend is important when looking a the time period for 'market value' ..i would go a few months of sales...listing a card for a long period of time for the 'market value' risks the chance for the general downturn as a card is not a commodity versus a house......thus i would measure market price period for a limited time...if you needed money in the next 6 months to pay bills..i would think an REA auction etc spelled correctly would be considered the market price....yet on ebay you will see cards priced 20% higher listed for years...and i keep hearing that those prices are market price because ebay auctions are terrible indicators as they go for too low (even though you cant buy cards there and make a profit on a regular basis)