Pet Peeve: Dealers who pull out Beckett at a card show? Opinions wanted!

[JohnP0621]

I usually go to 2-4 card shows a year. I stop and talk to a lot of dealers and go over prices of cards that I may be interested in. (Mainly Pre War tobacco).After I check out the whole show I go back and negotiate a price for the cards that I want. A lot of times the prices in the guides are used for a starting point. I am well educated and know what the current market prices are. Most dealers that I buy from are very fair and sometimes I pay a little more if its a card that I really need and sometimes aI get a good deal. I am never annoyed as I enjoy the back and forth between dealer and buyer. I never take any dealings personally. You always have the last say and Most dealers that I deal with are very respectful and helpful.

PS I also found & bought a Raw T206 Titus Good Condition for $25.00

John P

[bobbyw8469]

I guess I wouldn't have minded if he hadn't said, "These are all $2", and I spend 10 minutes going through everything just to find three cards and then out comes the Beckett.

[kamikidEFFL]

That would be kinda aggravating

[glynparson]

people quoting VCP just as annoying as Beckett. Sometimes the VCP data is old when you actually look at it. Sometimes cards are dogs for the grade and the other example is high end. I judge each card on its own merits and what i value it at not what others tell me too value it. This (VCP) may work for very common items but it is not always as relevant as its proponents make it out to be.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by glynparson

people quoting VCP just as annoying as Beckett. Sometimes the VCP data is old when you actually look at it. Sometimes cards are dogs for the grade and the other example is high end. I judge each card on its own merits and what i value it at not what others tell me too value it. This (VCP) may work for very common items but it is not always as relevant as its proponents make it out to be.

I can see how that would get annoying Glyn. However, quoting NM Beckett prices for all your cards should have went out with dial-up internet!! This is 2015 people! VCP, while annoying in the way you describe, is at least closer to reality than Beckett.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I can see how that would get annoying Glyn. However, quoting NM Beckett prices for all your cards should have went out with dial-up internet!! This is 2015 people! VCP, while annoying in the way you describe, is at least closer to reality than Beckett.

A couple years ago Beckett put out a price guide that had past sales in it as well as values of vintage. I think it was mainly vintage, or had a lot of vintage in it. I could barely find a price in the pre-war that was off at all. It was very accurate. Again, this was only on their pre-war cards. I don't know about others as I didn't look. They were spot on for what I saw though. And I am empathetic of how the members in this thread are not happy with dealers quoting a high book price, on more well loved cards, that aren't close to the condition being quoted.

[Rich Klein]

That is the graded card price guide and in reality, although it would be too time consuming, all those prices should move over to the regular price guides

[timzcardz]

With all the time that some dealers spend sitting, ignoring potential customers, I find that if they haven't priced stuff out already and have to go to the book, then my time is probably being wasted. It seems like bad business for me to have to expect customers to wait while you look up a price for something, especially when many times dealers give the impression that you are bothering them by asking because you want to spend money.


Here is an experience that I posted on another forum 5 years ago . . .

I took my son to a card show last weekend, and got a dealer mad at me.

I asked about a 1997 Pinnacle Artist Proof Derek Jeter card that he had in his case. Now this guy has had this in his case for at least the last two years. I've seen it many times before, but never asked him about it because he was protecting so much in the case that I figured he thought it was worth more than it was.

So the guy takes it out and starts going on about how much the card used to book for, and turns it over and he has a sticker on the back of it that says $125, and that is crossed out and below it is $60. He says "See that 's what it used to book for and it came down and probably books for less yet now. Let me look it up."

So I stand there waiting while this guy finds his book, then starts looking, and turning through pages of Beckett, and finally finds it and says "It says 15 times the base card, so it books for $60. I'll take $35 for it."

So I just stood there waiting on him to have him tell me I can have it for 60% of book value. Now the cards in this set can be had for about 25% of book value, but it is Jeter, so he would command a premium and should be able to be had for 1/3 of book. So I tell him, "I'm not interested at $35, but I would be interested at $20."

This lazy ass whose just been sitting behind his table for the last half hour selling absolutely nothing, doesn't say a word. He just puts the card back in the case, closes it, and turns away. I'm thinking to myself WTF? He can't even have the decency to tell me that he won't sell it for that?

So I proceed to another set of tables with a guy that I often buy wax from, and I hear this guy behind telling someone, "I'm really biting my tongue right now" and complaining about me wasting HIS time."

Well that won't happen again, because I will NEVER do business with him.