Should for sale listings be allowed in the b/s/t without prices

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

This attempt to equate a priceless listing with "dishonesty" or otherwise untoward behavior is really nothing more than a buyer's dream of a perfect market for collectibles, where all cards can and should be bought for a perceived "market value." I can't help but think that the buyers who want this don't pursue cards that are particularly rare or difficult to find very often.

The beautiful thing about buying things like vintage baseball cards is that each card can be unique based on rarity of card and condition. They're little works of art and most of the serious collectors on here treat them as such. Selling one of these rarities is quite often less about "market values" than a personal exploration into what a sell threshold might be for a cherished item that may be on its way out of your collection for a whole variety of reasons from need to greed.

I have sold literally hundreds of cards from 1 figure to five figures on the B/S/T. Most of the big sales started as a discussion of value based on my identifying that I was thinking of selling a big dollar card - but not listing a price. Indeed, I often did not know what figure I would be comfortable accepting until I started receiving offers. Such was the case with my sale of Lionel Carter's T206 Eddie Plank. And, as is often the case with such rarities, there is no "established market" for the card. Not all SGC 10/PSA 1 T206 Eddie Planks are equal in value to the market or to the beholder/owner.

In any event, all of the arguments against priceless listings should apply equally to "absurd price" listings. "Fishing" -- or attempts to gain sales above some perceived "market value" -- can take place with a high price or no price. In fact, one could make a pretty compelling argument that a stated high price is more likely to result in above market sales than a priceless listing.

To those who insist on a high price listing, I assume that you believe that you can next convince a seller to accept a reasonable market price. Is that the goal? I don't know about you, but I have never been able to successfully engage a seller on an absurd high price listing by showing him recent auction results at the lower price of similar cards. The result is the same - no sale.

In short, requiring prices in listings brings you no closer to acquiring a card without a price in the listing. And, again, only has the effect of discouraging collectors with truly great stuff from sticking their toe in the water on a potential sale.

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