I am gonna vent

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by Batpig

I hate this saying. What the heck is the point of having the cake if you can't eat it? I know the point is you can't eat the cake and still have it, but the phrasing is still annoying. For an alternative, I suggest "You can't sit in two chairs with one butt." Or maybe a more appropriate alternative for this situation is "You can't keep your card and sell it too."

Carry on.

Original statement was "you can't eat your cake and have it to"

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

Original statement was "you can't eat your cake and have it to"

In the recent miniseries about how the FBI finally tracked down the Unabomber, that phrase took a front seat in the examinations and comparisons of text/writings in the case. I was laughing because I always hated the way the phrase is generally said (wrongly) in our country, "You can't have your cake and eat it too," and one of the things that led them to Kaczynski was his repeated use of the 'correct' wording of the phrase. Fascinating stuff.

[OsFan]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

In the recent miniseries about how the FBI finally tracked down the Unabomber, that phrase took a front seat in the examinations and comparisons of text/writings in the case. I was laughing because I always hated the way the phrase is generally said (wrongly) in our country, "You can't have your cake and eat it too," and one of the things that led them to Kaczynski was his repeated use of the 'correct' wording of the phrase. Fascinating stuff.

Just finished that show last night on Netflix. Quality show. Lead character was a bit lacking in my opinion, still a fine show. I think Mindhunter one-ups it however. Also on Netflix.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

Original statement was "you can't eat your cake and have it to"

have it to what? To hold? To eat again? To smash in someone's face? I need to know

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

have it to what? To hold? To eat again? To smash in someone's face? I need to know

If you have cake, you can end a sentence in a preposition.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

If you have cake, you can end a sentence in a preposition.

Actually, you would be ending it in an adverb (assuming you meant "too" and not "to", that is).
/thread derail

[pbspelly]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I feel that what a seller previously paid for a card is relevant. Unless you're using them as fuel to heat your home, cards don't have value independent of what people are wiling to pay for them. So what someone previously paid for a card helps set the value. If I want a card, I may be willing to pay above market, but no one wants to feel like they're getting fleeced.

Also, providing the seller with information about what comparable cards have sold for doesn't seem wrong to me. Maybe the seller doesn't know that his price is unlikely to be met. I'll do that on eBay sometimes, simply let someone know that the going price for something is such and such, that I'll give them a bit more than that, but that they're free to try and sell it for more if they want to.

[packs]

Relevant in what way? If you overpaid for something, how does that have any impact on me as the buyer? Why would I overpay you for something because you overpaid yourself when I could just buy it from someone else? If the first thing a dealer has to say about a card is what it cost them, that's not a card I'm going to buy.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by packs

Relevant in what way? If you overpaid for something, how does that have any impact on me as the buyer? Why would I overpay you for something because you overpaid yourself when I could just buy it from someone else? If the first thing a dealer has to say about a card is what it cost them, that's not a card I'm going to buy.

i dont care what a seller paid....but it doesnt bother me if they tell me. For one, i know every buyer in the world always points to a past sale of a 'better conditioned card' that sold for less...

In your statement you are assuming you can just buy it from someone else, what if you cant because the centering is unique from the card and it doesnt come up often etc. At least if the seller tells you what they paid for the card that will save time if you arent willing to pay more than that..

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

If you have cake, you can end a sentence in a preposition.

"Where are you at?"

"Don't end sentences in a preposition."

"OK: where are you at, jackass?"

On the OP, I agree w/r/t eBay listings with a Best Offer. My opening price is my offer, so I am soliciting actual offers, not requests to revise my offer. Not something to get bent out of shape about, though. The world is full of trolls, so just politely tell them to make an offer and you will consider it. Also, make sure you put a floor on your best offer by automatically rejecting anything below a specific level. It will weed out the bottom feeders. Eventually these trolls quit or make an actual offer. I had one of these perpetual tire-kickers who finally made an offer and it was more than I'd have accepted for the item, so you never know. Sometimes they will dust the cobwebs off their wallets and step up.

I also hate that "what's the best you can do" inquiry. It is one of those down-home-isms that creeps into commercial language because it feels less confrontational than asking a more direct question. Marty (hi Marty) has the best response: The best I can do is my listed price. Instead of that silly question I now ask "what is the absolute lowest price you will sell this for?" It is more direct and sort of rude but at least it is honest. Yes, I am aware that I end the sentence in a preposition; saying "for which you will sell this item" sounds like I am having tea with the queen.

I also agree that the "you paid this" tactic is annoying. It is also a bad negotiation technique. If I know what you paid and when you bought something, why would I let you know that I know? Divulging information about your strategy or resources gratuitously gives your opponent potentially useful data in countering you. The better strategy would be to offer something reasonable without explaining it. Account for the low price the seller paid to tempt the seller to accept and generate a quick profit. If I see a dealer pay $250 for a $1000 card I may offer him $750 to sell it immediately. I get a substantial discount to market and I put him into a quandary. A smart trader understands that a quick flip at a good profit and putting that money back to work is often a better strategy than sitting on inventory hoping for a top price buyer. I know I consider how much I paid and how long I held an item when I try to sell it. I learned that watching Alan Rosen in action at a show in San Francisco in the 1980s. He bought a great collection of 1950s cards for $5400 and within hours wholesaled pieces of the deal to other dealers. He didn't retail the cards to eke out top prices over the course of a year, he got in and got out and put the money back to work. Of course, that assumes you have the faith that you will continue to get deals. If you treat every deal like a live-or-die one, you can't take a reasonable offer and you end up with a lot of inventory.