Is Heritage that much better than EBay?

[sb1]

The biggest difference in the example of the T206's vs. the 33 Lajoie, is the fact that the Lajoie is a major milestone collectible. The T206 are commodity cards, readily available in all grades at nearly all times. One can pick and choose which T206 to buy, the Lajoie was very clean and likely someone who missed out the first go around decided to own the card in the recent auction. I don't have one and seriously considered throwing a bid in the mix at the ending night.

[oldeboo]

I'm not sure that the more higher end AHs get more eyes exactly, I don't doubt that they get more serious eyes though. I often see some great cards at AHs only have a few hundred views or less and the majority are probably from the same three people checking everyday. More valuable cards from sellers may gravitate towards an AH for many great reasons over eBay. There are a lot more opportunities of finding a diamond in the rough on eBay than at a top end AH, but you have to weed through a lot of junk and that time adds up. There are just too many factors to list that make them completely different animals. There are about as many similarities between auction houses and eBay as there are to the B/S/T, card shows/shops, flea markets and yard sales.

[Exhibitman]

'Reselling' on eBay may be a sales tax dodge. If you have a resale permit with Heritage you could avoid the sales tax by claiming to buy for resale. But how to prove it? Perhaps list the card on eBay at a high BIN. You then have proof of a resale effort if the tax man ever comes to collect his 10% and no sale except at a crazy profit.

Allegedly. Hypothetically.

[bounce]

Originally Posted by sb1

The biggest difference in the example of the T206's vs. the 33 Lajoie, is the fact that the Lajoie is a major milestone collectible. The T206 are commodity cards, readily available in all grades at nearly all times. One can pick and choose which T206 to buy, the Lajoie was very clean and likely someone who missed out the first go around decided to own the card in the recent auction. I don't have one and seriously considered throwing a bid in the mix at the ending night.

thought i'd add as well - i keep seeing comments like this that T206 cards are "commodity cards"

apparently i'm not shopping wherever you shop, because i've got plenty of funds set aside for these commodities but i can't find nice looking 4/5/6 with any regularity or at anywhere near what I'd consider "market" prices - unless we are now defining market again as "highest price ever for the grade"

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by bounce

i can't find nice looking 4/5/6 with any regularity or at anywhere near what I'd consider "market" prices - unless we are now defining market again as "highest price ever for the grade"

I take it you are referencing BINs on eBay or other fixed price sales.

FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out

I think a seller version of FOMO is driving reluctance to sell at the 'market' price. It is really hard for some people to sell into a rising market and not kick themselves for selling too soon. The market has caught up to cards I sold off five years ago for 'crazy' prices. I kind of wish I had a do-over.

[bounce]

Not just eBay - there are plenty of highest ever prices in FB groups and online forums etc

If anyone is selling Cobb Wajo Matty speaker lajoie “commodities” feel free to reach out directly to me - I’m ALWAYS looking for these just like everyone else is

[Bridwell]

Getting back to the original post. The actual sold price on a particular card in a particular PSA or SGC grade can vary by 20% or more, even if sold within a couple of months. Just look at VCP data. The images show the exact Cert number on the slab. There seems to be variability perhaps based on having 2-3 bidders competing at the end of an auction. Smart bidders can exploit that variability. I'm not sure there is any pattern to the day, or which auction house is involved. Sometimes, there could be a shill bidder involved. A smart investor might try to buy low and flip a card for a profit a few months later. I've seen a few HA cards from this summer being sold on Ebay. I've seen examples where this strategy has worked. Most buyers do not participate with all the auction houses. We've also seen examples where the strategy has failed miserably, where the resell price was very low on Ebay. I've had good luck buying on Ebay in the month of December.