Just curious / Auction catalogs

[Shoeless Moe]

I've been asking the moron at Mile High Auctions for the past few years every time a catalog is sent to remove me from the mailing list.

I'm starting to think he just doesn't know how to do that, but rather then ask somebody he keeps just keeps sending them and they go right in the trash.

[nineunder71]

I would like to know what one of these things total cost to print and send is? And if the AH sees a profitable return for this form of marketing? My guess is they Do Not, would love to see internal analytics for this

[D. Bergin]

Forget auction catalogs. We get 2 Uline catalogs a month in my household. They are the size and weight of a large phone book. I think the last one pushed 1000 pages. There is nothing in them (even less stuff in fact), that's not on their website. They go straight in the recycling. Can't figure out how to opt out of them.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by nineunder71

I would like to know what one of these things total cost to print and send is? And if the AH sees a profitable return for this form of marketing? My guess is they Do Not, would love to see internal analytics for this

I think you are missing the point. The catalogs aren't for marketing or buyers, generally, unless that marketing is to take in more consignments. They are to make the consignors feel good. And they do add a little more publicity in that some will get opened and looked at. I think if you used a median of about 25k to print and ship....you would be in the ballpark.
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[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by Leon

I think you are missing the point. The catalogs aren't for marketing or buyers, generally, unless that marketing is to take in more consignments. They are to make the consignors feel good. And they do add a little more publicity in that some will get opened and looked at. I think if you used a median of about 25k to print and ship....you would be in the ballpark.
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A little more...around 30K

[BRoberts]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

A little more...around 30K

The cost is somewhat influenced by how many catalogs are printed and shipped. So the cost for a Huggins & Scott wouldn't be as high as the cost for a major auction house.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by BRoberts

The cost is somewhat influenced by how many catalogs are printed and shipped. So the cost for a Huggins & Scott wouldn't be as high as the cost for a major auction house.

Having worked in a print shop you'd be stunned at how little cost additional copies are. The cost is in the design and the set up. Once you're running you're just paying for ink, paper and time. The cost difference between running 25,000 copies of something and 50,000 copies of something is nowhere near 100%. Depending on a bunch of factors it could be as little as 10% more.

[Mark17]

Many years ago, AH would boast about how many catalogs they sent out. I always assumed the majors, like Lelands and REA, were competing with each other for the prestige (to garner more and better consignments) of sending out the most catalogs.

[BRoberts]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Having worked in a print shop you'd be stunned at how little cost additional copies are. The cost is in the design and the set up. Once you're running you're just paying for ink, paper and time. The cost difference between running 25,000 copies of something and 50,000 copies of something is nowhere near 100%. Depending on a bunch of factors it could be as little as 10% more.

I'll stand by my statement, even though I've never worked at Kinko's. The cost of producing and shipping 10,000 catalogs vs., say, 50,000, isn't negligible.

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Having worked in a print shop you'd be stunned at how little cost additional copies are. The cost is in the design and the set up. Once you're running you're just paying for ink, paper and time. The cost difference between running 25,000 copies of something and 50,000 copies of something is nowhere near 100%. Depending on a bunch of factors it could be as little as 10% more.

I've done dozens, probably hundreds, of brochures, catalogs, and annual reports in my career. The biggest part of the problem isn't in the printing. They are then labeled, transported, and sooner taken to the landfill. It has a cumulative effect much greater than printing.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by Leon

I think you are missing the point. The catalogs aren't for marketing or buyers, generally, unless that marketing is to take in more consignments. They are to make the consignors feel good. And they do add a little more publicity in that some will get opened and looked at. I think if you used a median of about 25k to print and ship....you would be in the ballpark.
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You're right in the ballpark.