Using Trade At Card Shows

[ClementeFanOh]

1954 Topps- I agree with you on the notion that a dealer is more likely to
trade a handful of lesser value cards, for one higher value. However,
your point about selling the card before a show so "you have cash", isn't
the case (at least for me). I offer to trade if, for example, the other card
isn't in my normal wheelhouse, if the card isn't quite the grade I wanted, or
sometimes if I think the sale price is so high that negotiation won't work. There
are lots of valid reasons to trade that have nothing to do with lack of cash
(which is indeed a reason some wish to trade, I am sure Trent King

[ClementeFanOh]

Jay Shumsky- thanks for the correction. Hope my actual point got through.

Trent King

[ClementeFanOh]

Jay Shumsky- I'm in the process of negotiating a trade, so I am distracted

Trent King

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by ClementeFanOh

Jay Shumsky- thanks for the correction. Hope my actual point got through.

Trent King

I like the Airplane reference as well.

I get what you are saying, but I also understand the dealer side as well (I'm not a dealer, but I've talked to enough of them over the years about trades). After hearing so many ridiculous offers for trades, most of them just aren't worth their time listening to if they are busy and could lose a potential sale to someone else. It's kind of like the trades people call into sports talk shows and suggest their team should make only to be told by the host that team x isn't going to give up their potential Hall of Famer who is still only 28 for 2 middle relievers. GMs don't want to be bothered listening to offers like that any more than dealers do when someone offers to trade 100 commons for a Mickey Mantle.

[ClementeFanOh]

Jay- "Airplane" is my favorite comedy, nice catch...

Let me say that I completely agree that it's not in a dealer's best interest
to consider a trade of his 1972 Topps Hank Aaron for 500 NM Ron Oester
rookies. That's not really my point, though. It's up to the show attendee
to demonstrate to the dealer that he has quality, either by showing the
cards he has up front, or by explaining his intentions ("I've got high grade
72 Topps examples of Mays, Bench, Carew, and Rose I can offer for your
72 Aaron"). If the dealer cuts that off at the knees, he has no idea what he
is missing AND may miss the opportunity to come out ahead. If the
customer has any pride when a dealer is so dismissive, the dealer will also
miss out on any possibility that the customer will buy any other card(s) from
the dealer- "if he won't even let me finish a sentence, he's not getting my
money". The smallest combination of hobby knowledge and basic courtesy
is all I look for when I am at shows, and if a dealer can't provide these
basics, we have zero chance of doing any business. Trent King