Festivus - Airing of Grievances

[MattyC]

Oh boy. Healthy to air these out...

1. These new jacks on social media who randomly ask you what you think their shit is worth. Like Tommy Lee said to Harrison Ford at that waterfall: I DON'T CARE.

2. The self-anointed, gauche, wannabe Gordon Gekko gurus who've sprung up in the last year or two like some kind of hobby fungus— these guys act like someone made them mayors of the hobby. The Gary V's etc.— along with their audience. I don't see what credentials they have, that would ever make me prostrate myself before them. And almost all of the time, the crap they're spewing is solely designed to put money in their pockets. Some of these guys are just brazen wannabe Wall Street Turks who are all about cash cash cash, oblivious to how crass and obnoxious they look. But the sneakily more odious variant are the ones who try and cloak and gild themselves in some form of genuine card-lover, passionate collector schtick.

3. New jacks who put something up for sale without a price tag. If you're selling it, tell me the number you want. This is a business transaction not a flirtation.

4. These guys on social media who try and flaunt high grade cards that have middling at best eye appeal, but just cost a bundle. Cards that anyone with money can just immediately get at the next auction. Try finding and sharing a standout example of a card that is always found blurry or tilted or off-centered, or a piece that is really scarce or rare, something not seen every day. If I see another of these Tom Brady ticket cards I'm gonna barf.

5. Fixed price listings, be it on eBay, PWCC vault, anywhere, that are just wholly untethered to any reality or pricing data in this dimension.

The above need to make like an un-doctored vintage card and get bent. Okay, exorcised now. Off to hit leg day and burn off all that Xmas food.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by MattyC

3. New jacks who put something up for sale without a price tag. If you're selling it, tell me the number you want. This is a business transaction not a flirtation.

So you come here often?

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Seven

So you come here often?

Well played, sir. Well played

[Andrew1975]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Oh boy. Healthy to air these out...

2. The self-anointed, gauche, wannabe Gordon Gekko gurus who've sprung up in the last year or two like some kind of hobby fungus— these guys act like someone made them mayors of the hobby. The Gary V's etc.— along with their audience. I don't see what credentials they have, that would ever make me prostrate myself before them. And almost all of the time, the crap they're spewing is solely designed to put money in their pockets. Some of these guys are just brazen wannabe Wall Street Turks who are all about cash cash cash, oblivious to how crass and obnoxious they look. But the sneakily more odious variant are the ones who try and cloak and gild themselves in some form of genuine card-lover, passionate collector schtick.

This ⬆️… big time.

[whiteymet]

I was recently dealing with a member who sells a lot here on BST and whom I had purchased from before.

He was selling an item he was not sure what the value was. He wrote:

"If I can get some responses on pricing you'll have first shot".

He then replied:

"just had another member offer me, get this, $1500. I had no idea. I don't know where that puts you but that's WAY more than I thought".

It was way more than I thought too. But I replied:

"Gulp! Me too. I was thinking much less than that. But since you gave me first shot and I really want it I'll swallow REAL HARD and match the offer."

His reply:

"as I was responding to you the other guy said he'd like to up the offer to $1800. I'm not going to start a bidding war but if you want to put in one last offer please feel free".

Needless to say I felt really put off. Not knowing anyone who would up their offer before a reply to their first. I replied

"I'm feeling jerked around a bit here.

I am hoping you will keep the promise you gave me and honor the $1500 for me".

I assume you can guess what happened.

Maybe it's just me. Wonder how others feel

[Exhibitman]

Well, Fred since we all deal with the devil because stuff trumps all else, I wouldn't get too bunged up when a seller makes it all about money...because at this stage, it is all about the money.

[Johnny630]

A big one for me is AH’s not responding to emails about a current auction lot, specifically just requesting a back scan of a card I wish to bid on.

[D. Bergin]

When anybody says: "It's called The Hall of Fame, not the Hall of (insert irrelevant word or phrase here)".

That sends me into the Hulk Smash zone.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by whiteymet

I was recently dealing with a member who sells a lot here on BST and whom I had purchased from before.

He was selling an item he was not sure what the value was. He wrote:

"If I can get some responses on pricing you'll have first shot".

He then replied:

"just had another member offer me, get this, $1500. I had no idea. I don't know where that puts you but that's WAY more than I thought".

It was way more than I thought too. But I replied:

"Gulp! Me too. I was thinking much less than that. But since you gave me first shot and I really want it I'll swallow REAL HARD and match the offer."

His reply:

"as I was responding to you the other guy said he'd like to up the offer to $1800. I'm not going to start a bidding war but if you want to put in one last offer please feel free".

Needless to say I felt really put off. Not knowing anyone who would up their offer before a reply to their first. I replied

"I'm feeling jerked around a bit here.

I am hoping you will keep the promise you gave me and honor the $1500 for me".

I assume you can guess what happened.

Maybe it's just me. Wonder how others feel

Card is in the mail. Just not to you.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by whiteymet

I was recently dealing with a member who sells a lot here on BST and whom I had purchased from before.

He was selling an item he was not sure what the value was. He wrote:

"If I can get some responses on pricing you'll have first shot".

He then replied:

"just had another member offer me, get this, $1500. I had no idea. I don't know where that puts you but that's WAY more than I thought".

It was way more than I thought too. But I replied:

"Gulp! Me too. I was thinking much less than that. But since you gave me first shot and I really want it I'll swallow REAL HARD and match the offer."

His reply:

"as I was responding to you the other guy said he'd like to up the offer to $1800. I'm not going to start a bidding war but if you want to put in one last offer please feel free".

Needless to say I felt really put off. Not knowing anyone who would up their offer before a reply to their first. I replied

"I'm feeling jerked around a bit here.

I am hoping you will keep the promise you gave me and honor the $1500 for me".

I assume you can guess what happened.

Maybe it's just me. Wonder how others feel

I hope the seller was playing games, trying to get more money, and is now stuck with the card.

If they come back to you with some BS story about the buyer backing out...tell them, "sorry, best I can do is $1,200."

[samosa4u]

Um, guys, the OP said CARD-related grievances. Here are mine:

- Facebook morons. The number of losers on these Facebook card groups is staggering! These guys ask stupid questions daily like "how much is my card worth? Should I send this in for grading? Is this ungraded rookie card real? Is SGC good?" In short, these guys don't know shit and they don't have shit. You have to go through 500 of these morons to find one good collector over there.

- Basement grading companies. Lots of new card grading companies were created during the pandemic and guess what? Most of them are slabbing YOUR cards in their parents' basements! Why would anyone choose to submit their cards to KKK grading instead of PSA or SGC or Beckett? Because they are taking too long? Give me break, seriously! Oh, and one more thing: getting your cards slabbed by these basement grading companies adds zero value to your cards!

- Gary Vaynerchuk. This guy had the hobby by the balls for a while and how he managed to do that is beyond me! This is somebody - unheard of before the pandemic - that could post a $200 dollar card on his Twitter account and a few weeks later it would be trading at fifty-thousand! Like seriously, wtf?? Are people really that stupid? Can they not just buy the stuff that THEY like?

- NFTs. I still don't know what they are and how they can make the hobby a better place. When I read about NFTs, it's like trying to read and understand Arabic.

- Flippers who pose as collectors. Now, there is nothing wrong with flipping cards, but posing as a collector (when your intention is to do a quick-flip) is just wrong.

- Guys who want Q1 prices for their cards Yep, go on eBay, and nearly all the cards listed their are at Q1 prices! Oh, and they don't care that card prices dropped quite a bit since then. Nope, cause' it's still January baby, so just pay up and shut up! Yee-ha!

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

...post a $200 dollar card on his Twitter account and a few weeks later it would be trading at fifty-thousand! Like seriously, wtf?? Are people really that stupid?

Considering what his graded "artwork" sold for...

I'll take, "they're freakin' idiots" for a thousand, Alex.