last time I ever listen to ebay and start an auction at 99 cents....

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by timn1

Forgive me for a sympathy-seeking post, but I mean, come on!

For future sales, I recommend you list it like this:
1916 Sporting News M101-5 Blank Back #185 Clarence Walker STL Browns Vintage Baseball Card

You also showed the card in some really scratched up sleeve, and self-graded it as EX, when it looks creased/scratched (because of the sleeve) and the bottom left corner is mangled.

I would say this is a learning opportunity.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by swarmee

For future sales, I recommend you list it like this:
1916 Sporting News M101-5 Blank Back #185 Clarence Walker STL Browns Vintage Baseball Card

You also showed the card in some really scratched up sleeve, and self-graded it as EX, when it looks creased/scratched (because of the sleeve) and the bottom left corner is mangled.

I would say this is a learning opportunity.

Bingo!!! Someone gets it. That auction title left a lot to be desired. People have to be able to find it. That is like Ebay 101 type stuff.

[timn1]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

Bingo!!! Someone gets it. That auction title left a lot to be desired. People have to be able to find it. That is like Ebay 101 type stuff.

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

Thanks Todd and some of the other posters for getting the point. The rest of you , take a hike.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by timn1

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

Thanks Todd and some of the other posters for getting the point. The rest of you , take a hike.

John's comment was straightforward and helpful. Ultimately, it has the potential to be far more valuable than, "damn, it sucks your card only sold for x."

Regarding "Clarence" in the title - yes, that would help. When one or both of the players' names is common, many buyers save their favorite payer's full name in their searches. For instance, I look for Steve Carlton cards. Without including both Steve and Carlton in my saved searches, they would yield too many results.

As for 99 cent opening bids, they're a gamble. There are items which perform spectacularly, some that draw no interest, and others which sell at the "market" price. Of course, there are also some shilled to high heaven which give the illusion of success. It's a mixed bag.

If you have a general price in mind, set your starting bid accordingly or list as a buy-it-now. Take eBay recommendations for what they are: recommendations; not mandates. Start your auction at a bid you're comfortable with. If it doesn't sell right away, take advantage of the "relist for free" feature.

I'm legitimately trying to help. If it comes off as condescending, please know that's not my intention.

[RCMcKenzie]

I hope it at least went to a good collector home. I stopped selling on eBay a long time ago. I still search t213 and n172, but those rarely show up anymore, and if a seller did not put those designations in their title, I missed them. They took away the pre-war category because they don't want hobbyists selling on the platform.

[Directly]

Hopefully your buyer won't pay. its being very prevalent on eBay these days.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by timn1

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

The post being referenced actually suggested adding quite a bit more than "Clarence" to the title not the description. The suggested title:

1916 Sporting News M101-5 Blank Back #185 Clarence Walker STL Browns Vintage Baseball Card

Yours:

m101-5 blank back #185 Walker

The suggestion is to add 9 more words/phrases to your title - not 1.

I know it's not easy to hear but this was a valid suggestion/critique.

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by timn1

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

Thanks Todd and some of the other posters for getting the point. The rest of you , take a hike.

Sorry Tim it stinks when your items sell for far less than they ever should. I have stopped auctions in ebay when they eliminated all categories and make things nearly impossible to find without specific searches. BIN only for me if I sell on ebay.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by timn1

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

Thanks Todd and some of the other posters for getting the point. The rest of you , take a hike.

I'm saying if I run an auction that simply says "BASEBALL CARD" then maybe I deserve what I get. That auction title left A LOT to be desired. How about taking constructive criticism and realizing that a weak title might have had something to do with the weak price instead of simply attacking people simply for pointing out what was done wrong?? I'm done.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I'm saying if I run an auction that simply says "BASEBALL CARD" then maybe I deserve what I get. That auction title left A LOT to be desired. How about taking constructive criticism and realizing that a weak title might have had something to do with the weak price instead of simply attacking people simply for pointing out what was done wrong?? I'm done.

That title had a lot to do with the low selling price. Its the sellers job to sell the card, not Ebays.

[irv]

Originally Posted by timn1

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

Thanks Todd and some of the other posters for getting the point. The rest of you , take a hike.

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

I'm saying if I run an auction that simply says "BASEBALL CARD" then maybe I deserve what I get. That auction title left A LOT to be desired. How about taking constructive criticism and realizing that a weak title might have had something to do with the weak price instead of simply attacking people simply for pointing out what was done wrong?? I'm done.

Hard to imagine not being able to see that you and others are clearly trying to help the seller avoid similar situations going forward by providing solid advice, but I guess, due to whatever reasons, some just can't discern the difference between advice and criticism.

[wolf441]

I've found that the $0.99 starting bids work really well for popular search items like T206's. Anything that has value, but is somewhat more obscure, I usually list as a Buy it Now.

But, I wouldn't sweat it. No one likes to sell a card way below value. Its probably happened to most of us. There's been times where a card will sell for way more than I thought it should, hopefully they balance each other out.

[1880nonsports]

eBay asked sellers not to use all capital letters. It's gone downhill from there. They did however allow for a longer title early on.
For 26 years I have utilized every single space. I consider it an artform. I have also listed certain items for .99. I have done so for moderately expensive items (excess 150.-200.) that I anticipate will sell at or above their historical selling levels with a high degree of certainty. Get two people interested and sit back is my general philosophy. Finally I take excellent LARGE scans/pictures of all sides of an item AND I try and be as accurate as possible in my description.
Navigating the bay as buyer and seller seemingly gets more difficult each year as they "progress" more with the investor in mind than the users. That's why one must be as robust in attention to detail as possible if one continues to list on WePay. I still sell there using the auction format - listing 100 or so items a few times a year. It's not for everybody but give yourself the best shot.. Please excuse the stream of consciousness.

no guarantees whether written or implied.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by timn1

Damn, some of you people are condescending. You’re seriously telling me that adding “Clarence” to the description would have made a difference. Get real.

Thanks Todd and some of the other posters for getting the point. The rest of you , take a hike.

Search 'Walker' then search 'Clarence Walker' then let us know if adding 'Clarence' made a difference.

Doug 'getting real, but not meaning to be condescending' Goodman

[G1911]

Originally Posted by swarmee

For future sales, I recommend you list it like this:
1916 Sporting News M101-5 Blank Back #185 Clarence Walker STL Browns Vintage Baseball Card

You also showed the card in some really scratched up sleeve, and self-graded it as EX, when it looks creased/scratched (because of the sleeve) and the bottom left corner is mangled.

I would say this is a learning opportunity.

This. eBay’s reorganization to eliminate the era categories makes proper search terms far more important than before.

I saw this and passed on bidding because of what looks like a mushed corner and a crease in the front scan, which is very different from the written description as “sharp” and “excellent”. I mentally red flag things where the photos are not close to the written listing and move on; maybe others don’t. It’s often hard to tell what’s a damaged card and what’s a damaged sleeve in a flat scan.

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by swarmee

For future sales, I recommend you list it like this:
1916 Sporting News M101-5 Blank Back #185 Clarence Walker STL Browns Vintage Baseball Card

You also showed the card in some really scratched up sleeve, and self-graded it as EX, when it looks creased/scratched (because of the sleeve) and the bottom left corner is mangled.

I would say this is a learning opportunity.

+1 “ Clarence” WOULD help. How many Walkers played baseball? The more descriptive the better. Also adding “Rare”, “Investment “, etc will bring in the speculators. More eyeballs the better.

[RCMcKenzie]

Who searches "Clarence"? Who is that? The board is changing with the times. It's an m101-5 in around ex. It's not a Topps card. When you grade it, you don't count the this and this like a 1975 Topps Jose Cruz. I can't believe all the defenders of eBay. Tim is a vintage card expert. I think he deserves some respect, but I guess not. It's his fault, and not Ebay's that it sold for $6?

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

Who searches "Clarence"? Who is that? The board is changing with the times. It's an m101-5 in around ex. It's not a Topps card. When you grade it, you don't count the this and this like a 1975 Topps Jose Cruz. I can't believe all the defenders of eBay. Tim is a vintage card expert. I think he deserves some respect, but I guess not. It's his fault, and not Ebay's that it sold for $6?

What *specifically* did Ebay do wrong here? Since you're clearly placing the blame on Ebay, what *specifically* would you have liked them to do to ensure that this card sold for a higher price?

[RCMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by Tabe

What *specifically* did Ebay do wrong here? Since you're clearly placing the blame on Ebay, what *specifically* would you have liked them to do to ensure that this card sold for a higher price?

Hi, Chris, good to talk with you again. I would propose that they re-open the pre-war category. I used to search it from highest price to lowest price. It had about 1800-2200 cards at a time. You could see the bidders' names, and anything I was interested in, TBob had already bid on.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

Hi, Chris, good to talk with you again. I would propose that they re-open the pre-war category. I used to search it from highest price to lowest price. It had about 1800-2200 cards at a time. You could see the bidders' names, and anything I was interested in, TBob had already bid on.

While that's probably a good suggestion, I don't know that it would have made much difference here. I appreciate that you had a concrete suggestion though.

Always good to chat, sir.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Tabe

What *specifically* did Ebay do wrong here? Since you're clearly placing the blame on Ebay, what *specifically* would you have liked them to do to ensure that this card sold for a higher price?

Ebay did nothing wrong. He had so much wasted space in the title. He is blaming Ebay when he missed out on so many key words. Swarmee pointed out his mistake, I agreed, and we were attacked for it. I say simply let him keep doing what he is doing.

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

Who searches "Clarence"? Who is that? The board is changing with the times. It's an m101-5 in around ex. It's not a Topps card. When you grade it, you don't count the this and this like a 1975 Topps Jose Cruz. I can't believe all the defenders of eBay. Tim is a vintage card expert. I think he deserves some respect, but I guess not. It's his fault, and not Ebay's that it sold for $6?

Will if you advertise ONLY for the Vintage Card Experts on eBay then that’s the only eyeballs he’ll get. I believe in order to survive in business and life you have to adapt/change with the times.

Just my $0.02.

[RCMcKenzie]

I don't disagree with you EddieP. Tim traded me a total beater T215 Huggins port like 10 or 12 years ago, and I am forever grateful. The board lives on.

[EddieP]

Rob, my advice isn’t only directed to Tim per se, but to any young folks out there reading this board and still have time to learn and change.

https://youtu.be/2auI6Uz3D8I

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by RCMcKenzie

Who searches "Clarence"? Who is that? The board is changing with the times. It's an m101-5 in around ex. It's not a Topps card. When you grade it, you don't count the this and this like a 1975 Topps Jose Cruz. I can't believe all the defenders of eBay. Tim is a vintage card expert. I think he deserves some respect, but I guess not. It's his fault, and not Ebay's that it sold for $6?

Adding Clarence would definitely help. I search for Dots Miller cards. I don't search "Miller", that would be as ridiculous as searching "Walker" while looking for Clarence Walker cards. There are collectors out there looking for all old players, so putting their entire name helps. Putting team names also helps, because I search for Pirates cards as well, and obviously there are St Louis Browns collectors out there. The price sucks, but a better title would definitely help in most cases. You miss out on focused collectors

[obcbobd]

I think the $0.99 open auction will work great for commonly collected cards like Goudeys or T20xs. However for less popular sets it is very risky. Maybe a better title as others suggested would have helped, but I would not be surprised if it did not. For example I collect E121 American Caramels, I almost never see an auction with opening bid of $0.99. Usually it is buy-it-nows. The number of collectors collecting the more obscure sets is so low that if a few guys take a week off from looking at Ebay, you are not going to get your price. FWIW, I have an old saved search for M101-5s under $20. I don't get many hits other than reprints. I missed yours. Bummer for both of us :-)

Better luck next time!

Bob

[brianp-beme]

I would have gladly paid 3x to 4x the winning bid amount for this card in lesser condition, and I consider myself a notorious cheapass. This card was screaming for me to be a bidder. But alas, I rarely check Ebay anymore. Don't let this selling hiccup get you down, and keep up that collecting spirit Tim.

A couple of the suggestions about listing improvements are fairly valid... removing the card from the sleeve does make for a better image, and I found that the more info I put in the title (for example when I have listed Zeenut cards in the past, I would put the full name, PCL team, and MLB clubs, if any, the player was on), the more bidder/buyer attention the cards seemed to receive compared to previous efforts when I didn't do that.

Brian

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by EddieP

+1 “ Clarence” WOULD help. How many Walkers played baseball? The more descriptive the better. Also adding “Rare”, “Investment “, etc will bring in the speculators. More eyeballs the better.

Sporting News was a huge miss. Simply the word Baseball card would have helped. Maybe vintage. Maybe rare, like you said. There was no much unused space in the title. When I saw that auction title I cringed.