the trouble with cards that don't often come to market

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Seriously though there's obviously a lot of safety in spending the time searching for the right buyer. That being said, we've handled some incredibly rare (some even previously unknown) pre war items in the last couple years and have done very well with them.



The only known (and newly discovered at the time) 1909 Rose Post Card of Cy Young. Only 3 known total, this one and two 1908 versions.



A whole slew of 1921 W-UNC Self-Developing Strip Cards. We actually added a pile of these to the known checklist and even of the known examples many of these were the first to ever come to auction. With guys like Marranville and Sisler going for over $1000 not just the Cobb, Mathewson, Johnson and Ruth!

So there's definitely more risk in going the auction route, but there can be big rewards. Give me a shout if you want to talk more.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Seriously though there's obviously a lot of safety in spending the time searching for the right buyer. That being said, we've handled some incredibly rare (some even previously unknown) pre war items in the last couple years and have done very well with them.



The only known (and newly discovered at the time) 1909 Rose Post Card of Cy Young. Only 3 known total, this one and two 1908 versions.



A whole slew of 1921 W-UNC Self-Developing Strip Cards. We actually added a pile of these to the known checklist and even of the known examples many of these were the first to ever come to auction. With guys like Marranville and Sisler going for over $1000 not just the Cobb, Mathewson, Johnson and Ruth!

So there's definitely more risk in going the auction route, but there can be big rewards. Give me a shout if you want to talk more.

I will gladly take those off your hands

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by mrreality68

I will gladly take those off your hands

Little late lol. They were in November 2021 auction if I remember right.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Little late lol. They were in November 2021 auction if I remember right.

You are such a Tease

[raulus]

To answer some of your original questions, when I sell on eBay using buy it now but accepting offers, I almost always get offers. Usually I will set a minimum offer price, just so the lowball jokers are automatically rejected.

And when I sell on eBay using buy it now but no offers, I tend to get offers too. They just use the “ask a question” feature and make me an offer.

To somewhat refute my earlier remarks, I will also say that sometimes auctions bring out the animal spirits in buyers. They get into the action. The competition drives them. They get competitive with the other hoser bidding against them, and refuse to lose to that other tosser. Through the process, they get emotionally attached to the item. They get drunk the night of the auction. Next thing they know, they wake up in the morning and they’ve spent twice what you would have accepted with buy it now.

Similarly, you might post the same item with buy it now, and it will just sit. A few people will think about it. But there’s no urgency. There’s no competition. So it just sits, until someone decides to pull the trigger. For whatever reason, some buyers even eliminate buy it now items from their eBay searches, so they never even see your rare items.

By way of example, back in 2021, an item I really wanted came up for $3k on eBay using buy it now. It was a retail price but not crazy. I tried to get cute by making an offer at $2.5k. It was only pop 2 at that grade, with none higher. My offer caused the seller to do a little more research on the item, the seller realized how rare it was, and took it off the market. A couple months later it went up to auction. I got it, but ended up paying $9k for it.

[G1911]

If I was selling rare but not very popular items, I would not auction them. If I consigned my stuff to an auction I would likely net far less. You have to be patient and find the right buyer who is passionate about that set and wants to complete it. People posting a truly rare card I am after on eBay auction is usually a blessing for me, I generally win it for significantly less than I could have been taken for in a private deal. Set a high ask and see what you can get, or ID and reach out to specific individuals known to be collecting a rare set.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Little late lol. They were in November 2021 auction if I remember right.

I think I have seen that Rose Co Young before….