General card valuation question

[jimjim]

Hi. I have been looking up prior auction results to gauge value of an item and I am wondering what others do…. Do you use the hammer price or the hammer price plus fees (final price) to gauge value? Some auction houses only report the hammer price while others report both numbers. Obviously you can figure out the final price but it’s just not visually posted. Thanks.

[4815162342]

Hammer plus BP.

[JollyElm]

If it's in person at a show, I find the eBay sold price then always tack on taxes and an estimate of shipping to arrive at the 'real cost' of the card I'm researching/evaluating.

[brunswickreeves]

Realistically, add another 15-20% premium for the dealer. They need to cover their show and operating costs. Also, you are at that point the only person in the market for the card so the burden is on you as buyer to acquire the card, they’ll sell to the next person otherwise. So just buy it if you want it and can never find it elsewhere.

[jimjim]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

Realistically, add another 15-20% premium for the dealer. They need to cover their show and operating costs. Also, you are at that point the only person in the market for the card so the burden is on you as buyer to acquire the card, they’ll sell to the next person otherwise. So just buy it if you want it and can never find it elsewhere.

Sorry for the confusion but I am not referencing buying an item at a show or in person. Just a general question on what others use to value or price an item when using old auction houses listings for comps. Hammer price or hammer plus fees.

[Rhotchkiss]

Hammer price plus buyers premium. That’s the cost Everyone pays and that’s the final sales price.

Taxes, shipping, etc vary by buyer, item, auction house, etc. Ignore that.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by jimjim

Sorry for the confusion but I am not referencing buying an item at a show or in person. Just a general question on what others use to value or price an item when using old auction houses listings for comps. Hammer price or hammer plus fees.

That question becomes a lot more nuanced with your explanation.

For example, say you buy a card (completely made up amounts) for $500 and the BP is another $100, your total 'valuation' then obviously becomes $600. That's how it would be entered into a ledger (I'm not an accountant, just speaking colloquially).

However (this is a big HOWEVER), if you're using that same information to decide whether or not the price of a card is reasonable or 'worth it,' then that approach is no longer accurate.

Because if you decide to buy a card at that $600 valuation/hammer price, you're still going to have to add the additional BP of (say) $125 to the total. So you've now paid $725 for what you've determined to be a $600 card.
In that scenario, you mustn't include the BP in your valuation, just the original hammer price, so you would end up paying the 'right' total amount.

I guess what I am saying is it's very situational and highly dependent on whether your focus here is that of a buyer or only as a record keeper.