Goodwin Pickups

[barrysloate]

I don't know Jeff what goes on, but the fact is if I don't get prices equal to other auction houses, I'm a has been. And as you may have noticed my auctions no longer exist.

[Cat]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I don't know Jeff what goes on, but the fact is if I don't get prices equal to other auction houses, I'm a has been. And as you may have noticed my auctions no longer exist.

Barry: I think you should hang in there. Prior to this year, I had only consigned one card in my life (it went ot REA). For various reasons I have had to sell off a part of my collection. In this day and age when I personally believe EBay totally blows, auction houses are a must. I definately would have considered you, but now I hope I don't have to sell any more of my collection. Two of the most important aspects to me is: which auction is next and will I get paid in a reasonable time frame. Timing of money in hand is key, but I am no longer willing to use EBay since they have made it difficult to sell within their framework.

Because of EBay and their crappy business practices, I think the use of auction houses is going to expand not retract.

[E93]

For what it is worth, I consigned six cards to Goodwin auction that closed a couple of months ago. Five of the cards went for less than I had hoped and one did really well. I was not surprised by the one that did well. It is a super tough card that had not been publicly offered in more than a decade. The others were strong cards, but not extremely tough to find. The ones that seem to be doing well in this economy are the ones that buyer's might not get another chance at for a long time.

I have always had positive dealings with Bill Goodwin.
JimB

[barrysloate]

Cat- appreciate the support, but it's really tough for a small auction business to get consignments these days. And you have to get them consistently, and you have to find a way to top what you got previously. If you don't make a splash then you don't have a whole lot. That's my take.

[E93]

P.S. IMHO, next to REA, Goodwin has the best write-ups in the hobby. I think it makes a difference, especially if some of the heavy bidders are new to the hobby. He also puts together a very nice catalog in general.
JimB

[calvindog]

Barry, try guaranteeing prices for consignors as the great guys do. And have a reputation for shilling up your lots, that helps too. Oh and let's not forget great write-ups, that's the most important thing of all.

[barrysloate]

Jim- the write-ups don't hurt, but much of it is hype and padding. It's good to give historical background on a piece that merits it, but you don't need a 250 word essay to describe a T206 common in PSA 8. Do people actually read those things?

[E93]

I agree that every card does not merit the extensive write-ups they sometimes get, but some history of rare sets or cards, relative scarcity, maybe some interesting tidbits about the subject all contribute. I think sometimes people who have a lot of hobby knowledge and baseball history knowledge forget what it was like to not have that and then fail to appreciate it when they see it because it is nothing they did not already know. Being a teacher, I am constantly trying to remember what is was like to not know what I do now and what it was like to learn it. Hopefully that makes me a better teacher. And hopefully the write-ups welcome more people into the hobby. So I appreciate the descriptions, even when it is info I already know.
JimB

[E93]

By the way, there is more than one person on this board that seems to harp on the same stuff over and over again. That becomes much more of a turnoff than reading about Ty Cobb's .367 lifetime average for the 1000th time in an auction write-up.\
JimB

[barrysloate]

Good points, but it is also helpful to offer that information succinctly. I think there are many people out there with short attention spans who may not want to read a long essay about each lot.

I offered historical background when it was necessary, but tried not to ramble or repeat myself. We veterans do get jaded, but I know when I'm reading through a catalog I'm skipping half the text.