White Plains NY Card show this weekend

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by JasonL

This conversation confirms some things for me, which is comforting. But it doesn't help explain to me how it is that I can't seem to re-sell any of my own cards for anything more than a 50% discount to what I paid...Do I always overpay by this much?

Solutions:

More bidding parties.

More consignments to great guys (presuming they don't get indicted first).

[batsballsbases]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Solutions:

More bidding parties.

More consignments to great guys (presuming they don't get indicted first).

Jeff,
I hope yournot talking about Brockelman + Luckey Those guys are True Blue

[bigfish]

I bought 40 cards at the show. Mostly t206 commons, a few rare backs , and a 34 Gehrig. Prices were fair. I liked other cards but prices were high and I just walked away. No big deal.

Jeff,

I happen to be at the table when you asked about the Cobb PC. The price was on the high side of fair. Maybe a 150 card. You did not seem to be a happy camper and I thought to myself. I guess that guy is not having fun at the show. I wish you would have identified yourself. My friend and I had some nice stuff behind the table that you might have wanted to take a look at.

I seem to do most of my deals with people I know who are walking around with cards. The prices at the shows are high. The dealers pay alot for the tables so I kind of understand the prices. I just ask for the price. If I do not like it, walking away is not an issue. You can always find something else to buy.

Happy Collecting!

Toby

[calvindog]

Well, let's see: the card which had an incredible amount of damage to it had a price tag on it for $950. When I laughed at the price -- yes, I laughed -- I was told that the price was actually $450. When I indicated that the card was ridiculously overpriced, I was told that the reason the card was priced so high was that it was "Cobb's rookie card" -- which of course it wasn't. When I ticked off a list of cards that were actually closer to being Cobb's rookie card than that, I was met with a shrug and told that the price was $250. At that point I walked away, not unhappy, just amused at the ridiculousness of what I had just seen. For what it's worth, I have been offered that same card, in better shape, for $150 from someone on this board.

I understand that it was my fault, Toby, for not being a better sport about the blatant attempt to rip me off. And I apologize for not responding to such attempt by asking to see more of the cards of the seller. At that point, unfortunately, I felt pretty strongly that I was dealing with some dishonest guys and I felt it probably made better sense to walk away.

[bigfish]

Jeff,

I found the exchange to be pretty funny. I agree the price was outrageous and the Cobb rookie exchange to be funny as well. That kind of interaction happened to me about 10 times at the show. I don't let it bother me and just move along to the next table. I was not saying you were at fault for anything. You just looked really pissed off. You know your stuff. I would not let it bother me so much. Everyone is trying to get the best of you at the shows. You can always walk away as you did. That is what I do. I would just be prepared for it next time you go to a show. I know both of the guys you mentioned in the thread and sometimes they have good deals.

BTW--Mike Goldberg was holding serve at the SGC table. Thanks for the help with the order!

[Jim VB]

Here's one thing I find ironic. We have one thread going about dealers asking ridiculous prices at shows, and another thread going about dealers asking ridiculous prices for BINs on Ebay.

It seems to me that these are often the same guys, and they are the first and loudest to tell you how bad business is!

As someone who spent 20+ years in the retail business, there is a relationship between price and time, when you try to sell anything. The seller holds the key however.

If I list the T206 Gretzky Wagner for sale tomorrow for $5,000,000, it won't sell. If I listed it for $100,000, it would sell immediately. Somewhere in between those two extremes is the point where it will sell at a reasonable price, in an acceptable time frame.

A seller who prices too high, doesn't adjust, and then complains about poor sales, doesn't understand the relationship, and probably never will.

This industry was easy for years, for some guys to make a living without actually having to be good at it. As things slowed down, some haven't figured it out.

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by Jim VB

Here's one thing I find ironic. We have one thread going about dealers asking ridiculous prices at shows, and another thread going about dealers asking ridiculous prices for BINs on Ebay.

It seems to me that these are often the same guys, and they are the first and loudest to tell you how bad business is!

As someone who spent 20+ years in the retail business, there is a relationship between price and time, when you try to sell anything. The seller holds the key however.

If I list the T206 Gretzky Wagner for sale tomorrow for $5,000,000, it won't sell. If I listed it for $100,000, it would sell immediately. Somewhere in between those two extremes is the point where it will sell at a reasonable price, in an acceptable time frame.

A seller who prices too high, doesn't adjust, and then complains about poor sales, doesn't understand the relationship, and probably never will.

This industry was easy for years, for some guys to make a living without actually having to be good at it. As things slowed down, some haven't figured it out.

Please let me add - MOST seem not to have figured it out. Further, when a dealer carries the same inventory with very little to no "fresh" material - how does he expect to sell more when the same people are looking at it a second or third time??

[t206head]

I don't see what all the stink is about .I buy card lots of cards I went to the white plains show with a bag of type cards that had to go, no real gems but so good stuff t3 hof's tons of raw obaks and some lower grade 1914 cj hofs. I sold the lot for about 2500. I walked out with A green cobb sgc 30 for $900 a psa 3 red cobb (old mill) for $750, and four other hof t206 for no more than vcp standard value. it all seemed fair to me... BOB

ps thank evan and rob Silverman

[batsballsbases]

Toby,
I tend to agree with Jeff. I was a dealer for many years and having done that show many times starting a card at 950 then coming down to 450 and then to 250 to me is just trying to rip off the un educated public. What are you really looking for the home run idiot who is just that one time buyer. If your a dealer at any show your there to sell . Set a fair price lets say even a little higher than what you want for it and then if an offer comes on the card you dont look like a fool coming down from a offer that was probably fair in the first place. What is it with people is it that you just want to show you have a high priced card in your case? Especially even if its a piece of junk ? Then when someone challanges you that knows far more about the card then you start to come down? I would always walk by tables and laugh when all these BIG dealers would have thier cases filled with way over book cards and at the end of the day you would walk back and all the same cards were still there! No holes in the cases. So your theory about table prices being high really doesnt hold water because if you made nothing the table still will cost you the same amount!

[Orioles1954]

Jeff Lichtman pissed off? Never! Seriously though, if I were a show dealer I would make a prominent sign which reads "Our prices are just a bit above Ebay, but fair" I am willing to pay just a little more than ebay or bst or whatever at a show. However, I don't want some dealer trying to pull one over on me.

[barrysloate]

Jim made a good point. Many of the dealers in this hobby have abysmal business skills. And like Jeff said, many of them are ethically challenged. Put those things together and you have an environment that is not much fun.

[calvindog]

The problem with this hobby/business is that dishonesty is so deeply ingrained that it's just laughed off. I usually don't get pissed off unless I'm on the receiving end of a fraud. Problem is that in this hobby it happens everyday and is met with a shrug instead of shock.

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Jim made a good point. Many of the dealers in this hobby have abysmal business skills. And like Jeff said, many of them are ethically challenged. Put those things together and you have an environment that is not much fun.

Barry has put it so well.
I have been in this business for over 20 years. The level of enjoyment I get from it has totally changed over that time.
I don't have to beat a dead horse and start ranting about the autograph market but the ethically challenged extends to all facets of this business. They have taken the fun out of it. What a shame, what a shame.