Flipping Cards

[tiger8mush]

Lets say you put a card for sale on the net54 b/s/t. Its a $100 card, but you need some quick money so you offer it for $75. 2 minutes later you get an email from a buyer and the deal is done. All is good. Before you can even post "sold" on the b/s/t, you have a handful of emails from other collectors also committing to buy the card. But you write them back saying its already sold. A week later, u see the card as a Buy-It-Now on ebay for $125.

Wouldn't you have rather seen it go to a fellow net54 collector who would've kept the card in their collection, than a business man who ONLY scours net54 looking to make money?

Its a hypothetical scenario; not one I'm saying has or hasn't happened. But when the opportunity for a collector to get a card for a good price is taken away from someone who has no appreciation for the hobby other than to solely make money, and now the collector has to pay $125 instead of $75 and a business man makes $50 off of OUR hobby, it may lead to bad feelings towards "flippers".

Many of us will certainly change focus over the course of our collecting lifespans so of course we'll sell cards that we previously purchased. And if I can't find a partner to go in on a lot, I too have sold off the rest of a lot to get the cards I wanted. A flipper to me, though, is someone whose ONLY interest in sportscards is to make money on it and is making it a more expensive hobby for the real enthusiasts.

But its a (mostly) free country, to each his own.

Rob


p.s. If a whale wants to buy any of my cards for 10x more than I paid for it, I'll be happy to sell!
p.p.s If i put a card or cards for sale on the b/s/t and get 2 emails at "about" the same time - one from a known enthusiast of the set, and one a known flipper - I'm selling it to the enthusiast.

[Frank A]

To many people on here have to much to say about what someone does with thier money or cards. If a person wants to flip a card, what business is it of anyone but the owner. NONE. you guys need to lighten up.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Frank A

To many people on here have to much to say about what someone does with thier money or cards. If a person wants to flip a card, what business is it of anyone but the owner. NONE. you guys need to lighten up.

Frank,

Who needs to lighten up? I think everyone that posted said they have no problem at all with someone flipping a card.

[andybecker]

if i sell a card, i sell a card. what the buyer does with that card is the buyer's business....not mine.

[ChiefBenderForever]

Its not easy being a small fish in a sea of dolphins, sharks,and whales.

[FUBAR]

I think it is fine to do with what you please. Now if you take advantage of someone that doesn't know and then turn around and make a huge profit, i think that is wrong.

If the guy that found the SHOELESS Joe card for $20 doesnt believe in flipping, then i got a cool $25 for ya! ;o)

[Leon]

If I see a card I know I can sell for $125 for $75 I see no reason not to buy it and try to make $50. Now, if I say I have to have it for my collection and I will keep it forever, weasel you down to $65...then the next day put it on the BST for $100....then that is kind of weasely....Maybe I changed my mind but next time I wouldn't expect to get a discount. (btw, I don't do that) I salute anyone that can buy and sell and make money....heck, I have bought numerous cards from people immediately after they bought them, for a nice markup, as they saw them first and bought them and I needed or wanted them. Absolutely someone can do what the heck they want with a card once they buy it but they shouldn't lie on the front end..... regards

[old-baseball]

Rob - I agree I'd much rather sell to someone in the hobby than someone that is solely here to turn cards for a profit. But I have to say that in your example, the the $100 card is sold for $75 thats the sellers fault not the buyer. I think we all know who else collects what we collect and have a fairly good idea what the other guys need. If you put a card out on B/S/T for 75% of what a fellow collector would pay, and it's snatched up by a "flipper", that's your fault. There's no reason that it couldn't have been offered directly to a group of fellow collectors.

Fast forward to a week later, this time the card's on Ebay $125, too bad for the previous owner, but he got the $75 he wanted. Now if one of his fellow collector pays $125 for the $100 card because he's been looking for it forever, that his business. He doesn't have to part with the $125, it's completely his choice. We, the collector (I don't consider myself a "flipper") really control the hobby because we pay what we think something is worth, not because of the price in a guide or what somebody has it listed for on Ebay.

I know were on the same side of this issue but cards only have the value that they do because we're willing to pay.

Jim - I too hate to see people take a beating on a flip but like everything else you have to understand what you're getting into. I now also understand what you're driving at in talking about artificially driving up the value of a card. It's not right.