VCP or SMR?

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by terjung

So, are you saying that ALL of the BINs on eBay are recorded - regardless of the format - and that it is only a matter of a potential "date of sale" inaccuracy that gets recorded?

and this?

[Rich Klein]

to the simplest terms

The role of VCP is to record all transactions and leave the interpretation of the data up to you

The role of SMR is to analyze sales and give you an opinion of what an average sale(s) of a card in a specific grade are.

Thus, the goals of the two groups are different. VCP, by nature, appeals to the more educated collector as they have learned how to read data and make interpretations.

The goal of SMR is to be a starting poing in discussions based on their analysis of market sales and I believe SRP's of their dealers. Thus, they do appeal to a slightly less sophisticated collector.

Will either way ever be perfect; no -- but remember it depends on what your goal is as a buyer of a seller

Regards
Rich

[Thrill-of-the-Hunt]

i like to use ebay completed listings as a guide as well. i know for rare cards this info may not be available, but for cards that show up on ebay more frequently this is also a great (and quick) way to get some pricing. i know vcp records the data, but i can stay on ebay and move to the next card without surfing through another website. of course, for rare cards, vcp is the best format.