Flipping vintage baseball cards

[Matthew H]

I don't really think that you need to consign to an eBay seller. As long as you categorize correctly and make sure the auctions end at a good time. Your listings search the same. Just Collect seems to pay less attention to when auctions end. Not everyone uses snipes. They don't get as much for cards as PWCC. I've had good success selling lots timed with 3-5 minute gaps in ending on Sunday evening. (I hardly sell anything though)

[smtjoy]

I think its very possible to make some money by flipping cards and if you make anything its more than what CD's are paying these days.

I think its important to pick an area/niche you know very well and focus on it. As someone suggested start small maybe find something around 1k to give it a try. I like the set/lot breakup idea as I have done very well over the years doing the same thing. Be patience and only sell when you feel the market is right, if you cant do that then you should probably avoid flipping.

[Leon]

It is very difficult, but not impossible, to flip and make some money. You need to usually stay in your niche and try to find great buys. Not good buys, but great buys. Good buys will net you a loss more often than not. Just my experiences....and they are fairly vast, especially in the last 5 years. I applaud anyone that can buy and sell and make money doing it. It is no where near a "gimmee".....Good question.

[bbcard1]

A niche I have done "ok" on is APBA cards...my only goal is to make enough to pay for my new season cards, though, and I haven't done a lot more than break even...but I have built a nice little collection for anytime I want to shake dem bones and replay a world series. After expenses, I would probably say I am earning about a 35% return but it is also a little work and since you constantly have $ ties up in "inventory" you really don't make anything you can pay the mortgage on. Met some nice people through it, and that's worth mentioning.

[robedits]

I've been playing APBA for almost 40 years (currently replaying the 1964season...cards,dice,and newer master game,using the new 64 RR replay set)...in almost 2 years I've completed all the games for all teams through the month of May '64,using the real sked...about 460 games out of the scheduled 1,620 for 1964). Using Excel to compile stats after each game. TIme consuming as hell,but worth it and enjoyable.

I never had any idea that the old APBA sets were worth anything, until AFTER I sold all my old sets (one late 60s set, all my 70s sets and some early ATG sets...most in great condition,with original playing boards/boxes,etc) at a garage sale for about $25 bucks (back in late 90s). We're talking a couple of dozen original sets/boxes,at least. Along with orig boards,booklets,roster sheets,etc.
Then I suddenly saw spates of them online being sold for good $$. My loss!

Still love rolling a game,though,after all these years:as my wife says,it keeps me off the streets!

You probably already know this,but the "Spawn" author/McGwire/Sosa ball collector (Todd MCFarland) has what is most likely the largest collection of original APBA sets (across all sports) in existence.
I wish APBA would get more press than StratOMatic,but it's like the Mets to the Yankees, or Showtime to HBO...they'll always be second in the same market.

[bbcard1]

I actually sold a couple of APBA sets to Todd McFarlane which I thought was totally cool. I have a complete run of world series teams and a few vintage sets I plan to keep til i croak. I got a great 1961 set which is my birth year and i have an 1958 also that I intend to keep. I am trying to pick one season set per decade and sell off the dupes. I normally price the sets very low as to assure they will sell...it only backfires sometimes. Actually most sets from about 1975 though 2001 are very cheap. APBA is the betamax of baseball games. Great product, lousy marketing.

[jcmtiger]

I don't need this money to live on. Thanks for the responses. I also don't want to wait 5-10 years as one poster responded. I have actually bought and sold many items in the last 30 years and made money, but put back into the hobby. I know those good old days are over, but seems like you could make more than 2-3 hundred on an investment of $10,000. in 1 year. I know I will have to pick items that collectors are looking for and buying everything on ebay probably would not work. I would not consign, I have the time to sell on ebay and have been buying and selling on ebay for at least 10 years.

Joe