Vintage Card Prices

We find it almost laughable that any serious collector would not invest $100 a year to track graded card prices.

We have found VCP to be extremely valuable. As a resource they have proved their value to us 1000x fold.

The annual membership fee is extremely modest. We spend at least 40x their dues in sales tax.

If one is a serious collector of high grade baseball cards- VCP is the only reliable source.

If were running VCP, we might triple the price. Serious collectors would stay, and the nickel and dime folks who spend a few hundred dollars a month
on cards would go---but chances are they'll go any way.

Bobby, should also have a special once month 3 card look up for $19.95. That way a spot buyer can access the information and not have to worry about an annual fee.

What we don't understand about the hobby is that collectors and investors should use all the available tools to gain competitive advantage both as buyer and seller.

We are always in competition. We want to have all of the weapons available to take advantage of a situation. There is no more valuable weapon than real time market intelligence.

In our view if one is not willing to invest $10 or $15 a month to gain invaluable market intelligence,one can not be considered a serious collector of anything except excuses.

Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List

Paying 20% above VCP average for the extraordinary items we are interesting in adding to America's most important type card collection

[rdixon1208]

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

If were running VCP, we might triple the price. Serious collectors would stay, and the nickel and dime folks who spend a few hundred dollars a month
on cards would go---but chances are they'll go any way.

Besides not making financial sense, you sound like an arrogant butt hole when you say things like this.

Mr. Dixon

We wonder if your mathematical abilities compare to those of a fifth grader.

Let us assume that at $100 VCP has 2500 members. Let us also assume that 1500 of those members spend between $10,000 and a $1,000,000 per year on graded baseball cards.

If 1000 members went away - that is $100,000 in lost revenue
If 1500 stayed that is 4300,000 in incremental revenue

Whilst you may think of us as a being a pompous ---- we are fine with that as long as we can enjoy S... on bird brains like yourself.

Do let us know if you would like a basic book on 5th grade math.

[rdixon1208]

I could be wrong, but I don't think your assumptions are correct. I think that the percentage of "Nickel and Dime" collectors who spend a few hundred dollars a month (on a really good month for me) is a lot higher than you think.

Edited to add that I would like a basic book on fifth grade math. Why not? PM me and I'll send you my address.

[Peter_Spaeth]

VCP is well worth the money. As there are certain sources of cards I try to avoid, it is useful to be able to track cards by image. Also, on many occasions, providing sellers information about past sales has convinced them to reduce prices.

[glynparson]

VCP is definetly worth the money if you buy baseball, football, or basketball cards. I still think it misses MANY cards in the other sport categories as well as non-sport cards

[Tcards-Please]

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

Whilst you may think of us as a being a pompous ---- we are fine with that as long as we can enjoy S... on bird brains like yourself.

Do let us know if you would like a basic book on 5th grade math.

"If______ were running VCP" (I'm assuming "we" should have been entered)
"Bobby, should also have a special once ______ month" (a, every other, etc)


And let us know if you would like a basic book on 2nd grade english.

No need to be an absolute ______________(reader chooses favorite noun)and get personal like you did.

r/
From a less than serious collector.

[vintagechris]

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

Mr. Dixon

We wonder if your mathematical abilities compare to those of a fifth grader.

Let us assume that at $100 VCP has 2500 members. Let us also assume that 1500 of those members spend between $10,000 and a $1,000,000 per year on graded baseball cards.

If 1000 members went away - that is $100,000 in lost revenue
If 1500 stayed that is 4300,000 in incremental revenue

Whilst you may think of us as a being a pompous ---- we are fine with that as long as we can enjoy S... on bird brains like yourself.

Do let us know if you would like a basic book on 5th grade math.

I'm sure Bobby's goal is not to price the small collector out of his service but is to create a fair price point that will allow many people to purchase it and for his business to grow that way, by increasing his number of subscribers.

I don't have a consulting business but I do know you build a business more by gaining and RETAINING new customers. Not by pricing them out of the market.

[arexcrooke]

Originally Posted by Yankeefan51

Mr. Dixon

We wonder if your mathematical abilities compare to those of a fifth grader.

Let us assume that at $100 VCP has 2500 members. Let us also assume that 1500 of those members spend between $10,000 and a $1,000,000 per year on graded baseball cards.

If 1000 members went away - that is $100,000 in lost revenue
If 1500 stayed that is 4300,000 in incremental revenue

Whilst you may think of us as a being a pompous ---- we are fine with that as long as we can enjoy S... on bird brains like yourself.

Do let us know if you would like a basic book on 5th grade math.

No, but you look like you need a basic book on business. If VCP did that, then the, as you call us "nickle and dime" collectors will leave.
Then another company will fill the gap for the majority of collectors who, as nickle and dimers, need a service like VCP provides. Then, the few Rockefellers such as yourself, have a choice, stay with VCP and pay a high price, or join the new provider.
So, VCP goes out of business due to your formula.
I dont know many people in the card hobby as I am relatively new. I do know arrogant and condescending when I read it. And you sir(s) are high on that list.

[barrysloate]

Bruce has never had a lot of patience for the riffraff of the world. He should be a little more courteous to others, however.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Bruce has never had a lot of patience for the riffraff of the world. He should be a little more courteous to others, however.

But aren't you proud that I stayed out of this fray?

[barrysloate]

Jim- you've been such a model citizen lately that I no longer think your "ruining humanity since 1955" motto is applicable.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Bruce has never had a lot of patience for the riffraff of the world. He should be a little more courteous to others, however.

And the "riffraff" is anyone that doesn't make 7 figures or have an elitist attitude. Patience, understanding and humility have never been Bruce's trademarks. My favorite collectors in the hobby are the ones who generously give their time to helping others and who have down to earth attitudes. Fortunately that is about 99% of the hobby. The other 1% are just put up with because they are here. Bruce could be so beneficial to the hobby if he wanted to be. Many of his threads and posts are quite good if you can get around the way he acts towards others. ....regards

[barrysloate]

Bruce is much different in person- he can be very cordial, easy going, and even funny. And he can be quite generous too. But behind the computer screen he becomes Attila the Hun. Don't really understand what that's all about.

[Cy2009]

I am not a subscriber to VCP so someone enlighten me. Do the prices take into account Buy-It-Now sales or sales with one bid? I ask because I was told it didn't. With ebay now being overrun with Buy-It-Now sales as opposed to auction sales, without applying the Buy-It-Now sales, this would very much skew the prices. This may seem like a good thing to buyers, to have the cards reflect lower prices. But shouldn't VCP be fair to both buyers and sellers.

Again, I don't have the service, so if I am wrong, I would like to know.

Cy

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by Cy2009

I am not a subscriber to VCP so someone enlighten me. Do the prices take into account Buy-It-Now sales or sales with one bid? I ask because I was told it didn't. With ebay now being overrun with Buy-It-Now sales as opposed to auction sales, without applying the Buy-It-Now sales, this would very much skew the prices. This may seem like a good thing to buyers, to have the cards reflect lower prices. But shouldn't VCP be fair to both buyers and sellers.

Again, I don't have the service, so if I am wrong, I would like to know.

Cy

Hi Cy,

Yes it does. There is a column right next to price that is called "Bids". For Ebay, a buy-it-now is recorded as BIN in that column. Auctions have the number of bids recorded. That info appears to go from present back as far as partway through 2007.

Cheers,
Blair

[HRBAKER]

Is ebay being overrun with Buy-It-Now sales or Buy-It-Now listings? Geez, I must be looking on the wrong ebay if it is the former.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Bosox Blair

Hi Cy,

Yes it does. There is a column right next to price that is called "Bids". For Ebay, a buy-it-now is recorded as BIN in that column. Auctions have the number of bids recorded. That info appears to go from present back as far as partway through 2007.

Cheers,
Blair

Blair,

I think your assumption here is incorrect. We have had this discussion here before. VCP does NOT record sales information on all BINs. I forget the exact distinction, but they get some, but do not capture others.



Edited to add: Here is a thread on this from about 4 months ago. It's long, convoluted, and sometimes painful to get through, but my take was that VCP does not record Ebay sales on BINs, made through Ebay stores. I admit, I could be wrong though. I'm old and my attention span seems to shorten every day.


http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...light=vcp+BINs

[Tedw9]

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on VCP tracking BIN's in stores. It DOES capture those, but only after the item has run it's course.

For example, if a store list an item for 30 days, I buy it on the second day it's for sale, VCP will not capture it until the full 30 days has gone by. So you would have to wait the 28 days before you would see it on VCP.

I asked Bobby this same question because I had purchased a pack and it did not show up and I thought maybe VCP had missed it.

I hope this helps clear some things up.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by Tedw9

I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on VCP tracking BIN's in stores. It DOES capture those, but only after the item has run it's course.

For example, if a store list an item for 30 days, I buy it on the second day it's for sale, VCP will not capture it until the full 30 days has gone by. So you would have to wait the 28 days before you would see it on VCP.

I asked Bobby this same question because I had purchased a pack and it did not show up and I thought maybe VCP had missed it.

I hope this helps clear some things up.

A quote from Bobby, in the thread I cited, post #61:

"Chinese style is any auction that is set with a time format so our system knows when the ending time is to finalize the transactions. You see this for many fixed price auctions, Best offers and Buy it now as well as for the standard type auction. When there is no end time associated with the item we have no way of knowing whether that card sold or not using the API system set up by eBay. The only way to find out if a card has sold or not with no time limit is by having a person physically view the pages and that is not very doable."

He seems to be stating that there are some Ebay sales that he can not capture. So, no, it's not completely cleared up.