Ebay vs Card Shows

[Bilko G]

For the most part, Ebay has the best deals obviously, look at all the competition. Not to mention you have auctions ending every minute of the day basically, so with that you are gonna find great deals.

Saying all that though, there is something about a card show that just can't be beat. Waking up early, to go to a big show is an amazing feeling. Just knowing that you will be in the real life presence of so many great cards and collectibles, that you get to see in-person, beats any images i see on my computer screen. Meeting and chatting with so many people that have the exact same interests as you, also can't be beat.

Going to shows also gives you the satisfaction and instant gratification of getting the card or collectible you pay for right on the spot. No waiting for days or even weeks for the card to show up in the mail. No chance of your item getting stolen, lost or damaged in the mail. Also, especially if you enjoy buying raw because you collect raw cards or you like to get your own cards graded, nothing beats seeing the card in-person, to inspect with your own eyes right in front of you. How many times have you bought a raw card on ebay, that looks pretty nice in the picture/scan, only to see it in-person and it is not nearly as nice as you thought it was? I know i have many, many times.

Great deals can also still be found at shows though. Believe it or not, not everyone sells on ebay, so many times going to a show you will find cards or items that you never or rarely see on ebay. Many dealers might have a high "sticker price" but many dealers will negotiate the prices they have, especially if you are buying high-end items or if you are buying a bunch of items in bulk.

I personally have found at shows, that many great deals ( some even better than Ebay) can be found in the final few hours of a show, especially if you are a big spender or if you flash a big roll of cash in front of the dealers face, so that they know you are a serious buyer and have cash with you. In those final few hours many dealers want to make that "final big sale" or want to increase their revenue from the show and will give great deals. Many dealers that don't use ebay, know that this will be their last shot at making some sales until the next big show, which could be many months away and will give rock bottom prices. Sometimes it is easy to get good deals at shows simply by being friendly, polite and asking!!! The worst that any dealer can say to you is "no".