Question for EBay sellers! Does this ever work???

[Runscott]

ebay has changed - sellers are still trying to figure out strategies that work (I know I still am). I have gotten notes from ebayers telling me I'm a fool, my prices are high, my cards are ugly, etc., etc. So I keep trying new strategies to maximize return (sales, lowering prices, raising prices, switching fixed-price auctions to straight and vice versa). Gouging customers is not a good long-term strategy. Buying high and selling low is equally ineffective.

ebay did this to all of us - some of the guys you are insulting are the 'good guys', but I'm sure they understand your frustration and are rolling with it. I have questioned it as well (and gotten beaten here for it), so I get it.

When one of you writes the book on ebay selling strategy that allows sellers to make a reasonable profit, and you guys to get the prices you demand, please attach a pdf to this thread. You'll also need to post a link to that magic place where the sellers can pick up inventory at prices that allow them to give you your cards for those prices.

The pez dispenser days are long-gone.

[BleedinBlue]

Originally Posted by Runscott

ebay has changed - sellers are still trying to figure out strategies that work (I know I still am). I have gotten notes from ebayers telling me I'm a fool, my prices are high, my cards are ugly, etc., etc. So I keep trying new strategies to maximize return (sales, lowering prices, raising prices, switching fixed-price auctions to straight and vice versa). Gouging customers is not a good long-term strategy. Buying high and selling low is equally ineffective.

ebay did this to all of us - some of the guys you are insulting are the 'good guys', but I'm sure they understand your frustration and are rolling with it. I have questioned it as well (and gotten beaten here for it), so I get it.

When one of you writes the book on ebay selling strategy that allows sellers to make a reasonable profit, and you guys to get the prices you demand, please attach a pdf to this thread. You'll also need to post a link to that magic place where the sellers can pick up inventory at prices that allow them to give you your cards for those prices.

The pez dispenser days are long-gone.

The problem with this analysis for most of the cards I buy is they are not unique cards. They are a commodity and this is the situation that I am amused with. If a card is available from multiple sellers in the same grade and sells for roughly the same price either in an auction or a BIN format, what is the point in selling for double or triple any reported sales? The only thing I can think of is they are trolling for the uninformed buyer. They exist but are getting harder and harder to find.

[drc]

I don't know how reliable an indication are BINs when it includes a make-an-offer. A seller may just be waiting for a reasonable offer above $200, and feels whether than BIN is set $500 or $5,000 or $50,000 is neither here nor there. If it was up to him, perhaps he would have no BIN, just the make-an-offer button. The BIN price is something eBay forces him to do if he wants people to make offers.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by BleedinBlue

The problem with this analysis for most of the cards I buy is they are not unique cards. They are a commodity and this is the situation that I am amused with. If a card is available from multiple sellers in the same grade and sells for roughly the same price either in an auction or a BIN format, what is the point in selling for double or triple any reported sales? The only thing I can think of is they are trolling for the uninformed buyer. They exist but are getting harder and harder to find.

Brian, I wonder the same thing. My guess is that they either don't realize it, or they think the other example is priced way low and they are hoping it sells so that theirs might eventually. But I will stick with my thought that it's a bad business model to try to gouge one person one time - much better to make a fair profit and have returning customers. At a nickel per 30 days, it's not costly for a seller to attempt the former.

[zljones]

I think one of the problems is, is that sellers are buying high and selling high. I saw a SGC 20 Dimaggio go for about $675 which I thought was high enough in auction he is now trying to sell it for $899. It is crazy enough it sold for $675, so why buy that high and sell a lot higher?

In defense of Ebay, it is the ultimate garage sale, let's face it, we get more bids and more attention to our items then anywhere else we would sell things. If I sold my cards in my garage one day, they either would not sell or I would get super low ball offers and have to accept that, especially if I needed money within less than 30 days. Ebay is fast, convenient and you gain maximum exposure. The key is, is to not buy high then sell high, and also list items properly. For example if you want to sell a Leaf Satchel Paige card, list it as 1949,1948,Leaf,satchel,satchell Paige rookie. If you can fit all of that. Then you will attact those that can't spell his last name and also those that can't decide if it's 48 or 49 Leaf. This is one of my strategies whenever I sell items and my sales are usually higher than I forecast and go above book value or at book value. My items also appear in several search results instead of just one.
I am not too worried about ebay fees, if I was to sell an item I would take to approximate fees amount into consideration.
If someone has no choice but to buy high from someone else, well, I don't know what to say to that.

[David W]

Just do like I do and never search on BIN, but auctions only.

I don't even waste my time with BIN, I've never seen any card of any substance listed at a market price on a BIN.

BIN is apparently an online museum of baseball cards. Maybe they hope the cards get stolen so they can get insurance money based on the BIN price or something......