Anyone You Trade With Leave You Feeling Not So Fresh?

[Exhibitman]

Yes but how reliable are they? I know that the times they've been offered entertainment stuff I am familiar with the appraisers were low. Plus, they rarely step up and pay anywhere close to the valuation anyway, so it is all funny money from their perspective since the seller will never see more than a fraction of it.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Yes but how reliable are they? I know that the times they've been offered entertainment stuff I am familiar with the appraisers were low. Plus, they rarely step up and pay anywhere close to the valuation anyway, so it is all funny money from their perspective since the seller will never see more than a fraction of it.

I hear ya', but it's funny to see the interview before the person goes in where they are hoping to get $200 and then the expert tells them it's worth $20,000 and they leave with $10,000 when all they wanted was $200.

[kcohen]

For me, a major issue I have with the "what did you pay for it" element of valuation carries a presupposition that my time is worthless. In other words, if I got a great deal on an item, it is normally in part because of the time I've spent acquiring knowledge, cultivating contacts, bird dogging items, going to auctions, negotiating, etc. There is also the element of risk assumed by putting up the money for items for which there is no guarantee of being able to sell.

I used to tell friends who buy from me what I paid for something. But I do this no more as they would always take that figure and work from there instead of using the market or book value as a basis and then working down. Lesson learned. That said, I do pass on the benefit of a good deal on an acquisition to friends and people who buy from me regularly. But then, I don't buy and sell cards for a living, thankfully.

[Bosox Blair]

Allow me to present another thought. What the seller recently paid for a card is relevant to what the market value is...especially if the price was achieved in the open market (ie. at auction).

If the seller won a recent auction with active bidding, the price paid is certainly an important data point in determining market value (price guides...pretty much useless).

Another way to put this is don't expect to buy items at auction and then flip them for more because the "value" is higher than you paid. Says who?

On the other hand, if the seller recently got the item at a "dealer's discount" at a show, or in a large lot of other items, I find it more likely he could expect profit.

Cheers,
Blair

[ullmandds]

In my experience...trading can be quite difficult as people get emotionally attached to their cards and value them higher than reality dictates! I have had a few decent...somewhat fair trades...although most of the time I feel like I got taken advantage of in the process.

[DJR]

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[kcohen]

Whenever I trade, I ususally feel like i got the short end. Many people do I think as trading is difficult. That said, if both sides in a trade feel like they got hosed, then it was probably an equitable trade.

[obcmac]

Well, I happen to be the other party in Hangman's trade. I was trying to do him a favor by offering up a slabbed sgc30 diamond star high number that he needed...and he wanted to trade me another DS (unslabbed and in lower grade) that he picked up the day before for $21 (that I didn't need). I said I have x in it...if you want to trade me cards that you have x in, I'll be happy to trade. Of course, his cards that he paid x for were worth a lot more than the card I paid the same x for, so the deal wouldn't be fair to him. So yeah, I thought it was a pretty terrible deal too.

It's like every dealer that I traded with when I was a kid...sure kid, the guide says $10, but it's really only worth $5...and the card you want says 1, but it's really worth $10...just give me $5 and the card, then throw it another $5 because I have a business to run blah blah blah.

It is still my greatest joy in collecting...a fair trade.

Mac

[E93]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Yes but how reliable are they? I know that the times they've been offered entertainment stuff I am familiar with the appraisers were low. Plus, they rarely step up and pay anywhere close to the valuation anyway, so it is all funny money from their perspective since the seller will never see more than a fraction of it.

I'm sure they have standing arrangements with appraisers to low-ball by X%. For those who are in business the quoted retail number may actually be what they are willing to pay Rick if he gets it. Who knows?
JimB