[jstbuch]

It seems you don't really understand what Beckett does. When you are looking at the BV, you see the HIGH BV. That is the highest end BV that one could reasonably expect. Click on a card, look at the range of the BV. You are comparing high BV to Ebay sales? Yeah- that is going to be way off. You are looking at the highest BV that can be expected and comparing it to the lowest sale price that can be expected. Beckett is a guide, not a price list. As a general guide for millions of different cards, Beckett is really pretty incredible. Most of the whining is because people don't understand what they are looking at, and don't understand where the pricing comes from. It is not so much the fault of the price guide as it is misinterpretation by the users.


Just like a house. They search for other recent sales of 1/1 cards for the same player or similar players (in terms of popularity) and adjust for things like popularity of the set it came from, etc. Then they give it a subjective appraisal.

I understand exactly what they do. I understand what they are "attempting" to do anyways. If 80 percent of the cards can never ever reach 70 percent of Beckett's high value, then it is not meeting your own standard of "the highest one can reasonably expect" because if something has never ever sold for that amount, it isn't reasonable to ever expect that amount. And, as I mentioned before, it's always been this way. Before Ebay or not. I am not using Ebay as the sole barometer for determining value but how else is value determined if not for actual sale price?

[joe callahan13]

They mine actual sales data (Ebay included) to get the figures....

Also keep in mind that shipping costs are included in Ebay sales. Having said that, they mine ACTUAL sales data. So to say that any item "has never sold for that amount" is inaccurate. Beckett is not arbitrarily deciding the book value of anything.

[jstbuch]

They mine actual sales data (Ebay included) to get the figures....

Also keep in mind that shipping costs are included in Ebay sales. Having said that, they mine ACTUAL sales data. So to say that any item "has never sold for that amount" is inaccurate. Beckett is not arbitrarily deciding the book value of anything.

Agree to disagree I suppose. I have no doubt that they mind actual data but I do have doubts if that data is actual used in any sort of practical way to determine the value they put on things other than the use of that data to determine "relative value" as opposed to "actual value." But most of this was an aside to my actual point anyways.

[pyr0punk]

not sure how much "Mining" needs to be done, search for recently released cards F/S on ebay usually within the first few days (when its still shiny and new and those that dont break want to get it in their collection and not worry about it) cards are usually going for premiums, give it a couple of days (maybe a week) and the prices usually level out...anything thats not newly released the prices never seem to change(ex. hank blalock cards BV are still the same as at his peek) of course the looking at High BV is a value reason, but there is no median price, either highest its ever sold or lowest.

anyhow like everyone pretty much agrees price is whatever someone will pay. Ive over paid for cards I really wanted, Ive underpaid for cards Ive really wanted. -thats life-

[JMarchand1981]

When I list things on the bay I have a figure in mind. I think that if something books at, say, $80, I would be happy getting $30 for it. I would then list it at $30. The bay takes their 9% after PP takes their 3% but this is figured into the price that I listed the item for. If it happens to get several bids than GREAT I made more money than I hoped for. If it gets no bids I try to trade it to someone who will appreciate the card more. If the listing ends and someone offers me, say, $20 for it I tell them no because at that point what I want to get out of the card is substantially higher than what I am being offered($10 is not a big difference in the grand scheme of things, but $10 on a $20-30 proposition is). I don't even use completed sales when I am looking to buy or sell something. If I want an item and I have the funds and someone has it available I buy it at a price I feel good about.

[JRMdawg311]

Back to the original topic though...I just don't think buyers should expect the "SAME" price for a card that you paid for!

Everyone want to feel like they got a deal. They saved the most money on whatever they bought. If I wanted a low numbered card and I saw that you got it for a particular price and then turned around and offered it to me for $20 more for it. 9 times out of 10 I will pass. Unless I really really wanted it. Of course this depends on if I'm soliciting you to sell it to me or if you're trying to flip the card. I will always pass on card flippers.