[jephthah1]

I was just making my nightly rounds for Alstott cards on eBay, and hit the "Auction" button by mistake. Now, I have not done this for Alstott in awhile, and I know there are always fewer auctions than "Buy It Now", but I was shocked. Out of 2526 results only 32 of those are actual auctions. 32!!!

I have theorized for quite some time that the "Buy It Now" option essentially ruined a good thing on eBay. At this point I am convinced of it. "Buy It Now" has essentially encouraged people to be greedy--selling single base cards, and junk cards for ridiculous amounts (a topic often discussed on here).

So allow me to wax nostalgic and say...what I wouldn't give for a pure auction site again.

[bojesphob]

I don't know. I like that there is an option. Here's a good example: I just bought a Jordy Nelson chrome mini printing plate last night. The seller had JUST listed it, and it had BIN and BO. I sent a BO over, and they countered and I accepted it. Now, had it been an auction, I very likely might not have gotten it, since there are a few Jordy Nelson collectors out there (especially on the Blowout forums) that would have outbid me easily. While, yes, that wasn't a "true" auction, it gave me the opportunity to get a card I wanted and pay a reasonable price for it. Now, there are some that are listed WAY too high, but what I find is after a few times of listing those, the seller will then put them on the auction and they'll sell for way less, or they'll do a lower BIN and they'll sell. eBay is more like a marketplace auction site now, which has the ability to do an auction, but also the ability to give people the option to just purchase. For cards sometimes that can be a bad way to do things, but with the millions upon millions of other items on the site it can be a good thing.

[jephthah1]

I don't know. I like that there is an option. Here's a good example: I just bought a Jordy Nelson chrome mini printing plate last night. The seller had JUST listed it, and it had BIN and BO. I sent a BO over, and they countered and I accepted it. Now, had it been an auction, I very likely might not have gotten it, since there are a few Jordy Nelson collectors out there (especially on the Blowout forums) that would have outbid me easily. While, yes, that wasn't a "true" auction, it gave me the opportunity to get a card I wanted and pay a reasonable price for it. Now, there are some that are listed WAY too high, but what I find is after a few times of listing those, the seller will then put them on the auction and they'll sell for way less, or they'll do a lower BIN and they'll sell. eBay is more like a marketplace auction site now, which has the ability to do an auction, but also the ability to give people the option to just purchase. For cards sometimes that can be a bad way to do things, but with the millions upon millions of other items on the site it can be a good thing.

I hear your point concerning the "BO" option. I have struck some good deals that way as well. But I would gladly trade the few times that has happened, for a solid auction. The reason being--I have missed more due to overpricing and sellers unwilling to negotiate, than I have gained using BO.

[djohn]

I actually like the Best Offer fixed price listings more than auctions. It's one reason why I have done more and more buying on COMC. Sure there are some deals to be had and typically the price I pay at auction is less than fixed price listings. However there is no worry about whether I am going to get an item or not and whether there will be any shill bidding.

[jephthah1]

Hmmm...perhaps y'all are misunderstanding what I said--that I would love to have dedicated auction site since eBay has ruined theirs with the BIN option.

I don't want to you to lose your COMC or Sportlots or whatever...never indicated anything of the sort. But to have a site that is purely auctions, is fun. And the few deals that I have landed on eBay via BIN/BO over the years, absolutely DO NOT make up for all the stuff that has been missed due to overpricing. Do I use COMC? Yes. Do I use BIN/BO on eBay? Yes. But to act like BIN/BO did not change the way we deal in cards (mostly for the worse) is just silly. You even admit to moving away from eBay to COMC. If eBay's BIN/BO is so great why not stick with them? I'll tell you why. Because the people on COMC are not as greedy...yet. But they are getting there. Give them time. (I am building a set that could be completed off COMC right now, but I refuse to because the cards are so overpriced.)

As for shill bidding...if you have had that happen to you so often that you literally worry about it, then you have had an inordinate amount of bad luck, and I hate it for ya'. And, I can understand your apprehension. It's too bad that unscrupulous people exist. Kind of sucks the fun out of things.

[joe callahan13]

The problem is that there is not enough demand for a seller to get what they want out of Alstott cards in auctions. They would simply sell them at a brick and mortar or card show or something. You still wouldn't see them at a true auction site because there isn't enough demand to warrant an auction setting.

[jephthah1]

The problem is that there is not enough demand for a seller to get what they want out of Alstott cards in auctions. They would simply sell them at a brick and mortar or card show or something. You still wouldn't see them at a true auction site because there isn't enough demand to warrant an auction setting.

That is an interesting point. But how do you explain this with "in demand" stars? Favre is always popular...he currently has 20,037 cards on eBay. Out of those only 1312 are at auction.

I believe you already stated the key point--it's all about what the seller wants. Nobody cares about market demand. They just want what they want. I once offered a guy a fair price for a mid-range Alstott--not HBV but not LBV either. His response was "No"...that he was going to let the market decide the value. I eventually got the card from another seller for less than I offered him. It is now two years later and that joker is still trying to sell that card for the price he is demanding...er...I mean, what the market is deciding.

I guess it is better to let dust accumulate on a card you don't want and make nothing (lose money), than to make a buck on it and move on. I wonder how much he has spent re-listing it for 2 years?

[winningsforthebirds]

What I don't get is why the card values on beckett don't reflect eBay auction prices. I'm sorry but what a card sells for in open auction is its value. Using outlier brick and mortar sales because some sucker paid twice what he would have on eBay, doesn't make that card worth more, it just makes that guy not smart.

[joe callahan13]

What I don't get is why the card values on beckett don't reflect eBay auction prices. I'm sorry but what a card sells for in open auction is its value. Using outlier brick and mortar sales because some sucker paid twice what he would have on eBay, doesn't make that card worth more, it just makes that guy not smart.

Uhhhh no. I would pay more at a brick and mortar store, and do. I will buy on Ebay as a last resort. I don't like the risk I take that I will be scammed by an Ebay seller and I ESPECIALLY don't like buying a card sight unseen. Some people are more comfortable with that, but I would rather know what I am getting and I am fine with paying a little more for that luxury. You can get cards for lower prices on Ebay specifically BECAUSE it is sight unseen. That's like Kelley Blue Book stating that the market value of a used car is what it sells for at a dealer auction. That is not an accurate reflection, it is a subset.

[winningsforthebirds]

Uhhhh no. I would pay more at a brick and mortar store, and do. I will buy on Ebay as a last resort. I don't like the risk I take that I will be scammed by an Ebay seller and I ESPECIALLY don't like buying a card sight unseen. Some people are more comfortable with that, but I would rather know what I am getting and I am fine with paying a little more for that luxury. You can get cards for lower prices on Ebay specifically BECAUSE it is sight unseen. That's like Kelley Blue Book stating that the market value of a used car is what it sells for at a dealer auction. That is not an accurate reflection, it is a subset.

The difference between cards and your example is that for automobiles there are larger consumer markets than a dealer auction in which to buy cars. eBay IS the largest consumer market for buying and selling cards. So therefore its like the stock exchange. Yeah some guy at a store might tell you its worth more, but in reality, what you pay for it, when everyone has an equal chance to offer money at it is what its worth. The supply and demand data from eBay sales is much more extensive and reliable than reported brick and mortar sales. More data = more accuracy on the numbers. For instance if one guy paid $25 for a card at a store, but 20 guys on eBay paid a combined average of $15 for the card, the cards value is closer to $15 in the real world, however beckett would list close to the highest reported sale.