Is it just me or......

[BergerKing22784]

While everyone has a right to sell things for whatever price they choose but it seems as though some of the prices people list on the for sale forum are kind of high yet people are buying some of these things!

I must just be so used to eBay now that I dont like to dip to far into my pockets no more.

I wont point out anyone in particular because it wouldnt be fair but I see prices on here for common players and lesser stars for like 75 to 150 bucks of people I bought on ebay for 10 to 40. I dunno I guess its just me.


brian

[toddhead]

I think GU items go for a premium here on the boards because you know what you are getting. It's a crap shoot on e-bay most of the time, but if someone here posts something that is questionable it will get hammered by all the experts who linger on the boards. Just my guess...

[BergerKing22784]

I guess that has to be it good point.... It just baffles me... hope others have opinions...

[suave1477]

I agree with ToddHead, we work together here as a community and chances are what your going to get from someone here are most likely real. Compared to those Jerseys for $10 - $40 maybe just retail jerseys.
I am not saying they are but your comparing a reputable game used community to an ebay auction site to real world economics.

You can get anything on ebay, most of the time cheaper then you would in a regular business.
Example TV's Car Parts, Baseball Cards, Dishes. - All these things you can normally find cheaper on Ebay then if you were to go to the actual retail store.

But theres a reason usually people are trying to unload stuff they dont want and usually the buyer is trying to get it for cheap as possible. Its a chance all the way around becuz the seller may be hoping he can get rid of it for a high amount on ebay by the item getting into a bidding war and sometimes it dont and it sells for less.

But also ebay is a area where people can dump tons of phony items onto the market due to it being more annonymous then dealing with someone more closely on a forum.

[Vintagedeputy]

I would be interested to know which items that were sold here are overpriced in your opinion, in all seriousness.

[nate]

I could say the same for alot of items that ebay sells. Heck, rather than go to a dealership I can buy a car online, but there is the risk factor. I know i've paid more for bats from a few collectors on here, but the quality far surpassed the additional cost. Plus it's from people I can trust. For example I purchased a Winfield gamer from Jim Caravello, but it's an amazing gamer. He might have purchased it for less but should I not compensate him for the time he puts into finding such gems?

[kingjammy24]

hi nate

while i think a finders fee is fair, i don't think it should be rolled into the cost of the item. i think it should be separate. if it's automatically rolled in, then it completely messes with any notion of a "market price". 2 identical bats would sell for completely different prices due solely to how many times each one was bought and sold.

the premium commanded by a "gem" is due to its scarcity, not due to the time spent searching for it. i can spend 14 weeks searching for a mediocre bat but i doubt anyone will pay me a premium for it based solely on my time spent. jim was rewarded for finding a gem because the scarcity of it, not the time spent searching, resulted in a higher premium.

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

people talk about ebay being a dumping ground and while i don't disagree, i think several auction houses are even bigger dumping grounds.

why is it that i'll see an item on ebay sit for months without a single bid and then i'll see that exact item move to an auction house and it attracts several bids and sells for far more than the ebay auction requested?

i can't even count how many jerseys i saw rotting in the hot ebay sun until the seller finally consigned it to an auction house and all of a sudden it became a hot item. it went from being a suspicious item on ebay to being great at an auction house. dumpers know this and they know they can hide behind certain auction houses far more easily than they can hide on ebay. completely hidden consigner identities, "lou says its good" and "all sales final" policies equate to a far warmer security blanket for dumpers than ebay provides.

rudy.

[nate]

I meant the time and knowledge he has in the hobby. Not time spent looking for an item. While still doing my research I can trust it's going to be an authentic bat with player characteristics.

[sylbry]

Ebay is wholesale and the forum is retail.

[bigtruck260]

hi nate

2 identical bats would sell for completely different prices due solely to how many times each one was bought and sold.

rudy.

Rudy -

Probably one of the most important rules to collecting memorabilia. Excellent point.

Dave

[suave1477]

hi nate

while i think a finders fee is fair, i don't think it should be rolled into the cost of the item. i think it should be separate. if it's automatically rolled in, then it completely messes with any notion of a "market price". 2 identical bats would sell for completely different prices due solely to how many times each one was bought and sold.


rudy.

KingJammy and BigTruck I disagree, How can you say it is solely sold on how many times it has switched hands??? Yes I understand your theory but its just that, a theory.

If I have a bat that switched hands 2 times and I bought it for $200 and I feel the bat is worth a lot I may want to list it for $1000
When someone else who maybe the the 6th person to buy a similar bat may have bought it for $600 and is looking to make a minimum profit and sell it for $700

So you can't say market value on something soley goes by how many hands it has exchanged through. Also 2 people wanting the same item at the same time can cause market value to change on an item. There are many reasons.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Suave
I think you misunderstood KingJammy's point. Not the SAME item being sold more than once, but a SIMILAR or LIKE item being sold on another occasion.

I think people are lazy and don't do detailed searches on eBay. If you only search the "Game Used" section, you won't get the best deals nor will you see all of the actual game used items. The best items are poorly listed without proper key words.
Did anyone see this Game Used Johnny Podres Dodgers Flannel?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300176252267&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020
You might have missed it, if you only search Game Used-Major League Baseball-Jerseys...

[suave1477]

Both Teams Play hard holy moly my hats off to ya now that was a buried treasure , i hope you won that item.

[BergerKing22784]

I wasnt talking about jerseys for 10 to 40 I am talking about bats. I am not going to name anyone but here is an example of what I was talking about:

Not to long ago I purchased I Jay Payton game used bat on ebay for like 25 bucks. I have seen people on here trying to sell a game used bat of him for 125 bucks. I am not sure if it was purchased or not for 125 but when did Jay Payton become worth 125? Just an example of what I am talking about.

[bigtruck260]

I'll chime in...

I was about to buy a Bernard Gilkey bat from a site called Boombats.com - I tried to reserve it, but the site seems dead (?) and the email was returned to me. Maybe you will have better luck!

Anyway, since that did not work out, and I needed a Gilkey Cards era bat, I bid $25 for one last week on eBay. I am sure the seller would have liked to get more, but (fortunately for me), I was the only taker.

NOW, I would have been perfectly happy paying $70 for a nearly identical bat that was unsigned (the $25 bat was signed)...but I ended up paying far less. What is the market value? Hmmmm. I might list it here for $100 and if no takers - I would accept offers, etc. If no bids one week, there is always a possiblity that someone else might be looking for a Gilkey bat the next. They are not the most common of Cardinal bats. This one happens to be a rookie bat - maybe someone in his family is looking for it. It was not listed as a rookie gamer...

There are those who are simply in it to flip them and turn a profit too...it is the American way. We do it with real estate, cars, etc. Not sure what is wrong with it.
If someone is willing to buy it, and you can make a buck - Go for it.

Dave