Player just died. eBay his stuff! WORNG!

[gingi79]

Just looking for some fellow collectors opinions. Wings/Hawks enforcer Bob Probert just died and his stuff on eBay has been listed as if he was a long time HOF player. $2000 items that no one wanted are at 4x that price. Jersey Vault, a company who offers items well above anyone's idea of "value", just re-listed their Probert jersey at $6,000 when it didn't sell at their asking price of $1995 for YEARS.

I say they are cashing in on emotion and milking the market. I think people who sell recently dead artists paintings for several times their purchase price are molesting a situation. (By the way, my artwork is sublime. If I become terminally ill, all my work will be priceless(I hope) Buy now!)

I own the only white #40 Vancouver Canucks jersey Luc Bourdon ever wore. I refuse to sell it to anyone unless their claim to it is more significant than mine as a Canucks fan. WHY? Because I have integrity and cashing in on an athletes death makes me feel cheaper than Paris Hilton.

Opinions?

[Mark17]

I'm sure we could find examples where we would agree a particular seller was being tasteless, but generally I disagree with your premise.

My view is this: There are many different ways to enjoy this hobby, and just as individuals in a free society can choose their own path to happiness, so too we can all decide what we want to buy, sell, trade, and collect, and how/when we want to do so. If we're honest and ethical, nobody has the right to be overly critical.

A friend who was a full-time baseball card dealer was discussing this very subject with me years ago. This is essentially what he said: "What people might not realize is that I have inventory to sell, and when a player dies, there is a sudden burst in interest that will last a little while, and after that the player will basically be forgotten. So if I want to sell those cards, ever, that is my last best chance."

I don't think saying you would never sell a jersey unless someone else had a closer connection to it is really all that noble. We're talking about some cloth. If you find something else in life you would rather have, selling the jersey wouldn't be the least bit tawdry.

Sometimes "collectors" seem to think they are more pure than "dealers," and I've never understood that. Being a dealer is a good way for people to enjoy the hobby too, having cool stuff pass through their hands while also making some money to pay the bills. What's wrong with that? Thank goodness for dealers! And if a dealer has something that is suddenly in demand, the price probably goes up. Just as dealers have to lower prices on items when players fall out of favor with the public.

Bottom line: Live and let live. If you want something someone has to offer, see if you can make a deal for it. Otherwise, no reason to sit in judgement.

That's my opinion.

[kudu]

It happens all the time. And with the economy/unemployment the way it is, maybe that seller/dealer needs to make some extra money to pay the bills, put food on the table, etc. If that were the case, wouldn't selling that jersey for a profit be a good thing?

[NEFAN]

I'm sure we could find examples where we would agree a particular seller was being tasteless, but generally I disagree with your premise.

My view is this: There are many different ways to enjoy this hobby, and just as individuals in a free society can choose their own path to happiness, so too we can all decide what we want to buy, sell, trade, and collect, and how/when we want to do so. If we're honest and ethical, nobody has the right to be overly critical.

A friend who was a full-time baseball card dealer was discussing this very subject with me years ago. This is essentially what he said: "What people might not realize is that I have inventory to sell, and when a player dies, there is a sudden burst in interest that will last a little while, and after that the player will basically be forgotten. So if I want to sell those cards, ever, that is my last best chance."

I don't think saying you would never sell a jersey unless someone else had a closer connection to it is really all that noble. We're talking about some cloth. If you find something else in life you would rather have, selling the jersey wouldn't be the least bit tawdry.

Sometimes "collectors" seem to think they are more pure than "dealers," and I've never understood that. Being a dealer is a good way for people to enjoy the hobby too, having cool stuff pass through their hands while also making some money to pay the bills. What's wrong with that? Thank goodness for dealers! And if a dealer has something that is suddenly in demand, the price probably goes up. Just as dealers have to lower prices on items when players fall out of favor with the public.

Bottom line: Live and let live. If you want something someone has to offer, see if you can make a deal for it. Otherwise, no reason to sit in judgement.

That's my opinion.

Couldn't have said it better.

[LWMM]

I'm not sure that it's any more macabre to make a point of selling items of recently dead players than it is to purchase them.

[otismalibu]

So someone who is in the business of selling memorabilia is trying to take advantage of high demand? People like to make money. Or they like to avoid what they see as possibly losing money. If the guy killed Probert, then listed his stuff, that would pretty shady. </sarcasm>

If you don't have a problem with a fan immediately selling a jersey of a popular player from his favorite team, simply because demand might be at an all time high, why fault a person in the business of selling who pretty much knows demand won't be any higher.

[34swtns]

Simply capitalism. Sell at the most lucrative moment.
Nothing "worng" with that.

[suave1477]

Thie topic has been brought up a few times before. Especially when Cory Lidle died and Kirby Puckett.

Ai actually agree with both Gingi & Mark.

But regardng Marks point a view the line does cross over to an item being sold during a hot seling time (Due to death, etc...) to pay bills. But realistically most people are just trying to cash in on the death.

I remember when Cory Lidle passed. A week before because he was a Yankee I was looking up on ebay autographed Lidle Yankee items and you could find anything you wanted for.99 cents to at most $10.
After he passed those same items were being sold for a $100 or more and they were getting them.

Its a double edged sword

[STLHAMMER32]

Is there a certain time period you would think is acceptable to wait before selling? I think simple supply and demand might also become a factor.....if most collectors take the approach you suggest and a few "shady" individuals do not it will only drive the prices up on the items for the those who decide to sell because there will be less available to purchase.

I think it is just like any other business, supplying a demand for a product, when a player dies the demand for products goes up and people are there to meet the demands....Hope you don't have family or friends in the funeral home business....talk about cashing in on a persons death:p

[Mark17]

But regardng Marks point a view the line does cross over to an item being sold during a hot seling time (Due to death, etc...) to pay bills. But realistically most people are just trying to cash in on the death.

I remember when Cory Lidle passed. A week before because he was a Yankee I was looking up on ebay autographed Lidle Yankee items and you could find anything you wanted for.99 cents to at most $10.
After he passed those same items were being sold for a $100 or more and they were getting them.

Its a double edged sword

I don't see a difference betwen someone selling an item "to pay bills", and someone selling an item "to cash in." I don't analyze a person's financial situation to make a judgement on whether or not they should sell something they own. I'm also, by the way, one of those relatively poor people who has never believed in the "tax the rich" class envy message. What someone does with their money, as long as it's legal, is none of my busines and I couldn't care less.

When you say you were looking for Lidle autographed items, and they suddenly spiked in price, it sounds to me you're just annoyed that something you were interested in went up in price before you purchased it. Yeah, that's a bummer, but the people selling the things didn't do anything the least bit sleazy (in my opinion.) You say they were asking for very high prices, and getting them.... in other words, they correctly gauged the market. I say, good for them!

I'm still waiting for someone who complains about other people selling at high prices, to start taking the third or fourth-best offer when THEY decide to sell stuff. Look, we all want to buy stuff as inexpensively as possible, and we all want to sell stuff for a good price. It's human nature. Why find any reason at all to judge people negatively for doing the same thing everyone else does, or wants to do?

[Jules9]

Hey Gingi, when Luc Bourdon passed away, did Meigray pull his jersey/jerseys off their website and then give them to Luc's family.

[gingi79]

Hey Gingi, when Luc Bourdon passed away, did Meigray pull his jersey/jerseys off their website and then give them to Luc's family.

Yes, they misspelled his name on nhlgameworn.com and I called Barry and asked if the family wanted them too. I offered to donate some money for the family to get the preseason shirts. They didn't want them and Barry instead allowed me to get his first ever preseason shirt.

[godwulf]

I'm not sure that it's any more macabre to make a point of selling items of recently dead players than it is to purchase them.

When Mike Coolbaugh died on the field a few years ago, I felt like I wanted one of his bats, and subsequently bought one, just to put in my collection as a sort of tribute. I didn't try to over-analyze my own feelings about it, and I certainly didn't buy the bat as an "investment", or anything like that. As I said, it was, very genuinely, with the idea of owning and displaying it as a sort of tribute to the man and the player that I acquired this bat; that isn't particularly macabre, is it?

[treant985]

When Mike Coolbaugh died on the field a few years ago, I felt like I wanted one of his bats, and subsequently bought one, just to put in my collection as a sort of tribute. I didn't try to over-analyze my own feelings about it, and I certainly didn't buy the bat as an "investment", or anything like that. As I said, it was, very genuinely, with the idea of owning and displaying it as a sort of tribute to the man and the player that I acquired this bat; that isn't particularly macabre, is it?

I did the same thing with a Coolbaugh bat, except somebody outbid me. Maybe it was you! ;)

But it's weird how these things interest us. I think it's the same way for Josh Hamilton stuff. I mean, he's a great story and a great hitter. But he wasn't exactly a role model for quite a few yrs. We're interested in these guys who have tragic histories.

[TNTtoys]

When Mike Coolbaugh died on the field a few years ago, I felt like I wanted one of his bats, and subsequently bought one, just to put in my collection as a sort of tribute. I didn't try to over-analyze my own feelings about it, and I certainly didn't buy the bat as an "investment", or anything like that. As I said, it was, very genuinely, with the idea of owning and displaying it as a sort of tribute to the man and the player that I acquired this bat; that isn't particularly macabre, is it?

Great post. I can relate.

I hung one of my many Bill Robinson Mets jerseys on my wall just after the man foldly referred to as "Uncle Bill" passed away... as a tribute / memorial to him.

I purchased 2 of Jose Lima's game used items the couple of weeks following his passing...because I feel he was a one-of-a-kind individual who touched many lives. Again, as a tribute.

And although they are not on display in my home at the moment, I treasure these collectibles and would not think of selling them.

Nick

[godwulf]

I did the same thing with a Coolbaugh bat, except somebody outbid me. Maybe it was you! ;)

Mine is a black X-Bat, broken in two, with the numbers 8 and 31 on the knob. I recall that it was very shortly after Mike's death that I acquired it, and I paid $78.77.

There's a very good book on Mike's career, and on the aftermath of his death for all concerned, called Heart of the Game: Life, Death and Mercy in Minor League America. Most highly recommended.

[Larry Pelliccioni]

I wound up with a Coolbaugh game worn Brewers jersey and I would like to think that like those postings earlier that it was done out of respect for the man's passing. I received an offer later to sell the jersey but just did not feel right about it since it was a recent acquisition and we, my wife and I are fans of the Brewers.
I can see both sides of the argument here and respect the way each feels.
On another note, once it was proven to me that it was a legitimate request, I did see that only my cost was recovered on a hockey jersey of a player tragically killed wound up with his sister.
I wish that I was more in a position where I could cave to all requests like that at no costs and I do a fair amount of donating to what I consider to be worthy causes and I also have raised the ire of former players who wanted one of their items but did not see fit to over me anywhere near what I outlayed to get it.
One time in fact on succeeding days I was severely cursed out by both a player and his fiance over having and not giving up his jersey. Later that year my wife and I travelled to Italy with alot of people from this players small town and everyone knew him so I kept a pretty low profile.
Bob Probert did come over one time and he was able to see his rookie Red Wing home jersey and then I challenged him to a couple of games on my bubble hockey game. I asked if he would mind if I called a fan of his, my daughter and if he would just say hello. He spoke with her for 15 minutes and was a total class act in our home.
RIP Bob.
Larry Pelliccioni

[legaleagle92481]

I think that there is nothing wrong with it. When a nonHOFer dies and it gets his name in the news there is no easier time to unload his stuff at a premium over what you could have unloaded it for if anyone would have bought it the day before he died. The demand for retired nonfuture HOFers is often very little and it is hard to sell their items at all and after their death fades from the public's mind it will again be hard to get rid of their stuff at any price so if one wants to get their money out of a certain player's items that is the optimal and possibly the only time to do so. Everyone gets stuck with items at times i.e. hot prospect fizzles or player gets hurt and his stats fall off or you collected a run of the mill player who at the time you were a big fan of but later you really did not care about. Player's families sometimes sell very personal intimate items after they die that were much more important to them then a jersey they wore so I don't see anything wrong with a fan selling the stuff.

[treant985]

Mine is a black X-Bat, broken in two, with the numbers 8 and 31 on the knob. I recall that it was very shortly after Mike's death that I acquired it, and I paid $78.77.

The one I bid on was a nice SAM Bat--went for about $80, too.

[mlupo]

I understand WHY there is a price spike on some items like autos. But if the player is retired there is really no NEED to jack up the price of say a game used item. If they are already retired there were never going to be any more game used than are already out there even if they would have lived another 50 years. The price of an autograph going up I understand because there is a sudden hault in the amount of autos that would have been added to the market in the future. But bottom line, right or wrong, I get why it happens, demand goes up(or is that a change in the quantity demanded? lol you economics people out there will get that joke). Good topic.