Steiner Sports is out of touch with Reality

[JimCaravello]

Chris - thanks for that insight. I must have missed that Seinfeld episode!! It still amazes me that they let a willing and able buyer just walk away like that.......

[Yankwood]

I'm glad others out there are starting to notice the complete lack of sense made by these people. I really don't understand the business sense being used here. I saw a listing that Bernie Williams was doing a private signing for Steiner in January. I sent a note to the promoter asking how much it would be for Mr. Williams to sign a bat of his that I own. I was told $400. I responded by telling him that I didn't need the bat, only for Bernie to sign it and he replied, "Maybe you don't understand me, $400 is for JUST the signature". Please explain to me how many people can afford or will pay $400 for an autograph of a living human being? If the charge was even $30 or $40, wouldn't this be a better business move in the long run? These people are chasing away future hobbyists as well as people like me. Before I concluded our correspondence I told him "Thanks for helping ruin the effin' hobby". Real mature, I know, but I felt compelled to say that. His respone was, "Hey, you win some, you lose some. Take it or leave it". I let him have the last word but I'm still thinking that classic two-word phrase we all know over and over in my head.

[bigtime59]

I loathe and detest the New York Yankee$ and everything they stand for...and their uniforms are butt-ugly, anyway. They are the main reason that the first rule of my jersey collection is: no pinstripes! Reading threads like this one makes being home sick almost...fun!

[both-teams-played-hard]

I let him have the last word but I'm still thinking that classic two-word phrase we all know over and over in my head.

"Best Wishes"?
"Good Luck"?
"Yours Truly"?
"Roll Tide"?

[Yankwood]

"Best Wishes"?
"Good Luck"?
"Yours Truly"?
"Roll Tide"?

"Happy Trails"

[theotheo]

if You Have Something People Will Pay For Why Would You Sell It For Less? As Insane As 400.00 Is For Bernie Williams To Sign Anything I Don't Think You Can Blame Steiner For Charging It If They Can Get It. The Problem Lies In People Willing To Pay That. Anybody Who Collects Autographs With Any Intention Whatsoever Of Re Selling Them In The Future Should Know That They Will Never Never Never Make Any Money Reselling A Bernie Wiliams Item If 400.00 Was Paid To Sign It. Bernie Is A Solid Player Who Would Be Just Another Player On Any Other Team. Even On The Yankees It Is Almost Impossible To Get 400.00 For A Bernie Game Used Bat. If Bernie Dies Tomorrow (or The Day After The Signing) You Still Have No Chance To Get That Back. Anyone With Any Hobby Knowledge At All Should Not By A Bernie For Even Close To That. Unfortunately You Have Yankees Fans With Too Much Money To Spend And 400.00 Does Not Seem Ridiculous To Them Because They Would Pay The Same For Chad Curtis Or Scott Brosius. If You Buy A Bernie Signature From Steiner I Hope You Plan To Keep It And Cherish It For Ever Because If You Ever Sell It You Will Lose Money. Bernie Is The Al Gore (boring ) Of The Yankees And His Stuff Is Great For Collecting Dust. I Assume Anybody Who Reads This Forum Does Not Even Entertain The Thought Of Paying That.

[Yankwood]

Well, I don't think the complaints of $400 were that you couldn't sell them at a profit. Anybody knows that. And I learned long ago that most everything you collect should be because you like a certain player and not to someday make money off it because most of the time you will not. But you learn this over time.

[JimCaravello]

Barry - great post and I am glad there are folks in the hobby like you and like Steiner - yes, like Steiner. Let's start over one more time - I am glad that Steiner is involved with GU equipment. I have been able to get a few pieces that years ago I would have never thought about getting. Back to the point of my original post about how they market items. How do you ask $250 for an item one day ( and no one one is willing to buy ) and $1,500 the next? How do you put a 1992 Roberto Kelly GU jersey up for auction, when its really a 1992 Roberto Kelly All Star Game Used jersey - a pretty rare and desirable piece to find these days ( another post on the Forum). The marketing people at Steiner seem to be "a little off the mark" - that's what this post is about. If they had a few more people from the industry involved, there wouldn't be posts like this on the Forum. Barry - you don't make these mistakes - you understand the hobby and GU equipment - you understand how to price items - you know how to market items - you treat people with respect - that's why you are an asset to the hobby and you are successful.

One last thought along this same line about their lack of knowledge of what they are selling and their lack of knowledge about GU equipment. A friend of mine told me recently that on the YES Network, on an episode of Yankees Steiner Collectibles, the question came up to Brandon Steiner as to what the value of an Ozzie Guillen Game Used Bat was worth in the market. Now I didn't see the episode, and I am going from memory of what my friend told me ( so I might be off like $25 - $50 ), but Brandon said that before the World Series, a Guillen might sell for $250 and because they won the Series a Guillen might now sell for $750......hmmm.....let's see - Guillen played in the 80's & 90's - fairly common bat......I don't ever think I have seen a Guillen sell for more than $100 period. To think that someone would pay $250 before the Series and $750 after the Series just proves my point about their lack of knowledge of the GU industry.

I guess I got a steal a year ago when I bought my Joe Torre Game Used bat from 1971 - his MVP year - for $500. I bet if the Yanks didn't win any World Series under him, I would have been able to get that bat for $100!!

Other examples of Steiner really not knowing what they are selling include:
1. They have auctioned jerseys as game used tagged with players and years that do not coincide with the player being on the team that year.
2. The 1997 Jackie patch debate - they have auctioned sold a lot of these jerseys with no patches and no explanation whay they are missing. If there is no evidence of a patch being there, the jersey is not game used and yet they have sold a ton with this description.
3.They have auctioned & sold game used bats of players that never used that model bat in a game - but they show use, so they must be game used.
4. Numerous game used jerseys with just a year number and set number in the collar have been sold and they have been tied to a player that wore that number in the year - without the stitching of the player's name. They may be good, but are they? Did they speak with the Yankees Equipment Managers? They are so emphatic that they are game used of that player, but most people won't touch them.
5. A Posada jersey is currently on the auction site from 1997 - it had the Jackie patch! But the tail tag did not have Posada's name - it had the year and the lettering X-97. Well - can you explain to us why Posada's name is not in the tail? Why don't you find out before you sell it and give us an explanation? It might sell for more if you do that and you could educate us all at the same time. What does X-97 mean?

Steiner - get some people involved in your company that understand the GU industry. Get some people involved on the sales side who know what they are talking about. You have a great thing going - but think of what you could really do for your company, the Yankees and the hobby if you brought on the right people to direct this venture. THAT'S MY POINT. Jim Caravello