Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

Aaron, thanks for you comments and advice. I'm struggling with how to do this. Don't want my "Buy it now" price to be too low, because buyers will then expect to get it for even a lower price. If I keep the "Buy it now" price too high, then many assume I won't go too much lower than my "Buy it now" price.

I got offers from some here, but many want it way too cheap. Some so they can resell to make a proffit. Understandable, as I do the same myself to support my collecting.

I have a certain price I want (need) to get for it. I believe a very fair price for this bat. Maybe I can indcate that in my auction comments. First to offer $_______ will get it. Maybe that would help.

I understand Arod's numbers aren't his usual this year (well, he has missed a lot of games this year), but we all know, if he does something in the post-season, and the Yankess win the World Series, then that changes everything.

The price I hope to get for this bat is a good deal for both myself, and the potential buyer. Bat shows great use.

Regards, Tony

Best offerred I received was $950. Maybe indicating in my auction a bottom line price would help, so people know what I'm looking for.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

tony

from a basic economic perspective, if an item isn't selling then it's usually because the price isn't right. even with undesireable items, there's always a price low enough for it to sell to someone. look how well walmart does. there are a few things i don't understand here:

1) you say you have nothing invested in the bat yet you apparently won't go below a certain monetary amount. $950 isn't good enough for a bat in which you have $0 invested? that's a $950 profit on a bat. how much more profit do you want? if you'd bought the bat at $950 and sold it only a few months later for $1900 everyone would say you made a killing yet that's still the same $950 profit. you're gonna sit and twist in the wind for who knows how long over another $300? by that time, will your grail even still be available?

2) why don't you run it like a normal auction and let the market decide what the bat is worth? you say you have a certain price you want to get for the bat. the price you want is irrelevant for the sake of the bat selling. the bat will sell for the market rate, regardless of the price you need or want. if you want to sell the bat, then let the market sort out the price. or you can be like rob mitchell and his black betsy and let the thing sit there for years on end because he and the market apparently don't agree on the worth. you believe the price is "very fair" and "a good deal" but if it were both wouldn't it have sold? you can't stop the market from acting. if something really is a good deal, wouldn't you necessarily get multiple bidders? or is everyone just sitting on the sidelines stupidly refusing to buy a good deal?

3) the other thing i don't understand is your apprehension in pricing the bat "too low". you've got it in an auction. it's not a fixed-price system. there is no such thing as "too low" because the market will naturally bid it up to its real worth. the lower the opening bid, the more people will be involved and they'll naturally bid against each other up to the market rate anyway and, if a bidding frenzy mentality sets in, then it may even go above the market rate. if it ends up selling at $950, then that's what the bat is worth. you say that people who've made offers want to buy the bat cheaply so they can resell it and make a profit. to who? to buyers that apparently you can't find? you don't have buyers at $1400 but they do? you've got it on ebay for pete's sake..it's exposed to at least 50 million people. why don't you deliberately underprice it and see what the market does? can't afford to let it potentially go at $950? sure you can ..you have $0 invested in it. everything above $0 is just gravy.

anyway, looks like my hypothesis of arod gamers one day selling for under $1k is already happening. lelands doesn't have many auctions but it seems to me the auctions they do have typically fetch good prices. june 2009 auction that recently ended, heavily used arod bat with arod's "game used" inscription on a 2005 gamer:

http://www.lelands.com/bid.aspx?lot=586&auctionid=905

rudy.

[schubert1970]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

I know for a fact that AROD has a few milestone bats that you'll need to fork out big bucks, and he's willing to wait. The bat that passed Mick on the All Time HR list - 20k. The dealers won't give Alex the 20k, because they beleive with their markup on the item, no one will buy it. Since Alex isn't hurting for cash, he'll just hang on to it.

I forked out big $ for my bat, but it didn't buy it for profit, just for my enjoyment and wanted something really special. Knowing what Alex now wants for milestone bats, glad I got mine because I could afford 20k. Will my bat retain it's value...don't know. It's only worth what someone is willing to pay.

I think Rudy makes a lot of valid points.

[gamer35]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

I am chiming in late on this thread, but how do you not "have anything invested " in this bat? Are you implying that you received it for free?

Also, I agree with Rudy, the best indicator of the true market value is to let the auction run its course in a normal auction setting with the high bid representing the true market price.

[kingjammy24]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

assuming the auction is 100% clean, it's the most accurate and purest way to ascertain true market value. put it into the market, let everyone place their bid and the highest bid wins. the unfettered spirit of the free market at its best. what a beautiful thing. you can sit here and talk all day long about how much the bat should be worth and what it might sell for but it's all useless conjecture. you want to know what the bat is really worth? start it out at $1, no reserves, and let the infallible laws of supply and demand take hold. ebay gives you that remarkable opportunity at a very low cost and exposes it to a global audience.

"I know for a fact that AROD has a few milestone bats that you'll need to fork out big bucks, and he's willing to wait. The bat that passed Mick on the All Time HR list - 20k. The dealers won't give Alex the 20k, because they beleive with their markup on the item, no one will buy it. Since Alex isn't hurting for cash, he'll just hang on to it."

even if dealers had 0 markup, who'd pay $20k for an arod bat these days? for $20k you could buy yourself a mantle gamer and have the bat of a guy who didn't juice, didn't flood the market with bats, and will be regarded as one of the most popular icons in all of american sports for decades to come. there are no more mantle gamers coming down the pipe, the supply is fixed. conversely, there'll be boxloads of arod bats coming out every year for the next 6+ yrs. whatever their value is now, is it going to increase when 500 more bats are released onto the market?

anyway, i love the story of mr. $500mm not willing to sell his bat for anything less than $20k. rather than keeping such a great bat, he's selling it for what amounts to pocket change for him. even better is the fact that he won't sell it for $10k because he really wants to get $20k for it. maybe he needs the extra $10k to finally get that 1991 buick regal he's always wanted? classic arod. i imagine he spends friday nights clipping coupons and hunting local grocery stores for day old bread.

"I'm keeping everything, are you kidding me?" said Rodriguez, who then showed reporters the bat he used and the jersey he wore on Tuesday. "This is my daughter's jersey at some point, you know?"

not if someone can cough up $20k! sorry kid, daddy needed the money.



rudy.

[3arod13]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

Thanks for all comments and opinions. Truly appreciated.

Regards, Tony

[schubert1970]

Re: Need Your Expert Opinion On My Arod Bat

even if dealers had 0 markup, who'd pay $20k for an arod bat these days? for $20k you could buy yourself a mantle gamer and have the bat of a guy who didn't juice, didn't flood the market with bats, and will be regarded as one of the most popular icons in all of american sports for decades to come. there are no more mantle gamers coming down the pipe, the supply is fixed. conversely, there'll be boxloads of arod bats coming out every year for the next 6+ yrs. whatever their value is now, is it going to increase when 500 more bats are released onto the market?

rudy.

I would still think the bat that passed Mantle would be a 1 of 1. How would there be more of these hitting the market? Although they are overpriced, I still think they are unique.