General Forum

 I think taht there is no question but that eBay has been a boon to collectors everywhere. I find it to be of particular benefit to me, as I am a hockey card collector in central Alabama and, even when shops were far more numerous than they are now (down to three in my general area), it was almost impossible to get them to order hockey product for the handful of collectors in the area. Retail stores didn't carry much either and they of course carried the typically inferior retail version when they did.

Then along comes eBay. I've been able to add to my collection far, far more than I would have had I been able to only tap local sources for cards. I've even gotten a card I needed for a set from Taiwan!

Time was that you could often get really good deals on eBay. You could get items you wanted that were either at lower prices than you could locally or items you just could not find locally period. Sadly, that isn't the case as much any longer.

At some point relatively recently, eBay changed the way they made money from the auctions they run. It was set up so that you paid a listing feee based on the starting price of the item and the length of time you wanted the auction to run (plus a final value fee based on a percentage of what the item sold for). Now, the listing fee and auction length fee no longer apply (at least not for small sellers). The result is that you see the same items listed at the same prices week after week. There is no incentive to reduce the prices if your item doesn't sell because you aren't paying a listing fee. A few folks will list items with a "Best Offer" feature, but I have yet to have anyone accept my counter offer, even if it is 75% of what they are listing the item for. It's very frustrating for a buyer who isn't willing to pay "Pawn Stars" prices.

 I'm with you on this one.. It's hard to find local card stores anymore, and the internet has a lot to do with that..  I grew up going to card stores when packs were 25 to 50 cents.. i'd spend every spare dollar i had on cards then.. now, i pretty much collect exclusively Chicago stuff so i can find stuff fairly easily on Ebay when i want Cubs or Bulls or whatever..  I even got lucky and picked up a box of 2012 Topps on there for far less than shops were selling them.. of course, I didn't pull any great cards, but it was fun to be able to open some packs again... 

 One thing i don't like, though, is how people claim a certain card is rare, so they can jack up the reserve price... a card is only worth what someone will pay for it, regardless of rarity...

 The worst thing about Ebay from a seller's standpoint is that they (and Paypal) charge a %  on the total cost of the transaction which include shipping.  Why charge it on shipping?  Either the seller loses money or they have to pass the cost on to the buyer.  Both are totally unfair.

As someone who has recently gotten back into the hobby, I share all of your experiences. I will offer the following;

1) Shop around. Ebay is not the only game in town. There are other online stores or places ( Amazon is a good one - which also helps keeps this site running ) to buy things. This is especially helpful when looking for several cards. You can save on shipping in the end, even if you pay a slightly higher price for the card.

2) Dont get discouraged if your offer is refused, make more then 1 offer. Sometimes if you wait a few hours before the listing expires, you may be sucessful, especially if the seller wants to move the item.

3) Put the item on your " watch list", it maybe re-listed at a reduced price. Along those lines, some will reduce an item for a short period of time. Keep an eye out.

I hope some of these toughts are helpful......

I totally agree. There is a guy who has a card #'d /4 on there I want, but his first asking price was $1100! I've seen 1/1's go for $200 max, and he wants $1100? Sure, the ultimate collector of collector's may pay that, but it's kinda ridiculous. Yes, you can ask for whatever you want - it's your card, but if that isn't someone trying to get rich quick, I don't know what it.

There's not consideration for the economy, demand of the sport/player, or completed auction prices for similar cards. I see his price is now down to $700, but I still think he's out of touch with reality.

Ebay has helped my collection immensely. So have trading sites and other online stores that sell sportscards. Their prices are always better than the local shops too. It's unfortunate that there isn't more "physical" stores to go to, but that's how much times have changed since the days of 50 cent packs and blowing all your paper route money on cards!

 Looked on Ebay yesterday and saw some idiot trying to sell an Aaron Hernandez jersey for $900..  just his rookie year jersey, not game-used, not autographed, not serial numbered.. just a run of the mill Hernandez jersey for $900...  ridiculous, calling it a collectors item.. 

 On the Hernandez thing.....

I wish I could say that I am surprised, but I can't. 

I remember during the OJ Simpson trial that someone listed one of his rookie cards in the classified section of our local newspaper for $2000. I think book on it was about $150 at the time. People are going to try to cash in on the notoriety. The sad thing is that some folks will actually pay those sorts of insane prices because they don't know the difference.

Everyone else....thank you for the comments and please keep the discussion going.

 One other notable thing on Ebay are these lot sales, where some 'woman' is selling her exboyfriends cards...  i see many of these.... I bought one of these lots for about $100, one can only hope they are worth what you pay for...  but many of these listings tout cards as rare or vintage... 1981 Topps is hardly vintage... and 1989 topps traded cards are not rare... and a 1990 Upper Deck factory set lists for what, $15-25..?? hardly a great find...

  Just have to be wary and read carefully...  People are always looking for ways to make money off the not-so-smart...

I registered on Ebay way back in 1999 and although I was a former card collector I really didn't have any interest in the card listings until this year. I was a die hard collector from the early 70's up until like the mid-90's but the market became so saturated there was no way to possibly collect it all. It's a shame that what began as a young boy's hobby has now turned into a multi-billion dollar business. It used to be you could go down to your local card shop and patronize the guy who knew you personally by name and he would of course always cut you a deal. But nowadays it is all about the almighty buck. I could care less about the Trout rookie card......give me an older collection of Al Kaline cards and I would be more excited than ever. I am not against someone having a store and selling because we all need a way to obtain cards memorabilia, etc. but when you have the almighty dollar attached everyone became a card dealer. You attend a card show and everyone has to check their latest issue of Beckett before they purchase or sell a card. Boy do I wish the money element was taken away then I wonder how many TRUE collectors or dealers would still stick with the hobby??? Just my opinion. When you get older you get a little more feisty in your opinions LOL