So I buy a lot and sell a bit on eBay. When I sell, I always list every single card, by number, highlighting stars. I state my opinion of the condition of every card and point out any flaws. So my listings look like this:
"37 card lot of 1968 Topps baseball cards. All Ex, unless otherwise marked. Pictures of front of all cards. Backs clean unless otherwise noted. Full list of cards, with my opinion on condition follows: 1, 4 (NM), 9 (vg, light crease), 27, 34 (fair/poor, multiple creases, mark on back), 47, 92, 100 (Aaron, G/vg, heavy crease), 102 (vg/ex, dinged corners), 107 (90/10), 134 (NM), 137 (vg/ex, wrinkle)...."
I include up to 48 pictures, no more than four cards per picture, but I know that pictures don't always capture the problems.
A contrasting way to sell lots of cards, of course, is to say, "37 card lot of 1968 Topps Baseball. EX condition, some better, some worse, stars, team cards." And be done with it. No listing of the cards. Certainly no listing of the condition of every card.
Depending on my mood and what I'm looking for, I've bought items with both kinds of descriptions. If I don't have many from a set, and it seems like a legit seller, I'll just go for the unknown lot. It's my equivilent of ripping a pack. If I'm looking for more targeted numbers, I'll look for listings of every card.
My question, though, is this: Would I be better off as a seller not listing everything in such detail? Sometimes I feel like I could get better prices if I just went with the non-description. When I started selling, my instinct was to tell people, as best I could, exactly what they were getting. It just made sense. But I get this feeling that the details are actually driving my prices down.
It doesn't matter that much to me. I only sell off doubles, then use the money to buy myself more cards. It's not big money. And I just enjoy the process of selling. But I do wonder.
Any reactions?
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