Keep around comps

[Justcards]

So I had someone message me about a card I was charging $10 dlvd for.
The interested party asked if I was flexible on the price. I said maybe.
He sends me a link for the same card and it sold for $2.33 US plus 7.99US shipping.
I asked what was I suppose to compare. He stated I was charging too much and wanted me to match the sold listings. So I said ok. Rather then $10.00 o would charge him $15.73 dlvd.

Question here is I know everyone wants is to match or be close but do most know the cost of doing business and not everyone can afford to give stuff away for free.

What are your thoughts on those who nickel and dime your prices. Not saying it's bad as we all want a good deal, but found it funny how matching doesn't always guarantee a savings

 

[Tachyon]

Possibly the $7.99 USD shipping charge didn't apply to him fully.

But no I think it is absolutely ridiculous. Some cards sell at 6am, 12pm, 8pm. Guess which one will sell higher. Possibly an auction that sold was from a seller whose listings ended 2 seconds apart and 2 or more bidders simply let time elapse because they were too busy bidding on other cards. Too many variables for me to care about comparisons. I do however look at completed listings to see what I should pay and how much is too much for me to make money from it or just simply own it.

I do know that if you're not selling you're not making money. That money, even at a loss could be invested into something else that would make you money. Some people sit on cards so long they start to accrue existential losses by the year.

Some sellers really have to invest in envelopes in bulk or eBay envelopes to lower your cost. The less you charge for shipping the more money the buyer can spend means the more money you can put in your pocket.

 

[Justcards]

Well I do get hit a lot with " Will you take $50 for that McDavid YG... Now I just keep them, so up to 31 of them lol.

The shipping rate applied to him and the exchange rate would of been cheaper for him as he was from US and I am charging CDN.
But somewhat tiring at times as I have spent the time doing my research for prices through various sites and means. So I am not that far off at times and willing to work with someone as long as they are fair

 

[quincy]

That's irksome. However, I find the same people are very selective about the comps they quote...and when I dig a little on my own I can often find numerous counterexamples to support my pricing.

 

[geschrocks33]

That's irksome. However, I find the same people are very selective about the comps they quote...and when I dig a little on my own I can often find numerous counterexamples to support my pricing.

I've noticed this same thing. When I try to quote comps when I'm trying to purchase I at least try to do the research and give info such as "here's the average of say the last 5-10 sold" or mention that I excluded the outliers (usually highest and lowest) from the average, or things like that. I don't like to be that guy who is like well the 4th last one sold for $5, so even though the average is $20, I want it for $5.

 

[ssinger]

When people say to me that they can buy an item on eBay for $x and will you match. My response to them is - 'so buy it on eBay' - wait for your card, hope it doesn't get caught up in customs, and hope it is in the condition you want or buy it from me at my price and you can go home with the card you want in hand.

During the last six months with no shows - online sales has been great - higher than a combination of shows and online before Covid-19. It is wonderful waking up in the morning and seeing what has sold over night.

As a business - setting prices always takes into account the cost of doing business. Flexibility is always a possibility - especially when multiple items are being purchased.

As for shipping charges - mine have been set at the same for the past four years - and I have found that it has never hurt my online sales. They are set based on total cost - bubble mailer; supplies; postage and time to go to the post office on a daily basis, as I mail within 24 hours of receipt of payment.
Never have used Ebay global shipping, as it is a total rip-off. I do find that most will take shipping costs into account when they purchase or make offers - but have never considered raising shipping cost to offset selling costs.

 

[TADontAsk]

When buying, I try to find a range of comparisons rather than a single sale. (Depending on the rarity of the card, obviously) Once I find that range, then I'll try and offer something in the middle. If it's a rare card, or something that I really want, I'll make an offer around 90% to even 110% for a card that I may not see again for a while.

Then you can flip this around, because I've offered to pay the seller the highest sale price, or even a little bit more, and gotten my offer rejected because the seller wants to shatter a sales record or something.

You win some, you lose some!

 

[Tachyon]

Rule of thumb 50% of my asking price is an instant decline. No reason given as I think it speaks for itself. I had someone offer me 20-25% on 5 or 6 of my listings. When I declined them all he sent a nasty message saying he spends $3000 a month on hockey cards and I should give him some consideration. My simple response was, seeing as I find that hard to believe, was "If you buy $3000 a month in hockey cards and I have 4000+ 100% feedback we likely would have crossed paths."

Just decline anything less than 50% if you feel your 100% is justified. No use for a message. No use on wasting either people's times. It is justified. Just decline. If you would like to have fun with people becuase it's one of those-kind-of-days and are curious then yes, you can respond.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[penguinsChief]

I have always seen this as a patience game. If you want something and are only willing to pay X for it then wait, maybe you get lucky. I have walked away from some serious PC cards by doing this, and guess what I still use that same money on something. There are times when you really want something and need to pay up. There are so many options to buy anymore, I always say make and offer and move on, some sellers won't budget but most are reasonable, so as a buyer we need to be as well.

If you are low balling just to turn around and try and sell higher, you can go away. I agree the price was inline with where you had it.

 

[steveottfan]

I've been making a nice little profit lately by buying, briefly holding, then re-selling PSA 10 rookies of hot/star players, current and retired. I've had people try and offer me prices with comps from a couple months ago and then get angry when decline and politely tell them to find it and buy it at that price then (hint, you can't). I think some people are bitter they didn't get in before the market got hot.

 

[dismonkey1]

You are asking for $10 all-in and the other card sold for $10.32 all-in. Let him know you are giving him a .32 cent discount. If someone has an inflated shipping price, there is a good chance i would lower my bid ceiling accordingly.

 

[hduong]

I get the odd message asking to sell a card at the lowest price it has sold for. I normally ignore them. Most of my cards are listed at slightly above average. Some of the more rarer cards I list at what I want to sell it for.

I always factor in shipping cost when pricing cards. Both for selling and buying.

 

[habscards]

I can’t stand it when people nickel and dime me. Not long ago I had a card pop up on eBay. It was from an older jersey card set that I was doing. I was searching for the card for a few months. I could have bought it on COMC but the shipping cost would be more than the card is worth. Realistically it was a $5-10 card. One pops up on eBay at $20 with best offer. I’m not going to mess around as I wanted the card and offered $18 plus $3 for shipping. The seller counters at $19. I declined out of spite. I found another at auction a week later that I won for $4 plus shipping.

 

[oiler8]

Sometimes I'm able to make offers based on experience. I collect as many of the 12-13 SP Authentic Taylor Hall Patch Auto /100 as I can. So far I have 22. I haven't paid more than $30 for any except for the 2 oildrop ones I have ($60 - $65) If someone has one listed for $125 OBO I will make an offer of $25 ish. ALSO. I will include a message explaining why I am offering that much so they know I'm not lowballing them. Sometimes it results in a sale, sometimes not. If you can explain why you are offering $XX then it can go a long ways to at least preventing hard feelings, animosity, etc.

 

[thestreak]

A wise friend of mine (also a member of HI) once told me "Thestreak, you can't nickel and dime for a card you really want/need" shortly after I complained to him that I missed out on a big card for $5 (my proxy wasn't high enough). Since then I've taken his advice and maybe paid a bit more for some stuff but I'm happy I have the card especially if its one I've been looking for for a long time, for example the Hasek Rinks of Honor.

Then again, when at the expo, I will refer to ebay comps. I fully understand and agree that buying a card at a show is different than buying on ebay. You're able to touch the card, see the 'real' condition, and you get the card immediately. But if the price difference is big enough then it absolutely makes sense to me to buy it off ebay and play the waiting game for it to come. With the right research including asking the seller to include more close-up pics, which they normally are okay with, its always the better idea. Its a bit of a pet peeve of mine when sellers say "buy it off ebay then" because its a false threat - I have and I will continue to do that.
Again, with that said, there is definitely a bonus to paying a slightly higher premium when you have the card in hand and can figure out a cash deal.

 

[dumba55]

If it's a rarer card, or a card a true collector really wants / needs to add to their collection, my advise has always been add it, even if it doesn't match comps and if you feel comfortable with the price.

If you nickel and dime something, lose the card and are pissed, you deserve that feeling and hopefully one will learn from it. I'd tell the guy weeping about the price to get bent, but I'm known for my pleasant disposition ...

 

[dgarwood]

Can’t blame the guy for trying, I guess, but slightly annoying given that below $10 (including shipping) I don’t think the negotiation is really about saving money. I would politely decline the offer.

Another pet peeve of mine is when I’m asked what is the lowest I would accept for a card. I often counter with: what’s the most you’re willing to pay?