This is why I shake my head at Beckett sometimes

[Mauri]

I just wonder how they would have time to update hundreds of thousands of cards (or millions?) according to the prevailing market.. every six moths..?

Let's say there's exactly 1 million cards (just to get some starting point). They update them every 6 months. One person can update one card every minute (remember, they need to surf thru Ebay and also you can argue that they need to go thru forums and expos as well). Each person works constantly 37.5 hour week. One person that way updates 2 250 pricings weekly, 58 500 pricings per 6 months i.e. one person can be responsible for that many cards. They would need to hire 17-18 people full time. If one person costs 1 500 USD per month, that is 27 000 USD monthly expense, or 324 000 USD yearly expenses.

Go ahead and argue to which ever way you want, but I think that gives some idea of how much it could cost.

 

[habscards]

I actually toyed with the idea of creating a database using Google Documents that people can update with completed card sales. I think that it would be a whole lot of work but could be extremely helpfull.

 

[Mauri]

I actually toyed with the idea of creating a database using Google Documents that people can update with completed card sales. I think that it would be a whole lot of work but could be extremely helpfull.

If you are ready to do something like that, try to contact Beckett first. They might be able to co-operate with you (like hire you).

 

[habscards]

If you are ready to do something like that, try to contact Beckett first. They might be able to co-operate with you (like hire you).

You see I would much rather do it on my own. Charge people a monthly fee $5-10 or whatever. It would be a full time job but I would like to limit it to $10 and above sales prices. I could care less about the $1-3 sold cards.

 

[iidaemmi]

Let's say there's exactly 1 million cards (just to get some starting point). They update them every 6 months. One person can update one card every minute (remember, they need to surf thru Ebay and also you can argue that they need to go thru forums and expos as well). Each person works constantly 37.5 hour week. One person that way updates 2 250 pricings weekly, 58 500 pricings per 6 months i.e. one person can be responsible for that many cards. They would need to hire 17-18 people full time. If one person costs 1 500 USD per month, that is 27 000 USD monthly expense, or 324 000 USD yearly expenses.

Go ahead and argue to which ever way you want, but I think that gives some idea of how much it could cost.

That is exactly what I mean. Thank you for pointing this up, your English is way better than mine.
It's always easy to say Beckett this and Beckett that..
Are you guys ever thought about how many cards are actually made.
Whether they should wade through ebay completed items, what if someone else 'qualified collector' disagree with their decision. Back to the point zero?
If Beckett would have to remain almost completely up to date, the monthly fee could be some around 100$ then?

Harri

 

[jetsman]

To take the talk back to THE ORIGINAL POST...

But does this make any sense? I just picked up 1992-93 Parkhurst Stanley Cup Update Set in the Emerald Ice version. Beckett range is $12.50 to $25, which seemed a little low to me, but okay.

Then I look at the individual card listings, and there are four "big" cards -- Gretzky ($8-$20), Roy ($6-$15), Lemieux ($6-$15) & Selanne ($4-$10) -- plus a number of others at $1-$3.

Personally, I agree with the pricing ratio (to an extent). The emerald sets, remember, were issued during a time when it was considered sacrilege to break a set apart (let alone even open the damn thing). As a result, singles were hard to come by since there was such a paranoia around it, thus the inflated prices.

We don't see that in today's boxed set market (e.g. H&P Update) since a lot of sets are broken up in pursuit of the shiny chase cards; but in the day, seeing singles were rare as all heck.

Now are they still realistically at these price levels? I'd wager no; but at the same time, how many of those singles do you see floating around today? Heck, how many dealers outside of eBay and COMC even attempt to sell them?

 

[Mauri]

That is exactly what I mean. Thank you for pointing this up, your English is way better than mine.
It's always easy to say Beckett this and Beckett that..
Are you guys ever thought about how many cards are actually made.
Whether they should wade through ebay completed items, what if someone else 'qualified collector' disagree with their decision. Back to the point zero?
If Beckett would have to remain almost completely up to date, the monthly fee could be some around 100$ then?

Harri

Yeah, I think also that too easily it would turn out so that people would say the Beckett pricings are stupid, because I can guarantee that something like this will happen:
1) There's a card of Doug Gilmour and Chris Chelios in the same set.
2) The Gilmour card is wanted by some random people as soon as it ends up in Ebay
3) It sells for 200 USD
4) Chelios card is in BIN for 20 USD, someone takes it
5) The value of the Gilmour card is 10 times more than the Chelios card
6) People begin to whine that it can't be like that
7) Another Gilmour card shows up
8) It sells for 5 USD
9) The value of that Gilmour card is 5-200
10) People begin to whine that it can't be like that

and so on.