• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Nolan Ryan Cards
      • T206 Cards
      • 1952 Topps Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Stephen Curry Cards
    • Most Watched Football Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Soccer Cards
      • Panini World Cup Stickers
    • Rookie Cards
    • PSA 10 Cards
    • Sports Autographs
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Search 268X60

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

Top Mobile

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
    • What’s Hot in the Shop
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Rich Klein's Ramblings / Ramblings: When Collectors Expect Too Much for Their Stuff

Top Banner 486X60

Ramblings: When Collectors Expect Too Much for Their Stuff

September 7, 2014 By Rich Klein

Like many of you, I often receive offers to purchase cards. However, unlike many businesses, I don’t go out and solicit a lot of collectors to buy their cards as that should be in the purview of those dealers who really want to do this for a living rather than just as a side venture.

Rich Ramblings 2014I recently received a couple of offers that illustrate one of the common issues between sellers and those they’re trying to sell to.   Although they dealt with different types of material, both were remarkably similar in what they were hoping to receive for their items.

What I found fascinating was that both of these sellers, one with modern cards and the other with vintage, were both assuming that most people would be thrilled with a 20 percent mark-up.

The first seller thought I could turn a big profit on some popular current players from Dallas area teams and offered the group to me at what he said was 20% off “current eBay selling prices”.

The other seller had a lot of vintage material.  He had some old Exhibit cards and vintage baseball sets.  While he did have a 1925 Lou Gehrig Exhibit rookie card (and that is one card which many dealers will purchase at 80%), I could not think of any other sets or cards he had that were worth paying 80% of what I could have reasonably expected to sell them for.  The only Vintage Baseball Cardspeople who might buy collections at such a high value are collectors who want to keep the cards or keep some and sell the rest in hopes of getting some of their money back on the deal.

Awhile back, I wrote about a seller about two hours away from me who called a with a nice but nothing spectacular collection including items such a few Fleer basketball rookie cards from 1986, as well as a 1975 Topps Yount and 1980 Topps Henderson rookie. He mentioned to me I was the sixth person he contacted and the previous five offered remarkably similar offers which he did not accept as he thought that was not enough money.  At some point, the realization that his expectations were too high should begin to kick in.

Yes there are some truisms still in the business such as a collector will usually out-pay a dealer. However, a collector usually only needs one of an item while dealers will take the whole lot. And then the dealer’s next question is whether a 20 percent mark-up is sufficient for their efforts. In almost all cases, you will find the answer is no, unless as mentioned the card is a popular item such as the early Gehrig exhibit, a 1914 Cracker Jack or other extremely hot, extremely rare or extremely popular issue.

Considering how long it will likely take to sell collections (usually card by card) and the expense it takes to do it, whether through table fees at shows or online seller’s fees,  most dealers won’t work on less than a double if not more.  That’s my opinion.  What’s yours?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg

Related Stories:

Ramblings: Sometimes It’s Not the Dealer’s Fault Cowboys police set Doug DonleyRamblings: Show Notes and Successful Dealers 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention IX CenterEditor’s Blog: NSCC Wrap News and Notes Rich’s Ramblings: Kerry Wood Rookie Card Helped Launch eBay as Virtual Price Guide Ramblings: Boccabella, Coco, Rusty and The Rons: Remembering The 1969 Expos Ramblings: Reader Reaction 1989 Topps Update Griffey-JohnsonRamblings: Reality Tie Makes Our Hobby Stand Out Ernie Banks Topps photo negative 1972Ramblings: Dreaming of the Cards That Might Have Been Card Show Plano TexasRamblings: It’s Show Time Again Southfork Hotel Card ShowRamblings: Show Promotion Always a Learning Experience

Bottom Mobile

Bottom Banner 336X280

Filed Under: Rich Klein's Ramblings Tagged With: Ramblings, selling a collection, show dealers, sports card dealers

Left #1 200X50

What\\\

Left #2 200X150

Left #3 200X150

Right #1 160X240

Memory Lane

Right #2 160X240

Left #4 160X600

Right #3 160X600

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

Right #4 – 160X240

Bargain Corner

  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $100
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards Currently Under $5
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards Currently Under $5
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • Saco River Auction of Sports Cards and Memorabilia Ends March 18, 2019
  • Steve Novella Offers 150+ Misc. PSA Graded Baseball & Football Card Auction on eBay – February 19-26, 2019
  • Small Traditions Winter Premium Auction In Progress – Closes March 2, 2019
  • Sirius Sports Cards Auction of Vintage Graded Cards Ending February 28, 2019


Categories

  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Library of College Football
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Old Hockey Card Sets
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Shopping
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia
    • Around the Hobby
    • Sports Memorabilia News
  • What's Hot in the Shop

Sponsor Links

  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • Every Athlete Autograph Event
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Left #5 200X50

Sports Card Forum

Pages

  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 50 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest UFC Relic Cards
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
    • Hottest Michael Jordan Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Write About Your Sports Collection

Copyright © 2019 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group