Looking For Opinions on Selling Cards & Using Comps

[JAM061200]

I’m sure a lot of you sell/trade cards here and other platforms. I’ve got back into the hobby about 7 months ago now. I’ve accumulated quite a bit of Topps/Bowman baseball and have made some great sales/purchases/trades. Especially here on Blowout. Great community here!

I’ve noticed now that I’m selling more than trading, my prices to some are not in what potential buyers are saying “comp” range. Now I’m sure most of us use eBay as a guide to pricing properly. Being on here selling, as a seller, you’re just paying some PayPal fees. Not the pricy eBay fees. So our pricing while here can be a bit lower than a product on eBay.

Using “comps” I try to be the lowest priced as compared to the lowest priced item of the same product for sale RIGHT NOW on eBay. I’m not using the past pricing as a guide. I use the RIGHT NOW pricing which I’d hope everyone is doing. It’s the epitome of “Supply & Demand”. People looking at your prices and saying that the same card went for $20 less a week ago and that I’m too high I feel is an attempt to lowball you on your item. You wouldn’t go Walmart and find a TV you’d been contemplating buying and decided to buy today and say “Hey I want to buy this tv but you guys had it for $200 cheaper a month ago. Let me get that price.” You’d be turned away and told you should’ve bought earlier.

Does everyone have this approach when selling cards? I’m sure as demand picks up and dies down you have to adjust accordingly but pricing at the RIGHT NOW comp seems to be the proper way to go about it. Thoughts???

[txrngr34]

Nobody uses current list prices as a comp because so many cards get listed high for a variety of reasons.

I get your supply/demand point but list prices don't indicate demand at all. At best, a listing's existence helps determine supply.

You have to use complete sales as the marker of comp - especially since comp means comparable, specifically comparable sales.

From there, you can certainly reasonably factor in other things like trend - if card sales are declining you should factor that in, if they're rising you can factor that in too although you'll find many scoff a little.

[rysportguy]

The best way to figure out comps isn't to use what is currently listed because there is no indication that someone is actually willing to buy at that price. The way to do it is to look at the most recently sold listings.

Ebay has this feature itself if you go to advanced search and check off sold items. But even better is a site like https://130point.com/sales/ where it will show you all recently sold items and also include the offer price if an offer was accepted.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

For more common cards you need to use completed sales (and verify that they were actually paid for).

But in the end, ask for whatever amount you want. You’ll sell it, or you won’t. Either the buyer will budge and pay more, or you’ll budge and ask less. Yay capitalism!

[MoreToppsPlease]

Comps work differently for cards that are more rare.

[LVDan]

You won’t make a lot of sales on BO by simply being slightly below the lowest eBay price unless it’s a rare, sought after 1st Bowman Chrome or top brand RC parallel of an extremely hot player. For everything else you’ll need to discount significantly(25%+)from the most recent eBay auction prices to move cards. The market just isn’t strong enough to move run of the mill stuff at those prices elsewhere. Too many sets, too many variations and parallels for anything but the absolute cream of the crop to draw true premium cash demand.

[jlzinck]

People who want to use "comps" want to pay a little as possible.

Put your cards on Ebay.

If I am selling here and I have a $100 card that will cost the buyer $110 with taxes and shipping on Ebay I will offer it to them at just about what I would get after fees, so 96 ish.

If you have someone who is looking for the card for themselves they will buy. If they are looking to make money they will vomit words about comps and offer you 80% of the selling price.

Your card, your price. You really want to move, lower your price if not selling.

[bub838]

Good luck with your sales.

[JAM061200]

Originally Posted by jlzinck

People who want to use "comps" want to pay a little as possible.

Put your cards on Ebay.

If I am selling here and I have a $100 card that will cost the buyer $110 with taxes and shipping on Ebay I will offer it to them at just about what I would get after fees, so 96 ish.

If you have someone who is looking for the card for themselves they will buy. If they are looking to make money they will vomit words about comps and offer you 80% of the selling price.

Your card, your price. You really want to move, lower your price if not selling.

Appreciate all the insight from everyone. Just doesn't seem logical to use past pricing as a guide. I do agree with this take right here.

[BC Hunt]

Definitely depends on the card you're selling. Like others said, if more rare then you can use a combination of past sales with what's currently available for sale. More common cards you have to go with past sales. And ultimately decide how quickly you want to move the card, going under recent comps will get it sold more quickly usually. If you're set on a price, set it and forget it and wait it out.

[JAM061200]

Originally Posted by txrngr34

Nobody uses current list prices as a comp because so many cards get listed high for a variety of reasons.

I get your supply/demand point but list prices don't indicate demand at all. At best, a listing's existence helps determine supply.

You have to use complete sales as the marker of comp - especially since comp means comparable, specifically comparable sales.

From there, you can certainly reasonably factor in other things like trend - if card sales are declining you should factor that in, if they're rising you can factor that in too although you'll find many scoff a little.

My question would be say that a normally $100 card sells for $50 on ebay the day before you list your same card. Now everyone has that listing as a "comp". What if the person who listed that card as an auction or BIN had no idea what they had? Or if they listed the auction to go off at 3am when no one is around to bid except for some late nighters/early risers prompting ZERO interest or bid action? That's why the card sold for that amount. This is why I find it hard to set my prices at previous sales pricing. I feel the RIGHT NOW price is the standard. And that standard is RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow it could be higher or lower.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by JAM061200

My question would be say that a normally $100 card sells for $50 on ebay the day before you list your same card. Now everyone has that listing as a "comp". What if the person who listed that card as an auction or BIN had no idea what they had? Or if they listed the auction to go off at 3am when no one is around to bid except for some late nighters/early risers prompting ZERO interest or bid action? That's why the card sold for that amount. This is why I find it hard to set my prices at previous sales pricing. I feel the RIGHT NOW price is the standard. And that standard is RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow it could be higher or lower.

Price your cards at whatever price you want using whatever logic you want. It will either sell or it won’t.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by JAM061200

Appreciate all the insight from everyone. Just doesn't seem logical to use past pricing as a guide. I do agree with this take right here.

It's a lot more logical than using asking prices as a guide. If you want to talk logic, the fact that a card is listed for a certain price on ebay, but hasn't sold at that price is logically evidence that price is too high, or else someone would have bought it at that price.

[tdbaseballcards]

Cards that are currently listed are ones that no one is currently willing to buy. You can certainly list yours at that price, but you can expect it to sit just like the ones on eBay are. At the end of the day you can list your card for whatever you want.

[glen87]

Originally Posted by tdbaseballcards

Cards that are currently listed are ones that no one is currently willing to buy. You can certainly list yours at that price, but you can expect it to sit just like the ones on eBay are. At the end of the day you can list your card for whatever you want.

this.

if they are sitting there unsold, there is a reason. price something at a reasonable price, and it is usually gone fairly quickly.

[BC Hunt]

Originally Posted by JAM061200

My question would be say that a normally $100 card sells for $50 on ebay the day before you list your same card. Now everyone has that listing as a "comp". What if the person who listed that card as an auction or BIN had no idea what they had? Or if they listed the auction to go off at 3am when no one is around to bid except for some late nighters/early risers prompting ZERO interest or bid action? That's why the card sold for that amount. This is why I find it hard to set my prices at previous sales pricing. I feel the RIGHT NOW price is the standard. And that standard is RIGHT NOW. Tomorrow it could be higher or lower.

There can be "outliers" and sometimes people with disregard an unusual sale like you describe, if there are several comps maybe throw out the low and the high and average the other sales.

If it's a rare card and someone sells it super low, sometimes it's just unfortunate and you have to wait for the right buyer or wait longer to sell once that comp fades, or until new comps come out.

[JAM061200]

Originally Posted by glen87

this.

if they are sitting there unsold, there is a reason. price something at a reasonable price, and it is usually gone fairly quickly.

I agree to sell at a reasonable price. I'm not saying to sell a noramlly priced $100 card for $200 because you want to make as much money as you can. I just don't want to under sell myself and list for some bottom barrel price because I want the card gone. Ultimately I know I can list for whatever, but I do want to make the sale but be FAIR to both the buyer and myself in the process.

[Bharpersuper22]

Originally Posted by jlzinck

People who want to use "comps" want to pay a little as possible.

Put your cards on Ebay.

If I am selling here and I have a $100 card that will cost the buyer $110 with taxes and shipping on Ebay I will offer it to them at just about what I would get after fees, so 96 ish.

If you have someone who is looking for the card for themselves they will buy. If they are looking to make money they will vomit words about comps and offer you 80% of the selling price.

Your card, your price. You really want to move, lower your price if not selling.

I couldn’t have tried to say this any better! Oh or the want the card for 50% of value…..

[JAM061200]

Originally Posted by Bharpersuper22

I couldn’t have tried to say this any better! Oh or the want the card for 50% of value…..

Exactly! I'm finding Facebook b/s/t pages have a lot of lowballers there who only want to pay 50 to 60% of your listed price. Again, I price fairly. I always try to be the lowest or damn near the lowest as compared to eBay RIGHT NOW pricing. I may take past sales into some consideration but just as a slight guide.

[JeremyNick]

Originally Posted by JAM061200

Appreciate all the insight from everyone. Just doesn't seem logical to use past pricing as a guide. I do agree with this take right here.

If you aren’t using an actual sold price it’s not a comp.

I understand how you are pricing your cards, however I don’t think you understand. You’re not pricing based on comps, you’re pricing based on your want, which is higher than the last sold.

Comparing to actual retail and sales/pricing changes isn’t exactly a good comparison either.

[UCCF]

Originally Posted by JAM061200

I agree to sell at a reasonable price. I'm not saying to sell a noramlly priced $100 card for $200 because you want to make as much money as you can. I just don't want to under sell myself and list for some bottom barrel price because I want the card gone. Ultimately I know I can list for whatever, but I do want to make the sale but be FAIR to both the buyer and myself in the process.

For me the question is - do I hold now at $100 because I think it will sell for $100 now or in the future (or more)? Or do I take $80 now because it's not ever likely to go any higher, and the longer I wait the more cards are likely to come to the marketplace and/or the more people will get distracted by the next big thing and want my card less?

I've done a lot of selling on COMC, and I have no problem pricing cards there at 80% of comps if I think it means they'll sell quickly. Let the person who buys it worry about chasing down that last 20%. I'd also rather get $80 now than have that $100 tied up for the next 2-3 years in a card that's not moving.

[UCCF]

Originally Posted by JAM061200

Exactly! I'm finding Facebook b/s/t pages have a lot of lowballers there who only want to pay 50 to 60% of your listed price. Again, I price fairly. I always try to be the lowest or damn near the lowest as compared to eBay RIGHT NOW pricing. I may take past sales into some consideration but just as a slight guide.

I see these people on FB so often - "I have $1000 to spend on Ohtani/Judge/Trout/Wander/Adley. Will pay 70% of comps!"

They get instantly muted.

[tonorator]

how do you calculate a RIGHT NOW price? you would have to take some sort of average across all of the cards for sale RIGHT NOW. you can also do the same with past sales if the card is somewhat available, which gives you a far more accurate assessment of a card's value, i.e. what people are actually willing to pay. once you have a good average of past sales (say 3-4 months), then you just factor in how the card is trending and/or if you believe it will trend higher in order to price it at a premium vs. comps. from there, you list and wait and see if you hit it right.

but RIGHT NOW price? what is that? if someone list a common base card for $100, is that the RIGHT NOW price?

[JAM061200]

Originally Posted by JeremyNick

If you aren’t using an actual sold price it’s not a comp.

I understand how you are pricing your cards, however I don’t think you understand. You’re not pricing based on comps, you’re pricing based on your want, which is higher than the last sold.

Comparing to actual retail and sales/pricing changes isn’t exactly a good comparison either.

I guess the word "comp" has 2 definitions. I use "comp" as comparable CURRENT prices and what you're saying is "comp" is comparable SOLD prices. Not sure how each person uses this word. I guess we all have our own way.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by tonorator

how do you calculate a RIGHT NOW price? you would have to take some sort of average across all of the cards for sale RIGHT NOW. you can also do the same with past sales if the card is somewhat available, which gives you a far more accurate assessment of a card's value, i.e. what people are actually willing to pay. once you have a good average of past sales (say 3-4 months), then you just factor in how the card is trending and/or if you believe it will trend higher in order to price it at a premium vs. comps. from there, you list and wait and see if you hit it right.

but RIGHT NOW price? what is that? if someone list a common base card for $100, is that the RIGHT NOW price?

I think he means BINs (Buy It Now).