Autograph Offering: Hideki Okajima

As stated on the etopps message board, this is the first time etopps is offering a Japanese player. Chien Ming Wang is from Taiwan.

Here's what I like about this autograph:

• It's a genuine rookie card in the hobby
• It appeals to the Japanese
  
• It's a Red Sox player (which has a respectable following nationwide
• It's quite reasonable, only a penny shy of $30

So how does the market like Okajima?

To put it bluntly, there's not much love. Unless he was a starter or reliever, his auto would have more appeal.

The offering by etopps is actually on the high-side of how his sales have been on ebay. His rookie auto sells on average $25. There were less than two dozen listings but at least all of them sold by bid rather than fixed price.

I would think twice about flipping this card. It's got sexy written all over it for etoppers but beyond etoppsland - not that much.

Which Etopps Cards To Sell At A Card Show?

When deciding which cards to sell and in preparation for a show, stock up on the local teams of all sports of all years, especially the most recent. Don't forget the team cards, especially the football team cards with rookie players on them. You can sell them with the rookie card and offer a discount if bought together.

Now is the time to create your wish list on cardtarget before shopping. If you have time, set up buy orders at the price points you're willing to pay. Trade away cards you don't think will sell at the show on the trading post for ones that are more of a sure-bet for your area. See if you can get a good deal on an in-hand from ebay to save on shipping fees. (This is when it's advantageous to have a lot of reward points in your account so you can save on shipping fees.) Even post your in-hand wants on the etopps message board with your asking prices.

When it comes to quantity of a player, don't go nuts on a hot player. If this is your first show, you have no idea yet what will sell. I wouldn't order more than 3 of any card.

If three of one title sells, you can sell to the next person who wants it by taking down their email and mailing address and shipping it to them at a later time. By accepting their payment for the card at the show, you're already on your way to starting mail orders. I'll discuss more about this in future posting(s).

From my experiences in selling at card shows, the sport that is in season usually is what will sell the most. And football. You can sell football any time of year. If the card show is focused on baseball or football, follow the trend and stock up more on this sport than other sports.

Another factor for determining which cards to sell can be based on who will be signing at the card show. If you have a card for someone who is signing, you should have at least one of their etopps cards in case someone is looking for a something to have the player sign. I've seen this happen a good number of times but it will not happen every time.

You also want to gravitate towards the teams and players who are performing well this season or did well last season.

You also want to stock up on a lot of Classics. People love these cards. I've seen one person at a show criticize etopps cards and wouldn't stop blabbering until he saw the Thurman Munson classic card. He shifted gears and started gushing over how beautiful the card looked.

If people collect for the history of a sport, you have to have classics for your area and beyond, especially Yankees. Since etopps has a lot of Yankees titles, it will look good to have Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Munson, Roger Maris and Mattingly all lined up in a row. You'll be surprised how much a row of classic etopps cards can do for your table.

Friday Marketwatch - May 16

As of today, May 16 the following are stats covering the last 7 days on ebay for etopps in-hands:

Quantity of etopps in-hands listings: 234
Sell-Through: 54.27%
Average starting price: $2.17
Average final price: $11.03

Highest Single Card Sale: Allen & Ginter, Joe Montana $39.99
Highest Mult-Card Sale: Mickey Mantle Set, $381.34
Highest Graded Sale: 2001 Albert Pujols, BGS 9, $53.01
Highest Non-Graded Autograph Sale: Willie Mays, $200
Highest Graded Autograph Sale: None

Other best sellers:

• Hillary Clinton, Allen & Ginter
  
• Barack Obama, Allen & Ginter
  
• 2006 Brandon Roy
  
• 2005 Chris Paul
  
• World Series Perfection (Don Larsen)
  

In-hand listing (not including graded or autographed) that received most bids that sold well: Allen & Ginter Barack Obama, 13 Bids.

jarrodsaltalamacchiaautographoffering

Only $29.99 for a 20-letter long name of a player, not bad.

It will be available the usual time, Thursday at 3PM EST.

And etopps is allowing a maximum of 3 per account. They know better.

Last year for a brief time "Salty" was hyped on the Braves even though McCann was and still is their catcher. The Braves proved this in the off-season by trading him. Like Josh Hamilton, you're getting his card from last year's team.

Looking at how his autograph has sold, it looks like the best one is from 2003 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres Sticker Auto. One that was BGS 9.5 with the auto getting a 10 sold for $52 recently.

Don't get me wrong that if you tried flipping this auto, it will most likely sell if you have it as an auction but if you ask too high at a fixed price without best offer, you may be wasting money with the listing fee.

This is definitely a hold if Salty can have a good year and sell into September. Otherwise, don't expect much in return except for the eager etopps auto collectors (who like long last-named players).

Primer to Selling In-Hands At A Card Show

There are a lot of things to consider when taking the plunge to sell in-hands at a cards show. Over the years, advice has been sprinkled on the etopps message boards that pertained to the etopps booth at the National or from the experience of those who sold at small, local card shows.

Whether considering a local show or one of the bigger ones, planning is key.

If you're just starting out, go slow unless you've sold at card shows in the past. Choose a show nearby that you may have attended as a buyer.

If you have never been to a card show, it's mainly a set of tables like at an arts & crafts show except the items for sale are sports cards and memorabilia. There may be an admission fee. If so, it's likely someone famous or not-so-famous in the sports world is doing a signing.

You may already know about card shows near you. If not, check the latest Beckett pricing guide magazine. In the back, you can find listings of upcoming card shows by state. Sometimes they give the cost per table in the listing. You can also try www.upcomingcardshows.com

Once you find ones in your area, call the promoter that's listed with the show details. Ask for the cost of a table, the size of the table and whether or not there is a discount for buying a second table. You also want to inquire if the promoter does other shows in your area in case these are not listed in the Beckett magazine or the website I provided.

If the promoter has a card show on a regular basis (once or twice a month), find out if there is a discount on buying a table for a certain number of weeks ahead of time. I wouldn't go further than this about commiting to more than one show. It's good just to get an idea. You also want to inquire about how and when payment is made.

Do your homework on the best table deal and go with that. You'll have to make a certain amount to break even. This may have an influence on how you price your cards for the show. (More on this in upcoming postings.)

The reality of card shows nowadays is they are the bottom-feeder of autograph shows. If you are able to afford doing a card show that also includes autograph signings of retired (or active) professional athletes, you will see that there are some people who attend these shows just for the purpose of the signature. They walk in, get their item signed and walk out.

If the player(s) who are signing are big names, you can expect a good showing of people waiting around ahead of time who have nothing better to do than to go browsing to kill the time. Or the ones who got the autograph they wanted and decide to look around. Hopefully neither the admission fee nor the price of the autograph will have put too much of a dent into their wallets. I'll go more into the types of customers you can encounter in the future postings.

Once you have chosen a show, make sure it's at least a few weeks away if not more. There's a lot of planning to do as mentioned. And the next posting about this on Monday will outline how to get ready.

For those who have experience in selling at card shows, feel free to add your tips, advice, or experiences in the comments section.