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.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Friday Marketwatch - May 9
As of today, May 9 the following are stats covering the last 7 days on ebay for etopps in-hands:
Quantity of etopps in-hands listings: 313
Sell-Through: 52.08%
Average starting price: $3.25
Average final price: $8.41
Highest Single Card Sale: Allen & Ginter, Barack Obama $49.99
Highest Mult-Card Sale: Allen & Ginter Presidents & Candidates Sets, $220.00
Highest Graded Sale: 1994 Alex Rodriguez CTNW, BGS 9, $27
Highest Non-Graded Autograph Sale: 1967 Nolan Ryan CTNW, $189.95
Highest Graded Autograph Sale: None
Other best sellers:
- John McCain Allen & Ginter
- 2001 Barry Bonds
- Tori Wilson Autograph
- 2007 Adrian Peterson
- 2001 Drew Bledsoe
In-hand listing (not including graded or autographed) that received most bids that sold well: 2007 Mark Reynolds, 11 Bids.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Now Boarding...the Tim Lincecum Express
Move over, Fred. Make room, Josh. Here comes the Tim Lincecum Express, departing at 3PM sharp on Thursday, 5/8. Tickets just to get on the train platform when it arrives have been selling from the mid $50s all the way up to almost $100 already.
Some say there have been more platform tickets than the 95 seats available for this train. We asked Head Conductor Serper if this was true but he had no comment.
Nevertheless, it should be quite a ride on the ebay Fixed Listing Line. People are already saying you should buckle-up this time to avoid whiplash. The last two trains that left had good starts but didn't really go as fast as people were hoping. There was even a false start on the ebay line for claiming the autograph will be available outside ebay train track policy. That got squashed pretty easily.
Without a doubt the new time departure for this train will sure be worthwhile for those on the west coast who no longer have to wake up so early to get a seat on this train. In the past, they had to be ready by 10AM PST but now they've got a better chance just as lunch is approaching.
From what I've heard, potential passengers are optimistic the latest software will be "glitch-less" in the two-minutes or less it will take for all 95 lucky ticket-holders to claim a seat.
If you just climbed out from under a rock, there will be 95 doors that will open at the same time on this train at 3pm. Allowing only one person to enter per door.
You better jump on as soon as those doors open. And if you think you've got a second shot by going back to the end of the line, think again...you'll be left stranded. In other words, it's Ride or Go Home.
But don't worry, folks. Rumor has it the Joba Express will show up ... some day.
Reporting live from Etopps Central Station ... back to you, Jim.
Some say there have been more platform tickets than the 95 seats available for this train. We asked Head Conductor Serper if this was true but he had no comment.
Nevertheless, it should be quite a ride on the ebay Fixed Listing Line. People are already saying you should buckle-up this time to avoid whiplash. The last two trains that left had good starts but didn't really go as fast as people were hoping. There was even a false start on the ebay line for claiming the autograph will be available outside ebay train track policy. That got squashed pretty easily.
Without a doubt the new time departure for this train will sure be worthwhile for those on the west coast who no longer have to wake up so early to get a seat on this train. In the past, they had to be ready by 10AM PST but now they've got a better chance just as lunch is approaching.
From what I've heard, potential passengers are optimistic the latest software will be "glitch-less" in the two-minutes or less it will take for all 95 lucky ticket-holders to claim a seat.
If you just climbed out from under a rock, there will be 95 doors that will open at the same time on this train at 3pm. Allowing only one person to enter per door.
You better jump on as soon as those doors open. And if you think you've got a second shot by going back to the end of the line, think again...you'll be left stranded. In other words, it's Ride or Go Home.
But don't worry, folks. Rumor has it the Joba Express will show up ... some day.
Reporting live from Etopps Central Station ... back to you, Jim.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Within and Without Ebay
I had a situation on ebay recently in which the winning bidder of a live auction had emailed me through ebay, saying in so many words that they had made a mistake, bidding on my item by accident and didn't want it. I wrote back saying all they needed to do was retract their bid and I included the link on ebay to do so. The real problem was the bid was placed within 12 hours of the end of the listing and the bidder couldn't retract the bid. There were already about 10 bids placed so I didn't think it was wise to pull the auction.
When the auction ended, this bidder won the auction. I emailed asking the bidder to pay at least my final value fee since I was the one paying for their mistake. But I didn't receive a response.
I thought about giving the person negative feedback. I considered opening up a dispute to give them a strike. I waited for their response. A day passed and and still no reply, as if their apology meant they were off the hook and could move on.
I came close to sending them a "now-you-lookie-here" toned email. But instead, I decided to open up a dispute, wait the required seven days and then close it to get my final value fee and they would get a strike against them.
I went to the dispute link and drilled down to what I was looking for with all of the options they had. I decided to go exploring and to see if I could find something else that would be helpful.
And I did. I discovered I could easily close the transaction if the buyer and I decide not to move forward. The option is called "the buyer and I mutually agree not to complete the transaction." I closed the transaction this way and the winning bidder got an email from ebay so they could confirm this was true, giving reason why they didn't want the item and I got my fees refunded.
The best alternative to ebay for selling etopps in-hands is not online. With some diligence, planning and salesmanship, selling in-hands at card shows can be quite successful.
In the upcoming weeks, I will cover the many aspects to executing a profitable (and fun) card show selling experience.
When the auction ended, this bidder won the auction. I emailed asking the bidder to pay at least my final value fee since I was the one paying for their mistake. But I didn't receive a response.
I thought about giving the person negative feedback. I considered opening up a dispute to give them a strike. I waited for their response. A day passed and and still no reply, as if their apology meant they were off the hook and could move on.
I came close to sending them a "now-you-lookie-here" toned email. But instead, I decided to open up a dispute, wait the required seven days and then close it to get my final value fee and they would get a strike against them.
I went to the dispute link and drilled down to what I was looking for with all of the options they had. I decided to go exploring and to see if I could find something else that would be helpful.
And I did. I discovered I could easily close the transaction if the buyer and I decide not to move forward. The option is called "the buyer and I mutually agree not to complete the transaction." I closed the transaction this way and the winning bidder got an email from ebay so they could confirm this was true, giving reason why they didn't want the item and I got my fees refunded.
****
The best alternative to ebay for selling etopps in-hands is not online. With some diligence, planning and salesmanship, selling in-hands at card shows can be quite successful.
In the upcoming weeks, I will cover the many aspects to executing a profitable (and fun) card show selling experience.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Friday Marketwatch - May 2
As of today, May 2 the following are stats covering the last 7 days on ebay for etopps in-hands:
Quantity of etopps in-hands listings: 293
Sell-Through: 35.49%
Average starting price: $3.83
Average final price: $12.21
Highest Single Card Sale: 2001 Albert Pujols, $79.95
Highest Mult-Card Sale: lot of 131 etopps in-hands (various), $157.50
Highest Graded Sale: 2003 LeBron James BGS 9.5, $50
Highest Non-Graded Autograph Sale: 2007 Justin Upton $250.00
Highest Graded Autograph Sale: None
Other best sellers:
- Joba Chamberlain
- Barack Obama Allen & Ginter
- 1952 Mickey Mantle reprint
- John McCain Allen & Ginter
- Alex Rodriguez CTNW 1994
In-hand listing (not including graded or autographed) that received most bids that sold well: 2003 LeBron James, 18 Bids.
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