Card Shows Sale Killers

[mikefri]

To me these are some dealer mistakes that annoy me lmk if you have same problems or others at shows.
1.no prices on cards.very annoying to go through boxes than have some guy pull out his little magazine and overprice an item .talk about a waste of time just price or sort the cards by price.big walk away there

2.overpricing your cards by book value.pretty tough to negotiate a price if the price is obnoxiously high why should i bother?

3.won't negotiate.so you wont take a couple bucks off of something thats cool the next table might....

4.ignore a buyer to talk to your pal whos not buying.smart

5.not understanding ebay is you competitor.if its not a vintage card where you really need to examine it ebay is your concern

6.specializing in starting line ups lol

7.thinking oddball 80s items demand a premium.clueless?

8.dissappearing from your table all the time ...your stuff must be really great if your doing this

9.whining how your sales suck today.well your prices probably do to.

short list of annoying card show dealer habits.sad but true

 

[David K.]

Its better to negotiate and sell cards.....then having to packup all of their stuff at the end of the show! Best regards, David

 

[pmanningsfan73]

All the above is annoying as all get out!! Here is the only 1 have disagree with
7.thinking oddball 80s items demand a premium.clueless?

Although the 80s & early 90s stuff was way over produced, I would still want 75%-80% BV on those because they are proven players as opposed to the new prospects & rookies of today..just my opinion though!!

 

[mintman2]

Doesn't bother me in the slightest. People can sell any way they like. If they're selling in a way I don't care for then I just move on.


What annoys me is how many people don't know basic grammar and punctuation

 

[Hoyt55]

What annoys me is how many people don't know basic grammar and punctuation

Was that really necessary?

 

[pmanningsfan73]

Doesn't bother me in the slightest. People can sell any way they like. If they're selling in a way I don't care for then I just move on.


What annoys me is how many people don't know basic grammar and punctuation

Was this a shot at me?

 

[mrmopar]

It depends on a lot of factors.

1.no prices on cards. Ask before you look. For example, ask if they price from a price guide or exactly how, if not

2.overpricing your cards by book value. There was a time when BV was a starting point. Tough items will sell at BV or higher. Most won't though.

3.won't negotiate. Depends on the stuff once more. I wouldn't negotiate on good stuff, but the junk people have at every table, that is another story.

4.ignore a buyer to talk to your pal whos not buying. That is inexcusable.

5.not understanding ebay is you competitor. Sometimes, but not always. Depends on what you are selling.

6.specializing in starting line ups The good ones still sell fairly strong. Try finding a bargain on a 1990 Maddux!

7.thinking oddball 80s items demand a premium. Fleer box sets, sure. Really oddball and unique stuff, that is still hard to get and should be sold at a premium. Why take $0.15 for a single that you had to buy the set to get and the set still sells for big $$$?

8.dissappearing from your table all the time That is just poor business, unless someone is watching the table and can fill in like the owner was not even there

9.whining how your sales suck today. Not a buyers concern. Shouldn't be voicing that to you, maybe other sellers.

 

[Hoyt55]

To me these are some dealer mistakes that annoy me lmk if you have same problems or others at shows.
1.no prices on cards.very annoying to go through boxes than have some guy pull out his little magazine and overprice an item .talk about a waste of time just price or sort the cards by price.big walk away there

2.overpricing your cards by book value.pretty tough to negotiate a price if the price is obnoxiously high why should i bother?

3.won't negotiate.so you wont take a couple bucks off of something thats cool the next table might....

4.ignore a buyer to talk to your pal whos not buying.smart

5.not understanding ebay is you competitor.if its not a vintage card where you really need to examine it ebay is your concern

6.specializing in starting line ups lol

7.thinking oddball 80s items demand a premium.clueless?

8.dissappearing from your table all the time ...your stuff must be really great if your doing this

9.whining how your sales suck today.well your prices probably do to.

short list of annoying card show dealer habits.sad but true

On the topic, I see some of these at the local flea market I go to almost every week. I see #2 fairly often, there's always the same guy there with the same overpriced stuff. Some of it is Cubs and White Sox stuff, which I can understand the higher prices because you might get that since the flea market is in the Chicago area, and you might find some people willing to pay a premium. But a lot of it is just junk, and he still charges $1-2 per card for most of the late 80s stuff. I just walk past him without looking, that's about all you can do.

Most of the guys there are really nice and display none of the above habits, and always greet me when I get to their tables. The dealers all seem to know each other, and they do leave their tables to talk to each other, but they always let me know beforehand when they're gonna get up and leave for a couple minutes to chat or just walk around, which is cool. Card shows are a different story, though. Most of the people are nice and accommodating there (especially the people with dime/quarter boxes, which is about all I go through), but I usually come across one person at each one who does a couple of the things you listed, especially #4.

Wow, that's a lot of typing. Sorry for the long read!

 

[mikefri]

Doesn't bother me in the slightest. People can sell any way they like. If they're selling in a way I don't care for then I just move on.


What annoys me is how many people don't know basic grammar and punctuation

leave grammar out of this what did she do to you?

 

[jbjeeplj]

I prefer that the dealers have some sort of pricing scheme in place, but will ask. If they pull out the Beckett though, I usually end up walking away without buying (not always true. Sometimes I get suprised). But in the end, they can charge what they want.

****** customer service is worse though. I don't mind it when a dealer spends time talking to another customer, but I get where the OP is coming from. That's great if you want to talk to your friend, but at least throw a "let me know if you need help" in my direction. What's worse is when guys are busting wax on top of their cases. Seriously. You might as well just throw a blanket over your stuff and a "gone fishin'" sign.

 

[mintman2]

leave grammar out of this what did she do to you?

She ? She who ? My comment wasn't directed at anybody specific. Thread looked like a bitchfest about stuff we have no control over so thought I'd toss it out there.

 

[valediction]

She ? She who ? My comment wasn't directed at anybody specific. Thread looked like a bitchfest about stuff we have no control over so thought I'd toss it out there.

Grammar. You make fun of my grammar and me and my cuzzins drag you out back for a clobberin'

 

[katester44]

At the risk of continuing the grammar portion of the thread. My dealer pet peeve is that they don't know how to spell the names of the players that they are selling. I see Ripkin, Schmit, Pukett, Bigio, et. al in the player bins. If you aren't willing to take the time to learn what you are selling, why should I take the time to look through your stuff.

 

[CharlieBrown]

I have to disagree with #7 also. If it is truly oddball or you are on the east or west coast and it was available only on the other, some things are way undervalued by Beckett. Try finding some of the disks that were produced in the 70s and 80s. There are some that are very tough to locate while others were everywhere. Seems to me Beckett has lumped them all into the same category and devalued some legitimately tough items. I will pay more to get certain items and I have battled for them on ebay paying well over book to get a player I need.

 

[cjay101]

To me these are some dealer mistakes that annoy me lmk if you have same problems or others at shows.
1.no prices on cards.very aing to go through boxes than have some guy pull out his little magazine and overprice an item .talk about a waste of time just price or sort the cards by price.big walk away there

I sell at shows, and I price nothing at all except the quarter boxes. People get scared when they see prices OR the dealer screws himself over by underpricing what something could sell for. While it usually means they are going to be overpriced, I have no problem asking people when I am on the buying side, and have no problem telling people I will work with them on any prices from the selling side. The pure amount of items to price makes it cost-prohibitive to do so unless you own a shop and do this stuff full-time.

2.overpricing your cards by book value.pretty tough to negotiate a price if the price is obnoxiously high why should i bother?

Everyone has a price. I've had guys asking 2x book value on cards I needed....I have put them on the table and walked off laughing AND I also have negotiated them down to 30-40% of book. It really depends on the seller. Word to the wise, go early to get the best quality, but be prepared to pay more than the guy on Sunday afternoon when everyone is closing up shop.

3.won't negotiate.so you wont take a couple bucks off of something thats cool the next table might....

I agree, anyone who won't negotiate is pretty much wasting time (there are not too many of these, but some of them just won't budge).

4.ignore a buyer to talk to your pal whos not buying.smart

THIS IS MY #1 PET PEEVE AT SHOWS. If you're running a table, and I'm sitting there staring at one case, I PROBABLY want to look at something! Don't talk to your buddy who has been there the last 2 days selling next to you about the 6 grand you're dropping on exquisite cases next week. I don't care.

5.not understanding ebay is you competitor.if its not a vintage card where you really need to examine it ebay is your concern

Anyone who is selling and hasn't realized this probably won't be selling much of anything.

6.specializing in starting line ups lol

Please find me a Mint-on-Card Jerry Rice rookie. I have been looking for years and would pay top price at a show

7.thinking oddball 80s items demand a premium.clueless?

Oddballs are just that...no real market UNLESS you're looking for them. I have seen the same stuff at the same shows for years, then I see new stuff from that era that is gone within 20 minutes of shows opening up.

8.dissappearing from your table all the time ...your stuff must be really great if your doing this

This one ticks me off as well. If your wife or neighboring table is going to 'watch' your table...make sure they can actually sell things while you are chowing down at Sbarro. Don't make me wait or come back. I hate when I ask this to a guy nearby---"is this your table?"--he goes "no, Jim went to the food court...not sure when he'll come back, but he's looking to move lots of stuff today"

9.whining how your sales suck today.well your prices probably do to.

Some shows are horrible, others are banking it.....if they are talking about it, odds are it is a slow show (or they are overpriced). Just because people have inventory doesn't necessarily mean they have to move it at that specific show for peanuts. My last show, I went 2 hours with no one at the table, then had an hour of nothing but sales.

short list of annoying card show dealer habits.sad but true

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[Hoyt55]

THIS IS MY #1 PET PEEVE AT SHOWS. If you're running a table, and I'm sitting there staring at one case, I PROBABLY want to look at something! Don't talk to your buddy who has been there the last 2 days selling next to you about the 6 grand you're dropping on exquisite cases next week. I don't care.

I laughed when I saw this one. Looking back, it does seem that most of the conversations in that situation does involve "dropping (insert amount of money here) on Exquisite or Ultimate Collection, etc.". I've left tables a couple times because of the lack of attention some dealers give to prospective customers. Luckily, as I said before, almost all the dime/quarter dealers at card shows are very nice and accommodating, a large reason why that is pretty much all I look at when I go to shows anymore.