Determining value

[royalbrett]

It has been at over 5 years since I've done any trading and am considering getting back into it.

One thing that I am not sure how to handle is determining value. The vast majority of my trades are going to be for set needs. It was easy in the past with the free Beckett online price guide but it looks like it is no longer free. Since I'm trading low value cards, I'm not interested in paying more for the price guide than what I'm trading for in a year.

Is there anything out there where I can look up common or semi-star prices of 77 Topps or 85 Fleer, etc.?

 

[abothebear]

Unless they are in absolutely pristine condition, commons and semi-stars from 77 and 85 are only worth other commons and semi-stars. If you have a good chunk of cards to trade as a lot, check out the lots on eBay to get an idea of what they are going for. Generally though, from what I have seen in the limited time I've been on this site, if people need your cards for sets you'll get more value here than anywhere, as long as you can find a trade match.

 

[anglinomics]

One thing about cards that old is that the price changes are very infrequent. With my commons, I would trade a common for a common and not be concerned about the small difference in price. If you knew someone that had a Beckett Annual price guide that would take care of the cards from 77 & 85. In addition, frequently, the person you are trading with can provide a value for a trade.

 

[Yankeeswin]

It has been at over 5 years since I've done any trading and am considering getting back into it.

One thing that I am not sure how to handle is determining value. The vast majority of my trades are going to be for set needs. It was easy in the past with the free Beckett online price guide but it looks like it is no longer free. Since I'm trading low value cards, I'm not interested in paying more for the price guide than what I'm trading for in a year.

Is there anything out there where I can look up common or semi-star prices of 77 Topps or 85 Fleer, etc.?

You probably just have to do it by feel, commons and semi-stars from late-70's and early-80's are rarely worth more than $1-2. If you're looking for apples to apples to evaluate the cards you're dealing get a free comc.com account and compare the prices you see there. Most cards under your description have enough listings so that there is an accurate market price.