sometimes it's not easy being a player collector....

[mindbinge]

So...a while back I was bidding on a Bradshaw print plate on ebay...I usually pick them up for between $20 and $50 or so...which is fine, I'm good with that...and there was one up for auction so I waitied until the last min and threw a $100 bid on it and lost...it wasn't auto or anything...just a regular plate...kinda pissed me off and made me a bit curious as to who would do such a thing and pay this much.

Well...fast forward to last night...I get home late from picking up some meds for my wife...there is a Topps Tribute plate on ebay...and I'm in a hurry to get my bid in...and in the back of my mind i remember the last time I bid and lost so I throw down a $200 bid...the plate was at $20.50 before i bid and this is what happened:

http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-topps-Trib...0741355196?pt=US_Football&hash=item336535c6bc

so...I'm left scratching my head wondering what the hell is going on here.

 

[metsfan6986]

Jiminy Cricket! Tribute is high end but holy cow! I know what you mean. I have a guy trying to get me for a Colt Mccoy /15 and Gilyard SP auto for a 1/1 Bowman Sterling Hakeem Nicks print plate. Why? Because it's a 1/1 and I'm dying to have it. I can't stand it. It is auto'd though...You also have to take into consideration he's battling with Jacobs now.

 

[jaderock]

Simply stated, you pissed someone off 1st! I don't jump at "shilling" accusations quickly, so it could be that a competitor has created a new account to "beat" you to conceal their identity.

If the guy DOESN'T pay or the same card pops up again in the same radius as the 1st seller, then you may have been shilled.

On the other hand, it could be a Bradshaw family member?

It happens...from 8/10 to 1/11, some new "Brunell" collector beat me on 3 consecutive "aftermarket" Printing Plates. But in February, I win a 2006 Contenders Championship Ticket #1/1 and a Topps Gold Label #1/1 fairly easily...don't know what the strategy was, but I'm crossing my fingers the guy is gone.

Stick with it...heck you never know, down the line the cards may somehow find their way into your collection. Patience!

 

[mindbinge]

Simply stated, you pissed someone off 1st! I don't jump at "shilling" accusations quickly, so it could be that a competitor has created a new account to "beat" you to conceal their identity.

If the guy DOESN'T pay or the same card pops up again in the same radius as the 1st seller, then you may have been shilled.

On the other hand, it could be a Bradshaw family member?

It happens...from 8/10 to 1/11, some new "Brunell" collector beat me on 3 consecutive "aftermarket" Printing Plates. But in February, I win a 2006 Contenders Championship Ticket #1/1 and a Topps Gold Label #1/1 fairly easily...don't know what the strategy was, but I'm crossing my fingers the guy is gone.

Stick with it...heck you never know, down the line the cards may somehow find their way into your collection. Patience!

whoever it was, I just hope they enjoyed their $300 worth of TWO non-auto'd print plates...lol...I don't worry so much about them in my PC as they are just hard to get...when I do get one I consider it a bonus...I try to focus on the stuff that isn't 1/1 as the prices are just insane for that stuff sometimes. They may have beat me, but they paid the price to do so.

 

[David K.]

Looks like someone new (feedback points 1) who has deep pockets has entered the field. It happens....a few years ago....I was bidding on a 2003 timeless treasures gold card serial #10 (only 10 were made) for Shawn Green....and I finally won the card for $70.00!! I beat a crazy Shawn Green collector (in those days...you could see who you were bidding against!)...Before this....I purchased a Babe Ruth 2003 timeless treasurs gold card serial #10 for only $28.00! Best regards, David

 

[David K.]

The good news ....I haven't seen a Green 2003 timeless treasures gold card serial #10.....in years!! Guess it was worth it! Best regards, David

 

[BiggioDiogu759]

Its odd how players most people would consider "busts" (like Ike Diogu) some people pay $$$$$ for regualr card

 

[RustyGreerFan]

One of these days I'm going to player collect someone that NOBODY else wants and I'll be in hog heaven on ebay. The Rusty Greer collector who dominates my collection also has a Hank Blalock player collection with something ridiculous like 140 1/1's that he picks up for about $5-$10 a pop.

 

[greyminis]

You could also list some your Bradshaw 1/1s with high Buy It Now prices and see if he bites. I mean, if I paid $20-$50 for a card and coud get $200 apiece I would have to seriously consider making the profit. How often can you get a premium price for a card?

I remember back in 06 when Turkey Red baseball was released and I bought up as many of the gold parallels as were reasonably priced, and then two set builders showed up and bid against each other on every card. I'm grateful I sold into that storm because now you can pick up most of them for less than $10. It's nice to let your collection help pay for itself when the opportunity arises.

 

[MrBlackisBack]

One of these days I'm going to player collect someone that NOBODY else wants and I'll be in hog heaven on ebay. The Rusty Greer collector who dominates my collection also has a Hank Blalock player collection with something ridiculous like 140 1/1's that he picks up for about $5-$10 a pop.

You would think that, but it's not always true. With Ted Lilly and Mark DeRosa (2 guys that don't have a very large hobby presence), I regularly run into bidders we will run up the price of their cards. Unless it is some Quad A guy that has 12 at bats or an inning pitched in the majors, you will find opposition. Nature of the beast I guess.

You could also list some your Bradshaw 1/1s with high Buy It Now prices and see if he bites. I mean, if I paid $20-$50 for a card and coud get $200 apiece I would have to seriously consider making the profit. How often can you get a premium price for a card?

I remember back in 06 when Turkey Red baseball was released and I bought up as many of the gold parallels as were reasonably priced, and then two set builders showed up and bid against each other on every card. I'm grateful I sold into that storm because now you can pick up most of them for less than $10. It's nice to let your collection help pay for itself when the opportunity arises.

I remember that fiasco with the 06 Golds. I was bidding against not only other Nomar collectors but the set guys, also. Waited out the storm and finally got one at a reasonable price.

 

[mrmopar]

There always seems to be someone buying up everything at some point. I have had several rivals come and go for Garvey stuff. I seem to be the only consistent factor in that run, but I'm sure someone else will come along at some point.

You have team collectors, player collectors, set collectors, fancy card collectors (buttons, patches, 1/1s, etc), family of players possibly, friends of players, players themselves, etc. Even the scrubbiest of scrubs has someone who may have followed their career. Consider that most players featured on cards at least did something, at least in the past. Bowman helped put a stop to that idea with their rookie cards of guys who won't play for 5+ years and the masses who never play MLB at all!

 

[ckinney]

I have been running into the same issue with my A's collection. I used to be the only person who bid on 1/1's now there seems to be someone else out there willing to always bid me out... Seems to happen about twice a year then I will be alone again

Once someone who big me out ended up putting it back up about 8 months later, and I got it for less than my orginial high bid the first time around.

Best of luck with your collection - Chris

 

[RustyGreerFan]

You would think that, but it's not always true. With Ted Lilly and Mark DeRosa (2 guys that don't have a very large hobby presence), I regularly run into bidders we will run up the price of their cards. Unless it is some Quad A guy that has 12 at bats or an inning pitched in the majors, you will find opposition. Nature of the beast I guess.

I agree more with your first statement (not always true) than you last two (you will find opposition). The example I gave proves that it can happen, and I just think that it would be pretty fun. Or maybe having a nemesis makes it more enjoyable when you score? As dwarfed as my Rusty collection is, it makes me treasure those three pieces I have that he doesn't have that much more.

 

[mindbinge]

i rarely ever sell any of my Bradshaw stuff...you may out bid me on this new stuff, but you will pay...next time i might bid $150 or $190 on it lol...this other person will not figure out where my bid will be, so if they just try to run it up thinking i will throw another $200 on it, they will be wrong and probably end up overpaying yet again...like I said, hope you enjoy your $310 worth of two non-auto print plates lol.

 

[mrmopar]

I did that with a rival once. He was getting me on the 1/1s and low print run cards and I was having financial issues at the time. So I backed off buying, but made sure he paid dearly for the one's I would have really wanted, all the same being careful not to win any on accident. It was a petty jab for him just wanting them and being able to afford them more than I at the time.

I purposely let him win the matching diamond kind press plates that a local seller had listed as a set. I think that year (2005 I believe), they were available as a set as a redemption or something like that.

Anyway, I let him win at $120 for the set of 4. That is cheap and considering they are a set, a steal! I could have gone higher and maybe even won them, but I wanted him to pay and he had won a bunch of stuff that week and I was hoping it was hurting him financially (he usually didn't win too much at any one time)! I still don't have a set of any plate, although I am at 2 or 3 on several.

The lesson I learned was that you will only regret the ones you let get away, but never the one's you got.

 

[mindbinge]

I don't mind as long as they dont go cheap...if they go cheap - normal going rate then i will get them...if you are going to beat me, you will over pay....i dont mind over paying myself, but, at some point (aka $200+ for a non auto print plate) you have to say "ok it's yours" lol.

 

[greyminis]

The lesson I learned was that you will only regret the ones you let get away, but never the one's you got.[/QUOTE]


That's a good argument for overpaying sometimes. Given how many deals can be had, I sometimes will over pay on a card if it's one I really want.

 

[mindbinge]

sometimes i feel like just getting my Bradshaw stuff in a huge pile and burning it all up in flames and doing a video of the whole thing...i get tired of dealing with dirtbags...its getting to the point where it's not worth it..and money doesn't mean much to me, i'd just assume watch it burn.

 

[bravesfansunite]

sometimes i feel like just getting my Bradshaw stuff in a huge pile and burning it all up in flames and doing a video of the whole thing...i get tired of dealing with dirtbags...its getting to the point where it's not worth it..and money doesn't mean much to me, i'd just assume watch it burn.

I could never do that. Not because of the feeling of money wasted (though that wouldn't be good either), but because my player collections have meanings behind the cards. Every time I go through my collection, I remember something personal about my players.

Like when I look at a Dale Murphy card, I can remember the game I was at when he went 4 for 4 with 2 home runs. Or the game where he hit the winning double down the left field line.

Or when I look at a John Smoltz card I can remember sitting in the front row of the outfield when Smoltz came in to save the game in ninth and struck out the side on 9 pitches. Or the game where he threw his 3,000 strikeout.

So burning my collection would be like burning my memories. It's just too personal.

 

[BiggioDiogu759]

i agree. I couldnt do it...