Traders BEWARE

[7timecy]

This post isn't just for new traders it is also for traders that have been around for a while. I have been a part of this trade board for over 20 years(on and off) and the situation with flippers has never been worse. A trader that I thought was a trust worthy trader ripped me off for 300-400. The culprit is Beckett, this trade board is probably the only one left that the standard is Beckett BV. So when you see people collecting all stars of the 90's they are ripping you off, it may not be all traders collecting 90's stuff but I would say 90%. Here is one example
2000 Topps Chrome Power Players #P2 Ken Griffey Jr
It books for 6.00 but sells for 90-100.00
These people are ripping us off. Another example that is crazy the 2023 All Ace-these thing are selling for crazy amounts
2023 Topps All Aces AA-7 Clayton Kershaw books for 2.00 sells for 20-25.00

If somebody is collecting Griffey but has no Have list more than likely they are a flipper ripping you off because Beckett doesn't keep up with the trends.

Just be careful, most have left me alone because they know I'm onto them but like I said I thought a guy was trustworthy but he wasn't.

One last thing I would like to know how people translate sale value to trade value. I was always under the impression that it is 2X sale value. All comments are welcome. Thanks DG

 

[Sportnut08]

It's difficult when some are stuck in the mud on BVs, and unwilling to adjust trade values based on sales when they are so obviously incorrect. I hear the "I'm not selling, I'm trading." line a lot. Do people not understand that a sale is a trade? You are trading cards for cash or vice versa.

A little bit of common sense and decency goes a long way. I recall the last trade that you and I made this past winter. I traded you a 2018 Topps Chrome Update Pink Refractor Juan Soto Rookie Debut for a 2010 Topps Update Gold Giancarlo Stanton RC. I believe the Soto booked for $250 and the Stanton $10. Well both were selling in the $45 range at the time, so it was a pretty easy 1-1 swap, BV be damned. I think we had another trade where we lowered the vale on an Arenado Chrome Update RC that booked $100. Perfectly reasonable, because a card selling for $10 has no business booking that high.

Ultimately, a card is worth what someone is willing to pay (or trade) for it, not what a magazine says. As a kid, I would proudly quote BVs of my cards to my dad, and he would say "Then sell them for that." which more often than not, was not at all realistic.

 

[NEPatriotsFan]

I am very sensitive to that (BV vs SV)...There are still some traders that only trade by book value, and in my opinion they are missing out...I use book value for most of my lower value set needs, but on the higher demand cards I always check sale value to be sure its not out of line...I have been suggesting trading by sale value more recently especially when the BV and SV are not alinged as discussed in post #1.

Another thing I have noticed is flippers have no problem having you trade in their favor, no matter how big or small the transaction. Recently I called out the other party saying there was a discrepancy in the sale value, and he said yes that was how he made his money. He always sets up every transaction so its in his favor, and then he can sell a card or cards and make money again! So I agree whole heartedly...be very careful when dealing with flippers!

 

[Molitor04x]

I always use 2x SV as well for a proxy on BV. And agree it is important to check SV on trades. Some crazy stuff out there with Ohtani BV vs SV, those All Aces you mentioned, and tons of other areas where Beckett BV just isn’t good. Even if people aren’t flipping, it still represents what it would cost for you to buy your cards in the market vs what it would cost for them to buy theirs.

Ryan

 

[7timecy]

It's difficult when some are stuck in the mud on BVs, and unwilling to adjust trade values based on sales when they are so obviously incorrect. I hear the "I'm not selling, I'm trading." line a lot. Do people not understand that a sale is a trade? You are trading cards for cash or vice versa.

A little bit of common sense and decency goes a long way. I recall the last trade that you and I made this past winter. I traded you a 2018 Topps Chrome Update Pink Refractor Juan Soto Rookie Debut for a 2010 Topps Update Gold Giancarlo Stanton RC. I believe the Soto booked for $250 and the Stanton $10. Well both were selling in the $45 range at the time, so it was a pretty easy 1-1 swap, BV be damned. I think we had another trade where we lowered the vale on an Arenado Chrome Update RC that booked $100. Perfectly reasonable, because a card selling for $10 has no business booking that high.

Ultimately, a card is worth what someone is willing to pay (or trade) for it, not what a magazine says. As a kid, I would proudly quote BVs of my cards to my dad, and he would say "Then sell them for that." which more often than not, was not at all realistic.

You have a good memory Kirby

 

[NYBBNUTT]

I’m concerned. How do you check sale value? Is that on Beckett?
thanks for any help.

 

[NEPatriotsFan]

I would say go to either 1:30point.com and check your sale values or go to eBay and then go to advanced and check completed or sold values to get your numbers... If you're not sure how to do that, I can jump on a quick call with you

 

[mm1sub]

I have been seeing this with Griffey cards for a while. A lot of his late 90's/ early 2000's stuff is gone from Sportlots. Cards like the Ultra inserts and Finest stuff is just not there anymore. As someone who collects sets I tend to get a lot of cards from Sportlots and COMC. But lately some of the cards have either not been in the seller's inventory or they just do not ship the cards at all. I am pretty easy to trade with and I do not have a lot of high end inventory to trade so this stuff does not happen to me too often. But it is good to know this info.

The really bad thing about this situation is what has happened to Beckett. When did it become so bad with prices? Why did it happen? Will it ever be fixed?

 

[pinetarboys]

I would say go to either 1:30point.com and check your sale values or go to eBay and then go to advanced and check completed or sold values to get your numbers... If you're not sure how to do that, I can jump on a quick call with you

130 point has a great updated app on smart phones now…

 

[7timecy]

130 point has a great updated app on smart phones now…

Is it free and is it for raw cards or just graded? LMK DG

 

[metsman1986]

I am very sensitive to that (BV vs SV)...There are still some traders that only trade by book value, and in my opinion they are missing out...I use book value for most of my lower value set needs, but on the higher demand cards I always check sale value to be sure its not out of line...I have been suggesting trading by sale value more recently especially when the BV and SV are not alinged as discussed in post #1.

Another thing I have noticed is flippers have no problem having you trade in their favor, no matter how big or small the transaction. Recently I called out the other party saying there was a discrepancy in the sale value, and he said yes that was how he made his money. He always sets up every transaction so its in his favor, and then he can sell a card or cards and make money again! So I agree whole heartedly...be very careful when dealing with flippers!

I couldn't have said it better.......

 

[pinetarboys]

Is it free and is it for raw cards or just graded? LMK DG

Yes it is free DG…recent sales of raw and graded…in the search engine try to be as specific as possible on the card your trying to look up…

Thanks Josh

 

[Rburke02]

This is enlightening. Thank you for sharing. I was gone from hobby for a few years. Lots changed quickly. I’m trying to catch back up but having trouble keeping up.

 

[jdogg_1228]

Way too many people on this site use Beckett value to determine what is a fair trade or not. While I agree at times BV can be a good general guide for trading, there are other things that need to be taken into account such as the rarity of the card and what it's selling for in the real world and not book value.

I generally like to follow the base for base, insert for insert, parallel for parallel pattern. Obviously everybody does things a little differently but the goal in the end should be to create a fair trade for both sides and not use BV as a way to scam people.

 

[Rob167]

Some people are stuck that eBay is the only way to figure out a sale price…while eBay might be the largest market for us to check, it’s not the only one…there are sites like 130-point (free) and Card Ladder (subscription required) that draw sales from other platforms and auctions houses as well as from eBay…what makes them better than basic eBay is that you can find what a card actually sells for if sold via best offer…cracks me up when someone refuses to listen to actual sold prices because it’s not directly from the eBay app, even though I can show it’s the same serial number or whatever…hopefully this makes sense…

 

[Sportnut08]

A good resource on eBay, especially for more rare items can be found through your seller hub. Click on "My eBay" followed by "Selling" to get to your Seller Hub. From here, click on "Research" and "Product Research." You can search for up to 3 years of sales data, and best offer prices are displayed.

 

[Shortbus12]

I may be old school, but I don't go by what things "sell for". I try to go by BV only. Anyone can sell anything at any price, and yes, you will get ripped off. I've traded $30-40 in favor of other people, but it was mainly because I was satisfied with the trade. I think I was trading a lot of marked up cards and other poor condition cards, so I didn't really care. And, I do my best to stay away from eBay to get a sale price. I do look there to get an idea, but I've said for years that eBay doesn't dictate prices, Beckett does.

 

[horfin]

I was a straggler still using Beckett. Now, I use Beckett then cut and paste cards into ChatGPT to get estimated actual sale values

Listen becket can be off by $250+. Look up 2025 bowman’s best pixel portrait of Ohtani on Beckett

$10

The last four non- graded eBay sales:

225$
290$
305$
325$

Protect yourself and have 2 sources.

If any one wants to trade that Ohtani at $10. I’ll give you 20x BV!!!

Becareful it’s just not old cards

Bill

 

[horfin]

That post above references ohtani.

 

[swish54]

A good resource on eBay, especially for more rare items can be found through your seller hub. Click on "My eBay" followed by "Selling" to get to your Seller Hub. From here, click on "Research" and "Product Research." You can search for up to 3 years of sales data, and best offer prices are displayed.

I believe that's only available if you have a store subscription? I do agree that's a great way to see actual sold prices on B.O. and you can see years of data and you can even use the graphs to see trends over time.