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Can someone explain the one cent less philosophy at COMC?

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zyceoa

Active member
Sep 2, 2012
269
39
I was looking at a card of which there were three copies, all from different sellers. The most expensive was listed at $8.95, the second most at $8.94, and the cheapest at the low low price of $8.93! This is a rather common practice there, but I wonder why sellers do it. Is there really that much of an incentive to buy the card that goes for a penny less? If anything, I usually buy the more expensive one or just wait and buy one way cheaper at ebay. Or is there an underlying reason why sellers there do that? Are they implying that they basically won't take anything less than what the next guy is selling if for, so don't even bother making them an offer?
 

fordman

Well-known member
Feb 22, 2013
3,190
32
Ohio
It's the retailer mind trick to always be the cheapest price. Kroger charges 4.99lb for something, Walmart charges 4.98 so they can claim they're cheaper. Lots of people fall for it. It's worked for about 60 years in retail. Same philosophy in the card world. Go to a show, supplies is where you see this type of pricing at. Dealer one will have penny sleeves at $0.75 ea, the next guy will have them $0.70 ea. The guy at $0.70 is interested in moving volume vs his profit margin. Plus he hopes you buy other items from him as well.

Fordman
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
the penny thing probably helps in listing order, also, with the cheapest being listed first.

I just hope there are many sellers who are separated by pennies as that means I can look for whatever card seems to have the best looking or least-defective signature if I'm looking to buy some auto cards and paying a few pennies more for a better quality auto won't break the bank.
 

swish54_99

Well-known member
Dec 12, 2012
1,160
221
It's the retailer mind trick to always be the cheapest price. Kroger charges 4.99lb for something, Walmart charges 4.98 so they can claim they're cheaper. Lots of people fall for it. It's worked for about 60 years in retail. Same philosophy in the card world. Go to a show, supplies is where you see this type of pricing at. Dealer one will have penny sleeves at $0.75 ea, the next guy will have them $0.70 ea. The guy at $0.70 is interested in moving volume vs his profit margin. Plus he hopes you buy other items from him as well.

Fordman

This. And to elaborate, when you want $10 for something, $9.99 looks cheaper because it starts with a 9 but you still get basically your $10.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,169
4,057
Given no differences between the quality of the cards, and since there is no incentive to buy from a specific seller there, the lowest price shows up first and makes the most sense. If there are differences, you can look to higher priced cards if needed.

I may also offer around the price of the lowest one (sometimes I ask them to come down to beat the lowest price) to a higher priced seller, especially if it is one of the handful of sellers I recognize as being jerks there, just so I don't put any more money in their pockets and may even pay a little more to avoid them.
 

Hawk8

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2013
8,373
223
Louisiana
I always go with lower price even if it is a penny if condition of the card is comparable to the other cards for sell, but I always send an offer on COMC. If the lowest doesnt accept offers then I try the one a penny more.
 

linuxabuser

Well-known member
Jan 16, 2011
2,364
50
the handful of sellers I recognize as being jerks there, just so I don't put any more money in their pockets and may even pay a little more to avoid them.

YES. This exactly. I'll pay extra to not give money to Joel $hit Show and those like him. Very similar to the reason I refuse to shop at WalMart.
 

moxacaine

Active member
Administrator
Aug 7, 2008
17,349
2
Fredericksburg, VA
i regularly check my inventory and make sure my prices are the lowest. I was doing the penny thing but then started rounding down to the nearest 5 or 0. like mentioned, its the perception plus being the first one shown to buyers.
 

DeliciousBacon

Well-known member
Apr 23, 2011
3,444
94
Warwick, RI
YES. This exactly. I'll pay extra to not give money to Joel $hit Show and those like him. Very similar to the reason I refuse to shop at WalMart.

What, you don't want some trimmed 1968 Topps commons for $50 each? How about some cracked 1978 Kellogg's for $20 a pop? Those are tonight's offerings, just the latest in a long line of BS that has turned a once-great site into a f'ing joke.
 

rexvos

New member
Aug 24, 2008
235
0
I always buy looking to grade. I go with the one with the best centering all other things being equal.
 
Jan 14, 2015
429
5
New Jersey
What, you don't want some trimmed 1968 Topps commons for $50 each? How about some cracked 1978 Kellogg's for $20 a pop? Those are tonight's offerings, just the latest in a long line of BS that has turned a once-great site into a f'ing joke.

My favorite are the "blank backs" where the seller simply removed a few layers of cardboard off of it to make them


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

promodeltodd

Member
Aug 7, 2008
466
4
I try to price my cards the lowest and with the .25 added to each auction I always try to have it come to an ending of .49 or .99. Usually if that can't happen I make it end in a 4 or 9. I found I constantly have to monitor my inventory because you do have the tools that come along and list stuff lower than yours. I try to lower it the best I can since I am trying to move it. I do check in to who is making me offers to see if they are flipping and being a tool or not. It does suck when you are the first to list a card or list lowest and still giving a good deal and these big inventory people come along and lower their price even more and then run a sale on top of it. I have learned you have to find a limit to where you will stop listing yours the lowest when people are already getting bargain even if yours isn't the lowest.

I get mad when COMC tells me there are condition problems on new cards and I know they weren't dented when I sent them...
 
I try to price my cards the lowest and with the .25 added to each auction I always try to have it come to an ending of .49 or .99. Usually if that can't happen I make it end in a 4 or 9. I found I constantly have to monitor my inventory because you do have the tools that come along and list stuff lower than yours. I try to lower it the best I can since I am trying to move it. I do check in to who is making me offers to see if they are flipping and being a tool or not. It does suck when you are the first to list a card or list lowest and still giving a good deal and these big inventory people come along and lower their price even more and then run a sale on top of it. I have learned you have to find a limit to where you will stop listing yours the lowest when people are already getting bargain even if yours isn't the lowest.

I get mad when COMC tells me there are condition problems on new cards and I know they weren't dented when I sent them...

This pretty much guarantees I will never sell on this site. However, I do like to buy on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
 

gamecockfanatic

Active member
Jun 17, 2009
945
25
Gamecock Country
I try to price my cards the lowest and with the .25 added to each auction I always try to have it come to an ending of .49 or .99. Usually if that can't happen I make it end in a 4 or 9. I found I constantly have to monitor my inventory because you do have the tools that come along and list stuff lower than yours. I try to lower it the best I can since I am trying to move it. I do check in to who is making me offers to see if they are flipping and being a tool or not. It does suck when you are the first to list a card or list lowest and still giving a good deal and these big inventory people come along and lower their price even more and then run a sale on top of it. I have learned you have to find a limit to where you will stop listing yours the lowest when people are already getting bargain even if yours isn't the lowest.


anyone else notice the incredible irony in this post ?
 

onionring9

Active member
Administrator
Aug 7, 2008
3,490
12
I always enjoy the ones that do this:

9.99 w/ 3.00 shipping
9.98 w/ 3.01 shipping
9.97 w/ 3.02 shipping
 

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