How do you price your stuff at shows?

What seems to work best, for your table? Percentage of BV or pricing by SV? Starting to set up at shows again, starting this coming Saturday in OKC. Been a long time since I set up, so assuming things have changed some. Any thoughts here?


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I use a Beckett Guide and thats it

Better take lots of .25 /.50 /1.00 items , fill up on local players / teams . I use Ebay average high low for some $$$ cards . Know what you have NOT displayed and rotate out cards with no lookers . I use eight plastic totes with 3200 counts tagged with teams / players . Keep records of what / who sells and $ . Scout out what others are selling / price . BATHE !!!!!!!!!!! Take change i will use up $100.00 in ones at a good show plus quarters . Remeber have fun and the $ will be better .

depends on the player really. I am sure Kevin Durant sells better than Blake Griffin there so I would price adjust for locals. I also keep pricing close to ebay for most cards unless I don't want to sell a card such as RG3 autos for avg ebay prices since they keep going up.

mlbsalltimegreats said:

I use a Beckett Guide and thats it

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This is what I was wondering. Has the card show world evolved into SV like the forum world has?

tramers said:

Better take lots of .25 /.50 /1.00 items , fill up on local players / teams . I use Ebay average high low for some $$$ cards . Know what you have NOT displayed and rotate out cards with no lookers . I use eight plastic totes with 3200 counts tagged with teams / players . Keep records of what / who sells and $ . Scout out what others are selling / price . BATHE !!!!!!!!!!! Take change i will use up $100.00 in ones at a good show plus quarters . Remeber have fun and the $ will be better .

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Extremely helpful info here. I don't have a ton of base/inserts as I dumped it all when I stopped before and haven't busted much recently to attain more. I have purchase a couple of large lots of it, just for this show. Hoping to pick up a couple more, before the October 7th show.

How do you decide what to put in each slot? .10/.25/.50/1.00? I am having a difficult time deciding on that factor. Change was one of the first things I remembered. Was hoping the paypal here thing would come through, before I got back into shows, but it isn't available for my dumbphone yet.

I always bathe, so that won't be an issue and I plan on having fun moreso than anything else. First time back, so not expecting to make a killing.

morgoth said:

depends on the player really. I am sure Kevin Durant sells better than Blake Griffin there so I would price adjust for locals. I also keep pricing close to ebay for most cards unless I don't want to sell a card such as RG3 autos for avg ebay prices since they keep going up.

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This goes back to my initial reply today. It's a fine line between BV and SV guys. I am going to need to walk it tightly.

charsupv said:

This goes back to my initial reply today. It's a fine line between BV and SV guys. I am going to need to walk it tightly.

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Keep in mind that at most shows, local teams and the current Hottest cards are what sells first and best. Last year's prospect cards and FB Rookies are pretty cold right now. I see a lot of tables set up with Cam Newton, Goldschmdit and Moore autos and they just sit. Profar, Trout, RG3 and Luck are what people want now so price accordingly.

morgoth said:

Keep in mind that at most shows, local teams and the current Hottest cards are what sells first and best. Last year's prospect cards and FB Rookies are pretty cold right now. I see a lot of tables set up with Cam Newton, Goldschmdit and Moore autos and they just sit. Profar, Trout, RG3 and Luck are what people want now so price accordingly.

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I don't do football, but a friend and I are splitting three tables. He does mostly football/bucketball while I tend to stick to baseball. Have all the top prospect stuff and loaded up on Bradley/Bundy since they grew up about an hour from the shows location. Figuring I'll make a killing on those two.

Really appreciate all the comments guys. It's helping refresh my memory of things I've long forgotten.

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Hmmm...shows around here were different. Here the dealers sat in huddled groups playing cribbage or cards, ignoring the average customers... If you were not paying $500 for some rare card, they looked at you like you were dirt. Dealers here had their own circle of friends (each other) and I am not sure if they bathe, but were plenty cocky and arrogant. No offense to any Seattle Area dealers, just my opinion based on the card shows I used to go to. I only went to one show in the last year and it was pretty much the same...
So my suggestion: don't ignore the customers...they may be looking for a 25 cent card today, but could lay down a lot more money in the future if you earn their trust!!

I actually anticipate making the majority of my profit off Lowend stuff, so those guys may be the center of my attention. I am not taking any super highend at all. I just don't have any luck selling anything over $150, so not wasting time or table space. The only thing i regret is.not having a cheap GU box, because I dumped all my GU on someone a few months ago.

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Gwynn545 said:

Hmmm...shows around here were different. Here the dealers sat in huddled groups playing cribbage or cards, ignoring the average customers... If you were not paying $500 for some rare card, they looked at you like you were dirt. Dealers here had their own circle of friends (each other) and I am not sure if they bathe, but were plenty cocky and arrogant. No offense to any Seattle Area dealers, just my opinion based on the card shows I used to go to. I only went to one show in the last year and it was pretty much the same...
So my suggestion: don't ignore the customers...they may be looking for a 25 cent card today, but could lay down a lot more money in the future if you earn their trust!!

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Pretty close to the truth^ Although I still dig through there boxes and buy trout refractors for $1 since they don't pay attention

CollectorsCorner said:

Pretty close to the truth^ Although I still dig through there boxes and buy trout refractors for $1 since they don't pay attention

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I agree and find deals all the time as well

"Better take lots of .25 /.50 /1.00 items , fill up on local players / teams . I use Ebay average high low for some $$$ cards . Know what you have NOT displayed and rotate out cards with no lookers . I use eight plastic totes with 3200 counts tagged with teams / players . Keep records of what / who sells and $ . Scout out what others are selling / price . BATHE !!!!!!!!!!! Take change i will use up $100.00 in ones at a good show plus quarters . Remeber have fun and the $ will be better ."

EXCELLENT run-down of what to do at shows, I would follow every one of those points. I've done shows off and on for 20 years and these are all valid, usable pieces of advice. Remember that there are lower-end things that will NEVER sell on ebay so use that as a medium to get rid of them and be happy with whatever you get. In addition to keeping records of what/who sells and scouting out the other sellers, get there as early as possible to give you the time to talk with other dealers before the public gets there as they may have things you think are under-priced and you can buy to flip. This will also allow you to, in some cases, get prime table location as well unless they run it based on who has been coming there the longest and leaving whatever is left to the newer dealers. Try to get close to the main door as possible to get the first money out of people pockets and they will also have to walk by you again before they leave. Have all your cards properly protected, you don't want to give someone time to re-consider a purchase while you scramble for supplies. Finally, know what you want to sell every card you bring for but also let people know quantity = discount. Good luck!

Just an idea that worked for me.....if you are agonizing between marking a card 50 cents or $1....mark it $1...and then have a deal with your $1 cards - buy 5 and get 2 FREE....I did about 4 shows and I sold so many cards that way. I was selling cards for $1 that I thought I would have trouble selling for 10 cents.

markakis8 said:

Just an idea that worked for me.....if you are agonizing between marking a card 50 cents or $1....mark it $1...and then have a deal with your $1 cards - buy 5 and get 2 FREE....I did about 4 shows and I sold so many cards that way. I was selling cards for $1 that I thought I would have trouble selling for 10 cents.

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If setting up will be a regular thing for you then I suggest getting the square for your phone so you can take credit card payments at the show. I'm surprised more people don't use this option for taking payments.

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hofmichael said:

If setting up will be a regular thing for you then I suggest getting the square for your phone so you can take credit card payments at the show. I'm surprised more people don't use this option for taking payments.

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I haven't seen that used, wonder how it would do. I accept paypal when I am a dealer (gift of course)

What kind of displays do you have ? Since i sell cheaper items i've picked up some tool boards - peg board with 1/2" x1/2" square rods on four sides nailed down i use velcro on pexiglass sheet top . I have two that have 49 slots and 8 cards deep so i stack eight different cards of one player etc. . Used these for five years average 20 times a season . .50 cent team bags if there is alot of kid traffic

take a table cloth !!

CollectorsCorner said:

I haven't seen that used, wonder how it would do. I accept paypal when I am a dealer (gift of course)

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I would be more comfortable accepting credit cards where the sign on the screen of your phone then I would using Paypal. Plus the square is free. You just have to pay the credit card fee potter swipe which I believe is 2.75 percent but I could be wrong.

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