Talking With Tim: Beckett Subscriptions

Moe@COMC · Jul 16, 2013

Hi everyone! Moe@COMC here; yesterday we posted a video featuring Tim where he answers some questions regarding our new Beckett Subscription service, as well as change in how we handle Beckett Book Values. Please check out our blog and the video; if you have any questions, you can ask them here or on the blog, itself! Thanks!

Talking With Tim: Beckett Subscriptions | COMC Blog

cgilmo · Jul 16, 2013

Moving this to baseball, as it is relevant there.

Erich · Jul 16, 2013

Why anybody associates with Beckett is beyond me.

Keyser Soze · Jul 16, 2013

Erich said:
Why anybody associates with Beckett is beyond me.

Same here. Talk about outdated, irrelavent, and grossly overpriced information. However, COMC users were all up in arms about the free BV being taken away from listings, so I guess BV did accomplish something: duping buyers into thinking they were getting a better deal than they really were. Same reason a few dealers still try to quote it at shows.

uniquebaseballcards · Jul 16, 2013

Beckett could be immensely useful if it were to cover past values of cards over time - you know, like in a line graph. But that might scare investors away!

kerryfan5 · Jul 16, 2013

uniquebaseballcards said:
Beckett could be immensely useful if it were to cover past values of cards over time - you know, like in a line graph. But that might scare investors away!

I have been doing this on pc stuff for years. And I mean 10 to 15 years. It's fun to track pc stuff for me.

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

Keyser Soze said:
Same here. Talk about outdated, irrelavent, and grossly overpriced information. However, COMC users were all up in arms about the free BV being taken away from listings, so I guess BV did accomplish something: duping buyers into thinking they were getting a better deal than they really were. Same reason a few dealers still try to quote it at shows.

LOL! Let's be honest, we all loved the BV feature on COMCs

Keyser Soze · Jul 16, 2013

MansGame said:
LOL! Let's be honest, we all loved the BV feature on COMCs

I've only bought a small handful of cards on COMC and knew the actual SV of the items so i doubt i even looked at it. I guess it's a nice security blanket to see that inflated "value" staring at you. I'd love to see how this affects COMC sales

BunchOBull · Jul 16, 2013

Posted it in the blog, but I'll say it here too. Get rid of Beckett book value and start posting the average price paid for that card on COMC; or even the price of all previous sales. If it hasn't sold, it has no average price. After some time, you'll have a much more accurate and useful pricing tool than Beckett on any day. Heck, they'd probably even pay you for your data one day.

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

Keyser Soze said:
I've only bought a small handful of cards on COMC and knew the actual SV of the items so i doubt i even looked at it. I guess it's a nice security blanket to see that inflated "value" staring at you. I'd love to see how this affects COMC sales

I think it benefits the seller because it gave them something to go off of when pricing their cards or lot of cards quickly...

It more than benefited the buyers thought, like me

, because BV usually never more than the sale value on eBay or the like lol...

Anyways, good to see a COMCs rep on here... hope he participates a little more and becomes an advocate for them. I know there have been some threads on here giving them some heat.

Keyser Soze · Jul 16, 2013

BunchOBull said:
Posted it in the blog, but I'll say it here too. Get rid of Beckett book value and start posting the average price paid for that card on COMC; or even the price of all previous sales. If it hasn't sold, it has no average price. After some time, you'll have a much more accurate and useful pricing tool than Beckett on any day. Heck, they'd probably even pay you for your data one day.

But seeing the actual going rate won't be as motivating of a factor to pull the trigger than seeing that bogus, inflated book value. What you're recommending would absolutely be more accurate and valuable to collectors, but it wouldn't give potential buyers that warm fuzzy feeling of saving money, even though it is smoke and mirrors

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

BunchOBull said:
Posted it in the blog, but I'll say it here too. Get rid of Beckett book value and start posting the average price paid for that card on COMC; or even the price of all previous sales. If it hasn't sold, it has no average price. After some time, you'll have a much more accurate and useful pricing tool than Beckett on any day. Heck, they'd probably even pay you for your data one day.

This is a great idea. Just like eBay... COMC's is starting to compile some serious sale data that could be packaged and sold one day.

Odds are they won't do it but it's a great idea. Who knows, they might not even have the data stored somewhere.... it wasn't too long ago that they were a small start up.

It would also be a great idea to be able to look at historical sales on the site... even be able to message a seller/buyer... but again, these will probably never be part of the site.

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

Keyser Soze said:
But seeing the actual going rate won't be as motivating of a factor to pull the trigger than seeing that bogus, inflated book value. What you're recommending would absolutely be more accurate and valuable to collectors, but it wouldn't give potential buyers that warm fuzzy feeling of saving money, even though it is smoke and mirrors

What do you suggest? BV is stupid and average sale value via COMCs isn't good for the buyer... so what should they do? Just let everyone fly blind when posting cards to sell? I think that would make sellers shy away because if I sent COMCs 100 cards to post, I wouldn't have the slightest idea of a decent price to put on the card unless others were already on there unsold (therefore put it at a discount) or if they were Albert Belle cards because I know those cards values like the back of my hand.

COMC's could hire me to help value Albert Belle cards

BunchOBull · Jul 16, 2013

Keyser Soze said:
But seeing the actual going rate won't be as motivating of a factor to pull the trigger than seeing that bogus, inflated book value. What you're recommending would absolutely be more accurate and valuable to collectors, but it wouldn't give potential buyers that warm fuzzy feeling of saving money, even though it is smoke and mirrors

You're absolutely right in terms of buyers who use Beckett as a reliable source; how many collectors like that are left? I did leave out something I posted in the blog...if COMC.com charged for the service, maybe at the same price as their commission on a Beckett Price Guide sale, they'd make a lot more service sales. Sellers may dislike the transparency, a few may even "go back to eBay" like they claim, but most folks are going to pay what they're willing to pay anyway, not "value." The one thing that's certain, Beckett isn't going to allow prices to show for free anymore, and very few buyers are going to participate in the paid program...they've got to make up the revenue somewhere.

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

BunchOBull said:
You're absolutely right in terms of buyers who use Beckett as a reliable source; how many collectors like that are left? I did leave out something I posted in the blog...if COMC.com charged for the service, maybe at the same price as their commission on a Beckett Price Guide sale, they'd make a lot more service sales. Sellers may dislike the transparency, a few may even "go back to eBay" like they claim, but most folks are going to pay what they're willing to pay anyway, not "value." The one thing that's certain, Beckett isn't going to allow prices to show for free anymore, and very few buyers are going to participate in the paid program...they've got to make up the revenue somewhere.

Beckett is probably a dying business outside of their grading services they offer. Their price guide is probably a loss leader right?

At the end of the day, with Beckett or not with Beckett, COMC needs to find a way to value cards and help sellers price their items and help sellers rationalize what they're looking at or about to buy, etc.

uniquebaseballcards · Jul 16, 2013

MansGame said:
What do you suggest? BV is stupid and average sale value via COMCs isn't good for the buyer... so what should they do? Just let everyone fly blind when posting cards to sell? I think that would make sellers shy away because if I sent COMCs 100 cards to post, I wouldn't have the slightest idea of a decent price to put on the card unless others were already on there unsold (therefore put it at a discount) or if they were Albert Belle cards because I know those cards values like the back of my hand.

COMC's could hire me to help value Albert Belle cards

BV makes a lot of sense for cards that aren't so rare, of course the problem is that most cards are "rare" nowadays.

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

uniquebaseballcards said:
BV makes a lot of sense for cards that aren't so rare, of course the problem is that most cards are "rare" nowadays.

True.

Moe@COMC · Jul 16, 2013

MansGame said:
I think it benefits the seller because it gave them something to go off of when pricing their cards or lot of cards quickly...

It more than benefited the buyers thought, like me , because BV usually never more than the sale value on eBay or the like lol...

Anyways, good to see a COMCs rep on here... hope he participates a little more and becomes an advocate for them. I know there have been some threads on here giving them some heat.

Hey, thanks! It's good to be here! Like I said, I'm available for questions or comments or anything else...just drop a line! I'll try to join in, when I can!

And, there's nothing wrong with a little heat...it means that people are paying attention to what we're doing. ;-)

--moe

notjomommasclint · Jul 16, 2013

I like comc a lot. My main issue isn't the way the site determines value. It's up to me what I'm willing to spend. If I see a card I set my value. If book dictates its higher, I will wait.

My issue is the shipping times are so erratic. One time it's 3 days to deliver, the next time it's 12 days.

MansGame · Jul 16, 2013

notjomommasclint said:
I like comc a lot. My main issue isn't the way the site determines value. It's up to me what I'm willing to spend. If I see a card I set my value. If book dictates its higher, I will wait.

My issue is the shipping times are so erratic. One time it's 3 days to deliver, the next time it's 12 days.

This and I think some people have an issue with how they can take their money out, etc.

Welcome to our community

Be apart of something great, join today!

Talking With Tim: Beckett Subscriptions

New member

Well-known member

Active member

New member

New member

New member

Active member

New member

Active member

Active member

New member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

New member

Active member

New member

Active member

Active member

Similar threads

Log in