Burbank at it again?

[Fandruw25]

henderson939 wrote:
The armored truck that you used to send payment might not have made there yet . They usually ship pretty quick. I have bought 2 cards from them over the years. Under $10 of course. But I have been eyeing a $25 one for the last 1 year. Maybe one day I will breakdown and get it.

I think you will be fine. They may be overpriced, but I dont think they screw anyone out of cards, just money. :lol:

They screwed you out of at least $10. SO it looks like their business model works some of the time.

How do you figured they screwed him out of "at least $10?" He purchased the card at the set price....It's not like they shorted him a card in shipping that was valued at 10 bucks.

 

[gvsu96]

henderson939 wrote:
The armored truck that you used to send payment might not have made there yet . They usually ship pretty quick. I have bought 2 cards from them over the years. Under $10 of course. But I have been eyeing a $25 one for the last 1 year. Maybe one day I will breakdown and get it.

I think you will be fine. They may be overpriced, but I dont think they screw anyone out of cards, just money. :lol:

They screwed you out of at least $10. SO it looks like their business model works some of the time.

How do you figured they screwed him out of "at least $10?" He purchased the card at the set price....It's not like they shorted him a card in shipping that was valued at 10 bucks.

Sarcasm doesn't come off in print.

The angry mass want to burn Burbank to the ground for their prices. As stated by many people before, "If you don't like them don't buy from them".
So for someone to say that they (Burbank) screw people out of money yet they buy from them is kind of funny.

 

[CollectorsCorner]

I have an order that I bought on beckett from Burbank, how long do they usually take to ship? Its been since monday and they havent shipped yet.

Beckett has a 3 day ship period so it should be on the way

 

[Jastermereel]

I've purchased from them twice over the past two weeks and both orders were shipped very quickly.

 

[henderson939]

henderson939 wrote:
The armored truck that you used to send payment might not have made there yet . They usually ship pretty quick. I have bought 2 cards from them over the years. Under $10 of course. But I have been eyeing a $25 one for the last 1 year. Maybe one day I will breakdown and get it.

I think you will be fine. They may be overpriced, but I dont think they screw anyone out of cards, just money. :lol:

They screwed you out of at least $10. SO it looks like their business model works some of the time.

Like I said a thousand times, its much easier to spend an extra $10-20 over normal prices on a card you need, than it is to spend an extra $300 over normal price for a card you need. The card I bought from them recently was around $6-8. These are the cards that are probably flying out of their doors. I can only speak for the Henderson cards, but I am sure the $50-100 cards that they want $300-400 for are probably collecting dust.

 

[henderson939]

I've purchased from them twice over the past two weeks and both orders were shipped very quickly.

Looks like we've sold our souls

 

[ThoseBackPages]

BURBANK RULEZ!

 

[VizquelCollector.com]

I don't understand how someone's in a position to criticize their business model. They seem to be happy selling a ton of cards. And sure, they likely have prices you wouldn't agree to pay. But isn't that a bit like complaining the high-end dealership is selling a Ferrari at a price you think is unreasonable? They've got a semi-exclusive product that some people are willing to pay. It's not an issue of being fair or not, it's just supply and demand. They're betting that someone's willing to pay a lot for a rare item, and attempting to set the market price. What's there to complain about?

No its not. If you are looking for a Ferrari, then you can afford a Ferrari. If you were looking at buying a Ferrari at Joe's for $250,000, but went to Burbanks Ferrari where they were $850,000 for the same model Joe's place had, then yes you would think it is unreasonable. Except for a few of Burbanks Loyal Customers. They would have no problem handing over the extra 600G.

My point is that there is no Joe's Ferrari around the corner, so Burbank has no competition. I watched a Leaf Certified Materials Emerald /5 of Vizquel they had for years, and never saw another. They could set the price at whatever they want because they're the only game in town. Sure, I thought the price on the Emerald was steep. But if I could have found it elsewhere for less I would have bought it there. It's not a loyalty issue. It's the fact they have had cards I could not find elsewhere, so they set the market price.

I'm not saying you specifically, but it really comes off like sour grapes for a lot of guys whining about Burbank's pricing. If you think their prices are unfair, shop somewhere else. Unless you can't find that card elsewhere, in which case you should stop complaining and move on.

 

[predatorkj]

Free Enterprise, gotta love it! Lets take a look.

Total Listings: 237635
Successful Listings: 5901
Success Rate: 2.48%
Total Sales: $83,362.2

is there anyone on this board, if the roles were reversed and you were driving the Burbank Business model, would say to themselves, we gotta do...................................................................................anything?

.......get the bankroll, source the goods and give em a run for the money.........

just my $0.000000000001 cents.

I am not saying that they dont make money, but they could make a lot more money if they became a little realistic on their higher end stuff. That success rate could be 50% or more. The figures you gave average out to $14 per card. I am sure people are buying their lower end stuff, because its much easier to pay $10-$20 more for a card you need than $200-$300.

I agree. Color me stupid but I'd rather sell for a little less and rake in way more money. Profit is nothing if its not realized. Until you realize a profit...you haven't made your potential. If they slashed their prices they would still be sitting pretty and making a ton. As I recall...didn't someone say they paid in excess of around $900,000 for the collection out of Hawai'i? If so...they could easily triple that figure if they would simply let some stuff go for less. When you sell for less...you sell more. If the gas station down the street decided to cut their prices by like 15 cents and all the other clowns were still charging the 2.69 a gallon they would easily outsell their competition and also make way more money in the process. Now people will buy more gas and more people will buy gas as well. Now you have everyone coming to you. Those of you who fail to realize this are the same damn people who helped the freaking economy collapse and continue to keep it down. I do mean that too.

Its like the shaving cream again. Rare cards are rare cards but there are a million rare cards. I can buy 1/1's for 1/8th the price they want for stuff numbered to /10. And just so everyone is on the same page here...even though, as HPC said...a shaving cream can is not a rare item...there are other places to buy the shaving cream right? You bet. And as long as there are...and you know you can expect to pay way less...then this business model is retarded. There is no jealousy involved. In fact...I just purchased a few cards from them. But in this day and age when everyone and their grandmother probably has rare cards, a rare card is not as rare as it seems. Plus...if it ain't numbered to /1 , then you can bet your rear end it can be had for less and another one will eventually surface.

 

[predatorkj]

Free Enterprise, gotta love it! Lets take a look.

Total Listings: 237635
Successful Listings: 5901
Success Rate: 2.48%
Total Sales: $83,362.2

and that is IN THIS IMMEDIATE ECONOMY, very interesting dynamic.

is there anyone on this board, if the roles were reversed and you were driving the Burbank Business model, would say to themselves, we gotta do...................................................................................anything?

.......get the bankroll, source the goods and give em a run for the money.........

just my $0.000000000001 cents.

glad you showed the success rate. it really shows how piss poor that business is.you might want to factor in how much tax they have to pay on that inventory. we are doing inventory next week.why? to reduce, sooooo less tax!

Apparently over $83,000 a month isnt a success

::facepalm::

brutal, so for every 100 auctions they run 2.48 sell, figure in non payers closer 2 out 100 auctions move. Figure in overhead, employees. All time spent listing sorting ect. Paypal fees, packing costs.... I wonder what cost is listing 240,000 items going on ebay. Even is it's only a few cents each. Plus factor in fees built up into each item that has been sitting forever.
Just a genius business model, sign me up where 98% of my inventory never sells. So what, average sale is still less than $15 on a card. Doesn't look like anyone is breaking down door buying high dollar stuff either.

There is a reason Kohl's and JCPenny blow out leftover apparel for 80% off. There were no takers at 30, 50, or 70% off. Holding is dead money. Better to get something out of the product before styles change. Burbank runs the risk of player collecting becoming less popular with time. Existing collectors may get board or broke and sell out. New collectors are probably less likely to latch onto heroes of the 80's and 80's. Another significant risk is one should expect more 90's inserts to gradually work their way out of 50 cents boxes at local card shops and shows. A small increase of supply could very well crush the price on some cards.

JC Penny or Kohls does not sell rarities...they sell every day clothes. 2 very different markets

Also, there will always be the player collectors of the 80's and 90's who want these cards...places like this board and others tell us that.

I have no interest in Burbank and dont believe ive ever purchased from them, but its funny to me how people say it's a "piss poor model"

Its not a "piss poor model", more like "pissed off people" who cant have the cards they do.

When was the last time you made $83,000 in a month by selling an average of 2.43 cards of every 100?

...exactly

Yeah but imagine how much more they could make if they were reasonable. That is all we are saying. If I was really pissed off at them...you think I'd buy their cards? No. I'd do what I normally do with people like that and never even look at their stuff.People are saying its a poor model because it could be a lot more money they are making. Any time you are in business and you aren't making every buck you can however you can(whether its reduced prices or whatever) then you aren't doing a very good job. I have seen people pull some really stupid tactics and I have seen their ass sink. Badly.


As for the bolded...I could easily make that kind of money if I sold every damn card I have for way the hell over what they normally go for. In fact I have a lot of random stuff. Shouldn't I just throw it up on ebay and let it sit with a high BIN? That's a good business model right? Even their normal cards are overpriced. If I sold every damn rinky dink Bagwell insert I had for their prices...I'd eclipse $83,000 too.

 

[predatorkj]

I wish this many people were upset with ebay/sellers/buyer and the card companies for devaluing cards. Many people are use to getting HTF cards on ebay for chump change, cards use to be worth something. Sad, people talk the talk but fail to pony up when their card hits the net.

I have gotten MANY cards on ebay for low prices and I have bought many cards from Burbank. It is all ebb and flow.

Yeah but its not about that for everyone George. I will pony up but only in a comparative manner. I expect to pay decent change for hard to find cards. But if I had to pay $300-$900 for every single card that was semi rare or low numbered...well who the hell would even be able to collect except Wossa? We all want our collections and our hobby to be worth something but not to the point of this. It was the exact reason it took me forever and a day to get back in and stay in. I could go collect comics and never spend this type of money. Yet you flip open a beckett and everything is outrageous in price. Luckily I found out that not every card is worth $20 or more dollars and can be had cheaper. But you flip open a beckett and its like "Oh hell no.". Its disconcerting. All Burbank does is keep people interested but not interested enough to bite the bullet. If everyone did this...used their business model...could you even afford to be interested on a regular basis? Hell...if I had to pay these kinds of prices for all the rare Bagwell's...I might as well quit. Its not that I couldn't eventually nail them all down. But I don't need any hobby that requires me to empty the bank. Trust me...the value you are talking of would drive away far more people than it would attract.

 

[predatorkj]

I don't understand how someone's in a position to criticize their business model. They seem to be happy selling a ton of cards. And sure, they likely have prices you wouldn't agree to pay. But isn't that a bit like complaining the high-end dealership is selling a Ferrari at a price you think is unreasonable? They've got a semi-exclusive product that some people are willing to pay. It's not an issue of being fair or not, it's just supply and demand. They're betting that someone's willing to pay a lot for a rare item, and attempting to set the market price. What's there to complain about?

No its not. If you are looking for a Ferrari, then you can afford a Ferrari. If you were looking at buying a Ferrari at Joe's for $250,000, but went to Burbanks Ferrari where they were $850,000 for the same model Joe's place had, then yes you would think it is unreasonable. Except for a few of Burbanks Loyal Customers. They would have no problem handing over the extra 600G.

My point is that there is no Joe's Ferrari around the corner, so Burbank has no competition. I watched a Leaf Certified Materials Emerald /5 of Vizquel they had for years, and never saw another. They could set the price at whatever they want because they're the only game in town. Sure, I thought the price on the Emerald was steep. But if I could have found it elsewhere for less I would have bought it there. It's not a loyalty issue. It's the fact they have had cards I could not find elsewhere, so they set the market price.

I'm not saying you specifically, but it really comes off like sour grapes for a lot of guys whining about Burbank's pricing. If you think their prices are unfair, shop somewhere else. Unless you can't find that card elsewhere, in which case you should stop complaining and move on.

Not to be rude (whatsoever) its numbered to /5 and you think another one will never pop up besides the one Burbank has? I hope you are wrong. Because you, me, and the other guy down the street lose out on cards all the time because we may not know they were up for auction, they may have been sold off ebay in a shop or at a show, they may be in a closet or in an unopened wax box somewhere, or we simply couldn't afford to bid when they did pop up. If something numbered to /5 is really that hard to get...then I think we are all screwed. Luckily...I don't think that way. I think everything surfaces at one time or another. If you feel that you have to go after any rare card because it will never pop again...I feel bad for you. I'd hate to be collecting with that frame of mind. Especially with everything being so low numbered these days.

 

[VizquelCollector.com]

It just occurred to me that Burbank bought a collection of millions of cards, but they don't know what they bought? I find it hard to believe the owner of the collection didn't know what he had and/or didn't communicate it to Burbank. Surely they have a pretty good idea what's in those boxes.

 

[HPC]

It just occurred to me that Burbank bought a collection of millions of cards, but they don't know what they bought? I find it hard to believe the owner of the collection didn't know what he had and/or didn't communicate it to Burbank. Surely they have a pretty good idea what's in those boxes.

Of course they know....they do their homework.

I still love how people say they'd rather just sell cheap(er) than make money....go for it.

Burbank has stuff most people wont ever have an opportunity to own.

This situation is not comparable to the shaving cream can, but more to the ferrari example.

Buyer: "Yeah, you have this Lamborghini Reventon priced at 1.2m, but because I saw another one on the market around 2 years ago sell for 800k, I want it for that price"

(After getting rejected) Buyer: "What, you dont want to sell it to me for that much?! But theres 19 more I can buy out there and I might see another one for sale in another couple years or so!! Your business model is ridiculous and if I was you, I would much rather sell the car cheaper to me so you can make some money!"

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

On a Burbank-related note, its real easy to get tired bidding against larger eBay *dealers* who drive up prices on eBay auctions. Usually these dealers use one ID for buying and another for selling.

One dealer in particular bids $35 each time for for one type of card, usually driving up the price at least $15 above the next (3rd) highest bidder if I win the item. So if I didn't bid or forget to bid, the item would normally go for $20...but yet the item would be for $75-$100 in his eBay store in a week or two when the dealer wins it...where it will languish because I don't want to encourage their practice with the stuff I like to buy - and almost nobody else would touch the item at that price. Another dealer bids $30 for another type of card each time and does the same thing. There are some other 'smaller players' or sellers who continue to do the same thing and have huge stores.

So althogh I'm not buying from these guys, dealers still cost me money anyway through their 'investment' activity ::facepalm::

Anyway, it happens... /rant

 

[predatorkj]

It just occurred to me that Burbank bought a collection of millions of cards, but they don't know what they bought? I find it hard to believe the owner of the collection didn't know what he had and/or didn't communicate it to Burbank. Surely they have a pretty good idea what's in those boxes.

Of course they know....they do their homework.

I still love how people say they'd rather just sell cheap(er) than make money....go for it.

Burbank has stuff most people wont ever have an opportunity to own.

This situation is not comparable to the shaving cream can, but more to the ferrari example.

Buyer: "Yeah, you have this Lamborghini Reventon priced at 1.2m, but because I saw another one on the market around 2 years ago sell for 800k, I want it for that price"

(After getting rejected) Buyer: "What, you dont want to sell it to me for that much?! But theres 19 more I can buy out there and I might see another one for sale in another couple years or so!! Your business model is ridiculous and if I was you, I would much rather sell the car cheaper to me so you can make some money!"

And what happens to those cars after they don't sell for a few years? You see anyone selling an unused car for the original sticker price 3 years post production lately? Yep...me neither. Stuff that doesn't sell eventually drops in prices. Except for Burbank's stuff.

 

[HPC]

It just occurred to me that Burbank bought a collection of millions of cards, but they don't know what they bought? I find it hard to believe the owner of the collection didn't know what he had and/or didn't communicate it to Burbank. Surely they have a pretty good idea what's in those boxes.

Of course they know....they do their homework.

I still love how people say they'd rather just sell cheap(er) than make money....go for it.

Burbank has stuff most people wont ever have an opportunity to own.

This situation is not comparable to the shaving cream can, but more to the ferrari example.

Buyer: "Yeah, you have this Lamborghini Reventon priced at 1.2m, but because I saw another one on the market around 2 years ago sell for 800k, I want it for that price"

(After getting rejected) Buyer: "What, you dont want to sell it to me for that much?! But theres 19 more I can buy out there and I might see another one for sale in another couple years or so!! Your business model is ridiculous and if I was you, I would much rather sell the car cheaper to me so you can make some money!"

And what happens to those cars after they don't sell for a few years? You see anyone selling an unused car for the original sticker price 3 years post production lately? Yep...me neither. Stuff that doesn't sell eventually drops in prices. Except for Burbank's stuff.

Lamborghinis (greg maddux/glavine/smoltz triple auto/3) and Hondas (Homer Bush Fleer auto/500) are different

Even 10 year old Lamborghinis still sell for nearly what you paid 10 years ago

Overproduced crap doesnt.

Now, do they have overpriced crap cards, yes, but the majority of their inventory is rarities that most wont see again or for a very long time.

That's the part people dont realize or maybe just dont want to...they have a market on rare cards.

Just like paintings: why do Rembrants'sell for insane money (paintings made how many years ago) when a painting from Joe Dumphuck sells for $5?

Because people want Rembrant because it's a rarity

Cards are no different than paintings, cars, jewelry, etc.

The more rare the card, the more money its worth and if one person doesnt want to pay then they'll wait for someone who will.

Burbank has more money than you or me so waiting a year or so for something to sell doesnt affect them like it does us.

 

[nosterbor]

how rare is a print run of 400.not at all unless one person has a hoard of 395 of them. said card books at $10, burbank has it at $79.95. this is not the only example like this. they have 1000's. it is super greed or super dumb. i say both!

 

[tikitomoka]

how rare is a print run of 400.not at all unless one person has a hoard of 395 of them. said card books at $10, burbank has it at $79.95. this is not the only example like this. they have 1000's. it is super greed or super dumb. i say both!

Why is that dumb? It's called business, and IMO these guys are succeeding at it.

 

[nosterbor]

ok then. who the hell is priceing this stuff??? someone with an IQ 130? i dont think so!

http://cgi.ebay.com/2003-Diamond-Kings- ... 20b3a85b3a

http://cgi.ebay.com/2001-Don-Classics-L ... 483c0ac199