Hey Topprospectalert, are your ears burning? :)

[tommyfro21]

Apparently some people on the Topps board are curious about your buying and selling habits. It's kind of funny actually because they seem to have some conspiracy theories about you. :lol:

http://forums.etopps.com/toppsforum/top ... _ID=255499

 

[Messier2]

I can't read what they are saying since I don't have a topps forum account...

 

[Jaypers]

For those of us who don't feel like registering to become a poster, can you summarize for us what's being said?

 

[Jurgy25]

For those of us who don't feel like registering to become a poster, can you summarize for us what's being said?

+1

 

[tommyfro21]

Ol' TPA....some crook you are.... :lol:

1st comment about him. The thread is titled "Does Anybody Know ebay seller Topprospectalert?"

I was on eBay looking for the 5 cards I need to complete my 2010 Bowman Chrome Team USA set, and came across a large number of Nicky Delmonico cards priced at $63 per Blue Refractor auto /99.
I checked in the completed auction listings and a Refractor version of the card had sold for $9.48.
To me, there's not much difference between a Ref auto /199 and a Blue Ref /99, except 100 cards.
Is Delmonico supposed to be a STUD or something?
Thing that gets me, is that topprospectalert has 10 Delmonico Blue Ref autos /99 for $63 BIN and a Ref auto /199 for $36 BIN with no Best Offer available.
The seller has also got a TON of other USA Ref autos for sale at what appears to me to be too high of prices and no Best Offers accepted. You either pay his price or you don't get it.
Just curious as to if he's a good seller and knows his stuff, charging the right prices for the cards he sells on eBay, or if he just over prices them and if you want it, you have to take his price. Also seems like some USA autos are going for inflated prices in auctions.
I guess I just want to make sure that if I'm going to pay $63 for a Delmonico Blue Ref auto for $63 or a Ref auto /199 from this seller, it's worth it, and he's not just buying bunches of players cards to check them out for grading and the ones that won't grade BGS 9.5 he sells. There are alot of problems with the sticker autos on the USA cards.
Any feedback on this? Either if Delmonico is that good, or the seller is charging too much?

2nd comment

quote:
Originally posted by haliguy

Do you get Sports Illustrated by chance? He was featured in a story alongside Pfeiffer, a few months back. I believe it was the SI with Musial on the cover.
If you don't get SI, if I'm able to find that particular issue in my stack, I'll see if I can scan it for you.
I pulled the Delmonico refractor about a while back and decided to hold it for a while... he seems promising.


No. I haven't seen it.
I just know he buys RCs like crazy and seems to sell for higher prices than other eBay sellers.
I'm thinking they see his eBay sell prices and then think their cards are worth that much, and so all of a player's prices go up?
Here's an excellent example. The Wolters USA auto. One Ref auto /199 sold for $4.99 and a Blue Ref sold for $15+ in auction:
Blue Refractor auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-TONY-WOLTERS-B ... 5197694799
Ref auto auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2010-BOWMAN-CHROME- ... 43a46d12dc
And here are topprospectalerts auctions for the same card...
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid ... +autograph
Check out the Blue Refs and the Ref versions. It is ridiculous. It wouldn't be so bad if he had a Best Offer and maybe charged $5 more, but it's only BIN.
It wouldn't surprise me if one way or another, topprospectalert is the one winning the auctions for cheap and hiking up the prices.
But I don't know.
I'm not saying he's ripping people off. Maybe the $50 Blue Ref cards he's selling are GEM MINT.
But still....


3rd comment

quote:
Originally posted by Dave Crum

It drives me crazy when sellers do this. Of course he is very high and the cards will sit there for awhile. If the player does one thing news worthy, people will search for his cards. As the frenzy ensues, he will find takers at HIS price. Its shrewd and drives you crazy when the only one to be had is priced double what it should be. But in the end, he'll sell it more times then not.


Yeah, it makes me not too happy also.
I did email him and asked him what condition would the card I bought be in. Like for grading and especially the sticker auto condition. I don't want to buy an over priced card if it's not GEM.
I'd imagine if they don't make the cut for a BGS 9.5 then those are the ones for sale on eBay?
That's cool. They will sit there for a while. If the kid turns out to be a 8th round draft pick and goes to college, I wonder if he can wait until he's drafted again, or if he'll lower his prices if he is a low draftee or goes to college? Usually when that happens, the seller has someone bid up the card prices to make back some money for him...
This will be fun to watch his USA cards for sale and what he does. He has a new admirer...

 

[topprospectalert]

Lol. I guess I've arrived

 

[asw37]

keep doing what you are doing man... I hate when people second guess sellers, if its your card, you can do whatever you want with it.

 

[hail2thevictors]

Apparently the people over on the Topps boards are lacking intelligence.

I find it to personally be hilarious that people complain about what his prices are for stuff. I'm a prospector, and came across his numerous listings. First thing that came to mind? Well, I thought "his prices are obviously high, but he has them priced high probably because the draft isn't for a few months". Might as well toss them on eBay and see if anybody wants to overpay. If not, it costs a whopping $0.05 per month to list cards.

Meanwhile, anyone who wanted one of toprospectalert's cards, could have bid on the numerous cards that have sold via auction when the products were busted. If you don't want to pay his prices, wait for another auction to pop up. This isn't rocket science.

 

[orion9578]

Meanwhile, anyone who wanted one of toprospectalert's cards, could have bid on the numerous cards that have sold via auction when the products were busted. If you don't want to pay his prices, wait for another auction to pop up. This isn't rocket science.

Bingo. What a crazy concept...putting HIS price on HIS cards.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Isn't this what you player collectors complain about Burbank doing?

 

[reljac]

I like where they admit that you will probably get the price you are asking...

 

[noaskiecards]

reminds me of blackjadedwolf prices....prices are high but they get hit when a guy gets hot, not too bad i suppose....Remember all these ebay fees, if you can 10 - 25 % above market value at all times, you won't have to worry about those pesky ebay and paypal fees!

 

[gmarutiak]

Good for you, toppsprospectalert! The more they talk about your cards, the more they'll think about buying your cards, and the more likely it is that they'll buy them! You're getting free advertising. Apparently, they don't understand basic supply vs. demand over on that other board.

You should really mess with them, and raise the price a buck or two! :lol:

 

[RZimm11]

Isn't this what you player collectors complain about Burbank doing?

Don't you know the rules don't count when it comes to prospectors making money?

 

[bowmanchromeandorr]

Isn't this what you player collectors complain about Burbank doing?

winner winner chicken dinner

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Isn't this what you player collectors complain about Burbank doing?

winner winner chicken dinner

Trust me, I'm all for an open market and letting people charge whatever they want... the difference is, there's a potential chance that the cards may reach the values (and higher than the values) that TPA has on them, wheres Burbank's prices will never be realized.

My gripe is having a best offer and never responding/being a jerk when responding to a BO, but that's a whole other issue.

 

[t3dudek]

Who cares what TPA wants for his cards. If he gets it fine if not fine. You got to remember all those ppl that sell cards for even more ridiculous amount like 10000 dollars for a bryce harper auto yes you will see it from time to time. But ppl will sell for what they believe it is worth to them.

 

[RZimm11]

I see no problem with what either of them are doing (Burbank or tpa). Same Supply/Demand applies. But they will surely get different reactions when questioned on this site.