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mrmopar
Member
- Jan 19, 2010
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I'm talking about brand new products here.
You see it all the time. A new product is released and the new singles start flooding the market on ebay and other sites. Not too long after the initial rush, the singles slow down and pretty soon you rarely see anything from a lot of the sets. It's reasonable to assume that the spike in activity can be attributed to the many dealers who break boxes and cases looking for that quick return, but also set, team, theme and players collectors who chase down anything new that comes out and are scrambling to get it all before it dries up. Eventually the bulk of the wax supply dries up though and/or the specialty collectors have closed the books on that set and there isn't the supply or demand to see much activity.
Most collectors also know that a good percentage of new issues are broken up and sold off immediately, rather than being tucked away into the original owners collection, but have you ever really thought about how much of a given product remains sealed or makes it's way directly into a collection or perhaps to a seller with grand expectations, where it will sit in a box or case for a long time to come because it is overpriced or that seller just isn't making it available yet.
Unless the Rickey Henderson collector (for example) actually pulls that tough Henderson card themselves, he/she will be on the hunt for it and if you pull it and are not a Henderson collector, is the allure of a good and quick return on your investment too much to avoid and you sell the card to the highest bidder like so many do? I'll use myself as an example. When I was still buying packs and I hit something decent, I was not selling on ebay. I was not actively trading much and really had no outlet to rid myself of that card, nor did I really have any desire to do so. I was buying before the "big hit" times anyway, so anything I pulled was just a parallel or an insert, but it all went into my collection. There may be a few items I have that are on want lists, but since I started trading more, I have tried to look for stuff like that and get it into a collectors hands if I had no great attachment to it.
I know there are people who sell everything they get as soon as possible to buy more. They can't get that new card on ebay fast enough (and most collectors are thankful for that type of collector). There are the "I won't trade or sell anything I get no matter what" people (which we all hate…just kidding…or am I?
) and then there are middle ground group, which is probably the majority, who don't necessarily look to get rid of the item, but will if it makes sense or they find themselves in the right situation.
Where do you fall on this spectrum?
You see it all the time. A new product is released and the new singles start flooding the market on ebay and other sites. Not too long after the initial rush, the singles slow down and pretty soon you rarely see anything from a lot of the sets. It's reasonable to assume that the spike in activity can be attributed to the many dealers who break boxes and cases looking for that quick return, but also set, team, theme and players collectors who chase down anything new that comes out and are scrambling to get it all before it dries up. Eventually the bulk of the wax supply dries up though and/or the specialty collectors have closed the books on that set and there isn't the supply or demand to see much activity.
Most collectors also know that a good percentage of new issues are broken up and sold off immediately, rather than being tucked away into the original owners collection, but have you ever really thought about how much of a given product remains sealed or makes it's way directly into a collection or perhaps to a seller with grand expectations, where it will sit in a box or case for a long time to come because it is overpriced or that seller just isn't making it available yet.
Unless the Rickey Henderson collector (for example) actually pulls that tough Henderson card themselves, he/she will be on the hunt for it and if you pull it and are not a Henderson collector, is the allure of a good and quick return on your investment too much to avoid and you sell the card to the highest bidder like so many do? I'll use myself as an example. When I was still buying packs and I hit something decent, I was not selling on ebay. I was not actively trading much and really had no outlet to rid myself of that card, nor did I really have any desire to do so. I was buying before the "big hit" times anyway, so anything I pulled was just a parallel or an insert, but it all went into my collection. There may be a few items I have that are on want lists, but since I started trading more, I have tried to look for stuff like that and get it into a collectors hands if I had no great attachment to it.
I know there are people who sell everything they get as soon as possible to buy more. They can't get that new card on ebay fast enough (and most collectors are thankful for that type of collector). There are the "I won't trade or sell anything I get no matter what" people (which we all hate…just kidding…or am I?
) and then there are middle ground group, which is probably the majority, who don't necessarily look to get rid of the item, but will if it makes sense or they find themselves in the right situation. Where do you fall on this spectrum?
