whoever said Burbank was.....

[1995BBRefractorGuy]

high prices - check, bad customer service (online) - check, crook? - no

 

[hofautos]

Does anybody know if Burbank will negotiate prices at all? I was thinking about stopping by their shop on my way out of Los Angeles. He has some great Heritage stuff, but it's not priced anywhere close to what I (or anyone else in their right mind) would pay for it. I am fine with paying a premium for cards that are tough to find, but there's a difference between paying a premium and "No thanks, I'll wait for one to show up."

They wont negotiate.

Not true...

See if you can get him to come down on the 97 jeter finest embossed ref....if he will come down from 200 to 150 i will take it.

 

[cubfan131]

Was there an actual point to this thread?

 

[mlbsalltimegreats]

The logic behind it is that if he sold it to you for a "reasonable price", then he loses out on the day in the future where somebody gets a wild hair up their behind and decides to pull the trigger. I am not saying he's friendly, i'm just saying that his strategy for making money is sound. The problem with negotiation is that in this day and age you always have somebody trying to get over on you or low ball you and waste your time. Everybody knows that his prices are his prices and he likely deals with a LOT less hassle than your average bulk seller on ebay.

The price to maintain that Reynolds auction probably costs him about $0.15 per 30 days to maintain or something ridiculously small. Again, you never know when and where a BIN popper is going to crop up and Burbank has his bases covered. Nothing personal, he's making money in a time where a lot of people are not simply because for many the cards that they "cannot have" are the ones they want the most. Eventually they will succumb to their addictive nature and pull the trigger. It's really all an exercise in psychology. The buyer thinks he's in a holding your breath contest with Burbank and he has no clue, and when he finally relents and buys the card.... nobody cares anymore.

I disagree with this as if he really had a sound strategy for making money he would price these cards at maybe 30-50% (Or a little lower) higher than market value instead 1000% market value. Yes 30-50% Market Value is high but do you know how many people would buy his stuff if it was even that high? This board alone would spend thousands and thousands of dollars and that is just this board. He would still be making money ontop of money. The Guy would be raking in the cash. Yes I am sure they are making money but nothing compared to what they could making. If anything IMO they are holding themselves back by pricing these cards this high. I am glad I dont need anything from them. I know that when I see something and I know its from them I dont even bother putting in my watch list. This coming from an addict to cards .

 

[hofautos]

I don't know Burbank's strategy in his high prices, but I list a lot of stuff at high prices. I am basically of the mind that I don't care if it sells or not....but i am usually negotiable, and I will list stuff that i want to move starting at $1. I am not sure how much he pays in fees, but I am pretty sure that they got a special deal between beckett and ebay by listing 1000s of stuff from beckett to ebay...I bet he pays less than .10/month/card so he could leave a card on there for 3 years for $3...he doesn't NEED to move them, and if he can hold out for 3 years per card, he will see what he can sell at his high prices...looking at his fb, it is clear he does move a lot of stuff regardless of his high prices, so he probably knows what he's doing. I am also sure that he will eventually come down on items that don't sell over a long period of time, but he can be patient.

 

[markakis8]

While I agree with you to an extent Sly, I believe they think (or they KNOW) they will get that price they want eventually from someone. No matter how long it sits there.

I commend them. It terms of customer service, they appear (from all the raves here) to be top-notch and are still getting the top-dollar THEY WANT. Many sellers in this industry are just looking to make a quick buck and will sell at the "going rate." Burbank has their own terms.

They are doing something right.

In hobby circles Burbank is near the top of the list of "model sportcard businesses". I've never heard a bad word about them. Rob Veres is highly respected in the industry, and one of the hardest working guys out there.

I've bought from them a few times through Beckett, and not had issues.

I just wish they were a little more flexible and reasonable with their higher end stuff. I get that it's theirs to do with what they want, but it seems that a lot of it is just inventory that just sits there and is priced so high.

 

[markakis8]

I usually don't agree with you, but you are correct here IMO. Very good post.

I never understand all the hate for Burbank. It seems like people are "forced" to buy from him because he sells things that are so rare that you cannot find them elsewhere. What exactly is the problem with that?

The seller names the price, the buyer decides if it's worth it or not. Nobody makes anybody purchase from him. Just because you could get it cheaper if more than 25 existed and somebody had one out of PC they wanted to sell doesn't mean it's going to happen that way.

The thing that is wrong with the hobby is the entitlement of player collectors. You don't "deserve" a deal because you own 2,999 of 3,000 possible cards.

I think the people who complain the most about Burbank are the guys that have a compulsive problem as opposed to collectors. If you are compulsive and NEED the card you see of your player in order to feel some form of satisfaction then yes, you probably do hate Burbank. If you are a player collector with a modicum of patience and feel that he is overpriced, then wait for one to pop up on auction and bid your best. This hobby is chock full of addicts who picked cardboard over drugs, gambling, and many other vices. It shows in situations like this one.