Unrealistic Prices

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  • wycombe1

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    • Created on Jul 27, 2011 at 3:17 AM
    • #345543
    There should be a way to exclude items from particular sellers when doing a search!

    Unfortunately this is one of the 'side effects' of offering free listing to bulk sellers. This has happned in other sectors as well - my main area phonecards is also clogged up with overpriced Japanese cards for almost every subject under the sun. When Ebay offered free listings to private sellers I remember there suddenly appearing many thousands of individually priced common cards being offered at exhorbitant prices. Their site was flooded with them. Ebay got around this by not allowing its listing tool to be used by private sellers for free listings. What the remedy is on Delcampe I really have no idea!

    For sure these people do not sell very much at their inflated prices as most collectors are not fools. The answer I suspect would lie in a more sophisticated search tool to enable a buyer to exclude items from such sellers.
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    • Created on Jul 27, 2011 at 3:17 AM
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  • porphyryportal

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    • Created on Jul 27, 2011 at 3:17 AM
    • #345543
    As a newcomer to collecting and selling postcards, I find the whole pricing thing totally confusing. I've been using Delcampe as my price guide, but from what these threads have been saying, I could be grossly overpricing my own sales.

    Then there is the problem of visibility. I would happily sell most of my cards for much lower prices, but I find that if you offer cards at rock bottom prices, nobody gives them any credibility, and they get no views at all.

    For example, I have a 'carnet' which is a nice thing. An identical one is for sale on the site for 42 euros. If I put mine on at half the price, (actually I would be ecstatic with ten quid), will buyers suspect that there is something dubious about it? And, if I underprice everything, does that start to devalue such items generally?

    For the time being I have moved my selling back to Ebay, because I feel like such a novice on this site. As a learner, I would have appreciated it if Delcampe published a beginners guide to pricing, with basic info about what collectors seek and value, also info on collectable photographers etc. I know there are books and magazines, but Delcampe is where selling is real and where market fluctuations are most immediate.
  • moonstone

    1015 messages

    United Kingdom

    As a newcomer to collecting and selling postcards, I find the whole pricing thing totally confusing. I've been using Delcampe as my price guide, but from what these threads have been saying, I could be grossly overpricing my own sales.

    Then there is the problem of visibility. I would happily sell most of my cards for much lower prices, but I find that if you offer cards at rock bottom prices, nobody gives them any credibility, and they get no views at all.

    For example, I have a 'carnet' which is a nice thing. An identical one is for sale on the site for 42 euros. If I put mine on at half the price, (actually I would be ecstatic with ten quid), will buyers suspect that there is something dubious about it? And, if I underprice everything, does that start to devalue such items generally?

    For the time being I have moved my selling back to Ebay, because I feel like such a novice on this site. As a learner, I would have appreciated it if Delcampe published a beginners guide to pricing, with basic info about what collectors seek and value, also info on collectable photographers etc. I know there are books and magazines, but Delcampe is where selling is real and where market fluctuations are most immediate.
    • Created on Jul 28, 2011 at 3:38 AM
    • #345678
    I doubt very much whether Delcampe, or anyone else can give a pricing guide as with all collectables in general, prices achieved are what buyers are prepared to pay and in any auction scenario, all that's needed are 2 people really wanting something and prices can go through the roof. There is a guide in the UK to postcard prices published, I believe by Picture Postcard Monthly, which may be of some use.
    There are certainly a large number of overpriced items on the site, but I assume they don't sell - again this comes down to the argument about whether Delcampe are right not to charge a listing fee, which can be a 'two-edged sword' - if a fee is charged, do sellers then go elsewhere and so reduce choice for buyers, or do we stick with the status quo?

    I'm not convinced by the argument that buyers get put off by all the dross on the site and give up in disgust - I have sold quite a few items where there are quite a few identical on the site but have sold on basis of price & quality.

    Like everything else, it takes time for potential buyers to find you and check out your stock - the more you have listed, the more likely that you will 'hit' a buyer and the more likely those people will return - it took me about 3-4 months before I got any significant turnaround on my items listed and then only when I'd about 5-600 in my store, and now get about 50% repeat business, including material I first list almost 2 years ago!

    I would recommend you stick with it, increase your listings and therefore your presence on the site, and with it should come the sales.
  • porphyryportal

    88 messages

    United Kingdom

    I doubt very much whether Delcampe, or anyone else can give a pricing guide as with all collectables in general, prices achieved are what buyers are prepared to pay and in any auction scenario, all that's needed are 2 people really wanting something and prices can go through the roof. There is a guide in the UK to postcard prices published, I believe by Picture Postcard Monthly, which may be of some use.
    There are certainly a large number of overpriced items on the site, but I assume they don't sell - again this comes down to the argument about whether Delcampe are right not to charge a listing fee, which can be a 'two-edged sword' - if a fee is charged, do sellers then go elsewhere and so reduce choice for buyers, or do we stick with the status quo?

    I'm not convinced by the argument that buyers get put off by all the dross on the site and give up in disgust - I have sold quite a few items where there are quite a few identical on the site but have sold on basis of price & quality.

    Like everything else, it takes time for potential buyers to find you and check out your stock - the more you have listed, the more likely that you will 'hit' a buyer and the more likely those people will return - it took me about 3-4 months before I got any significant turnaround on my items listed and then only when I'd about 5-600 in my store, and now get about 50% repeat business, including material I first list almost 2 years ago!

    I would recommend you stick with it, increase your listings and therefore your presence on the site, and with it should come the sales.
    • Created on Jul 28, 2011 at 5:58 AM
    • #345698
    Thanks. I'll take your advice. Much appreciated.
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    • Created on Jul 27, 2011 at 3:17 AM
    • #345543
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  • mainlypostcards

    3540 messages

    United Kingdom

    As a newcomer to collecting and selling postcards, I find the whole pricing thing totally confusing. I've been using Delcampe as my price guide, but from what these threads have been saying, I could be grossly overpricing my own sales.

    Then there is the problem of visibility. I would happily sell most of my cards for much lower prices, but I find that if you offer cards at rock bottom prices, nobody gives them any credibility, and they get no views at all.

    For example, I have a 'carnet' which is a nice thing. An identical one is for sale on the site for 42 euros. If I put mine on at half the price, (actually I would be ecstatic with ten quid), will buyers suspect that there is something dubious about it? And, if I underprice everything, does that start to devalue such items generally?

    For the time being I have moved my selling back to Ebay, because I feel like such a novice on this site. As a learner, I would have appreciated it if Delcampe published a beginners guide to pricing, with basic info about what collectors seek and value, also info on collectable photographers etc. I know there are books and magazines, but Delcampe is where selling is real and where market fluctuations are most immediate.
    • Created on Jul 28, 2011 at 3:38 AM
    • #345678
    Sometimes for less common items I still check prices of similar cards before listing and base my prices on that. The best thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the names of those sellers who grossly overprice and ignore their items. Alternatively sort by cheapest first and you'll soon reach a realistic level.

    Wycombe, it would be nice if we could exclude items from certain sellers - maybe the blacklist could be adapted to be used in that way.

    I don't think it's possible to give an accurate price guide. There are too many different types of postcards and too many different factors that effect the price and on top of that some cards seem to go in and out of "fashion" as well. I find that there is one particular artist who only seems to fetch about 40 - 50% of what she used to get about 4 years ago.
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    There should be a way to exclude items from particular sellers when doing a search!

    Unfortunately this is one of the 'side effects' of offering free listing to bulk sellers. This has happned in other sectors as well - my main area phonecards is also clogged up with overpriced Japanese cards for almost every subject under the sun. When Ebay offered free listings to private sellers I remember there suddenly appearing many thousands of individually priced common cards being offered at exhorbitant prices. Their site was flooded with them. Ebay got around this by not allowing its listing tool to be used by private sellers for free listings. What the remedy is on Delcampe I really have no idea!

    For sure these people do not sell very much at their inflated prices as most collectors are not fools. The answer I suspect would lie in a more sophisticated search tool to enable a buyer to exclude items from such sellers.
    • Created on Jul 27, 2011 at 9:53 AM
    • #345597
    This information is no longer available because the user’s account has been deleted (GDPR)
  • Account deleted
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    0 messages

    United States

    As a newcomer to collecting and selling postcards, I find the whole pricing thing totally confusing. I've been using Delcampe as my price guide, but from what these threads have been saying, I could be grossly overpricing my own sales.

    Then there is the problem of visibility. I would happily sell most of my cards for much lower prices, but I find that if you offer cards at rock bottom prices, nobody gives them any credibility, and they get no views at all.

    For example, I have a 'carnet' which is a nice thing. An identical one is for sale on the site for 42 euros. If I put mine on at half the price, (actually I would be ecstatic with ten quid), will buyers suspect that there is something dubious about it? And, if I underprice everything, does that start to devalue such items generally?

    For the time being I have moved my selling back to Ebay, because I feel like such a novice on this site. As a learner, I would have appreciated it if Delcampe published a beginners guide to pricing, with basic info about what collectors seek and value, also info on collectable photographers etc. I know there are books and magazines, but Delcampe is where selling is real and where market fluctuations are most immediate.
    • Created on Jul 28, 2011 at 3:38 AM
    • #345678
    This information is no longer available because the user’s account has been deleted (GDPR)
  • Account deleted
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    United Kingdom

    This information is no longer available because the user’s account has been deleted (GDPR)
    • Created on Jul 27, 2011 at 3:17 AM
    • #345543
    This information is no longer available because the user’s account has been deleted (GDPR)

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