Ebay Best Practice #2

So I am doing my daily Ebay search to finish my 08 Sterling Gold Patch Auto set. I only need 2 more (the Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm. Both #/20), but I search through all the new listings to see if I can upgrade any of my patches. And today I come across this auction:

DeSean DeShouldn't

First of all, this guy has about 6 of these listed exactly the same way. And I know that these redemptions were going for 40+ when this product was hot. So I am pretty sure that he is taking a loss on most, if not all of these by listing at $20 with BIN of $30.

Secondly, and most importantly, check out the description. I quote: "beckett value $80.00 best buy now on ebay GET HIM NOW". There are a number of things wrong with this one statement.

1. He shoots himself in the foot by listing all 6 at once. GET HIM NOW would indicate that I don't have a lot of options for this card. But why am I in a hurry as a customer to BIN at $30 if I know there are 5 other options up? If he wants to maximize each cards value, then list one at a time. This gives the impression to the customer that this card is harder to find than it really is, thus creating a false ceiling for at least the first couple.

2. If the Beckett Value has any accuracy at all, then why sell for over 60% off of that price? If Beckett Value is grounded in actual sales from shows and such, then this seller should have absolutely no problem selling at least 90% of the listed price. But no, this seller already knows that the market has positioned this card to be around $20-35 depending on the patch. So he prices it accordingly. So why, WHY even mention the fact that the Beckett value is $80? How long do you think Edmunds Blue Book would stay relevant if they over-priced their cars by over 60%. The answer is not very long. And the answer to why he mentions Beckett value is because he knows that by using those words it attracts morons like a predator drone is attracted to a Jihadist with a sparkler.

3. If you look into the item, you'll also notice that apparently Beckett has this card "going up" in its latest rag. Which is really funny, cause this card actually has fallen in value (like the rest of the sterling autos) over the last 3 months. Not for any fault of the player, just because the market is more crowded with other options. I just find it funny that it is even mentioned. If I had no hands, and it took me 3 hours to search the completed auctions for 'desean jackson sterling auto' correctly with my nose, this still wouldn't be relevant information. But that's just me.

I for one just can't stand when I see Beckett anywhere in an EBay auction. It really has no place and that is obvious to anyone who has ever read the magazine. Because you see, Beckett has created it's own world; where cards are worth whatever your wildest dreams make them worth. And EBay resides in the real world, where the free market decides. I'll take the real world any day.

*Editors note - I failed to mention in the original post that I actually applaud the sellers asking price. It's actually right around the going rate. I don't take issue with that. I just hate the way he went about it. That is all.