To get one thing perfectly clear, the purpose of this article is not to ridicule or embarrass the eBay’er that listed this card for auction. I came across this listing while on a Derek Sanderson binge one night and it stood out like a sore thumb. The purpose of pointing out this listing in this article is to help people with their potential eBay hockey card listings so that they can get the best return on their investment.
Three things struck me about this listing:
- The listing information was simply wrong.
- The starting bid price was too high.
- The wording in the extra details.
Misinformation in the heading:
This is NOT Derek Sanderson’s rookie card! The Derek Sanderson rookie card is number 33 in the 1967-68 Topps set. All other information in the heading is correct. It must be O-Pee-Chee because Topps excluded Sanderson from their 1970-71 set, which was half the size of the O-Pee-Chee issue. The difference in book value from this card to the real Sanderson RC is $105.
Why does this leave a bad taste if all other info is correct? This simply could fool someone ‘not in the know’ into thinking this card is something it’s not. It would be similar to a Honda dealer advertising a 2012 Civic Si when, in fact, the car is a Civic LX.
Starting bid price too high:
As an eBay seller, you have the right to list your product at whatever price you want. However, the Beckett range on this card is from $8 to $20 for a mint condition card. If this card was listed as ‘Buy it now’ and not as an auction, the price would be justified. The highest starting bid I would use would be half the lower range Beckett value – $4. However, most items I list now have a standard start price of $.99. The lower start bid will attract more attention and watchers. The more attention and watchers, the more likely a bidding war could breat out. Typically, the final price will end up closely reflecting the book value of the card anyway. Most importantly, the card will sell.
More attention to customer service in the details:
What struck a note: “Feedback will be left as soon I received mine”. Ignore the blatant grammatical error. I find with a lot of eBay vendors that there’s a pawn shop/flea market mentality when it comes to customer service. Well, if I’m looking for any given hockey card at any given time, I will find dozens on eBay. What differentiates your listing from all the others can come down to something as simple as a nine word line in your details. (see my previous article on “The Pet Peeves of an eBay Buyer“)
Give and you shall receive. Always give positive feedback without a concern of getting positive feedback in return. So many times I’ve seen similar ‘macho’ lines referring to the giving of feedback. Your goal as a vendor should be giving that customer the most satisfying experience he/she has ever had when purchasing anything on-line. Treat it like a business because, essentially, that is what it is. The better you treat your customer, the more likely that customer will save you as a seller and return to purchase more off you in the future.
What would I do? Eliminate that line completely. The same goes for lines like “Serious collectors only” or “Buyers with a feedback rating lower than X are prohibited from bidding”. Yes – I have actually seen these lines in eBay listings!!
Summary:
This seller relisted the item for another seven days and after once again receiving no bids, did not relist again. At the same time as when I found this listing, I bid on a 1968-69 Topps #6 Derek Sanderson hockey card, valued as high as $25 by Beckett. I put in a maximum bid of $10 and won the item for $6.50. The shipping and handling was ridiculously low at $2.00 from the United States to Canada.
Be careful with the details of your listing and provide a service that you yourself would be pleased with if you were the customer.