I think Sample Set cards are undervalued and this is not the right time to sell (are a long term hold).
But still, this is a good example of how selling a complete set doesn’t work the way you think it might a lot of the time:
10 Likes
Sets always work against urgency. If you’re looking to sell fast it will almost always sell below what it should. If you’re looking to buy quickly you will almost always pay a premium.
24 Likes
Great advice.
Thanks for sharing this, @Leo. I’ve definitely benefited from sellers hastily selling off lots like this. It’s a good reminder to sell pieces individually. If this seller had made 10 separate auctions, I would guess that the total amount would be much greater.
Most people are not looking to buy a complete set, they’re looking for a single card or two. Better to cater to them because those who want the full set will bid on each of the auctions anyway.
4 Likes
I think it’s especially bad for something so expensive and niche. Your buyer pool is already relatively low as it is.
I’d imagine a decent chunk of the buyer pool for these cards are people that have some of the set and are trying to finish it. Another big chunk of the buyer pool would be people who are looking for one or two of these cards individually. You’re alienating both groups by selling this way.
7 Likes
what do you think those should have gone for?
Not the time to samples as they’re not appreciated for what they are.
But TCA sold a complete set PSA 10 the same night - individually - minus pikachu and that totaled $12,176. That says it all.
No way they Pika (the highest priced card in the set) would’ve gotten less than 10k. IMO it would be prob gone for 15k+. He lost out on a minimum of $10k by selling as a lot.
2 Likes
Rusty recently sold a BGS 9 Pikachu for >$7,000.
2 Likes
I was really surprised by how low these were selling for. I couldn’t justify the set for 12k but picked up some of the singles. They really were cheap compared to what they went for in May. I think the market was just flooded with a relatively niche card
2 Likes
Damn, I would’ve bidded on this if I had known about it.
1 Like
I want that Chansey. One day
1 Like
At the same time, if someone is just starting to approach these and wants to jump in, they might decide to knock the whole sucker out at once. So if you’re willing to wait, you might get the right buyer at a great price for both of you. That’s how I bought most of my complete sets (though they were set set, and not specialized sets).
Buying whole sets depends for me. For example, I’m trying to knock out pop series complete sets. I’ve found a couple complete sets where the cards are all in good condition where they are selling for less that the individual cards of the whole set added up. Like Pfm said, if you’re in a rush, complete sets can scratch that itch but they often have a premium added to them.
Knowing when a complete set is priced at the market value of all the cards added up, or come with bonus/extra cards to sweeten the pot is key.
There are a ton of people that could drop 1k on a card without thinking. There are few people who could drop 20k at once. For the median person, that’s like the difference between a paycheck and a yearly salary in terms of magnitude. If you don’t have 2 people that are both ready to drop 20k and interested in this set at the same time it just won’t do well. If you have 3 people with 30k ready to go that really want the set, it will do really well. It’s a gamble because such a small difference in the buyer pool will lead to a massive difference in price.
This is why the sale price of the highest end items in the hobby should never be surprising because the bigger the price tag, the bigger the auction price variability.
If you split up the set, each item will have way more competition and the price will end closer to the expected value. If you don’t split it up, you better hope that some oil barons and real estate moguls are paying attention otherwise you get the outcome shown here.
10 Likes
Really interesting to read you all guys, thanks.
I’m the one that bought Machoke and Machamp back in May 23.
This time I bought Machop (to complete evolution line) and Rapidash (rare and beautiful).
I was also surprise to see how low this cards went for. I knew it was going to be lower because of Xmas but I was still surprised.
An auction on the whole set is indeed a big buyer win but personnally, I can’t afford to buy $10000+ straight, unfortunately I will have to pay $20000 in total.
Those are so niche items I could see we are only 2-3 people betting on them since the cards I don’t bet for ends with a way lower auction price (i.e. Machamp from $2000 to $1000).
I’m doing my best to advertise them as they are grails to me but, you know, there are charizards out there.
One last point I wanted to add is the availability. Those cards were only in auction one week from the US ebay vault. I’m from France and to be part of this auction, I had to use several tricks. In Europe, we are only few people motivated enough to reach those items.
Anyway, feel free to contact me on insta, I love to talk about niche items!
6 Likes
Very good points!
1 Like
My bet is you will not regret picking those up several years from now. I saw the recent auctions as well and was surprised.
Sample set continues to fly very low under the radar. I think pokemon is not a hobby yet that fully appreciates prototypes and test prints. It’s still young.
I reluctantly had to part with my Chansey and Ghastly due to financial emergencies and they were the last thing I wanted to sell.
3 Likes