The Boring Process of Winning an eBay Auction Made Better by Blogging

2017 Immaculate Collection Andrew McCutchen Multi Relic /10

When the majority of your collection comes via eBay auction you lack those unique cardboard obtaining experiences.  See card, like card, bid on card....hope for good deal.  I'm always envious of those that have access to weekly card shows or high quality shops.  When I was in Boston last year Mark Hoyle and Shane from Shoebox Legends tipped me off about a nice shop they frequent. I spent all afternoon digging in boxes and talking to the owner.  That experience was sooooo much more than my standard eBay auction win.  

Maybe this is why I like blogging so much. While not quite the in person experience, it adds an extra fun element. When I first started I mentioned that I was craving some interaction in regards to collecting.  You add blog post to the end of the eBay purchasing process and it becomes a little more enjoyable/personable.  

Obviously I'm aware that most don't care that I added a new Cutch card, but posts like this can tell all kinds of stories.  Maybe you completed a set, came across a card you didn't know existed or just got a crazy ass deal.  Blogging gives us a nice medium to give a virtual high five to one of your collecting cohorts or to learn something new.  Often when I see posts of new cards purchased I often look to see what Pirates are in those sets.  Don't be afraid of the "look what I just got" post. It may prove more useful than you think.

With all that being said this one card post probably won't be that useful :) 

I've posted several cards from Immaculate over the course of 2017 because so many bargains exist on the secondary market.  I paid $11.50 for this card right before Christmas.  The low price can  be solely attributed to the holiday season.  The same card sold for $45 in mid November.  I'll take it!

Thanks for reading. 

Ebb and Flow

The Pirates broke the old compensation system in the 2011 draft when they picked Gerrit Cole in the first round and Josh Bell in the second. Altogether they spent 17 million in bonuses which destroyed the previous record set by the Nationals the year before. The system would change to the slot system shortly after.

Josh Bell was considered a top ten talent, but had a strong commitment to the University of Texas. He even went as far to instruct all teams not to waste a pick on him.  The Pirates disregarded Bell's request and offered him a 5 million dollar signing bonus which was astronomically high for a 2nd round pick.  Obviously it was an offer he couldn't refuse.

With that kind of background story you will have considerable hype in terms of cardboard.  Early on his cards were on fire and selling for big $ amounts. While I love collecting prospect cards, you can easily go broke if you don't set some ground rules.  I've often discussed that I assume every player will have some kind of lull in their minor league development that makes for a good time to go back and stock up.  You could have bought Aaron Judge cards for a couple of bucks two years back. Sure the Harper's and Trout's exist but they are definitely the minority.

Bell would go on and have several injury plagued minor league seasons that allowed me to go and find some nice cards. 

 The story has a happy ending though as Bell would regain his prospect form and make his debut in Pittsburgh in 2016 and capture the starting first base job in 2017.  Now his cards are much more in demand. I've only been able to secure a few "hit" based cards.

 

2017 Immaculate Collection Josh Bell Multi Jersey /25

As usual the non licensed stuff tends to stay in a price range I'm comfortable with. I picked this card up not long after Immaculate's release.  Normally this is not a good idea, but Bell started to really gain some secondary market steam soon after so it was good timing.  

2017 Diamond Kings Josh Bell Auto/Jersey /299

Brian pulled this DK auto for me in one of our box breaks earlier this year.  I was very thankful for that. 

In some ways I'm happy when a certain player becomes too expensive because that means he has had a successful transition to MLB. Hopefully Bell continues his success and becomes a true cardboard superstar like Cutch turned into. 

Thanks for reading! 

Low Ballin'

Panini for all its faults has two really nice high end sets to cherry pick off of eBay. If you like on card autos or patches you will hard pressed to find better prices on the secondary market than National Treasures or Immaculate Collection.

Of course the big names will still carry good value, but if you are a team collector you can really find some great deals on mid level stars and rookies.  Lately I've been on a Tyler Glasnow kick and have been accumulating some nice cards, many of which fall under $5.

 2016 National Treasures Tyler Glasnow Triple Jersey Auto /99

2017 Immaculate Collection Tyler Glasnow Jersey Patch /99

The auto was actually part of a lot that included a Jameson Taillon auto that only sold for around $7, and the multi patch card cost around $5. Glasnow is featured so much in this years Immaculate Collection that I basically just look at auctions that are close to ending and put low ball bids on all of them. Being that he was a pretty high end rookie at the beginning of the year means he has been featured in every set.  The market is saturated so cheap cards are going to fall through the cracks. While I don't win a ton, I would say I'm winning 3 cards a month for basically the price of pack of flagship each. 

I suggest looking at the checklists of these sets and trying it out.  I'll think you will be surprised at how successful you can be.