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View Full Version : Is the "Economy" really lowering Game Used Prices?



hockeytigers
11-03-2009, 09:51 AM
I just wanted to start out by saying that I have only been collecting game used jerseys for about a year and a half but recently, I have been seeing jersey prices going through the roof and people are buying them! I bid on a couple of jerseys on Ebay and one on NFL auctions last night and lost all of them and I felt like I over bid on all three!! I wasn't even close to winning 2 of the 3!

Just curious if anyone is experiencing this?

jhunt28
11-03-2009, 11:33 AM
Great post! I'm with you!! I'm a Jets fan, so I was watching the Jets/Titans jerseys. Shonn Green sold for $1,500 because he had ONE good game against one of the worst franchises in NFL history (Oakland for anyone who was wondering)...and $2,500 for a Leon Washington gamer? I recently picked up an Alan Faneca Titans gamer for $515, and this is an EIGHT TIME PRO-BOWLER. I also picked up a Kris Jenkins gamer for under $600, and he's a 4 time Pro Bowler. I guess my judgement of what these jerseys are worth is completely skewed. If anyone on this board bought the Green or Washington, more power to you, and I'm in no way judging what you do with your money. I just don't understand why some of these items get the prices they do?

indyred
11-03-2009, 12:21 PM
Not on new stuff. Also really hard to judge NFL.com auctions or even NHL.com auctions. Stuff always seems to sell very high there. Once in awhile you can get some stuff that flies under the radar.
Jhunt great pick up on AFL Titans Faneca. That was a nice price.

mariner_gamers
11-03-2009, 01:21 PM
I have noticed the past 3 months or so people are slowly getting better prices and more good stuff is starting to reappear. Just before the recession really got rolling folks were dumping good items because they could still get reasonable prices for them. I was able to score several nice pieces of Mariners stuff I had not seen in years at good prices. Then prices dropped and so did a lot of the supply.

Over the past 3 months I have added about 40 Mariners items to my collection all at decent prices for both buyer and seller. Just in the last week I have been outbid on items that 4 months ago would not have gotten an opening bid. I hope it is an indication that things(peoples perceptions) have at least stabilized and we will continue to see good items at reasonable prices. Keep in mind I collect items usually priced between $10 and $150 so this is the market I am familiar with.

Of course there are still a lot of wealthy and/or very determined folks out there and certain items will pull a lot of demand regardless of economy.

Jags Fan Dan
11-03-2009, 04:46 PM
If you are talking about NFL auctions, their stuff always goes insanely high.

skyking26
11-03-2009, 06:08 PM
More material is hitting the market as people lose their jobs and face hardships... However, I have seen no lowering of prices or deals to speak of...

dcgreg25
11-04-2009, 12:14 PM
hockeytigers, good thread. I tend to think that prices had dipped from their peaks but have rebounded in the past few months and appear to be on the upswing. The bottom of the GU market probably tied in with the bottom of the stock market about a year or so ago. GU items are a discretionary purchase and people were hoarding cash fearful of where the economy was going. The perception of more economic stability has brought the buyers out bringing prices back up.

I have bought a number of items recently for what I think are fair but aggressive prices and am seeing more quality items than I have in the past year. It will be interesting to see the results from November/December auctions at GUU, Lelands, Grey Flannel, etc.

legaleagle92481
11-04-2009, 02:25 PM
I don't think it is affected at all because their collections seem to be the last thing people sell and people who are in dire straits are not buying more of this stuff until they recover. Yes, some "steals" at times pop-up on Ebay but they do not last long as someone sees the low price and buys the item now shortly after the auction goes up. On league site auctions there will rarely be steals because so many people use those sites. The steals that occur tend to be like those the Jhunt got: players who don't get much buzz and are not well-known by the average fan. Faneca and Jenkins are very good players and in mind opinion Faneca is a hall of famer oneday but they are not on fantasy teams, do not make highlight reels or get much ink. If you notice on Jo sports, Steiner Sports etc. the lowest priced jerseys are the guys who do not play skill positions (particularly lineman) even though some of them have been to multiple pro bowls and have had much greater careers then those of guys who play skill positions but whose jerseys are selling for 2x or 3x as much on the same sites.

cjclong
11-04-2009, 02:26 PM
There are always going to be some things going for high prices in any economy but common sense says when people have less money to spend it has an effect. I still make an occasional buy, but there are several things I would have probably purchased a couple of years ago that I let go this year. If I'm doing that then a lot of others are also.

David
11-04-2009, 03:16 PM
One thing to remember is that if a very small percentage of people collect a certain type of thing, the overall economy doesn't automatically effect their purchasing. If 1 percent of the people buy and sell 1880s Old Judge baseball cards, an economic downturn of the other 99% percent of the population may not effect, or have lesser effect on, the sales of Old Judges. The other 99 percent weren't buying Old Judges in the first place.

David
11-04-2009, 03:18 PM
In short, there often will be a relation, but the overall economy and the purchasing of Yankees batting helmets isn't a 1-to-1 ratio.

cohibasmoker
11-05-2009, 10:35 AM
For me, there are other factors that seem to be effecting the hobby:

Supply and Demand: - Back in the day, gw items weren't that easy to get. Today, items are all over the marketplace ie, Red Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, etc;
Quality: If you buy a Cadillac as opposed to a Hyundai, the trade-in will always be better for the Cadillac. Sure, you may pay more for the Caddy, but the return will be more;
Age: I believe a person's age should factor into the equation. As a for example, I really believe that 5-6 people drove the market for vintage Phillies memorabilia. A few of these people have dropped out of the market for different reasons and I believe that has affected the values of vintage Phillies memorabilia.
Economy: 9.8% unemployment; Trillion dollar deficits, higher Federal, State and local taxes another "Stimulus Plan" in the works, Cap and Trade Bill and the mega-monster "Healtcare Bill". Wait until Congress passes their "Value Added Tax" of 4.5% for most goods purchased in the USA.
Choices: Because fiscally responsible people are watching the economy, I believe they will continue to collect but they will be more selective in what they buy.

I will say that my post is NOT politically motivated. One cannot ignore what's going on in the economy and since Washington is controlling the economy, one cannot be separated from the other. Every dollar that's taken out of our pockets for any of the above factors listed in the "ECONOMY" section, is one less dollar we have to spend within the hobby. No, my comments are anything but politically motivated.

Hopefully, my comments won't offend any forum members.

Jim

flaa1a@comcast.net

cohibasmoker
11-08-2009, 09:23 AM
I will answer the naysayers complaints before they can be posted. This thread IS NOT about politics. It's about fiscal responsibility. Some of us practice it, some of us don't. Before you check out the link, be prepared for a shock.

So, the next time you are trying to decide on a piece of memorabilia, remember this, every dollar that is taken out of our pockets is one less dollar for memorabilia.

This link is for the just passed so-called health-care bill. You can look up any bill that has been passed and see just how much it will cost per family. Change? You got it. Enjoy

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_HR_3962.html

Jim