What I've Learned Selling on COMC

I just started selling some cards on COMC, and I’m pretty happy with my overall experience.  The system is easy to use and conducive to my goals.

BUT, I’ve had a lot of “if I knew then what I know now” moments I’d like to share with both buyers and any prospective sellers out there.  Here are a few things you may or may not have known about using COMC.

1. You have to pay 25 cents per card up front before they will begin processing your submission

In my first submission I sent about 300 cards using the 30-day processing option.  Upon receipt of my cards they e-mailed me a bill for $75.00.  For some reason I'd gotten it in my head that the site took the 25 cents they were charging me out of the proceeds of the sale of the card.  Not so.  You pay that up front.

I get it, too.  It costs them money to process your cards.  They have to scan and catalog and put it in a penny sleeve and keep your inventory correct and up-to-date, so they should be paid up-front.  Makes sense.  No complaints.

2. 30 days means 30 days

If you choose the 30-day option, it will take 30 days to process.  That estimate is dead-on accurate, so don’t expect to be selling cards in 29 days. 

This also means that everyone else has also had that time to submit cards for sale, so while you may not have seen the card you have on their system and think you’ll have the only one available, that may not be the case in a month.  There'll probably be several available by that time, and you will suddenly have to price competitively.  If the value of your card is time-sensitive (such as with anything from a brand-new set or a flash-in-the-pan rookie) eBay may be a better option.

3. They automatically add 25 cents to the price you set

COMC adds 25 cents to the price of every card I sell to be paid by the buyer - that’s on top of the 25 cents they already charged me to process the card.  If I price a card at 50 cents, the actual list price for the buyer is 75 cents.  I hadn't read that before making my submission, so it caught me off guard and pretty much changed my whole selling strategy.

4. Book value goes out the window

And it should, anyway.  This is pure market price, and you’re competing with eBay as well as all those other sellers.  This means you can't send a card just because it's listed in Beckett.  In fact, I've started using COMC as my price guide.  I believe this is the future of the hobby, but that's a whole other post.

5. You pay a storage fee of a penny per month per item priced over $.75

I never read that before submitting cards.  Now I know.

6. Damaged cards could cost you

If they feel your submission is in poor enough condition to mention it to the buyer, they charge you an extra 25 cents.  For vintage cards it looks like they have divided cards into classes to keep vintage sellers from having to constantly pay that fee.  Smart.

7. Price competitively, not stupidly

So let’s talk about competitive pricing.  A lot of the cards I sent were going for much less than I thought they would, and in an effort to be competitive with the other sellers and get the cards I sent in to move, I found myself pricing them for less than what it cost me to list. Not good.

I have since gone back and repriced all my submitted cards at a minimum of $.25 (buyer price $.50).  My cards are not the first that pop up, but I’m not losing money, either.

While I was reviewing my inventory I found that some sellers are constantly reevaluating their pricing to stay just a penny or two cheaper than the next seller so their card pops up first in searches, even if it means they lose money on the deal.  That’s crazy.  I refuse to lose money on this (I spend enough on cards as it is), and I hate this practice; so I’ve started only buying cards that are priced at 50 cents or more.   I realize this may seem foolish to some, but I do it out of principle.

8. Be selective about what you send

When you see a card on COMC listed for less than $.50, it is more than likely costing that seller money to sell you that card.  The way I use the site, I have to sell cards for 50 cents just to break even.  This has made me a lot more selective in what I send them now.

I just sent my second box of cards to COMC for processing.  Every one of them is currently going for $1.00 or more or is not listed for sale at all yet, so this batch should be a lot more successful.

Anyone else with COMC tips, please share them below. 

Do You Remember Dawber?: A PWE from Mark's E-Femme-era

I got a PWE from Mark of Mark's Ephemera loaded with 70's kitsch.

I have never seen the Sgt. Pepper's tribute movie that was done in the late 70's, despite the all-star cast and the fact that my father-in-law has the soundtrack on vinyl (yikes, BTW).  It seems really stupid which is a sign that it probably spawned some amazing cardboard.  Case in point: the card shown above.  That thing is a masterpiece.

Our cart technology is light years ahead of yours....

Mark also sent me these great cards from Space: 1999.  I'm crazy about campy sci-fi, especially that of the 70's.  Great logo.

Sadly I never watched the show.  I grew up watching a lot of Nick at Nite, so I’m more heavily versed in shows like Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, My Three Sons, The Patty Duke Show, Get Smart, Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp, and The Many Loves of Doby Gillis.  Of all the shows that have been on Nick at Nite through the years, you might think that the pre-teen boy I once was preferred Petticoat Junction.  Not so - I was more of a Get Smart fan, though Doby Gillis was definitely ahead of its time. 

Eventually I did grow up and figured out what the big deal was with Petticoat Junction; but that was lust, not love.  The PCJ sisters were who you wanted to spend a weekend with, but they were not for settlin’ down.

For that you needed Mork & Mindy.

This is the show that made Robin Williams a household name; but to me, the star of the show was Mindy played by the lovely Pam “Hot Diggity” Dawber.

I spotted El Dawberino in a recent post on Mark’s Ephemera, and Mark himself generously offered to PWE her to me.

The Dawbster clearly had a great sense of humor and endless patience for her coke-addled co-star who was constantly jumping around the set like a baboon on, well, coke.  She was also a cutie-pie.

Is it just me or is that tooth-to-gum ratio irresistible?

Pam later appeared as Helen Knable in the 1992 film Stay Tuned along with fellow 70’s TV staple and all-around great guy John Ritter.  The film also featured America’s favorite pederast Jeffrey Jones (aka Principal Rooney from Ferris Bueller).

I did not pull this image from the Internet.  This is a scan of my personal copy.

Dawbalicious is currently married to Mark Harmon from NCIS.  Pam is the ex-sister-in-law of rocker Ricky Nelson and fabled auto executive John DeLorean (yeah, the time machine guy).

Thanks a lot, Mark!  I'll find something good to send back your way.  In the mean time, I'm off to find Pam Dawber's autograph on eBay.  (note: found it - 6 bucks!)

My Incredible Luck With 2013 Topps Update

I have not bought much Update at all.  The reason for that is I only really want the Griffeys, and they are few and far between.  That doesn't mean I haven't bought any, but I have no plans to invest in, say, a whole hobby box.

The real prizes consist of an SP Griffey, an SSP Griffey, and an SP Tony Gwynn that happens to feature Griffey.  The eBay prices on all three of these cards are super high, so I figured I shouldn't get my hopes up for pulling any of them from a pack.

Yet it seems that when I do spend money on Update, I get hits.  Good hits.  This has never been my luck, so I'm inclined to show you what I'm talking about.

My first taste of Update was a pair of rack packs from Wal-Mart, cost: $10.00.  The first was OK, but the second had this:

I'll admit that I'm not very familiar with this guy and will probably end up trading it, but it's still better than most packs I've opened of just about any 2013 product.  I was pleased.

My next acquisition came from a jumbo box group break run by Red Sox Fan in Nebraska, total cost: $10.00  I ended up with the Mariners and the Giants.  Here are my hits from that:

Two amazing King Felix relics.  I've never had so much success from a group break.  How nice is that pin card?

I stopped at my local card shop on Friday and picked up a pair of hobby packs on the way out, cost: $4.00.  I opened them in the car and pulled this:

I am a huge fan of the Wizard, so I was ecstatic to land this bad boy.  Great-looking card.

A few hours ago I was at a Wal-Mart making groceries.  I wasn't going to buy any cards at all.  I wanted to just check out and go, but just before it was my turn to start loading items onto the conveyor belt I asked the lady behind me in line to watch my cart and ran to the card rack.  I decided on a hangar box, cost: $10.00.

It turned out to be the best hangar box I ever bought.

I'm so glad my wife wasn't home to see me dork out of this awesome pull.  One SP down, three to go. 

And that's not all.  Check out the blue-borders I got:

Those all came from the same box.  Amazing.

A mini Trout.  Throw it back! (fishing joke)

I need a Pirates collector to trade with.  I pull so many great Pirates cards.

Just a bunch of good-looking cards.  I think the photography in this Update set trumps the flagship set in many ways.

 A few more nice cards.

In all I've spent about $35.00 on Update.  That Gwynn/Griffey SP card alone is going for $60.00.  Should I count my blessings and call it a day, or keep on buying packs of Update?  There are two more SP Griffeys out there somewhere, and I have yet to pick up a blaster...

Night of 1000 Trades

My posts have been sporadic lately, something I am trying to remedy.  I had a little time Friday night that I had set aside for activities related to card blogging, and I decided that since I had not been writing blog posts anyway I might as well use that time to get some trades done.

Here's a list of zip codes that can expect something from me this week:

97202
13601
55129
16933
76522
75201
95119
43204
87499
23666
60706
Canada

I didn't have a zip code for this spot in Canada, but it is in Ontario.  There are a half dozen more peeps I have stuff to send to, but I am only one man.  Assembling and packaging is a lot of work which is why is tend to do it in spurts.  Hope everybody enjoys their stuff....

Hey, check this thing out:

Pretty sweet, right?

The Metamorphosis of Rex Hudler (Nachos Grande BBC Rd. 2)

This is my entry for Round 2 of the Nachos Grande Blogger Bracket Challenge.  Feel free to go there and vote for your favorite post if you're so inclined.

Once again, no ballplayers were harmed in the making of this blog post.  I’m a huge fan of everyone in it and wish them all well.  Also, please enjoy my mad MS Paint skills.

One more thing: the Hudler Family’s Down Syndrome charity website can be found here.  The part about building an accessible baseball field might make you cry.

Enjoy!

The Metamorphosis of Rex Hudler

Rex “Wonder Dog” Hudler, utility infielder and journeyman of the 80’s and 90’s, once ate a junebug for $800.  That’s not a joke - it’s a real thing that happened.  It was in the early 90’s when he was with St. Louis.  His teammates led by Tom Pagnozzi kept throwing money into the pot and egging our guy on until finally he caved and ate the poor little bug whole.

It earned Wonder Dog another nickname: “bug-eater.”  A bit literal, sure, but these are ballplayers not creative marketing types.  And you couldn’t blame the guy.  A cool eight bills tax-free just for munching a little bit of soulless protein wrapped in crunchy chitinous exoskeleton?  I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing.

Fast-forward to ’95 - Rex was in Anaheim playing infield for the Angels where his newfound love of tasty California bugs flourished.  Lady Beetles, Black Vine Weevils, Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs, Buffalo Treehoppers, they were all on the menu; but his favorite was the Monarch Caterpillar.  He could gobble them down by the handful while his teammates watched.  Some laughed, some were grossed out.  One time Garret Anderson threw up.  It was all in good fun…at first.

Before long Rex’s behavior began to change.  During Spring training Angels owner Gene Autry treated the whole team to a matinee of Johnny Mnemonic.  While everybody else munched on popcorn, Rex had Ziploc bags of caterpillar larvae he’d brought from home.  Soon the caterpillars replaced peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in Rex’s lunchbox, and eventually they were all anyone saw him eat. 

He also started to become more reclusive, spending his off days wandering around public parks and nearby wooded areas.  One day Jim Edmonds walked in on Rex huddled in the corner of the locker room, chewing on handfuls of milkweed.

It was a mild July afternoon when Rex first attached himself to one of the pillars in the dugout.  Everyone assumed it was just Rex goofing off again; but when he refused to move from the pole for hours, and eventually days, concern began to set in among his teammates.  Usually when someone ends up “on the pole” it’s to earn money for baby formula or to put themselves through “computer school,” but this was different.  Rex seemed to be physically attached to the pole, and none of them could pry him off.

Even Chili Davis couldn’t get him to budge which is amazing because when Chili tells you to get off the pole, you get off the pole.  

"Get off that pole, Rex!  You're acting like a damn fool!"

"Nope, stayin'."

Rex seemed to pay no mind at all to anyone’s attempts at reasoning with him.  By mid-season he had not only made it clear that he had no intention of separating from the post, Rex had become completely unresponsive to his teammates’ pleas. 

“He can’t stay up there forever, guys,” insisted hitting coach Rod Carew.  “Just leave him be.  He’ll come down when he’s ready.”  The team left for the All-Star Break with the hope that Rex would be back to his jovial, bug-eating self for the second half of the season.

A few days passed, and Jim Abbott and Chuck Finley were the first to arrive back at Anaheim Stadium after the break.  When they got to the dugout they were surprised to find Rex gone from his post, his cleats and uniform in a pile at the base of the pole.  “Where’s Rex?” Chuck asked.

“Maybe he heard we’ve got a three-game stint against the Mariners coming up and ran away,” responded Jim.

Finley grinned.  “You may be right.  They truly are the best in the West.”  The two shared an uneasy laugh of simultaneous fear and respect for the Seattle powerhouse when Chuck glanced out over the first base line.  Something there held his gaze.  “Hey, is that...is that…Wonder Dog??”

“’Sup, guys?  I’m a butterfly now.”

“Uhhhh…yeah, I can see that, Rex,“ said Chuck in disbelief.  “H-how are you going to play ball, buddy?  You’ve got no arms.”

“Don’t know.  Hey, you got any nectar?”

Chuck patted his pockets as though looking for nectar while Jim just stared, mouth agape.  “Um...no.”

“Oh….  Well, it was great seeing you.  Gotta get going.  I’m gonna go look for nectar, maybe fly down to Mexico.  Later, dudes.”  With a quick flap of his wings the Hudlerfly disappeared from view over the infield.

Chuck and Jim turned to each other in amazement, and Jim broke his stunned silence, “How do we tell the guys?  Nobody’s going to believe us, Chuck.”

“We’ll be put in the looney bin for sure if we tell the truth.”  Finley looked nervously around for anyone else who might have seen him talking to the insect, then back at the pile of clothes by the pole.  “Quick, hide that uniform.  This never happened.”

“Right.”  Jim began to bundle up the uniform from the ground but paused halfway through.  “Wait, was he still wearing his uniform cap?  That doesn’t make any s…..”

“Shhhhhhh….” Chuck interrupted.  “Never.  Happened.”

Weeks later Rex Hudler was still missing, and the search was eventually called off.  His loss had a devastating effect on the morale of the ’95 Angels that resulted in “statistically the worst late-season collapse in Major League Baseball history.”  They would lose their 10½ game lead at the break and eventually be put out of post-season contention by - you guessed it - the Seattle Mariners.

________________________________________________________________

Epilogue

Seventeen years later, far longer than the lifespan of your average Monarch Butterfly, Rex Hudler flitted his wings to land on a microphone in Kansas City, Missouri where he began calling a Royals game.  The other announcers were impressed at the bug’s insight and knowledge of the game, and before long he was named a full-time color commentator for the Royals where he remains to this day.  He’s pretty good at it, too, though he does have to pause occasionally to sip nectar through his proboscis.