Grand Cards said...Here here! Personally, I'm not terribly concerned about card pricing--I want cards that I don't have and will give away something more valuable to get it. I agree that these things are relative to the people trading, although there is certainly a market price (eBay) out there as a benchmark. More importantly, having just started out on Zistle, it is a fun way to organize my collection, make trading easier and keep track of things. My biggest complaint is that their checklists are severely lacking and are mostly user generated. If they could find a way to get the checklists straight from the companies--they way that beckett does--then it would be killer. In the meantime, I'll keep uploading my cards little by little to do my part. I encourage everyone to at least go there and check it out.
Don said...I also am slowly uploading my collection to Zistle. I like it, and find it useful. I will also second the comment on checklists. The checklists are lacking, but I find myself concentrating on filling in the holes in the set checklist before adding my cards. When I add my cards I will fill in the team name field (if it is empty) for most sets, unless it is a Fleer set.
I will comment on value with the same thing I tell everyone else. My collection is only worth what someone is willign to pay for it.
skoormit said...I use Zistle nearly every single day to keep my collection organized. I don't really use it for pricing information. But I don't really care about pricing information all that much. I just want other people to be able to find the cards that I have that they want and vice versa as easily as possible.
Collective Troll said...I see your point... BUT if it was say a 1:4 JP Howell card, that would be way more valuable to me than the Jeter. Its just as hard to pull, but the value lays with who wants it...
Rod said...I would just as soon trade a Jeter or Pujols for a Adrian Gonzalez straight across, because I dont collect Jeter or Pujols and do Gonzalez. If you get what you want and I get what I want, sounds good to me.
Carl Crawford Cards said...I tend to agree with Troll and Rod. I've made a trade or two where I'm sure the other guy felt like he was getting a "steal" or something, but I was in a position to hook the guy up, relatively speaking, and he had some stuff I was really after. With my limited budget. I do what I have to to get what I want.
Conversely, I posted recently about a reader who hooked me up in a major way with a ton of '73s, including some stars, for about 10 Heritage Sps.
No one discussed book, etc., and everyone was stoked in the end,
And speaking of, you're Bonds and Maddux go in the mail tomorrow. I'm been out of packing supplies, and so delayed.
Ashley said...Hey--it is Ashley from Zistle. I just wanted to mention our opinion a few topics.
1. We are not huge pricing nuts and don't think that the hobby should be all about "book". That is why we comb through prices on sites like ebay and check out my cards to give you an idea of the price on the market right now. We don't vouch that it is perfect and we also don't charge anything for it. Why? Because we know that you could use this amazing thing called the internet and figure it out yourself. But, we know that isn't always convenient so we added what we think is a neat feature.
2. If you want to pay your hard earned money for unreliable information so that you can squabble over book price - good for you. We aren't trying to beat Beckett on pricing. We also recognize that combing ebay and retail sites isn't perfect and make no claims to be perfect. We offer an average of recent prices and transactions as well as the lowest transaction to provide a frame of reference.
3. I think you should consider Zistle if you are interested in being part of a tightly knit community of hobbyists who believe that grouping together and creating our own library is more powerful than relying on someone else to provide that data. You should join Zistle if you want to use a website that makes sense and doesn't leave you wanting to pull your hair out. You should join Zistle if you want to have your questions answered quickly, feel like you matter, and don't risked getting banned for mentioning a competitors name. You join Zistle if you like to contribute and share your collection and love of the hobby with others. That is what Zistle is about.
JD's Daddy said...Zistle eh? Sounds cool to me (uh oh did Beckett just ban me??). Truth be told I have a beckett online membership simply to use their pricing as a way to determine what I have. There are so many parallels and subsets that I need to see the checklist. I am totally about giving zistle a go though...
AdamE said...I have teh perfect card pricing tool. It isn't Beckett, ebay, or Zistle. It is simply this. Red Sox cards are gold and everything else is worthless.
Seriously I haven't bought a beckett since sometime in the 90s, no need. I don't look on ebay to see prices either, no need. All you have to do is remember that the more popular the player and theshorterprintedthe card the more it is worth in trade.
The only time I would consider using any kind of book would be if I was trading some kind of important vintage card for fairness. (Mays, Aaron, Williams, Clemente, Yaz)
