Welcome back to the second edition of Buy/Sell/Hold In Action! It was nice to see different types of collectors taking interest in something that hasn't ever publicly been done before in our hobby, and hopefully over this journey I can provide you with little bits of wisdom to help you replicate the process!
In case you aren't privy to the rules of this challenge, or weren't able to catch last week's article, be sure to check out "Buy/Sell/Hold Week 1" to stay up to date!
RULES
Can only BUY trading cards from eBay and Really Good Vibes Trading Card Group
Can only SELL trading cards through eBay
Not allowed to TRADE cards
Not allowed to purchase NEW products or sealed stock
Provide a trackable spreadsheet (click to view!) which anyone is able to access which includes all purchase details, proof of purchase, calculated fees etc.
STRATEGY
Since last week's article, I've been busy strategizing the BEST way to deploy a decent chunk of my $1000 starting balance, in order to get the money-ball rolling! Find below a recap of both my overall strategy and my weekly strategy!
Overall Strategy:
It may sound simple, but the overall strategy of this series revolves around identifying cards that I think pose value in terms of price or potential future value. The quicker you're able to identify where value lies in trading cards, the more successful this challenge will be! As the weeks progress, I'm certain we will delve into investments which aren't necessarily urgent sales. Heck, we might even start to build a collection of longer term holds should our funds permit it! However I'll be trying my best to leave emotion at the door, and will be buying and selling cards to prioritise reaching our goal!
Week 2 Strategy:
Similar to Week 1's strategy, trying to minimise "time spent" in terms of how long I'm holding onto cards I'm buying is still my main focus. How do I minimise this variable of "time spent"? By being REALLY selective with the cards I buy, and the prices I pick them up at. As mentioned last week, I think the best practice at this stage of the challenge is to be really aggressive with my eBay listings, which hopefully leads to an increased rate of sold cards. It does mean however that I have to find cards which I consider well under their "floor price" (cheapest price readily available) in order to make profit by selling at the floor price! There's no point buying cards which are only "good value" if I try to sell them on eBay and cop fees, postage etc.
I've also been leaning towards cards from teams or players who are currently relevant/desirable, which is another way to ensure that your listings have the best chance of firstly being found and then hopefully bought! I've been calculating my lowest 'Best Offer' prices which ensures that I'm meeting my margins on each card should an offer be submitted. All card listings with no eBay movement will be re-evaluated weekly and adjusted accordingly.
'BUY'S'
James Worpel Red Parallel *Jumper Number* 005, Prestige 2020 - $20.75
Only 2 weeks in and we've secured our first "jumper number" with definite flipping potential! If you aren't familiar with the 'Prestige' series, it was Select's first attempt at a bridging product between Series 1 and Series 2 releases. It was jam-packed full of numbered hits, which really invigorated both 'low-collecting' and 'jumper number collecting'! When this sale popped up, I knew instantly that it would be a desirable card at a greater price than its current listing. James Worpel is a popular player, from a Victorian club, on top of Prestige 2020 already having great levels of consumer sentiment. Easy purchase in my opinion!
Jacob Van Rooyen Platinum Signature 04/40, Optimum 2022 - $202
Very specific amount to be paid, but a GREAT deal nonetheless! Ever since Select introduced their '3-tiered' DPS system, it's been met with great praise by many collectors (including myself)! Jacob Van Rooyen (a.k.a Roooooooooo!) has had a superb year for Melbourne, locking down a regular position in the 'Dee's' forward 50, and has found great success. This purchase was an easy decision as I remembered vividly selling another version of his Platinum DPS during the pre-season for significantly more than this card's asking price (see pictured). With that prior knowledge, and the understanding that JVR's stocks have risen dramatically since that previous sale, hopefully it's a catalyst to kickstart some profit for the 'Buy/Sell/Hold' series!
Jase Burgoyne Gold DPS 48/85 - $25
Unless you've been living under a rock, Port Adelaide are now on a 10-game winning streak, the first time in the clubs AFL history! The lid is off at Alberton, and I expect Port cards to steadily trend upwards for the remainder of the Home & Away season pushing towards finals! Even though there's limited spots available, to the point where there captain can't get a regular game, Jase Burgoyne has been putting up some solid performances in the SANFL, (27 & 1 goal on the weekend!) and for $25 I can't see myself losing too much money on this purchase!
Tim English Black Classified 17/60 - $19
Even though Prestige 2022 won't be remembered as fondly as the previous two editions, a box hit numbered to /60 for less than $20 posted will always have flipping potential. Hopefully the Prestige 2022 market isn't COMPLETELY dead, and this card can be moved on swiftly!
Bulk Lot - $58 (including postage)
Shortly after piecing together Week 1's article two Sundays ago, I happened to be watching a progressive sale on Really Good Vibes, which ended up turning into a 'bulk sale' similar to the one made in the previous article. Cards priced extremely fairly, which I made sure I snapped off quickly! Here's what the deal looked like:
1. Mitch Owens Optimum Parallel's x2, Optimum 2022 - $6.50ea
Mitch Owens has been a revelation for St Kilda this season and seems to be the X-factor player that the club has been searching for! I expect him to be heavily collected moving forward, making purchasing his Rookie parallels numbered to 115 a solid pickup.
2. Beau McCreery Optimum Parallel, Optimum 2021 - $6.50
McCreery again! This pickup made sense at both a price and scarcity level. With McCreery's 'rookie cards' being released in 2021, there's actually not too many floating around on eBay, and definitely none at prices which would compete with my future eBay listing.
3. Adam Cerra Franchise Future, Supremacy 2021 - $18.50
Yes it's a Fremantle card,... But a Supremacy hit numbered to 70 for less than $20 delivered? Working into other cards in this deal, it seemed a no-brainer! The cheapest variant on the market is $65 posted, so hopefully there is some room to maneuver with an Adam Cerra or even Carlton collector!
4. Nasaiah Wanganeen-Milera Futures, Optimum 2022 - $18.50
Potentially my first mistake of the series, but I'll always try to turn a negative into a positive! Yes there's another listing of this card at $25, no I didn't do my full due diligence before purchasing this card! The good news is that after that $25 listing, the next cheapest is sitting at $75, so potentially this card may turn into a short term hold, waiting for that card to sell, or for St Kilda's performance to improve. Watch this space!
'SELL'S!'
You've read correctly.... 2 weeks in and we've already secured a few sales! One of which has driven our total profit OVER the $100 mark! That's right, the Jacob Van Rooyen Platinum DPS lasted less than 2 days on eBay, and has reinjected funds back into the kitty for future purchases!
Tom Stewart Fractured Yellow Acid 004/145 - $15.50 : $2.91 Profit, 35% ROI
Jacob Van Rooyen Platinum Draft Pick Signature 04/40 - $330 : $83.48 Profit, 41% ROI
Josh Fahey Copper Draft Pick Signature 105/170 - $15 : $9.69 Profit, 403% ROI
Tom Brown Copper Draft Pick Signature 118/170 - $40 : $8.14 Profit, 35% ROI
'NEAR MISSES'
Sam Butler Supremacy Rookie 66/75 - $25 + postage
As alluded to last week, the tough part about this series is that I have to buy cards well below market value to try to sell quickly whilst also taking fee's on each sale. Cards like this Sam Butler Supremacy Rookie /75 fall in the category of near misses because if I had the option of selling in Facebook groups, I probably would've pulled the trigger. At the listed price it was a good buy, just not good enough for me personally and the development of this series!
Gryan Miers Showstopper 38/70 - $80
As you could've probably guessed, Geelong are back in finals contention with a potential win against Port Adelaide this Thursday solidifying to the competition that a Geelong premiership defence COULD be on the cards! This Gryan Miers Showstopper popped up on eBay late last week and I was definitely tempted to pick it up! However, what stopped me was the fact that whether you personally rate a player as an investment, it doesn't necessarily reflect the market's views. Gryan Miers I think is having a really underrated year, but his cards have historically been cheap or garner little demand from Geelong collectors. Thinking about what that would mean for this challenge and what's supposed to be a quick flip, could turn into a month long exercise! Close, but no cigar.
So there we have it, Week 2 of Buy/Sell/Hold In Action is in the books, with 16 cards been purchased so far! With the help of some timely sales, our "Current Cash Balance" is back up to $902.37, alongside the promise of our current card investments! Let me know your thoughts on how you think this challenge is fairing?! See you next week!
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