Hey guys I need some help with pricing for complete sets that are not in NM/M condition. Been doing research on the completed sets for the following:
All prices are averages for NM/Mint sets in 1st Edition from eBay research.
These are up for dispute too as I’m just looking for research to make my buying prices accurate for what these are actually selling for.
Gym Heroes: $300
Gym Challenge: $350
Neo Destiny: $400 (no shinings)
Neo Discovery: $500
Now what I REALLY need to know is what would be a price for a complete 1st edition set from the above sets if the set is not NM/Mint. The average I would say is LP with some being NM and some being MP. I know these sets are very condition dependent when it comes to pricing. Any help is much appreciated - thank you!
Honestly, whenever I see the word played, lp, mp etc I run for the hills. No value whatsoever.
If I had to put a value I’d check eBay where there are normally plenty of examples to peruse.
I’ve been the same way for buying and I feel like that is the truth for everyone because there are zero sold listings for 1st edition sets in less than NM condition. Thank you for your input.
Just remember that not all “NM/Mint” sets are the same. Anyone can label their sets as being in this condition, but different people have very different standards when it comes to condition. If I was to order a complete set, I would want high quality photos of both the front and the back of the most expensive cards, at the very least.
I happen to own both 1st edition gym sets. With the exception of a few holos in each set, I pulled all the cards out of a box myself. To fill in the few cards I still needed, I bought individual cards that were being advertised as Mint condition… sometimes after receiving a card, my standard wasn’t met, so I had to resell them (labeling them as something less than Mint on the resale) until I eventually found a card that met my standards.
Yet, if I were to sell my set, I would probably list it as “NM/Mint,” because I like to be on the safe side. But you can’t count on all sellers to have the same standards.
So, along with the natural fluctuation in price, there’s a reason some of these “NM/Mint” sets may sell for $300-350 while others sell for double that.
This is very true and I have taken this in to consideration. I guess I basically just have to look in to each card individually in his sets when looking at a set that isn’t NM/Mint. If you had to guess with some of the holos being LP/MP and some being NM with the average of everything else being excellent/NM, what kind of a percent off the price would you take? Hypothetically speaking - if the set was $300 would you take that down to like $200 or $150 or so?
From what I’m seeing in sold listings, these sets can easily sell for $500-$600+ if they’re truly NM/Mint and being sold by a reputable seller.
In my opinion it’s hard to get these sets for much less than ~$300 each, assuming the cards are at least in decent condition. Each of these sets have about 20 holos, and it’s hard to get any of them for much under $10 in individual sales, and each set also has 100+ non-holos.
So if you’re looking at a set that’s mostly EX/NM or so… I really think if you could pay a combined $600 for these sets you’re doing pretty welll. If you can find an even better price than that, it’s just gravy.
Now I wouldn’t much care about the non holos when determining condition. All that really matters are the holos. Too often people say light play to mint and ofcourse it’s the holos that suck with Ming commons.
Thank you all for your help. Was looking for some confidence in pricing sets since I don’t deal in them very often and did not want to under or over pay for the sets I’m currently looking at. Thank you for your help and input!
You have to really hit up the sellers privately who list MINT condition holos, and you will find that they have heaps more half the time and you can get a good deal if you buy the shit out of everything they have mint all at once. =D
Just look for holos, and ask the sellers what other holos they got. I wouldnt worry about the other cards, as you will be able to get them easy peasies seperately.
I’ve said it a million times and I will say it a million more. Counter to what Gary says above, I personally sometimes intentionally look for cards listed as used or slightly used, light play etc. I ALWAYS verify sellers claims of NM/MINT and GEM MINT and pack fresh as well, never just take their word. Some sellers are very cautious when listing and have some GREAT condition cards, but undersell the shit out of them. Some of my best buys have been listed as “used”, “nice”, “great”, “good”, “excellent”, hell even “not bent”, “not creased”, then they turn out to be GEM cards. Then you have just as many buyers or maybe more who oversell the shit out of their cards listing anything not ripped in half (an sometimes even ripped in half) as PSA 10’s.
I have bought “good” condition sets that a quarter to half the cards score 10 with the rest being 9’s.
I have also bought “mint condition, pack fresh” sets that were lightly-moderately played at best. Likely PSA 4-5’s for the holos.
You really just need quality photos or scans of fronts and backs and really self-grade and price the top 5-6 cards. Almost every single set has > half the value in 5-6 cards or even less. Some sets have half the value in one card.
I know what you mean but I think he is saying for cards that only say played, LP, MP. Usually if they are using these terms they know something about condition. I also get many mint condition cards when the seller uses terms such as good condition. This means MINT to some sellers who are not aware of the standard grading terms.
Exactly this ^. Out of 100 cards I have bought that said LP/Used/Nice/Great, I would say only 1 was above average quality,90 were of the quality described and 9 were below quality. I would actually say that typically sellers who do not sell cards (i.e. they mainly sell random stuff similar to a garage sale) have the best gems because they typically underrate their cards/do not fully know the prices of what they are selling.
I think a lot of you are mistaken about what I was getting at in this post. I just wanted pricing information on sets I KNOW are LP average. It is an in person deal and I get to see them all myself.