I am really comfortable on eBay. It’s where I started out, it’s where I’ve done most of my business, and it’s where I continue to scour for my increasingly rare and obscure stuff. But there’s no denying that a lot of the supply (for vintage) has dried up. It’s still the first place worth checking, and it still has more than anywhere else I know, but it pales in comparison to what it once was. Maybe that’s just the new normal.
But I feel like I’d benefit from farting a wider net for some things, whether it’s flip coins or cards or League memorabilia. I’ve been trying to branch out and see if there’s any good stuff hiding on places I’m not used to checking.
Where I’ve had good luck: Yahoo Japan is obviously great for Japanese stuff. I used to be deterred by the shipping and handling costs and the lack of direct communication with sellers, but it’s something I’ve gotten used to doing and have not had an issue yet.
Where I’ve had bad luck: Mercari is very hit or miss. Prices are usually lower there, which is a plus. But descriptions and titles are poor and you can’t exchange images via the chat system. I’ve also had orders canceled unexpectedly by the seller and once the item is no longer available it’s impossible to message them about it, which seems like a major oversight. The search results also seem very broad and return a lot of irrelevant listings. That said, I have gotten a couple good pickups from there so I don’t write it off completely.
The problem with finding hard to find stuff a lot of people are looking for is that a lot of people are looking for it, thus making time crucial when it appears. The more people look for stuff you look for where you look for it, the smaller your chance of finding and actually buying that stuff. On a Tropical Wind on Yahoo it was literally about seconds.
But yeah, Mercari Yahoo and eBay are usually just where it’s at.
Sometimes a relationship to a seller or a friendly message gets your further than you’d expect. Someone was selling packs of a set I was interested in for a great price, and lo and behold they ended up having a sealed box I was able to get for a great price as well.
Often times larger sellers appreciate being told that you’re looking for something in particular, if you’re also being upfront about paying well for it. In my opinion, that’s the trade off.
Ask yourself: where is this thing most likely to be? And with whom? If it’s a Japanese card, Japan is probably your best bet. I would message some larger stores or have a middleman search for you.
I have had great luck with this over the years, including recently. I’ve made a few major headways basically cold calling people by messaging accounts on eBay. This has been especially helpful for old League ephemera since a lot of that stuff doesn’t get listed but may still be kicking around in closets.
I’m also in the habit of messaging sellers I’ve just bought something from to ask if they also might have some other things I’m looking for. That’s often successful too.
But I also feel like these leads get used up really quickly. After one or two transactions the well is dry.
I think it’s more about consistency rather than where you are buying. I have a short list of cards that I check for everyday. I don’t have time to search eBay or mercari endlessly so I have a few keywords saved and have found good deals.
Probably eventually. But I am also poor and rely a lot on being at the right place at the right time. The thing about a Buy Thread is that it’s all on me and when I hold out my hand containing 72 cents and a button and ask “what can I get for this” it’s unlikely to seal the deal.
Some of my outstanding coins are lower value items though that maybe I could pick up from community outreach. Maybe in a couple months.
I have 30(!) saved eBay searches which are all keywords and phrases with selective omissions to limit the hits. I make the rounds twice a day. I’m lucky to find one thing I need a month.
Mercari’s saved searches are a pain because I get so many false positives.
I would check instagram as much as it’s a controversial aspect of the hobby in building hype, I use hashtags to search what people are saying about certain cards that I’m looking for and checking the recent posts to find if there are some obscure items. I would say it works better for finding trophies than promo’s tho as those are more popular to post about I would say.
Messaging the individual can get you a good ways of a lead too.
This is a great point. If you have a seller who is eager to please or an Internet friend who has helped you in the past, let them know you appreciate it.
Reminds me of a few years ago, when I offered to help UPCCC members outside of Japan redeem Emerald Break coupons for the Rayquaza-EX promo. I ended up receiving thousands of coupons from members. It took me hours to address the envelopes to the redemption center, and even more hours to package the promos and send them to everyone overseas.
I believe I ended up sending out around 1,000 promo cards (with some members receiving dozens of them).
And yet, when it was all said and done, only about a half-dozen of those members said “Thank you.”
Those members know who they are, and they know I still keep an eye out for things on their wish lists.
The rest of 'em? All I have to say is, “You’re welcome.”
I can only speak to master set collecting but it seems like for me and for those that hunt big name cards (not me), a lot of great finds comes down to who you know.
Friendly conversations on IG, efour, ebay, etc. seemed to have helped me and others. If you make ten good pokemon friends that know what you look for and collect, you have ten extra pair of eyes.
It doesn’t seem like big name cards spark conversation and efour threads until AFTER they have been sold. Less competition.
I’ve found a few things on Etsy, including hopefully a rare flip coin I’ve been hunting for months. Someone made it in to a little charm keychain but they insist it can be safely removed. It hasn’t come in yet but I’m hoping for the best.
Instagram is one of those things I’m very behind on. I get asked for my Instagram fairly often these days, which seems to be some people’s preferred way to communicate. Maybe it’s because eBay has rules about sharing emails but not for sharing instagrams. I do not have one, however, and I’d have to familiarize myself with the platform to get the most out of it.
