A Question of Power

Yesterday over lunch I watched a couple of hobby-centered YouTube videos, including one from CardCollector2 called, “Buying a Travis Kelce 1/1 Rookie Auto At The Dallas Card Show.”

Around the 10:40 mark, Ryan negotiated for the Kelce with a seller. I felt such discomfort watching the seller scramble for prices, unsure of himself, or possibly knowing he was asking too much. Ryan threw out a lower number and the guy smiled. It wasn’t a joyful smile. It was a nervous, unsure smile. Maybe because he was on camera. Maybe because he didn’t feel like he was in control of the negotiations over his own cards – or what used to be his cards until Ryan bought them.

It was a fair, straight-up negotiation. Both parties acted professionally. But it made me squirm because I identified with the seller. He needed to sell, and Ryan knew he needed to sell, which meant the buyer in this case had wrestled the power from the seller. It’s a common dynamic between dealers and non-dealers.

I never feel like I’m in control during face-to-face card negotiations. I always feel like I’m giving in too much. Like I’m losing. That’s why I had such a visceral reaction to CardCollector2’s video.

Ryan was willing to walk away. The seller wasn’t. Ryan got his price.

I bring this up because last week I posted a card on eBay in which someone tried to seize power in the negotiation and failed. They failed because I held firm. It was negotiated not face to face but within the eBay platform, which meant someone like me, who sometimes needs a few minutes to gather his thoughts before replying, was more in his element.

The potential buyer asked for 30 percent off my asking price. I did have on OBO, but there was a minimum offer amount declared, which he didn’t meet. He sent me a private message with what he’d be willing to pay. I said no thank you and briefly explained why his offer was too low.

He replied with a laundry list of reasons of why his offer was fair, including multiple disparagements of the card itself and how he needed a lower price if he was going to make money reselling it.

It’s not my responsibility to help others make money. It’s my responsibility to behave ethically, professionally and politely, but I wasn’t put on this earth—and into this collecting space—for the financial benefit of others.

For me, that’s easier said than done. I’m a work in progress when it comes to negotiations. This is partly because I often sell cards reactively—when I find something I want—instead of proactively, working in advance so that I’m prepared when something I want becomes available. That puts me at an automatic disadvantage, because now I have to sell or I won’t get the card I think I need.

Which is why it felt so good to tell that guy no, even if it was over eBay messages instead of face to face. It felt even better the next day when the number of watchers on the card climbed to nearly 20. One of the watchers ended up buying the card at my asking price, without even making an offer.

Still, The National is coming. Face-to-face negotiations are coming. My strategy this year is to have fun, relax, and target common, mainstream cards I’d like to have in my PC. Low-stress cards like a PSA 8-ish ’89 Upper Deck Griffey and a ’58 Topps Musial in the PSA 4 range. I can pay for those out of pocket. Same goes for a PSA 3-ish Topps Reggie Jackson rookie and a few other cards that are on my list.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a high-end wish list. If I stumble across a ’93 Finest Griffey refractor, the Juan Soto Gatorade SSP, or my grail card, a 1 or 1.5 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson, I’ll need to open negotiations for a cash + trade deal. What happens then?

The National moves fast. Dealers won’t have all day to sip tea with me while we work out a deal. How well will I handle a live, rapidly moving negotiation? Will I give up literally anything just to close a deal?

I hope not, although I would basically move my entire collection for the Jackie. The problem is I’m not sure I trust myself in that situation. It could end horribly. It might not, but there’s a stronger probability of it ending horribly because I’ll give in than that it will end as a win-win for all parties.

So, we’ll see. There’s nothing fun about a power imbalance, especially when it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s just cards, yet it feels like so much more than that.

- Talk with Dave Schwartz on IG @Iowa_Dave_Sportscards.