Nonsense Newsletter No. 126: Injuries, Ebay fools, Bob Uecker and so much more!
In this week’s tantalizing edition of the Nonsense Newsletter, John Dudley explains why injuries in baseball hurt — literally and figuratively. I climb onto my Ebay soapbox and preach. Meanwhile, the Quick Hits section is yet again loaded with mind-blowing content! So, as the April rains fall, let’s soak in this week’s edition of the Nonsense Newsletter.
By John Dudley
Pitchers have been dropping at an alarming rate causing rampant speculation into the causes. I’m certainly interested in that, but I’m not a medical doctor and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so I’m not weighing in. I do feel comfortable looking at the fallout in the hobby and figuring out what it means for the hobby outlook of our wounded pitchers.
I’m looking at the hobby prospects of a few of the recently injured hurlers and also one bonus hitter. Prices have certainly dropped for all of the players, but I think there is a good way further to go. On the other hand, injuries bring panic selling (and sometimes reasonable selling) so if you are looking for rarer cards now is the best time to hunt for them as you’ll likely have the biggest population to choose from. On that note, let’s check the damage.
Shane Bieber
Bieber had pretty much lost much of his hobby value with injuries, a shaky 2023, and an overall drop in the market that has especially hit the lower-tier stars. He’s sadly getting to the point where he might be too old to put together a long enough career to make the HOF when he comes back. He can be a productive player for sure, but the hobby doesn’t have much use for a non-HOF pitcher.
Bieber’s cards were already cold. They got colder. A PSA 10 Topps Chrome RC Auto of his sold for just $35 after the news and I’m betting there will be even cheaper copies soon. He’s cheap enough that it is worth looking at him as a buy-low gamble. Long-term he’d need to do his best Verlander impression with a stellar second part of his career to be hobby-relevant. I’m not sure much else will move the needle. He might be old enough when he comes back that it will take multiple Cy Young wins to get his cards moving up as I think most collectors will have him slotted into the list of good pitchers who won’t make the HOF.
By John McTaggart
Every so often I will use this space in the hobby to check in on my own sanity.
This week, I’m warning, is one of these times.
Please, after you read this article, comment below and let me know if I’m actually crazy, or am I actually on to something.
I’ve been selling Sportscard on Ebay since roughly 2002, so to say I’m seasoned would be an accurate description.
I’ve encountered many a weird situation as well, and nearly every excuse from a buyer/seller you can think of from “dog ate the card,” to “I was high when I bought these,” and everything in between.
And, because Ebay is, as a general rule, awful to sellers, I’ve had to refund regardless of the reason (or lack thereof).
But lately, the level of idiocy on Ebay has been at an all-time high.
I’ve had sellers ask for refunds after the item has been delivered… claiming they didn’t get the card.
I’ve had people message me with offers that are 70%-90% below what the asking price on the item (and I generally list items at or a tad below comps to begin with).
Quick Hits
Hobby News- The great consolidation of the hobby continues. This time eBay snagged Goldin Auctions from Collectors, the parent company of PSA. While eBay gets Goldin, Collectors gets eBay’s Vault program so the upshot is that this ties the companies together even more. The goal is a new seamless selling and grading process where cards can go straight from the grader to eBay.
Vintage- Well, some players transcend the sport. Some players become much larger than the game they played, and make more of an impact off the field than on it. Bob Uecker is one of those guys. Read more about not only Uecker, but his cards by clicking here.
Hobby News- Everyone had eclipse fever for a day or so, including Topps. Topps released a Topps Now card of the eclipse with special glow-in-the-dark parallels. I’m very curious to see how these perform once they hit the market as I have zero clue how they’ll be received. I could believe they are ignored and end up in quarter boxes or that they become popular and sell for a ton.
Hobby News- Topps Heritage has started to hit the market. I’m more interested in Topps Heritage Mini this year. The 1975 set is known for its Mini version and Topps is doing a Heritage version of their smallish cards in honor of the original. Mini has long been one of the hobby’s best-kept secrets and I have high expectations for this set.
The Sports Card Nonsense newsletters reflect the opinions of only the authors and contributors. They are for informational purposes only and are not a recommendation for purchases or of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any assets.