I’m not sure if you’re aware of this, but right now eBay has a promotion that offers 50 percent off basic auction listing fees for most items. The deal has been running all month and ends on Saturday, and as usual, I waited until the last minute to get my crap together.
I usually wait all year for a deal like this. Sure, we’re talking about saving less than a dime per post — depending on the starting bid amount — but when listing in quantity, these nickles and pennies certainly add up.
What’s amusing to me is how much time an energy is sucked into these tedious auction posts, and how little the actual revenue can be. I’ve spent about five hours (I’m not done yet) over the last two days — partially the reason for the lack of posts here — taking photos and writing auction descriptions just to unload some cards that I no longer want in my collection. And not only do I have to do said activities, but I also have to wait for an advantageous time to post said auctions that way this effort does not go to waist.
In the end I’ll probably end up with a net “profit” of $10, all of which will be sunk right back into my hobby. You’re probably asking yourself if said activities are even worth the effort. I think this at times, too. But in the end I always end up answering this question in the affirmative because this is the way I’ve always “made money” for my hobby: Hard work. When I was younger my friends and I would spend all day collecting cans and bottles, ultimately ending up with $3 or $4 each. Our reward: A few packs of 1989 Topps. Maybe here I’ll put the money toward 2009 Topps. How fitting, the activites are 20 years apart.
Am I wrong for being so annoyed with the Topps Red Hot Rookie Redemption program? Initially I found the entire process somewhat exciting. Some people hate redemption cards, but I actually enjoy them a bit. But that’s probably because I had some killer luck with some replacements in the past. (I once got a Roger Clemens autograph instead of a common signed European Football League rookie from Donruss.) Anyhow, as it pertains to this particular set, I am so over it. Back when Topps Series 2 was released, I bought a box and pulled the pictured card.
