Lots to Complain About with eBay Lots

One of the big trends as the sports card Covid-boom starts to settle is the massive movement of a massive amount of cards that people massively don’t want anything to do with. Which, is more affectionately known on sites like eBay as “lots.”

When you dive deep into the world of “lots” you can find such listings as this one, which is offering up 13 pounds worth of random cards, or this one where you can get 100+ random Charles Barkley cards, or even this one where you can get someone else’s garbage if you pay them $10.

The deeper you get into lots the crazier it is. Like this one, which does not feel like it’s a “collectors (sic) paradise!” It feels like my nightmare; paying $25 to get $5 worth of cards. And what’s with that second picture?

You can get anything in “lot” form, which is ridiculous. Like this lot of 100+ Happy Meal toys - what the hell is that?! How insane. Ridiculous! Hold on, give me one second, just have to put in my shipping address… OK, I’m back. That lot is sooooo dumb!

There’s just an insane amount of laziness that tends to show up when it comes to lots. Here’s “$50” worth of cards thrown into a box. Or this one with “$100” worth of cards, wrapped in rubber bands and shown with a blurry photo.

Like…there better be $149 in cash at the bottom of this box.

You can likely get a sealed box for the same price of this already opened box of junk wax.

Of course there are some good card lots out there and, hey, buy what makes you happy! If you want a random assortment of Nolan Ryan cards or if you want to complete a set, there’s probably great lots out there for you. Just please remember to read the descriptions and do your research. Sometimes the sellers get a little sneaky with the descriptions.

Headline:: WOW! 5000+ sports card lot!!!! Rookies n’ Superstars OMG WOWWWWY!!!

My brain: “Oh, wow, 5000 rookies and superstar cards for $40… there has to be some cool cards in there”

Description: U get 25 random cards out of the 5000 all cards are wrapped in rubber bands and are covered in cat hair no returns if you even think about returning these cards i will charge u another $40 just for thinkin about it.

And to the bros who sell lots, let’s work on the blurry photos. That all seems so unnecessary. You do know you get to pick which photos you post and you can always retake photos if they come out blurry.

(Disclaimer: If, for some crazy reason, you want to buy any of those “amazing” card lots from eBay, Mantel may make a small commission).

Hot take alert! Stan Van Gundy with the Nikola Jokic “might be the best player in the history of [the NBA].” Dear Leaf, we need a “fat boy” card ASAP. You’re the only hope we have.

Mostly I just need more Nikola Jokic cards to add to my collection.

On the flip side, J.J. McCarthy might be the most disappointing athlete in the hobby right now. Thus is the burden we bear when we speculate rookies. His market is down 21% over the last 30 days and has left Vikings fans to “hate buy” Sam Darnold rookie cards (whose market is up over 13% in the last 30 days).

Also, we gotta stop calling everyone the “next Babe Ruth.” This is dumb. Topps is trying to drive speculation and already attempting to get you hooked on the hype cycle.

Remember, we already have Babe Ruth playing and he just won his second straight World Series. Enjoy that Babe Ruth.

This whole Rick Probstein and snype fiasco is also dumb. First, the platform was garbage, and nothing worked right opening weekend. The hobby deserved better.

Second, the whole “shill bidding” speculation with Mr. Probstein. The most liquid asset in the hobby is “trust.” (Wow, I’m pretty proud of that one). And as we saw with PWCC and other platforms, and as we’ll likely see with Rick Probstein for the foreseeable future, people will flee when they feel like they’re being fleeced.

The thing about the hobby is that it works, if you let it. Like, if I buy a card for $20 and put it on eBay and it goes for $1 on auction – then that’s how much the market says the card is worth.

The market doesn’t care how much I paid for it or how much I want in return, it only cares about how much someone is willing to pay for it. And that’s OK.

Will Rick Probstein fall from his perch as a powerhouse in the hobby? He broke trust, the product wasn’t good, and he’s taking no accountability for either.

Then again, this hobby tends to have a short memory…

Until next week.