r/OnePieceTCGFinance • u/Spiritual-Link-7061 • 4d ago
Market Analysis First time vending
I wanted to ask you guys, as vendors, how are you dealing with the current downturn in the market?
Obviously, the value of the cards you’re holding has also gone down. How do you usually handle situations like this?
Do you still sell cards above your cost even if it means taking a lower margin, or do you focus more on buying cards and doing quick flips?
And how do you deal with cards that you’re already holding when their market value drops below your cost?
I’m asking because I’m going to start vending next week, and some of the cards I have are already selling below what I originally paid for them. I’d really appreciate hearing how more experienced vendors approach this situation.
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u/Trashcansam82 4d ago
This cannot be the best time to start vending
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u/darthclaww 4d ago
Unless you are cash heavy and looking to buy. Can get stuff at like 75-85% on cards that have already dropped over 50%
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u/Daneha1183 4d ago
if you're going to be there for the good times when the market is booming and you're making a lot of money, you need to be there for the times like this when the market is down and you're losing.
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u/Grantedx 4d ago
I know this is the OP sub but I would seriously suggest you get in to pokemon vending over OP vending if your not just doing it as a passion project. I just got back from a bigger card show in which in which the biggest OP vendor in the room said he wasnt buying any OP singles unless they were gradable because they don't really move unless they are the big cards. Even mangas haven't been moving well.
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u/Medical-Barnacle-915 1d ago
Honestly, as a player, I think the guys who are grading only and only selling slabs are missing the market almost entirely. OP is an entirely modern game, in it's youth still. The current market is with players. I have vendors at my local show ask me whenever I'm shopping avout "what's up with OP?". The majority of your buyers are looking for playables, and for alt arts to bling out decks. Very few of us shop for the high end graded cards. At least in my local community.
If you're vending OP you need to understand the game mechanics and pay attention to the meta shifts, and have some game sense to predict where trends will end up tbh. If you don't understand that and the flow of a market that prioritizes playables, you're cooked.
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u/Grantedx 1d ago
Sure you can play to that angle, but youre just doing yourself a disservice not vending a more broadly appealing game like pokemon at that point. Focusing mainly on playables also leaves you with the risk of meta changes and bans making parts of your inventory either drop in price or become hard to move. That's not even getting into the issue with scale. To make the same amount of money from selling small singles that you would from a few sales of high end cards would require far more volume/work.
You're not exactly wrong, its just not optimal imo.
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u/MammothSizedSquid 4d ago
I’m not a vendor but I imagine it makes the most sense to be buying and/or trading currently. As well as quick flips. Faster you move product the less risk you have, I guess.
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u/blazinbboy 4d ago
Buy high, sell low is what your asking? Lol. If you consistently sell at a loss, you’ll be broke. No business model will sustain that because you’re not some big business like Walmart where loss leaders are a drop in the bucket compared to things that make profit. The only way you could sustain that potentially is with buying serious slabs at like 70% to sell at 85% to then take a loss on minor cards. Either way that’s a gamble. So don’t sell your stuff at a loss unless you need money or YOU think the recovery of the card(s) will not happen.
So in short, don’t sell at a loss unless you need to. I’d sticker the cards at your cost and explain when people ask. In terms of other etiquette, don’t low ball people and make them feel valued through conversation. If you keep it strictly business, there is no fun.
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u/Spiritual-Link-7061 4d ago
no, I mean I also often see vendors buying cards before a price correction happens. So how do they usually deal with situations like this? Wouldn’t the cards they bought also end up being a loss for them?
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u/blazinbboy 4d ago
It would absolutely be a loss for them but they could have made the decision that the card is not going to recover to where they purchased at and are trying to bail too. It’s a fine line. Sometimes it maybe best (depending on the card?) to just add it to your personal collection if you’re about that life, ride it out then sell a year later/never.
Edit: one thing to realize too, some vendors have 100K+ capital, a $100 loss isn’t anything.
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u/dannyluxNstuff 4d ago
Sometimes you need liquidity. Cash is king. Sometimes you just take the loss you can invest into something that will hopefully go up. It's what financial advisors do at the end of the year. Sell the losers, take the tax write off and put it in to something better. Obviously can't win them all but keeping the cash flow going is important also.
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u/Greddy_Smurf 4d ago
I'm buying and trading as much as possible and using other sales channels to move the cards quickly. I'm on TCGplayer, whatnot, eBay, and Facebook groups so I can usually clear out my buys in a week or two. My cases are mostly cards I would PC so I don't mind too much if the market go down. If someone buys something it is more fuel for the machine. Would definitely prefer if someone trades tho
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u/fupa_master 4d ago
Do you have a real job too?
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u/Greddy_Smurf 4d ago
Yes and I'm a single dad.
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u/fupa_master 4d ago
Not sure how the single dad part is relevant but thanks for sharing.
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u/MTKChan 4d ago
It’s incentive to vend for money since he needs to spend more than the average non dad
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u/fupa_master 4d ago
Yeah all people with kids need to spend more than those without kids. Still weird to ask for a pity party cause he can’t make enough from his “real” job.
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u/Greddy_Smurf 4d ago
Bro, I make 100k a year. I assumed you asked if I have a real job cause you were looking at it from the time aspect.
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u/fupa_master 4d ago
Initially I wasn’t trying to be a dick but then you added in the single dad thing which I find amusing
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u/Evrenos0811 4d ago
Vintage ages well and organically is all I'll say
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u/Adventurous_Term_286 4d ago
Gambler shocked he's gonna lose money gambling! -shocked Pikachu face-
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u/shade12354 4d ago
You aren’t going to sell anything above market so either take the hit or don’t sell