Rude seller

M L

Hi I'm new to collecting but know enough about the market price for specific postcards after over 100 purchases of the same time, period, quality, etc.

The market value for a particular card was much higher than the typical market rate so I offered the market rate. Is that a "no-no" here? I ask because the seller responded with a "how dare you?!" message and launched into his business model, the fees paid on this site to sell and how much overhead he has and that selling a card for $4 instead of $5 was the end of the world.

Thanks and I'm curious to hear back.

George DeKornfeld

Every seller is pretty much free to ask whatever they want for a card, although some asks do end up at the 'crazy level.' If the seller is a collector (and not a dealer) its hard to guess what their basis might be, so you're offer might have been less than their original cost. If the seller didn't specifically have a 'make offer' option, that might have made them feel as though their toes got stepped on as well, since your offer was unsolicited. Of course, he or she might have simply been having a bad day...
The bottom line (and this applies to anything, anywhere)? If someone is actually rude and combative, its not worth your time and aggravation over something that you're here to enjoy spending time on. Make a mental note, never buy from that seller, and move on as there are plenty of pleasant sellers (and buyers) to interact with on this website.

https://www.hippostcard.com/store/docgfd-postcards

Kenton Yoder

Being an online postcard collector for 25 years, I have learned to just shake my head and scroll on. Every day I see sellers listing the exact same card for anywhere from $2 to $20. The only thing that makes sense to me is that it is extremely hard for a seller who sells hundreds of thousands of cards, to be an expert in the value of the category I collect. The ones who sell them cheaper are, I have found, either more knowledgeable about my category, or have learned to make money on volume. Of course, you get the occasional antique dealer who has no clue and lists very valuable cards for pennies! That makes for a great day!