Your Thoughts on Selling Cards of a Player Who Recently Died (Anonymous Poll)

[mouschi]

Curious what everyone's thoughts are! Do you think it is okay to sell cards of a player that has recently died? Why/why not?

[myerscards]

I think its ok as long as you don't try and gouge and shill buyers. JMHO some may not agree but its my opinion.

[Vintage Collector]

You need another column that says it's up to the individual.

Also a second poll if it is it okay to try to buy a card of a dead player on the cheap right after they die?

[Bob Loblaw]

"OK" is a vague term.

Is it in poor taste? Absolutely.

Is it disrespectful? To whom? No one (not the player's family, primarily) is going to be offended by a sale on ebay, and there are people out there who want, in a moment of grief, to purchase a "piece" of the player. Some people may want to buy autographs before they skyrocket.

If it was a player I have a ton of, would I sell them immediately after his death? No. Just because I think it's a scummy thing to do. But I can't back this up with anything other than emotion.

One thing is for sure in this "hobby"; if people want it, there will be people selling it.

I had two N64 Kobe Bryant games for sale in my eBay store for months and months. They didn't move. He died. They immediately sold. Do I cancel the sales and risk negative feedback or go forward with them? I'm going forward with the sales, but I don't feel exceptionally good about it.

[jeff24k]

What are you supposed to do? Not sell it? And if so, how long do you have to wait until you sell it? I hit a Bowman Draft Costello Printing Plate and I put it on eBay. Just as I would have done if he were alive. And obviously I didn't put RIP or anything like that on the listing - just a normal listing.

People want something to remember their heroes by. Someone has to sell it to them. Why is that bad?

[caulaflour]

Selling a card of someone who died recently without referencing their death (RIP, etc) in the title or description: totally fine. Let's not forget how quickly nearly everyone here was unloading Oscar Taveras cards after he died (in an effort to cut losses...NOT to gain).

Selling a card of someone who died recently by attempting to exploit their death via advertising for quick personal gain: distasteful.

[callers]

Dying is part of life........get over it. Of course you sell for top price while you can get it!!!

[Soxrule111]

I dont like when people put Dead, Death, RIP in the Titles.

But like when a guy gets traded. If the card isnt a card you would never sell, I have no issue with selling when its around peak.

It sucks, but if a guy like Henry Owens died, I have an auto, but I dont bother selling it because its only worth maybe a $1 today. If they started selling for $10 each, no problem with selling it then. I have no attachment to it. And itll settle back down to $1. Same thing with Skaggs and Jofer.

To me Death is no difference than Call up, No Hitter, Trade, World Series MVP. It causes values to move, if it benefits no harm in selling.

[solar77]

Why wouldn't you sell something at it's peak value? If I had Kobe cards that weren't in my personal collection, they would be FS right now.

I feel differently about promoting the sale by referencing the person's death or creating a new product to capitalize, but if it's something you already have and you're not tied to it, no need to wait until it's worth less just because the person died.

[jmscoggin]

I agree with the bus driver (blech). It may be poor taste but it's a free world. I don't see the issue with a seller putting up items even if they drastically inflate the prices. If a buyer is willing to pay those prices, so what?

Morality is down across the board, I think this issue is way, way down the list of things we need to worry about. Not saying that it isn't a good topic to talk about, I just don't see why anyone would be up in arms about it. Full disclosure, I still have all of my Skaggs, Jofer, Taveras and Kobe's. It isn't because I'm morally superior, it's because I'm too lazy to list and sell.

[LittleJimmies]

Everyone who gets upset about selling Kobe stuff seems to completely ignore the fact that his cards are undoubtedly now worth more than they were before his death. That card that was for $50 a week ago and is now selling for $300, what is it worth in a year? A decade? The possibility that it could be worth more that $300 is very real.

[Raleigh504]

I think the bigger issue would be cancelling orders to get more money after the fact (if it was previously listed) or with putting RIP/referencing his death.

But selling if someone passes away is the same as getting into the HOF, a call-up, a huge game or winning MVP. It just changes the value of it by more buyers.

[yrocks2001]

Anyone else think Kobe cards/rc's were way too undervalued to begin with? He's one of the 5 best players I've ever seen play and you could get his rookies for a few dollars prior to his passing.

[rats60]

You should not sell immediately. Even Nike recognized that they should pull his merchandise. How long you should wait should be the question. If you listed a card as soon as you heard he died and it sold for 10x what is was worth the day before, you are probably going to get it returned in a couple weeks when it is back down to 1.5x or 2x. So why not show some respect to the deceased?

[CardMarkets]

I'm of the mind that we should all do what we're comfortable with individually, and not be so quick to judge others or seek to limit what they can/should do. People buy and sell things for different reasons, value them at different prices, and all come from different places with different beliefs. I don't presume to know your intentions, and you don't know mine, so ascribing meaning to someone's else's intentions is like making up a reason to judge them. Referencing someone's death in a listing is just information. It only has the meaning and intention you give it, which often comes from our own emotional reaction to things like someone else "making quick money" or "cutting their losses." If doing so offends you, and you don't do it for that reason, I totally respect that. If it doesn't, and you do, have at it. To each his/her own. Do what you believe is the right thing, but respect that your choice is only right for you.

FWIW, I bought many of those Taveras cards and have them still today.

[gregr2]

Originally Posted by rats60

You should not sell immediately. Even Nike recognized that they should pull his merchandise. How long you should wait should be the question. If you listed a card as soon as you heard he died and it sold for 10x what is was worth the day before, you are probably going to get it returned in a couple weeks when it is back down to 1.5x or 2x. So why not show some respect to the deceased?

Nike stated they did not pull his merchandise as several media outlets reported.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nike-si...th-11580225861

[MoreToppsPlease]

Sudden, unexpected deaths do expose those in the hobby who seek to gain from them. It’s often not a pretty picture, but it tells us a lot about the hobby.

A lot of it is timing. If Kobe died in 2003, for instance, people desperately dumping their Kobe cards would have been thought of a little differently than the Kobe sellers of today.

[Vintage Collector]

I still have a big stack of Taveras cards. Is it okay to sell them?

[The Chad]

Personally I think it is in poor taste with most of the deaths of players (especially prospects).

Prospects/rookies who die young have a short window where their autographed stuff jumps in value. People who try to gain/profit/get the most out of their sale are using the opportunity (players death) to do so, and I believe that is in bad taste.

Players like Kobe for instance, their stuff will likely go up in value regardless as he was one of the games greats and therefore his stuff will be sought after by collectors regardless. Still, there is likely a window after his death where the "opportunity" is there to gain from his death.

As much as i dislike a lot of FB groups, one thing a lot of them do is ban the sale of items of a recently deceased player and that is a nice move imo.

Just my 2 cents.

[EastonElite]

No issues with those who sell shortly after death or with those who capitalize quickly after death with purchases.

Only issue is with the disrespectful morons who add "deceased" to their EBAY listings.

If this is you, I hope you choke on your dinner.

[jlzinck]

Originally Posted by jmscoggin

I agree with the bus driver (blech). .

Take a shower NOW

I won't do it. Would I if I needed the extra $100 to pay my mortgage this month? Sure but my card collecting habits don't interfere with my financial well being

[Vintage Collector]

Probably anyone selling now is leaving money on the table than if they sell them 20 years from now.

[The Chad]

Originally Posted by Vintage Collector

Probably anyone selling now is leaving money on the table than if they sell them 20 years from now.

That depends on who. Someone like a Kobe Bryant, yes. Someone like Ryan Costello or Oscar Tavares as mentioned above, no.

[ksemmel]

I don't see a problem with selling any item after someone passes. While it is a tragedy, I have no control over it. Regardless of anything that happens in general, I have to pay my bills and put food on the table. If I can sell an item that helps me to do that, why shouldn't I?

I am not disrespecting or making light of the situation. I feel really bad for all of the families involved in the tragedy this weekend, however I still have to pay my bills at the end of the day. I didn't own a single Kobe item (not even base), but I don't hate on other individuals doing what they have to do to eat, sleep, keep a roof over their head.

[k13]

Originally Posted by Vintage Collector

Probably anyone selling now is leaving money on the table than if they sell them 20 years from now.

No one will be paying ok money for his commons.

Besides his autos, it makes no difference if he's alive long term. Time will forget about him. People will lose interest.

There's probably a million kobe autos anyway.