Complaining About Facebook Auctions MEGATHREAD!!!

[ranger]

If there has been anything that I've learned in dabbling in collectibles, its that you have to strike while the iron is hot, and if millions of others are doing the same thing that you are in hoarding something away in hopes it will be worth something in twenty years, the only time that iron is going to be hot is early on before everyone starts cleaning their closets out. A lot of folks who got into baseball cards back in the 80's found this out the hard way.

So I can't blame folks who were trying to get $30+ for Ten Year Anniversary Buzzzes right after snatching them up at retail. You're going to be lucky to get that down the road.

this is a good point, especially with new plastics in the future. Some of those old discs are going to get passed by.

 

[Kodachrome]

One good thing about the auction sites..sometimes stuff like this comes up and restores my faith in humanity:

https://m.facebook.com/?_rdr#!/photo.php?fbid=412321372204224&id=100002790932928&set=gm.582736578461830&source=48&__user=1302398160

the best part of that post is that when i click the link, the tab displayed at the top of google chrome says "Content Not Found".

 

[loki993]

I'm with you, brother.

I was playing with a friend today and pulled out my Heisenberg Crank on #18. He looked at me and said, "I can't believe you're throwing that." He said he has one that's hanging on his wall.

And that's cool. As an DG addict myself I can understand the desire to surround yourself with the game and decorate a room with cool plastic. I wouldn't do it myself, but I can understand that. Personally, I would never buy a disc that I wouldn't throw. But that's just me. I don't understand buying something you don't use. My wife has this antique china that we eat on only at Christmas. Same thing. I don't get this. If you have it, use it.

I could be wrong and maybe miss out on an opportunity to "score big" on the Facebook auction circuit one day ten or twenty years down the road when disc golf explodes and the USDGC is all over NBC and having a 35-year old Roc that Climo or McBeth or Doss or some other big shot endorsed is worth thousands of dollars, but I just like to play. I'd rather use a disc to sink a birdie on the course than use it to improve the interior design of my man-cave.

Your mileage may vary...

I honestly think the opportunity to score big is right now....I think its a bubble and its going to pop at some point. I mean people are paying 60 70 bucks for star destroyers..come on...either that or Im missing something there. either way just an example but still....


As for the collecting thing there are only 2 discs I have on display...one is a really cool ice F3 and the other is a Prodigy M2 proto with nearly the entire teams signature on it. Worthy for display id say.

 

[Stardoggy]

i try to collect beautiful discs i see. that's about it.

sometimes they're so cool looking i have to throw them. but only if they're a mold i would already throw.

I'm with ya. I've got a couple Wizards I don't think I'll throw and might end up on the wall... a 2010 Worlds stamp and this year's holiday version. With that said, Wizards are cheap, and it's way more for the artwork than the value.

 

[DannyThunders]

alot of people don't live in cold climates or don't play much in winter

It absolutely does not matter, CE is at the end of it's life. I found a shattered CE Teebird in 75+ degree weather in La Mirada , CA . The group playing the hole towards me said it hit the tree and cracked and the guy let me keep it for my wall. While cold does progress the breaking of plastic, it isn't mandatory for the plastic to shatter, once the plastic runs out of the oils holding it together it is only a matter of time before it goes.

 

[Nemmers]

As for the collecting thing there are only 2 discs I have on display...one is a really cool ice F3 and the other is a Prodigy M2 proto with nearly the entire teams signature on it. Worthy for display id say.

Absolutely. I will probably display some discs myself at some point -- e.g. the first disc I hit an ace with (if/when that day comes) -- but I draw the line at paying over $25.00 for a frisbee.

Yeah, I said it.

 

[loki993]

Im the same way. I saw no more than 30 for a thrower but actually its probably no more than 20. i do have 2 I paid a little more than 30 for, but ones a glow worlds roc3 and a death by roc glow roc 3. I got a little caught up with them and it was supporting worlds and my local club so it was ok.

These guys dropping 60/70 bucks on destroyers though.....50 for kc pro whatever..not now not ever lol definitely makes me wish I had some destroyers laying around though.

 

[Romans 5-8]

I don't personally like to buy discs that I'm not going to throw, or plastic just to hang up on the wall.

BUT....I could see why some people would be into hoarding collectible stuff. I used to collect basketball cards because I liked them, not for the value, but because I had fun ordering and ripping open a pack.

Everyone is into different things, to put down other people for collecting stuff makes no sense. Anything that helps the sport grow, and makes people like it, is a plus for me.

With that said, I do think it's ridiculous that people are trying to take advantage of other people by lying about the rarity or saying something is oop when it isn't.

 

[DannyThunders]

I don't personally like to buy discs that I'm not going to throw, or plastic just to hang up on the wall.

BUT....I could see why some people would be into hoarding collectible stuff. I used to collect basketball cards because I liked them, not for the value, but because I had fun ordering and ripping open a pack.

Everyone is into different things, to put down other people for collecting stuff makes no sense. Anything that helps the sport grow, and makes people like it, is a plus for me.

With that said, I do think it's ridiculous that people are trying to take advantage of other people by lying about the rarity or saying something is oop when it isn't.

I have yet to see a lie on any of the FB pages technically. For example someone is saying pre flight numbers / patent numbers discs are OOP they're technically not lying, because Innova is no longer producing discs with those details . Same with any other OOP characteristics.



It's not like anyone is purposely ripping other people off, they're simply putting up what they have to offer and other people are paying what they want to pay for it, nobody is forcing them to pay those insane prices.

 

[McFer]

It's not like anyone is purposely ripping other people off, they're simply putting up what they have to offer and other people are paying what they want to pay for it, nobody is forcing them to pay those insane prices.

Some dude wiped part of a BT Swan 2 stamp and successfully passed it off as a rare Swan 1. That's about the most egregious thing I've seen, though.

 

[Javy818]

I bought a brand new big bird Roc 3 and my friends forced me to hang it up on my wall because "That will be worth some bucks later on."

I took their advice. It's hanging up there nicely.

 

[ZAMson]

Some dude wiped part of a BT Swan 2 stamp and successfully passed it off as a rare Swan 1. That's about the most egregious thing I've seen, though.

Original swans are rare?

Hot damn, black one headed to spacebook.
pizza's on the trilogy tonight.

 

[Uncle Dougie]

The prodigy "collectors" are an enthusiastic bunch that's for sure. I'm a prodigy guy and Id love to have some of that stuff but the money they throw around is way out of my league and I'm not paying over 30 bucks for a thrower and even thats a stretch.

I believe it was actually a production stamped disc, but it was also in an unreleased test plastic and had a special stamp on it..there were only a few made...dont really recall the number. Either way I think there was a bit of a bidding war on it and there are a couple collectors that like to drop big bucks on discs most likely to show off their wallets as much as their collection.

Prodigy, in my opinion, was a great strategic move. You form a new disc company and enlist all the top, up and coming pro's. Release a bunch of one off discs, special blends, limited runs and you'll have people fighting over discs and throwing money around like candy.

 

[Stevo]

It's like collecting any other sports memorabilia - not cards. As stated earlier, cards were not meant to be "played," they're made for collecting, trading, etc. I liken discs to old jerseys, signed equipment, etc. Nobody pays $1000 for a signed Wayne Gretzky hockey stick thingy then goes and plays with it. It was technically made for playing, but became a collectible. I don't practice in my Allen Iverson signed jersey (see what I did there? Iverson? "Practice...?" Never mind.)

that's how I see it. I am certainly not a big time disc collector - I have some signed by pros and some CFRs from tourneys I played in. As of late though, I have been throwing stuff I might have held onto a couple years ago - team stamped Legacy stuff, first runs, etc.

I like looking at and fondling discs, and don't buy anything with the intent to resell for profit.

 

[techn9cian4life]

The way I feel: The Facebook auctions have made it easier to sell, but more difficult to get the older plastic at a decent price since there's literally hundreds and hundreds of potential buyers able to raise the price up by just $1. Have I sold on the FB auctions? Yes. Have I bought from the FB auctions? A couple times and have gotten good deals. Grabbed a super beat in 176g 11x KCP Roc for $10 because the stamp was missing and no one wanted it.. but it's a thrower so who really gives a damn if the stamp is gone. I still tend to stay away from buying there, because there doesn't seem to be a legitimate feedback like we have here on DGCR with iTrader.. and if you're spending that much money on a disc, or even a bag that you just paid $200 for.. I want to know if the person is trustworthy or not.

 

[JR Stengele]

It absolutely does not matter, CE is at the end of it's life. I found a shattered CE Teebird in 75+ degree weather in La Mirada , CA . The group playing the hole towards me said it hit the tree and cracked and the guy let me keep it for my wall. While cold does progress the breaking of plastic, it isn't mandatory for the plastic to shatter, once the plastic runs out of the oils holding it together it is only a matter of time before it goes.

Ummmm.... There will always be outliers in any run of discs and this seems to be that case IMO as I've been throwing ce for over 13 years aggressively and have had ZERO issues. Destroyers may never last at the rate they're going but I'm almost certain ce will hold its value. They are some of the original discs of our sport and there will always be someone who wants a piece of that history!

 

[Nemmers]

I've started collecting, because I now have enough throwers for what I need. I'll now put aside trophy discs, cool tourney stamps, and other discs that have special meaning to me for the wall. It's just fun to see the special ones out for display.

Totally understand that. I get people displaying discs with which they got their first ace (or 500th ace for that matter), disc that won their first tournament, disc that their kid finally understood the mechanics with, really cool stamp disc they bought to support a cause, etc. I think anybody can understand displaying those discs that have a special, personal meaning on a wall in your home. Even wives. (Well....maybe that's pushing it.)

I'll probably have one of those rooms. Maybe. Someday. Gotta make some miraculous shots, win some tournaments, and convince my teenage girls to want to learn to play first though.

 

[scarpfish]

Exactly, we play Disc Golf, Ive heard it compared to Baseball Cards but it is a completely different animal. You dont play Baseball cards, they only serve one purpose and that is for collecting and investing (a terrible one at that).

For the purpose of collecting, it is very much the same animal. Coin collectors could spend their coins, but they don't. Stamp collectors could put their stamps on their mail, but they don't. If someone buys an expensive disc for throwing, and hereby exposing it to potential damage and/or loss, well, they're not collecting it.

But with discs, guys spend tons of money on discs that are only desireable for the way they fly, like first run Buzzz's or 11x CAL Teebirds or S/DS's. All these discs are worth more than older more iconic discs of our past because of the way they fly

No they're worth more because somebody is willing to pay more for them. The rationality of the reasoning behind why they paid that much is irrelevant.

yet these guys on these sites are only sellng and buying them to hoard them.

Or because they think a bigger sucker is going to come along later.

I just have a problem with that.

You shouldn't. They're not your discs. Its not your money. And if you're more into discs because of how they fly, there's no need to spend money on boutique plastic because there's always a production run of something out there that will perform just as good. If you can't realize that, you have the same wrongheaded thinking a lot of these people paying out the nose for stuff that's not all that exceptional are.

 

[scarpfish]

It's like collecting any other sports memorabilia - not cards. As stated earlier, cards were not meant to be "played," they're made for collecting, trading, etc. I liken discs to old jerseys, signed equipment, etc. Nobody pays $1000 for a signed Wayne Gretzky hockey stick thingy then goes and plays with it. It was technically made for playing, but became a collectible. I don't practice in my Allen Iverson signed jersey (see what I did there? Iverson? "Practice...?" Never mind.)

Another bad analogy.

Whether baseball cards get "played" or not is irrelevant. They, like any other product, were purchased and consumed. Over the process of that consumption, a number of specimens were damaged or lost. When people in the 1980's started seeing what the surviving specimens from the 1950's were going for, they thought they could replicate that margin by buying up, putting anything that might be of value in protective sheets and sleeves and hoped that by the 2010s, they would have something of value. The problem was that everybody was doing that, and because everybody was doing that, there weren't that many specimens being damaged or lost. Therefore supply stayed exactly the same. A number of other factors hurt things on the demand side.

 

[thrembo]

People often confuse collectors with speculators. I collect discs becuase I enjoy them. I like the way they look and feel, the way they fly. They make me happy to have them around, hanging on my walls. Sweet, sweet candy plastic. Some people don't have the passion for it, or are too "discs are made for throwing" types. They will never understand. Don't confuse buying and selling for profit with collecting.