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Article: Do price guides guide eBay prices: the market for individual baseball cards.
- Article from:
- American Economist
- Article date:
- March 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Omicron Delta Epsilon. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
The market for individual baseball cards has some unique features. In a sense, the market for individual baseball cards is completely a secondary market because the card manufacturers do not sell individual cards. Baseball cards are sold in "packs" (often 24 packs in a "box" and 12 boxes in a "case"). The most desirable cards are mixed in with "common" cards in packs, and the probabilities of finding various cards are given. Baseball card dealers can buy boxes or cases of cards from the manufacturers (most importantly, Topps, Donruss, and Upper Deck) at a wholesale price, but dealers cannot order individual cards. Dealers obtain individual cards by ...