We had 4 items end on ebay tonight. All were N/M. Two N80 Duke Holidays brought a total of 24.00 and two A&G N4 birds brought a total of 37.00. I realize these aren't the rarest cards in the world but still not easy to find in N/M. What's going on ?

Possibly. But if that were the case, all your auctions should suffer.

I'll give 2 other reasons. First, these sets are not too popular. At least not as much as most A&G and Duke's sets. But the price was still a bit low. The other reason may be the Vendio software. For some reason, it does not supersize your auctions. It is really hard to see the corners without that function.

Thanks for your comments. I'll check out the Super Size function as you suggest

NM raw is different than NM graded. An N4 graded in NM7 would bring much more than $18-$20. Just the way it is. Might be beneficial if you have REALLY strong cards to go with the SGC $5 special and see where the chips fall on them. Just my opinion. Plus.........as said earlier.......with A&G birds, having 3-4 sets, they aren't like the Generals or Indians or Pirates. The demand just isn't as strong. The large A&G Birds you have out there right now should do well though. Always great stuff you have.......my checkbook is much smaller over the years as a result!

I love the Ginter bird sets, but didn't need the Martin or Hawk, so someone got a great deal. Five or six years ago it wasn't unusual for a nice one to slip through the cracks every once in a while, but nowadays Ebay "steals" are rare, recession notwithstanding. I wouldn't worry too much if I was you.

Agree with James about Vendio. It's disappointing to click on a small, squinty scan and then see it replaced by the same small squinty scan. Vendio has always been my least favorite image host.

We listed several items on ebay over the wekend. We did our best to include larger easier to see scans. We aren't very computer literate but did our best. Check out a few of our listings and see if they look any better. Seller: muffrus

That makes a big difference for the stuff you recently listed, as compared to the stuff getting ready to end. It's not the supersizing product some people use with Vendio, but it's a huge improvement.

You have some nice stuff listed too.

I just looked at a S F Hess card you have listed. Your pix look crisp and the listing overall looks cleaner. As a discerning feebay buyer only (I have bought from you no problems) I noticed there is no back scan and you have a white bordered card on top of another light background. The black frames the card nicely with great impact. If you scanned against that without the white - a buyer can better see the edges and corners of your cards. Just a thought. My listings far from perfect and feebay as well as real life concerns impact the way we all list. As I am more than a casual watcher of tobacco related stuff - I do see a decline overall in quantity and realized prices of the more stable sets as compared with last year at this time. Could be sumptin or nuttin. I think for non-sports - the actual number of people that collect one form of it or another has increased greatly in the last 10 years and despite declining discretionary dollars today - there's still a steady increase in the selling prices of many issues (mostly topical) when compared with a few years ago. Add to that an increased sophistication and the registry which will continue to fuel growth. I am still buying and like real estate there may be a softening and adjustment period - but in my mind the prospects for the future are in line with my expectations for my own future - I will live long with most of the health and faculties I have today. These are collectibles after all is said and done - many in these troubled times might have to decide between cards and food or gas. I pray for them and their families and hope they will return someday. Everything I need is still going up when I bid on it

I checked the Hess listing and your absolutely right. I'm taking corrective action as you suggested. I just listed a kinney N216 African Boar, and I think it appears much better. I hope to get rid of the white background completely soon and replace it with a color so the corners and edges all show better. We were so excited when we found these cards it would be a shame not to show them at there best.

To add to Henry's idea; while I don't list much on ebay any more, I have found when scanning cards to place a piece of brightly covered cloth over the card. Since my spouse is a quilter, I "borrowed" some solid bright red and bright yellow pieces. Between the two, they set off any border that I have yet tried.

Jon.