Best Times to Buy and Sell at Large Events

[ScottW]

I'm looking to go to GP Detroit to play side events and buy and sell cards. Does anyone have advice on what is the best time to buy and sell at these events (the event is Friday to Sunday)? I'm selling some alpha / beta and a few revised duals. I'm hoping to find some foreign cards including some fbb duals.

[Varal]

I usually hear that it's better to buy late and to sell early. As they buy cards store might become cash strapped and might give you better deal on big tickets items that are harder to sell online. The reverse is true with stores less inclined to buy big ticket items when they don't have much/any liquidity. If a store is sold out of a popular card it's the ideal time to sell it since it's a sure sale for them.

Don't wait too long since some/most stores leave early on Sunday.

[Phoenix Ignition]

I agree with Varal, but want to emphasize that sometimes stores pack up early on Sunday. I'd say try to get shopping for specifics like foil/pimp/foreign cards done on Saturday since I've gotten burned by waiting for Sunday and people not having their specialty cards like that anymore.

[MGB]

Definitely think about unloading the cards you want to sell as early as possible.

As the weekend wears on, the vendors are buying tons of cards from people and will often either lower their buy price for certain cards that are flooding the market or outright stop buying them completely.

This weekend at SCG Philly vendors were buying Modern Masters Eye of Ugins for close to $20 early on Saturday and then I couldn't find one that would offer me more than $14 late on Sunday, and some didn't want to buy them for more than $10 on Sunday.