I am frequently offered job lots of cards to sell on either on Ebay or in my shop.  I don't buy these,  but very often see them listed on Ebay a few days later.  As a professional greetings card retailer (I have my own card shop here in Bristol),  I have found that most people want good quality,  up-to-date cards.

They really don't want cards that are five or six (or more!) years out of date!

I've been offered pallet-loads of cards which have become available though a bankruptcy,  or manufacturer's returns.  Let's face it,  that means someone couldn't sell them in their shop - and there's probably a good reason for that!  But,  I could buy several thousand cards for £50 or less at a time - about 2p per card.  I hate to think people are buying these for friends or loved ones - when they will look so tacky, cheap and outdated when they are given.

Surely,  if you care enough to send someone a card,  you care enough to make sure it's good quality!

So,  think about this - I looked at a lising the other day,  offering a greetings card by Simon Elvin for 40p, with 60p postage (1st class).  This was a shop listing,  with gallery picture and six cards available.  So,  the listing fee was 6p,  and every card sold would cost another 4p.  Paypal would charge 25p for each sale,  and postage would cost 48p.  (Large letter,  because the card would be sent in a board-backed envelope.)  Bought in bulk,  the board backed envelopes cost 11.7p each.

The total costs for this seller,  out of the £1.00 he receives,  are 89.7p per card. 

That leaves only 10.3p to buy the card and make a profit!  You can get some idea of the value of the card.

(By the way,  the last time I stocked this card in my shop - at a retail price of about £1.75 in today's terms,  was about 12 years ago!)

By way of comparison,  (and to blow my own trumpet a bit!) when I sell a £1.99 Simon Elvin card,  it's from this year's range,  I charge 99p for second class post,  and my costs are about 98p!  You get £1.99's worth of card for your money.