Published October 24, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

In today’s hobby economy, eBay has become more than just a marketplace—it’s a mirror. A reflection of our egos, insecurities, and the distorted sense of value that collecting can sometimes create.

On one side, you have sellers “highballing”—shamelessly listing cards or other hot-ticket items at inflated prices, not because they intend to sell, but to satisfy a quiet and perhaps subconscious need for recognition. It’s a subtle form of showing off, a digital flex that says: “Look what I have—and you don’t”. The asking price becomes a statement of status, not a reflection of genuine market value.

And on the other side, you have buyers “lowballing”—shooting offers into the ether that are so detached from reality that they’re less about finding an actual deal and more about testing possibility. Some do it just to troll sellers, but most are simply disillusioned—conditioned by how unpredictable the market has become. They throw out offensively low offers not because they expect the seller to accept, but because there’s always that tiny chance the seller might bite—or at least counter closer to their number.

Too often, these so-called “negotiations” devolve into virtual sparring matches—cheap shots, passive-aggressive digs, and thinly veiled insults about the other person’s character the moment disagreement sets in. Both sides walk away frustrated, clinging to the illusion of having the final word and convinced they’ve somehow “won” what is, in reality, a meaningless ego battle with a stranger—fought safely behind the comfort of a keyboard.

It's a strange kind of standoff—two sides of the same illusion. One inflating value to feel seen, the other testing possibility out of disbelief. Both convinced they're right, both missing the point entirely.

Somewhere in between, the art of the deal has disappeared. What used to be an honest, good-faith exchange—where both sides met in the middle and walked away satisfied—has turned into a psychological tug-of-war. Highballers chase validation. Lowballers chase domination. Both are motivated by emotion and ego, not logic and mutual respect.

For compulsive collectors, this dynamic can be especially toxic. Highballing can often mask a deeper desire—an attempt to validate ourselves through material proof when our sense of security, identity, or connection to the hobby starts to waver. It’s a means of saying, “See? This is valuable—I’m valuable.” Lowballing, meanwhile, can feed the same cycle of impulsivity and frustration that drives compulsive behavior—making the hobby feel adversarial instead of connective.

At its core, this is about ego versus empathy. The need to win versus the need to connect. Somewhere along the way, the hobby became less about trading and more about taking.

Maybe it’s time we bring intention back into negotiation. To remember that value isn’t just a number—it’s a reflection of meaning, respect, and understanding between two people who share the same passion.

#CollectorsMD
When collecting becomes competition, connection gets lost. Let’s work together to bring intention back to the deal.

—
Follow us on Instagram: @collectorsmd
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Support Group
Join The Conversation On Mantel
Read More Daily Reflections