November 5th Post-Election Newspaper Demand
Newspaper Prices Top $200 a Piece on eBay
Who knew a current newspaper could be worth so much money? Today’s newspaper sales have resembled stock market trading with people buying newspapers, at a low price, early and then selling it for a much higher price later in the day. Most major newspapers featuring President-elect Barack Obama’s epic night are selling briskly on eBay. The paper most in demand: The New York Times.
November 5, 2008 Times Sales
Sixty-four copies of the November 5, 2008 The New York Times paper have been sold today as of 6:30 P.M. on the auction site eBay. Interestingly, the first sale of the paper occurred at 10:14 P.M. Eastern Standard Time last night before the paper was even delivered to households and before Obama was elected president. It sold for $10 plus $5 for shipping. Someone must have figured there would be a market for the paper but perhaps, he or she sold too low. The current price at the top of the list when searching for “Obama New York Times” is $199.99 plus $3.99 shipping. At least the shipping price went down.
The price of a daily New York Times is $1.50. The early bird gets the worm.
New York’s major paper was not the only one to see increased demand. Most major cities’ papers could be found selling on eBay at slightly lower prices. Copies of today’s USA Today, Washington Post, St. Louis Dispatch, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, etc. were also featured on eBay listings.
Demand for 2008 Post-Election Newspapers
According to The Wall Street Journal’s November 5, 2008 Market Watch, Obama’s hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, is also experiencing a significant increase in website hits while others are hoping to order extra copies of the newspaper. "This kind of demand for our newspapers is unlike anything we've experienced in recent history,” said Randy Michaels, Tribune's chief operating officer. “The traffic at our newspaper web sites is also way up -yesterday, the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times sites experienced a record-breaking number of page views."
Clearly, the public views Obama’s victory as a historical event and they are investing in newspapers featuring him.
Previous Post-Election Papers
Past election newspaper prices have dissipated over time and one wonders if the demand for the November 5, 2008 issue will fizzle in the future.
--Only one listing exists on eBay for the November 3, 2004 post-election New York Times issue featuring George W. Bush. The price tag is $12.
--Only two listings exist on eBay for the November 6, 1996 post-election New York Times issue featuring Bill Clinton. The price tag is $7.50.
2008 post-election day newspapers should continue to sell for breath-taking amounts of money in the near-future. After all, President-elect Obama is the first African-American ever elected to the White House. That should affect the sales of the newspaper as time passes.
Obama- New York Times
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