Why?
rexvos
Posts: 3,304 ✭✭✭✭✭
So we have had a boom of shows locally. The Dallas Card Show being the biggest (6 times a year like a mini national). I live in the much smaller town of Shreveport 3 hours away and now we have two competing groups doing shows weeks a part with a much smaller population and income pool to draw from. The worst thing about this to me is both have shady grading companies promoted at these shows. Dallas show has its own DCS grading, if anyone follows the show on Facebook you can see what trash it is, some cards are even slabbed without even identifying the card in the holder. Both of the Shreveport shows are aligned with FCG grading. The thing that really bugs me these companies are just stealing money to slab people's cards. FCG is doing a special of $30 a card for 100 cards. Do these people not realize that the card is worth less in an FCG or DCS holder than it is raw no matter what the grade? Why are guys who are setting up as dealers, and even the Shreveport card show promoter jumping on these bandwagons? Does this bother anyone else in the hobby? I see it as pretty close to fraud and it really bugs me. Am I a bad guy for telling people it is a waste to spend their hobby money on this? I believe crap like this is going to people getting burned and soured on the hobby, but what do I know, I have only been involved with the hobby for 42 years.
Comments
Eventually enough people will realize that the "off brand" grading companies have little or no increase in value. Unfortunately, as long as the big three are taking forever to grade or charging super high fees, there will always be people who dont know the difference. Just look at facebook marketplace with people trying to sell "GMA" graded reprints graded Gem 10 for more than the original card is worth.
You're doing the right thing by trying to share your 40+ years of hobby knowledge with the people who will actually listen, but unfortunately this hobby comes with many lessons to learn. I call those lessons tuition. Once people pay enough hobby tuition they will either work at getting better informed, or leave the hobby. The ones that leave probably weren't long for the hobby anyway.
Like you, I have about 45 years in the hobby between collecting as a kid and buying/selling as an adult. The knowledge I have accumulated from this message board has probably been the biggest help in keeping my tuition as low as possible, but I still get hit with a "bill" every once in a while. The best thing you can do is not get yourself all worked up over it, and keep spreading the word to anyone that wants to listen.
There seems to be a new generation of collectors who 'must have' cards in slabs in order to want to purchase them. Silly
When the big "respectable" companies did what they did that leaves the door open for many unsatisfied collectors.
That was a result of pure collectors changing to profiteering flippers. The shows around here (Albany NY) the dealers are all about fighting for the leftover slop to sell as cheap as possible. There weren't 10 quality PSA cards for sale this past weekend.
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
What about unopened?
There has always & will always be the "cheaper" grading companies preying on inexperienced collectors.
They will learn that it does not pay off. As far as the shows themselves promoting these "knock-off" grading companies..........greed.
I don't collect unopened.
however, the same does apply. The dealers offer very low prices to buy product. So few if any quality stuff is for sale
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
Supply and demand. PSA can't keep up no matter what Nat and all the other investors say. Piss poor planning. Welcome to the new world of collecting. It sucks.
With the popularity in the hobby growing in the past two years, it was just a matter of time. If people want to try out other companies, it's their money and they can choose to part with it however they want. Fortunately, I decided very early on that all my cards would be in PSA holders and that's all that really matters to me. PSA slabs continue to bring in the most value and has become the blueprint for all companies who have followed after.