Ebay vs. The local card shop

fsjeter

And the winner may very well be ebay. I just went into a local card shop that I never new existed. It is close to where I work, which is the other side of town from where I live. That's why I've never been in there. I went in to ask about 2004 Playoff Memoribilia Baseball which is on fire! Much to my horror, they are selling it for $378.00/box. I can get boxes on ebay for $165 to $200 (a case for $1,999.00). This store was so far overpriced on everything I would never be able to buy there. Other examples are $275/box for 04 SP Authentic Basketball, $178/box for 04 UD Legends Basketball and the list goes on and on. I can't call them crazy because someone is obviously paying those prices but I'll be d#@$'d if I do. I hope this doesn't offend any of the shop owners in this forum but if they wonder where all the customers went ...!

Scott

BigKidAtHeart

<< <i> I hope this doesn't offend any of the shop owners in this forum but if they wonder where all the customers went ...!

Scott >>

they know... and that is why they all also sell on ebay too.

EagleEyeKid

It's sad to see a lot of shops close down because no one wants to pay retail/book anymore. Ebay is like a card show everyday without ever having to leave your house. I think the ones who are still loyal to their neighborhood shops are the minority. My local shop closed about 5 years ago where I live. It was sad because he couldn't keep up with the high cost of new product; and when he got them, no one wanted to pay the high pack/box price. He had a bid board in the store where you can bring in stuff for people to bid and that was pretty cool to obtain stuff cheaper and he took in 10% of what the price ended at. He was an old timer; and I mostly spent time there for conversation about sports and war stories. It was sad when the day finally arrived to closed down. The store front is now a small mexican restaurant.

DirtyHarry

Timely post - although not all shop owners are created equal (based on some kudos thrown around here by members). I just returned from a visit to my local shop a few minutes ago and experienced the same thing regarding prices. Also, most boxes on display for sale as such had no seals or overwrap. There were six kids in the store, all going bonkers over gaming cards. There was one adult in the store - a woman - busting packs!

I have been going in this guy's store periodically over the last 15 years, and I think I have his vintage inventory committed to memory. There was a total of 20 graded baseball cards available for sale - everything else raw with about 2xbook on it! Thousands upon thousands of cards just sitting in the display cases for years.

We conversed - he doesn't sell on Ebay, doesn't like graded cards and his bread and butter is gaming cards and reselling (of late) used gameboy and nintedo games. Two other local shops have closed in the last 10 years and he is the only act in town. I bought a few packs of sleeves and toploaders and walked out shaking my head in disbelief. More power to him, I guess.

fsjeter

<<they know... and that is why they all also sell on ebay too.>>

I bet they aren't gettin' that price on ebay!

<<It's sad to see a lot of shops close down because no one wants to pay retail/book anymore.>>

I couldn't agree more. That's the reason I went in there in the first place. Thought I would try to throw them a little business but not at those prices!!

Scott

BigKidAtHeart

<< <i> Thought I would try to throw them a little business but not at those prices!! >>

bet you he would have dropped the price quite a bit if you had just asked.
most shop owners will (cause they know you can buy elsewhere)

~jeff

ctsoxfan

<< <i>$275/box for 04 SP Authentic Basketball, $178/box for 04 UD Legends Basketball >>



That's not "retail/book" that's highway robbery! Stores still get their cases from the same sources (maybe even cheaper), so to expect a $175 profit (or so) on a box of SP Authentic is just plain crazy.

fsjeter

<<bet you he would have dropped the price quite a bit if you had just asked.
most shop owners will (cause they know you can buy elsewhere)>>

Actually I did ask. He dropped the price to a whopping $320.00. After I left, I called Matt at Dreamcards (who is on these boards) and we both gat a laugh out of that. Think I'll call Jason (kallmalonesay) and see what he thinks.

Scott

KallMaloneSay

I'm at $225, and no shipping fees or waiting. To give Dave Byer/Sports N' More a little bit of a break, he is probably paying twice per square foot of what I am and the people of Summerlin aren't exactly starving. On a little side note, June was my store's second best month to date (behind March) and we are getting an increasing number of customers (woo-hoo!)
Jason

BackwardsMan

I used to love going to my local card shop. I went in there all the time and they knew me on a first name basis. I would occasionally get discounts from them they even frequently gave me free stuff. I got one of my most valued cards from that shop. I traded away an Eric Lindros 1997-98 SPX (I think thats what it was) which at the time had a BV of $110 for a Mark Messier 1980-81 rookie which they had marked for $110 . I still wish that place was open.

onegaucho

I've even found the local wholesaler to the card shops in town and even the prices there are a touch higher (5% or so) than ebay. He freely admits most of his business isn't to local shops but to ebay itself. I'm not even sure why they keep a storefront. Though the customers I've seen walk in the few times I've been there seem to all be repeat customers.

It's too bad the local card shop is something that's gone by the wayside for most of us vintage collectors. What keeps most of them in business these days is modern wax packs that kids will buy every now and then.

helionaut

Keep in mind that a lot of shop owners either are not direct with the manufacturer or if they are order a minimal amount of stuff and so don't get the price breaks. This could be due to cash flow problems and being undercapitalized, or just choosey. Or they might have to buy from the secondary market themselves, so all their margins come on top of the retail price. If he's asking $378 for a box that sells for about half that on ebay, there has to be a reason. He either paid way too much, or really needs the money and hopes he can get a sucker. I would doubt that he thinks $378 is the going rate for that product.

There's one shop in my town (Austin) that is the clear leader in new material, price-wise, but they order very lightly or skip altogether probably 15-25% of new baseball products, mostly the endless array of mid-grade Fleer/Skybox and Donruss stuff. The other shops that are trudging along sometimes have a wider selection of products, but their prices are at least 15-25% higher, I think because they order in less quantity and have fewer customers overall. One shop in particular, a comics shop that has one small display of a variety of unopened boxes, is like what fester describes, asking some really unrealistic prices I suspect because the dealer bought one box somewhere else to resell simply because he thought he could.

Ebay will almost always be competitive in pricing with LCSs, just as Amazon and Buy.com usually beat Borders and Best Buy. The card makers have cracked down on people who try to become direct customers but don't really have a storefront, which was a great source of cheap product for a while. My local guy has told me about several occasions where people have taken pictures of his shop and used them in false attempts to become direct customers of card makers (photos of storefronts used to be sufficient).

Rainman

I live in SoCal and there are probably 5 shops within 10-20 miles of me. To my knowledge, 3 of the 5 sell on ebay. Here’s the breakdown of shops:

1. WAY overpriced (i.e., Absolute Memorabilia for $240+/box) on nearly everything, not many new boxes; shop is split w/a Yugioh/Magic owner and is usually flooded w/kids. Very rarely will knock $ off boxes. Great selection of vintage cards but nearly all are full BV (and often higher). My pulls from there have been average.

2. WAY overpriced (see #1), but will sometimes cut you a small break. Sells on Ebay. Opens boxes from cases he buys. Coincidentally has 1 full display case of “the hot Lebron/Carmelo pulls” that “customers” have supposedly pulled. Funny- there are rarely any customers in there. My pulls from there have sucked (Zoran Plainic in EVERY box).

3. Reasonably priced, sometimes gives small $ off boxes. Sells on Ebay. Opens boxes from cases he buys. Coincidentally, he also has many “hot pulls” that he has personally pulled (at least he admits it unlike #2). My pulls from there have been average to less than stellar (Zoran Plainic is not my friend in EVERY box!).

4. Reasonably priced, gives $ off every box- more so if you pay cash (I always do- and he doesn’t charge tax). Great range of vintage/newer. Sells on EBay. Knows I buy on Ebay. Will tell me his cost for boxes/cases and will entertain negotiations based on ebay prices. Saves cards of players I collect; often gives them to me for free. My pulls have been above average (recent pulls: george brett absolute memorabilia auto #1/5, pujols jerseys/bat/glove #/50, lebron/carmelo chrome rookies + refractors). This shop gets most of my business.

5. Reasonably priced, gives $ off every box, doesn’t charge sales tax, often only charges me $10-15 over cost (has shown me the invoices). Will hold boxes of new products for me. Gives free supplies like toploaders/3200 count boxes/becketts/pennysleeves/etc. Great conversation/knowledge of cards. Caters to Yugioh/Magic kids, but also has nearly all new boxes. Like #4, this shop gets most of my business.

I’ve taken to buying most boxes off Ebay- much cheaper and my pulls have been pretty decent (see my recent auctions under Rainmanesq if you’re interested).

BigKidAtHeart

<< <i>I've even found the local wholesaler to the card shops in town... >>

how did you do that?
AND
how do I find one in my town?

goodriddance189

hey Helionaut....what card shop in austin are you talking about? i used to frequent and work at Card Traders of Austin at Spicewood Springs and 183

WinPitcher

I've even found the local wholesaler to the card shops in town... >>




most probably the candy/tobacco wholesaler but you will need a tax id number to do business there.

mercurynut

When it comes to vintage cards Ebay wins hands down!

habs71

<< <i>There were six kids in the store, all going bonkers over gaming cards. >>



That's what we found also..about 3 weeks ago went to a store in Orange, CA to p/u some supplies and browse the cards..been awhile since I'd been in....SHOCKER....place was packed with kids..all the display cases gone except for the ones on the wall and the main counter..in their place he had about 10 conference tables set up and was hosting a Yu-Gi-Oh tournament..every table was full, and there were kids on the floor busting packs, trading or putting their cards in sleeves or binders. Nary a sports card! I asked his what happened and he said without any hesitation.."This is where the money is." So I picked up a couple of items and left..never to return.



Skip

EvilleKlownie

The nerdy gay kids don't like sports. Who cares ?

yankeefan741939

Ill stick with my card shop. ive been going there for years & have always been satisfied. the guys on ebay sometimes bust boxes to get the 1 per case big pull then the rest of the stuff they put on ebay. i know not all ebay dealers do it, but you know some of em do. Plus the shopkeeper is always friendly & real knowlegable about baseball. hes a little higher than ebay but theres no shipping fees & i can bust the packs right when i pay for them. also its fun to be able to watch others bust their stuff & i have made many friends there

NBAFan

When I buy, I usually just pay the extra and go to the card shop. I've had some good pulls, and I've had some really crappy pulls, but overall, I trust them more than a seller on ebay, especially if there is one big card per case.

From my local shop I've pulled a James Ultimate Collection Auto'd Rc /250, Walter Payton Cut Auto, Mike Schmidt Elite Auto, Nomar Garciapara Patch Auto, Tony Gwynn Dual Patch Auto, Don Mattingly Auto'd Hat, Jason Richardson Auto'd Bobble Head, Josh Beckett Auto'd Bobble Head, Garnett Auto, Dwayne Wade 3 color RC Patch, and a few more I can't remember.

Overall, I can't complain about my pulls, sure some suck really bad, but it's the luck of the game.

Scumbi

Card shops aren't only about sales. Although, I totally agree with the guys' opinions regarding buying on ebay vs. card shops, there are other reasons stores exist. They are magnets for local people who need a few dollars. Some people aren't prepared to used Ebay. They don't have computers. When they hit the skids financially, they usually take their sports collectibles to the nearest store. Thus, cards and autographs walk in the door and the people are less than current on value.

Also, we are in the minority of people who understand card values. We know how to read beckett and the SMR. We know that SMR listings are way off in a lot of cases. The general public doesn't know. Many times a father will bring their kid in to buy some magical woodsy fairy cards and spot a favorite player from his youth. This is almost a chance to write yourself a check for any price you want. I've seen Poor to Fair Koufax cards go for half of high Beckett. It makes me sick, but I don't interfere with another man's living.

So a store serves many purposes. And, there are some people buying cards and paying 30 times what they are worth. Vintage material is tough and it's nice when it just walks in your store. Those factors have to be considered when deciding whether or not it pays to keep a baseball card store open.

Best,

S.

ctsoxfan

I will say this for my local card emporium...their boxes are usually overpriced, but almost every big pull I have ever gotten has come from their boxes, while the boxes you get on Ebay or at shows are often hit and miss. That tells you something...