Guess this brings up a new question: what would it take to create value for both hobby shops and collectors so the shops could be more viable and more collectors would be attracted to cards?
This fix is up to the card companys and the product distributers. Back in the day you needed a brick & mortar shop to buy direct. Not sure if that's the case now. Seems like every weekend warrior has a case of SPx or whatver now. Why go to the store when you can chose from 20 venders on eBay? Also, we need to get the customers back in the shops or they will all be gone soon. In the mid 90's there were dozens of kids in the local shop every day when school let out. Now nadda! They can't afford the $5.00-$10.00-$50.00 packs. The hobby is geared toward adults now which is dangerous. Sure thats where the money is but where will the new collectors come from? How many kids own a Pujols RC? Probably few to none. In 89 every kid had a Griffey RC to show off and if they didn't they had a good shot at getting one if they had $1.00-$1.50 to buy a pack.
My fix: Cut back on the products, especially the high end stuff. Product distributed to b&m shops only and gear more products toward the kids. Isn't that when we all started?
rbdjr1 - interesting post. Can't of course be sure but I imagine that the student probably gave his parents permission to "get rid of at any price" the cards. How about all those parents who threw away their kids cards? My dad tells of his very nice baseball card collection he had as a kid but when he came back home from 4 years in the Air Force during the Korean War, his card collection had been thrown out along with many other items his mother considered junk. Of course now I'm PO'd also because the cards probably would've been passed down to me - LOL.
Also I think there's a difference between adults selling items at a yard sale and a dealer at a store who is supposed to "in theory" be trustworthy. Someone doing a yard sale expects the potential buyers to haggle and buy things as cheap as possible. But I think that a "little old lady" would expect to get a fair price for a collection when taking it to a brick & mortar baseball card shop. Sure in the marketplace it's usually "buyer beware" and even "seller beware" but it's still my strong belief that it's wrong to take advantage of children and the elderly. If a competent adult walks into a card shop and doesn't get fair market value for their items, then in my view there's nothing wrong with that from a dealer standpoint. And I fully realize that virtually every card dealer out there, if a little old lady walks in with a collection of EXMT t-206's, and the dealer shows her a price guide from 1980 with the price guide's date blocked out, and she accepts that price and sells the cards to him, is going to gobble up those cards no matter what I or anybody else says. That doesn't make it right. Well...that's my soapbox vent for today.
Many a nite I thought of the years this kid pain-stakenly ripped open pack after pack, box after box, all the visits to shops, target, wal-mart, shows, trades with friends, etc. Just to have me and his parents in less than five minutes, finish-off his entire collection at a yard sale!
<< <i>rbdjr1 - interesting post. Can't of course be sure but I imagine that the student probably gave his parents permission to "get rid of at any price" the cards. How about all those parents who threw away their kids cards? My dad tells of his very nice baseball card collection he had as a kid but when he came back home from 4 years in the Air Force during the Korean War, his card collection had been thrown out along with many other items his mother considered junk. Of course now I'm PO'd also because the cards probably would've been passed down to me - LOL.
Also I think there's a difference between adults selling items at a yard sale and a dealer at a store who is supposed to "in theory" be trustworthy. Someone doing a yard sale expects the potential buyers to haggle and buy things as cheap as possible. But I think that a "little old lady" would expect to get a fair price for a collection when taking it to a brick & mortar baseball card shop. Sure in the marketplace it's usually "buyer beware" and even "seller beware" but it's still my strong belief that it's wrong to take advantage of children and the elderly. If a competent adult walks into a card shop and doesn't get fair market value for their items, then in my view there's nothing wrong with that from a dealer standpoint. And I fully realize that virtually every card dealer out there, if a little old lady walks in with a collection of EXMT t-206's, and the dealer shows her a price guide from 1980 with the price guide's date blocked out, and she accepts that price and sells the cards to him, is going to gobble up those cards no matter what I or anybody else says. That doesn't make it right. Well...that's my soapbox vent for today. >>
Yeah, there's a difference between the two, but, guess what? I still felt guilty about it!
Comments
This fix is up to the card companys and the product distributers. Back in the day you needed a brick & mortar shop to buy direct. Not sure if that's the case now. Seems like every weekend warrior has a case of SPx or whatver now. Why go to the store when you can chose from 20 venders on eBay? Also, we need to get the customers back in the shops or they will all be gone soon. In the mid 90's there were dozens of kids in the local shop every day when school let out. Now nadda! They can't afford the $5.00-$10.00-$50.00 packs. The hobby is geared toward adults now which is dangerous. Sure thats where the money is but where will the new collectors come from? How many kids own a Pujols RC? Probably few to none. In 89 every kid had a Griffey RC to show off and if they didn't they had a good shot at getting one if they had $1.00-$1.50 to buy a pack.
My fix: Cut back on the products, especially the high end stuff. Product distributed to b&m shops only and gear more products toward the kids. Isn't that when we all started?
JMO, Bob
61 Topps (100%) 7.96
62 Parkhurst (100%) 8.70
63 Topps (100%) 7.96
63 York WB's (50%) 8.52
68 Topps (39%) 8.54
69 Topps (3%) 9.00
69 OPC (83%) 8.21
71 Topps (100%) 9.21 #1 A.T.F.
72 Topps (100%) 9.39
73 Topps (13%) 9.35
74 OPC WHA (95%) 8.57
75 Topps (50%) 9.23
77 OPC WHA (86%) 8.62 #1 A.T.F.
88 Topps (5%) 10.00
Also I think there's a difference between adults selling items at a yard sale and a dealer at a store who is supposed to "in theory" be trustworthy. Someone doing a yard sale expects the potential buyers to haggle and buy things as cheap as possible. But I think that a "little old lady" would expect to get a fair price for a collection when taking it to a brick & mortar baseball card shop. Sure in the marketplace it's usually "buyer beware" and even "seller beware" but it's still my strong belief that it's wrong to take advantage of children and the elderly. If a competent adult walks into a card shop and doesn't get fair market value for their items, then in my view there's nothing wrong with that from a dealer standpoint. And I fully realize that virtually every card dealer out there, if a little old lady walks in with a collection of EXMT t-206's, and the dealer shows her a price guide from 1980 with the price guide's date blocked out, and she accepts that price and sells the cards to him, is going to gobble up those cards no matter what I or anybody else says. That doesn't make it right. Well...that's my soapbox vent for today.
edit: Greedy dealers suck! Merry Xmas!
hmmm interesting
Steve
<< <i>rbdjr1 - interesting post. Can't of course be sure but I imagine that the student probably gave his parents permission to "get rid of at any price" the cards. How about all those parents who threw away their kids cards? My dad tells of his very nice baseball card collection he had as a kid but when he came back home from 4 years in the Air Force during the Korean War, his card collection had been thrown out along with many other items his mother considered junk. Of course now I'm PO'd also because the cards probably would've been passed down to me - LOL.
Also I think there's a difference between adults selling items at a yard sale and a dealer at a store who is supposed to "in theory" be trustworthy. Someone doing a yard sale expects the potential buyers to haggle and buy things as cheap as possible. But I think that a "little old lady" would expect to get a fair price for a collection when taking it to a brick & mortar baseball card shop. Sure in the marketplace it's usually "buyer beware" and even "seller beware" but it's still my strong belief that it's wrong to take advantage of children and the elderly. If a competent adult walks into a card shop and doesn't get fair market value for their items, then in my view there's nothing wrong with that from a dealer standpoint. And I fully realize that virtually every card dealer out there, if a little old lady walks in with a collection of EXMT t-206's, and the dealer shows her a price guide from 1980 with the price guide's date blocked out, and she accepts that price and sells the cards to him, is going to gobble up those cards no matter what I or anybody else says. That doesn't make it right. Well...that's my soapbox vent for today. >>
Yeah, there's a difference between the two, but, guess what? I still felt guilty about it!
rbd
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Smokestack Lightning (Live) 1968
Quicksilver Messenger Service - The Hat (Live) 1971
That's good! It's called having a conscience
if not, and if you still feel so guilt, then why not go back, find the kid and give him some dough?
That way you won't be like some greedy dealer(s) that take advantage of kids and old ladies.
SD
<< <i>Robert does that mean you no longer feel guilty?
if not, and if you still feel so guilt, then why not go back, find the kid and give him some dough?
That way you won't be like some greedy dealer(s) that take advantage of kids and old ladies.
SD >>
Steve, can u read my mind?
rbd
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Smokestack Lightning (Live) 1968
Quicksilver Messenger Service - The Hat (Live) 1971
NO I can't read minds ...I simply went by what you wrote.
the word "FELT" can be construed as PAST tense, that is why i asked.
SD.
I took it as meaning he was agreeing with you (Steve D) and had thought about doing exactly what you said.