My card shop experience

sdwetzel

I went to my local card shop yesterday to pick up some 70's commons to send out for TTM autograph requests.

A little background on the shop. Lately everytime i go in i check out the prices on new wax boxes and they are always $20 to $30 more than what you could pay to get the same thing delivered on Ebay.

So i pick out commons from 73 thru 80. He was trying to charge me mostly $2 or $1, mainly $2, per card. They were not mint. I ended up leaving most of them and just buying a few for the requests that i want to send out asap.

These prices seemed way out of line to me. Am i correct? I went on sportlots this morning and i didn't pay over $1 for any of the cards i was looking for. I ending up getting much more cards from sportslots.

I think that i am done with this shop, which is sad because i have been going there since roughly 1980.

MeteoriteGuy

His prices on boxes seem about right. There is always going to be someone cheaper on eBay.

Would have to see the cards to have much a gauge on them, but that sounds a little high for "70s commons," especially if wanting a lot.

Clear Skies,
Mark

Leiascards

You have the internet mentality about card shops. Most shops you can expect to pay 15 to 50 dollars more per box of cards than you would online. Single cards are the same way you can expect to pay more for singles. There are benfits to this though as you can hold the card in your hand before making a buying decision.

Bottom line is overhead for a store owner is much more than overhead for an online seller.

bigwilli

That does seem to be the way it is for card shops . I have a local shop which i go to for supplies mostly . The guy is
cool to talk to and loves to talk about cards . The problem is that his prices are always higher then what i can get
them online . I inquired a while back about getting a box of 2007 Bowman Sterling . He called his "wholesale distributor"
and told me he can get them for 245 plus tax . At the time i could get them online for 230 with no tax . He understands
the problem card shop owners have but all he can say is that he appreciates whatever business i can do with him. I do
go in and pick up whatever supplies i need and do buy a few random packs . As far as boxes or cases , i will stick to getting
them online .

julen23

Stone193

Card shop vs ebay.

Apples and oranges.

Not much else to say.

Most card shop owners that have survived are not idiots - they also sell on ebay.

Their retail prices are for newcomers to the hobby and people who want the convenience and service of a good shop.

One can still get some good buys in local shops on cards that they won't bother to have graded - a card that they'll sell around Nm value and ya send it to PSA and it comes back an 8 or 9.

Ebay's probably destroyed the local hobby shop - but that's not necessarily a good thing?

mike

justmichael

I am very lucky to have a local shop that is very aware of the online market.He goes out of his way to research online prices and charge right around the same for his cards.There are some cards he is into for more than others and he makes you aware of that up front.I would rather spend my money with him or on this board than on Ebay.
Mike

storm888

"Ebay's probably destroyed the local hobby shop - but that's not necessarily a good thing."

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

In my 2007 travels, I was told repeatedly - what I already believed -
"If it were not for my EBAY income, I could not profitably keep my (B&M)
store open."

Thus, in a sense, we could say: "EBAY has preserved many B&M hobby shops."

While I found a few antique stores that had NEVER heard of EBAY, most B&M collectible
sellers have at least a small presence on the site.

TNTonPMS

I wouldn't walk into a card shop and expect to pay internet prices .

I love my card shops and if I have to pay more money, I have to pay more money .

At least I get to see exactly what I am going to get .

One of the card shops I go to in E. Northport , the guys over there are the best , every single time I buy they are always giving my son something extra before we walk out, granted we spend a lot most times , but they definitely don't have to and it was never asked for .

Last time before we walked out they pulled a Joba Chamberlain Rookie out of the dispaly case and handed it my son, Not a big money card , but the gesture goes a long way, having gone there so long they get to know who you like , they even come to know when you'll be coming in

I think it is the way they are saying they appreciate doing business .

I have never been one to haggle, it is not a quality I have ever had .

kingraider75

u get the item in hand, so who cares about a few more dollars. Ebay is crappy on delivery, packing, descriptions. Now I say a few more dollars, not 50% MORE.

SportsItUpCards

Giovanni

cohocorp

we have had this discussion a number of times on here. sdwetzel, i am not directing the following comments at you since i do not know you.

in general, card shops are higher due to the overhead. sure you can get most everything cheaper online. a card shop has the person experience to go along with it. that and convenience is what you are paying for. are you going to call the guy on ebay who you bought the box from and tell him what you got? i dont think so. at least the card shop owner listens to your stories and take an interest. people seem to complain about card shops being more expensive or they complain that there are hardly any card shops around anymore. in addition to this, people complain that stores arent buying their collections or paying such and such percent of book. who would want to run a store nowadays? people coming into your store telling you they can get stuff cheaper on ebay and wanting you to match the prices online. do these same people who complain get paid at their job? would you work for free? i dont think the store owners want to. would you like for your boss to say that he can hire cheaper people to work for $6-$7 an hour so you can still work there if you take a cut in salary to match them? i guess dealers should pay high and buy everything and work for free. this doesnt even take into account of people stealing from them. these owners are just barely getting by, they are not making a ton of $. its gets tiring hearing the complaints about store owners. i bet if you add up all the time they spend on their store, they probably make less then $9 per hour.

sdwetzel

I know that the card shop has to make money, but he was charging me roughly 4 or 5 times more than i could get them somewhere else. I bought roughly 40 cards ( I had probably 40 more that i put back) from the card shop and i got over 200 from sportslots and paid less at sportslots.

My point is why should i pay 4 to 5 times more just to get them faster.

Estil

I used to go to a really sweet store called "Baseball Card Warehouse" in Lexington, KY back when I went to UK in 1999-2003. That's one of the main reasons I sometimes wish I stayed in Lexington after I graduated, because my native town has exactly ZERO sports card stores, and frankly I miss getting to go to a good card store and getting to do all the things you can only do at an actual store and not on Ebay/online.

Leiascards

<< <i>I know that the card shop has to make money, but he was charging me roughly 4 or 5 times more than i could get them somewhere else. I bought roughly 40 cards ( I had probably 40 more that i put back) from the card shop and i got over 200 from sportslots and paid less at sportslots.

My point is why should i pay 4 to 5 times more just to get them faster. >>



You answered your own question. The card shop has to make money. 4 or 5 times more than internet prices especially on raw commons is not unheard of. Many raw commons on Ebay sell for less than a quarter each even for vintage stuff so 4 or 5 times more for that is not that much still

jrinck

The biggest problem I have with card stores is that I'm too sheepish to laugh out loud at the prices the owner is charging for his vintage junk. So I just don't bother even going in to them.

I can laugh all day on Ebay and not fret a single second over it, though.

perkdog

They ( card shop owners ) have to survive, that being said I dont buy anything from shops other than Hertitage when I feel the need to rip and supplies whenever I need them. There is a shop near my house and I went in the other day to pick up a thing of top loaders, I put it on the counter and the guy wanted $3.50 I told him No thanks in a very polite manner and the guy quickley said I could have them for $2 so I bought them, I thought about it after and realized the poor guy is just trying to make a living so I felt kinda bad but then I remembered he has a PS 3 set up for kids to use and he charges them $5 a game, 10 cent candy for $1.50 and those power drinks for $4 a piece..

rpcoletrane

The owners have to eat too my friend. And I would be careful buying vintage commons from sportlots. It is a real crapshoot with that site. You may get some nice cards or you may get a stack of kindling material.

cohocorp

do you ever stop in a 7-11 or any other convenience store to pick something up? everything in the store can be purchased elsewhere considerably cheaper. i stop in our local convenience store virtaully everyday. i know i can go to the grocery store of target or walmart and save money, but i value the convenience factor. just another example.

a local sportscard store owner i know mentioned to me that some people buy boxes online then tries to sell him the singles from the box break. he views it as an insult and wont buy the cards unless the box was purchased in his store.

i understand and respect your point about saving a few bucks but dont complain when there is no longer any card stores around.

once again, if you buy a box from walmart or target, do you open the box there and discuss the "pulls" with the clerk???

everything has a value to it.

cohocorp

<< <i>I know that the card shop has to make money, but he was charging me roughly 4 or 5 times more than i could get them somewhere else. I bought roughly 40 cards ( I had probably 40 more that i put back) from the card shop and i got over 200 from sportslots and paid less at sportslots.

My point is why should i pay 4 to 5 times more just to get them faster. >>



i am missing something here. i thought you had picked out about 40 cards and the dealer wanted between $1-2 each. you passed and picked them up for roughly $1 each. where does 400-500% higher comes into this? also, if his new wax boxes are $20-$30 more than they are on the internet and thats 400-500% higher, then are you saying new boxes are $5 at release? what new boxes are $5 online anyway? thats what they have to be for this to add up. just curious. now if he is $30 higher on a $150 box, thats only about 20 % not 400 %.

Stone193

Card shop buy:

I paid book for this card - I think it was 11 bucks or so - and I sent it to PSA as part of the 6 card sub - it came back PSA 8.

It's a nice card and will sell for more than the Nm price I believe.



I agree with anyone who talks about experience - ebay's important when looking for oddball stuff - ya may have to attend quite a few shows to find board games e.g. Talking with a card shop owner who knows cards is invaluable - especially when one is just starting out and decides to get into the collecting hobby.

mike

SportsItUpCards

WOW Mike, thats a great looking PSA 8!!!!!!!

You know, I would think its hard these days to find deals like that, because I would think that every single card shop owner out there would be an expert on card grading and would know what they got.

After hearing your story, I think there still might be deals out there after all

Thanks for sharing!

Giovanni

stevek

Card shop owners need to understand that they basically have to compete or at least be competitive with ebay. I'm not talking equal or lower in price but at least competitive. They need to understand basic business 101 that getting something at a lower price is better than getting nothing at a higher price. Those who don't understand this basic business principle usually windup being an ex-card shop owner.

stevek

<< <i>Card shop buy:

I paid book for this card - I think it was 11 bucks or so - and I sent it to PSA as part of the 6 card sub - it came back PSA 8.

It's a nice card and will sell for more than the Nm price I believe.



I agree with anyone who talks about experience - ebay's important when looking for oddball stuff - ya may have to attend quite a few shows to find board games e.g. Talking with a card shop owner who knows cards is invaluable - especially when one is just starting out and decides to get into the collecting hobby.

mike >>



Wow - What a beautiful raw card for 11 bucks!

69Cubs

Mike,

Love that Don Zimmer card! I'll have to pick one up.

Mike

tedh111

What do you define as competitive? Is a percent? a dollar amount? a type of service? And competitive to who? The guys dumping wax below what they paid for it? Or the millions of collectors who sell cards for a loss just to move money around... Its pretty tough, but it can be done. I am almost to my first anniversary as a card shop owner, and i try to be fair with my pricing, but i concentrate on services an ebay seller cannot provide.

F1ferrari

I probably do 80% of my card purchasing from eBay or this forum, mainly because the shops closest to me don't have much inventory of the stuff I collect. Believe it or not, I doubt the local card shop owner has opened 2 dozen packs of Topps Heritage in the last 3 years combined. I'll get all my supplies at the shops, mainly because I'm not paying $4 to ship a 50¢ 800 count box, but if I can find a 2003 Heritage SP for $2 instead of $14 at the hobby shop, I'll gladly make that purchase.

I understand the shops have more overhead than online only stores, and can understand some price variations, but 700% is a little much.

stevek

<< <i>What do you define as competitive? Is a percent? a dollar amount? a type of service? And competitive to who? The guys dumping wax below what they paid for it? Or the millions of collectors who sell cards for a loss just to move money around... Its pretty tough, but it can be done. I am almost to my first anniversary as a card shop owner, and i try to be fair with my pricing, but i concentrate on services an ebay seller cannot provide. >>



<<< but i concentrate on services an ebay seller cannot provide >>>

You're smart. When narrowed down, there's basically only three things a successful business can offer...better price, better quality or better service, and it is very rare if not almost impossible to be better at all three than the competition unless there is a monopoly on something or a brand new product. It is hard to be better than the competition in two of these categories. A business can grow and prosper just being better at one of these things. Yes, two hamburger joints can both survive being across the street from each other, but again...they must each be competitive or one of them won't make it.

The card shop owners who go out of business forget these basic principles of staying in business...they try to sell cards at too high of a price while basically offering no service to go along with it that ebay can't provide. High prices, arrogant customer service, and overgraded cards, and then they scratch their heads wondering why they went out of business when a ten year old child could figure it out.


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RonBurgundy

"One of the card shops I go to in E. Northport , the guys over there are the best , every single time I buy they are always giving my son something extra before we walk out, granted we spend a lot most times , but they definitely don't have to and it was never asked for .

Last time before we walked out they pulled a Joba Chamberlain Rookie out of the dispaly case and handed it my son, Not a big money card , but the gesture goes a long way, having gone there so long they get to know who you like , they even come to know when you'll be coming in."


This is how card shops can stay in business. Market, market, market, get fresh stuff in as much as possible, and above all treat it like a hobby (which means treating the kids well). That is what my local shop does (and he does very little to nothing online), and his store is always full on the weekends. He had his biggest year ever last year.

The internet has been a great thing for consumers, but the downside is it caused a lot of shop owners to become lazy and as a result the personal touch has gone out of the hobby. In the long run that will mean less kids involved in the hobby and that is not a good thing. It's sad to see because every weekend I witness that it still can be done. As far as prices are concerned.........Dude. C'mon. Everything's cheaper on the net.




Ron