Now I know why card shops are so rare!

nendee

Outside of the 90's overproduction beat down, that is.

I go into a card shop north of Hartford - one (Matt's) - that was recommended on here and - after an hour drive - is the closest to my house. I walk in, relieved to be in one again. I see a bunch of packs of new stuff, etc - pretty promising. Some nice older FB cards in the case - a ton of comics. Then, two men (I assume one was the guy working, the other a patron) - debating which Batman actor was the best. Real loud. Ok, I can deal with that. I poke around seeing if there are any unopened vintage - nothing really. So I stand at the counter, the Batman arguing guy comes over and says can I help you.

I say "Do you have any Topps Tribute?"
The guy "No, just whats on the counter here. I think they have series two coming out so I don't have those yet"
I say "Uhmm, series 2, really? Ok - how much are they a pack normally?"
The guy says "I charge $2.99 a pack"
Now, I clearly know he has no idea what I'm talking about, so I just drop the subject.

Next question, I say "Hey, do you have any of those card saver sleeves you use to ship cards to PSA"
Guy says "Well, we use something that you put the cards in that they like us to use"
I say , "Yeah, Card Savers - do you have any"
Guy says, "Just whats on the rack"

I give up and leave.

I understand this guy might have been the "comic" book guy doing his shift - but come on! I'll stick to the internet, thank you very much!

Trinketts

The real reason you hardly have any shops anymore is profit margin.

Stone193

Not a good experience for the long drive. Sorry to hear this.

Other than that - not much can accurately be said.

The death of the sports card shop is far more complex than a clerk without a clue.

WalterSobchak

There are three card shops that I know of within a 10-mile drive of where I live. I collect exclusively Topps regular-issue baseball cards, 1978 and earlier, in NM and better condition. Not a particularly unique/oddball interest. You would think that would be right in a card shop owner's wheelhouse.
I see value in being allowed to inspect a card in person before I buy it, and would be willing to pay a premium for that in some cases. So even if the cards were "overpriced", I would love to still go to these shops from time to time, spend an hour or two looking for cards I needed, and squander some of my hard-earned cash.

Problem is, none of the three card shops even have what I collect. Two of them have a decent amount of vintage baseball, but 99% of it is EX-MT or worse. Eventually I gave up. I still go to one of them when I need supplies (that shop has supplies comparable to online prices), but that's it. I don't even bother looking for cards there anymore, and I haven't set foot in either of the other two in several years. Everything I buy is through the mail.

Also, none of the card shop owners ever want to buy cards, either- unless you are practically willing to give them away. And no, I never came to them with 800-ct boxes of '91 Fleer. I have approached each of them with stuff that actually has value, that they could flip and make a profit with a little time. Always the same answer.... ''not buying right now".

Basically, for all the good they are to me, the card shops in my area might as well be fabric stores.

TheHun

The other viewt might be why is card collecting is in decline ? The interaction between collectors has become inconvenient - "just sell me the card" thought process is prevailent now made easy by online selling.

Places like card shops were once gathering places for trade, sales and discussions (perhaps like the one you walked in on). I find more people with their heads down on their blackberry or iphone than engaged in conversation.

I can see the convenience of typing in the comfort of one's home rather than an hour drive to pick up something for a collection and having to get unsatisfactory replies at your destination. (The internet has expanded much information and the scope of collectors)

It might not be in your comfort zone, but then again you might have
1) engaged in a conversation that could have resulted in a future contact and maybe a source of what you are seeking.
2) you could have taken the time to educate the owner / salesperson what you were looking for and maybe the next time they would have it for you.

Looking at it from the store's point of view, why would they even bother to stock cards or supplies. Why open the store doors for a $1 sale that come once in a blue moon, would you ?

Perhaps annonymous online sales might suit you better. Nothing wrong with that.

Then again, maybe the card collecting hobby has been whittled down to a few forums of die-hard collectors ? There was a similar lull in comic books in the 1990's - but promotion by comic publishers (like FREE COMIC BOOK DAY for stores) have boosted comic book shops which have prospered along with comic conventions aided by film industry support (like COMICON).

Card collecting has become somewhat narcacistic with company profit margins and price guide dictatorship driving collectors to abandon the hobby.

Just a few thoughts ...

WinPitcher

Maybe it was a front.

Ironmanfan

usually when I go into a card shop, I know what I'm looking for

IMF