Question about buying slabs at The National

ThoseBackPages

i will be attending The National in Chicago this year. im looking forward to it, but have to be honest that i am concerned about what i may find available there. i am looking for low-to-mid grade slab rookie cards of 50's/60s Hall of Famers.

my question is, am i better off sticking to eBay for picking these up?

Griffins

yup!
I've found that type of material is generally considerably higher priced at the National than on ebay, and everytime I've been to a National I"ve bought more on ebay that week than at the show.
What the National is good for is buying raw cards, buying things that you normally wouldn't search for on ebay, and meeting people that will lead to them offering you cards in the coming year before they go on ebay.

Morgoth

The only thing I differ with Griffins on is that since you can see the cards before buying you might pay more for an issue but you will at least know the condition you are getting. I have payed more than VCP or ebay pricing at the National but I knew I was getting a very high end version of the card in return.

Probstein123

we will bring FRESH ( not yet posted on ebay ) inventory to the national...
better to save the cash for the national and you can always buy on ebay afterwards if you don't find what u like...
collectors dislike coming to national seeing things they want and not having the funds to pull the trigger ( hey we all have budgets )

EchoCanyon

<< <i> my question is, am i better off sticking to eBay for picking these up? >>



Yes, you are.

vladguerrero

I find Ebay is generally cheaper than almost all card shows, most dealers are savy enough to price product knowing what they can get on Ebay is the bottom line. That said there is more room for 'dealer error' when it comes to shows (things getting under priced, not knowing what is hot) and card shows are more fun.

ThoseBackPages

Good input everyone, thank you for contributing.

last month i was able to find this Ryan at a show, and loved it as soon as i saw it....



it fit my collecting focus perfectly. sure its "only" a "5", but it has the eye appeal that i look for when looking for rookie cards. it was a great price and
was purchased from a dealer that does not sell on ebay

divecchia

I think the Nationals has mostly overpriced stuff, but if you look carefully there are deals to be had. My main reason for going to the Nationals is to meet people and to see cards in person. Cards or items I don't generally search out on eBay.

By the way great looking Ryan rookie. The eye appeal is great...

Donato

NickM

On an inexpensive low-grade HOFer rookie (e.g., Fingers in PSA 5), it might come out the same price or cheaper at the show, because shipping is a substantial part of the ebay price.

HOFer rookie cards come up for auction regularly, but a lot of other material seems to only be on ebay nowadays as BIN or BIN/BO. The card show also allows you to negotiate prices far better than ebay does, especially if a dealer has several cards you're interested in or it's the last day of the show.

Nick