Something about the hobby that grinds your gears... I'll start

TNP777 · February 4, 2013 12:16PM

Rules are simple:

* List one thing about the hobby that grinds your gears
* Pound either one of your thumbs with a hammer before you list more than one thing about the hobby that grinds your gears.
* Keep it hobby-related without getting personal
* No fighting

Ok, here's what grinds my gears... overuse of the term "SSP"

Roughly five years ago, the term "SSP" started being thrown around, or at least that's when I became aware of it. In 2008 there was still a fairly vibrant group of Heritage collectors here, and Topps introduced the first truly rare Heritage variations, John (Jon) Smoltz and Johan Santana (as a NY Met). Once Topps saw the wild reaction to these so-called Super Short Prints, they quickly introduced more of them in the 2009 Heritage release. After that, Topps did what Topps always does: beat the damn thing into the ground. "SSPs" are everywhere now, and predictably eBay sellers are trying to capitalize on the gullibility of their prospective customers.

Case in point - an eBay search of "2013 Topps SSP 1/1" reveals 11 active and 10 sold listings. Now, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I don't need to be told that a 1/1 is short-printed, super or otherwise. Alternately, sellers use SSP to describe regular ol' SPs. For instance, 2013 has the "Out of Bounds" 25-card variation subset. They ain't all that scarce, but that hasn't prevented sellers from trying to convince us they are.

ThoseBackPages · February 4, 2013 12:20PM

"RARE!"

mygotta · February 4, 2013 12:28PM

"PSA 9 shoulda been a 10"

When I see that, it says 2 things: 1) A whiney seller who felt shortchanged in the grading. 2) keyword spamming

Its not a 10 so keep your nose out where it doesn't belong!! It's a 9, suck it up!!

RAWcardDAWG · February 4, 2013 12:30PM

people that "collect" because they see sports cards as investments and future dividends. A lot of these guys are wealthy and can buy almost any card they want, and likely don't appreciate the card(s) as much as people who collect because they love the game and its players, past and present. Yea I'm probably jealous because I can't drop a months salary on a card without blinking an eye, but whatever.

itzagoner · February 4, 2013 12:45PM

Curley Culp.

allow me to huff and puff.

a few years ago, i had a '73 Topps Culp which i'd been hanging onto until i felt it necessary to send it in for grading, just because it was a really nice looking card and i figured i'd give it a shot at a 10, since there were none at the time, and there still are none today.....there are, however, 26 examples graded PSA 9, and i'm responsible for the sale of at least 3 of them that i can verify from prior history.....which leads me to this:

that '73 Topps Curley Culp RC PSA 9 languished in a box of cards with no specific purpose from summer of '09 until February of 2010, seeing as how prior sales of PSA 9's were barely bringing back little more than grading fees, it didn't seem important to move it, i just enjoyed looking at it. until.....

i threw it on eBay. what the heck. it was just taking up space, right? winning bidder gets it for $10.50

just noticed a PSA 9 sold recently for a couple hundred bucks. yeah. 200. DOLLARS. well, actually $199.99

just a thought for the NFL Hall Of Fame Seniors Committee.....when you guys decide to pull these names out of a hat, could you please let me know way in advance? thanks.

gosteelers · February 4, 2013 1:00PM

The term 'Pop Charts' to describe the graded population numbers. The two words 'Pop Charts' should be confined to musical charts!

mygotta · February 4, 2013 1:19PM

Oh! the other thing that churns my butter is when I see "pack fresh" in the subject heading. It sounds like a sleazy car salesman line. I see it all over the place, especially with sets and the like. But it just makes my skin crawl as if to say its as if fresh means organic or healthy or that it is pure from any vulgarity that humans will eventually taint it with as they handle it. They also want to suggest that they are all PSA 10's except without a holder! Please forgive them for they know not what they do!

54topps · February 4, 2013 1:34PM

SGC88 = PSA 8 or similar. Just a lame way of spamming your SGC card with PSA in the title.

JoeBanzai · February 4, 2013 1:36PM

How about sellers that ask WAY too much for a PSA 9 or 10 and month after month they keep relisting it at the same price.

Joe

SidePocket · February 4, 2013 1:43PM

Ridiculously priced BINs.

galaxy27 · February 4, 2013 2:56PM

Shill bidding. If I never hear another sb story, it'll be too soon. It's a surreptitious form of thievery, period. If anyone engages in it or is contemplating it, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that your dignity is worth more than the amount you'd be able to extract from an unsuspecting someone. Slide on those big boy pants one leg at a time. Win some, lose some, and if karma has anything to say about the matter, you'll end up in the black when the dust settles.

TNP777 · February 4, 2013 3:03PM

<< Oh! the other thing that churns my butter is when... >>

inquiring minds want to know - which one of your thumbs did you smash?

mcadams · February 4, 2013 6:31PM

It bothers me some vintage collectors make comments about modern cards being worthless junk. I get it if you have a particular interest in some pre-war or tobacco set, but don't get pretentious and think that makes you superior. It would be nice if everyone collected at least 1 set from each era to broaden their understanding.

fiveniner · February 4, 2013 6:53PM

<< Ridiculously priced BINs. >>

frankhardy · February 4, 2013 8:22PM

People coming into my house and taking pictures of my cards on the floor.

(Just kidding, mcadams).

When I go to buy local collections and the guy hasn't even looked at his cards in 20 years......and he gets out his Beckett.

handyman · February 4, 2013 8:24PM

"SGC88 = PSA 8 or similar. Just a lame way of spamming your SGC card with PSA in the title."

Most anoying thing ever. Normanly when I see the SGC 88=PSA 8 it means My SGC 88 shouldnt be an 88 and it looks like a PSA 7OC or PSA 6 at best.

corncobb · February 4, 2013 8:46PM

People crying about SGC 88's. Its usually a higher quality card. Don't worry it won't effect your Registry set.

mcadams · February 4, 2013 9:14PM

<< People coming into my house and taking pictures of my cards on the floor.

(Just kidding, mcadams).

When I go to buy local collections and the guy hasn't even looked at his cards in 20 years......and he gets out his Beckett. >>

now that was funny :>

Southsider · February 4, 2013 9:24PM

Sellers who end auctions early because "bids aren't high enough" and apparently haven't ever heard of sniping.

Dboneesq · February 4, 2013 9:33PM

eBay sellers listing a graded card that has been given the dreaded O/C by PSA and they DO NOT say so in the title. Title states "PSA 9" and when you look at the picture you see "PSA 9 O/C".

bishop · February 4, 2013 10:28PM

pack fresh

WalterSobchak · February 4, 2013 10:40PM

Sellers who list PSA in the auction title for any reason..... when the actual card they are selling is a RAW card.

I wish unspeakably awful things on the seller when I see this.

handyman · February 4, 2013 10:46PM

The famous
PSA ready

On ebay (1 in 25 odds) of the SGC graded card auctions have PSA also in the tittle.

dtkk49a · February 4, 2013 10:49PM

Kool-Aid drinkers. People need to take the blinders off and realize there are great cards in many different slabs.

Downtown1974 · February 4, 2013 10:57PM

Nothing really. The day this hobby becomes a gear grinding experience, is the day I find a new hobby.

Dodgerfanjohn · February 4, 2013 11:17PM

Non disclosure of material flaws in cards that may not be entirely evident in the pictures on eBay listings.

Maurice · February 4, 2013 11:31PM

Watchers.

HeadsUp38 · February 4, 2013 11:34PM

<< It bothers me some vintage collectors make comments about modern cards being worthless junk. I get it if you have a particular interest in some pre-war or tobacco set, but don't get pretentious and think that makes you superior. It would be nice if everyone collected at least 1 set from each era to broaden their understanding. >>

I'm primarily a vintage card collector, but I'm finding out I like cards from all eras. I just bought a bunch of 2013 Topps because I really like the design and may try to build the entire set. Even the junk wax era has an appeal. The 1986-1995 era is where I grew up collecting cards and I have special fond memories of those cards like my dad had when he was a kid in the 50s and 60s. Individual cards like the '84 Topps Don Mattingly, '86 Donruss Jose Canseco, '89 Fleer Billy Ripken and the early Donruss Elite cards are some of the iconic cards from that era that I have been buying. I think the 1987, 1988 and 1989 Topps sets are really nice designs and get a bum rap because they are so common. I know one reason I focus on vintage is that I'm not going to accumulate them that quickly like newer cheaper cards. I don't have much room at home so I cannot be acquiring tons of cards indefinitely.

Craig H

Foo3112 · February 4, 2013 11:52PM

One thing that usually bugs me is when sellers try to be slick and in the title listing, they write something like "Looks like a 9 or 10" when the card is already graded an 8 or 9. When I do a search for an 8 or 9, thats all I really want to see. I dont care for what they "think" it should be.

BostonAmericans · February 5, 2013 12:08AM

Inserts.As I am getting back into the hobby and getting acquainted with the cards from the last 20 years or so, the number of inserts and special editions and other garbage that goes into packs these days just clutters up the base set. Whatever happened to the good old days of the 660 card set? You had players, league leaders, checklists, team cards, and the 4-in-1 rookie cards. Beautiful in its simplicity. I really don't care for any chrome autographed relic refractor parallel cards.

Unless I can get the chrome autographed relic refractor parallel of this year's Strasburg in the next pack I rip

Brick · February 5, 2013 1:06AM

A few things come to mind but I need my thumb for something or other, just can't remember what right now. I will go with not putting qualifiers in ebay ads.

alifaxwa2 · February 5, 2013 1:14AM

PSA's inability to log items in in a timely manner.

MrNearMint · February 5, 2013 1:40AM

Using the term "rare," especially when it's a 90's Jordan insert.

yankeeno7 · February 5, 2013 2:56AM

1978 Topps Johnny Oates sellers

Stone193 · February 5, 2013 3:01AM

....."Direct from Vending" in the description.

ludedude · February 5, 2013 3:11AM

When the previous owner of a card doesn't remove it from his or her registry before selling!

Dodgerfanjohn · February 5, 2013 3:13AM

<< ....."Direct from Vending" in the description. >>

Esp when the listing is for a card that's 95/5 L-R.

Bunker · February 5, 2013 3:30AM

When doing an ebay search for vintage T206's, you get more reprints and 20XX Topps cards than what you are looking for.

stown · February 5, 2013 3:41AM

I'm positive it has already been said but shilling.

mygotta · February 5, 2013 3:53AM

<< 

<< ....."Direct from Vending" in the description. >>

Esp when the listing is for a card that's 95/5 L-R. >>

I see that also when they have "PSA 10"? And a lot of, say, 50 Nolan Ryan cards from 1987, and clearly none of them are worthy of being graded.

billwaltonsbeard · February 5, 2013 3:55AM

<< ....."Direct from Vending" in the description. >>

if the cards are truly direct from a vending box, why would this be a problem?

letsgocapitals · February 5, 2013 4:05AM

When sellers don't reject a Best Offer if they don't like it and instead let it expire on its own.

BrownBlueGreen · February 5, 2013 4:09AM

When I search for "complete set" in the title and there are 1000 listings for single cards and the title includes "complete set break".

Bunker · February 5, 2013 4:30AM

It is funny how the op's title is "Something about the hobby that grinds your gears" and almost every reply is a complaint about ebay.

Nothing about cards shows or lazy dealers...ebay certainly has made a huge impact on the hobby.

frankhardy · February 5, 2013 4:31AM

<< When I search for "complete set" in the title and there are 1000 listings for single cards and the title includes "complete set break". >>

I second that motion!

I know the rules state that you can list only one thing. Well, sorry, but there is another thing that bothers me bad -

When Topps can't control itself by continuing to reprint styles with modern players. I have had enough of that. Leave that to the Heritage product. One old style per year is great, but they are taking a good thing and making it where it is not so great. Hey Topps, I promise we can wait for the 1987 Topps style or the 1972 Topps style to come back around. You are running this stuff into the ground. Stop it already.

Davemri · February 5, 2013 4:37AM

<< just noticed a PSA 9 sold recently for a couple hundred bucks. yeah. 200. DOLLARS. well, actually $199.99 >>

I was the seller!!

NickM · February 5, 2013 4:45AM

Card alterers.

Nick

flywatersmallie · February 5, 2013 4:49AM

<< ....."Direct from Vending" in the description. >>

And the same seller has a huge listing of "unsearched" vending boxes

Mapleleaf · February 5, 2013 4:59AM

No gum in modern packs of cards.

itzagoner · February 5, 2013 5:42AM

<< 

<< just noticed a PSA 9 sold recently for a couple hundred bucks. yeah. 200. DOLLARS. well, actually $199.99 >>

I was the seller!!

>>

good on ya!!

lawnmowerman · February 5, 2013 5:47AM

Greed. I understand it's everywhere but it seems to be more prevalent in this hobby than any other.

Also people that think they are valiant when in fact they are the furthest thing from the very definition of the word.

Something about the hobby that grinds your gears... I'll start

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