New Card shop in town who doesn't use Ebay

RobE · January 21, 2004 9:05AM

I just returned from a new card shop in town where the guy is new to the area.He does decent business in his stroefront and customer base but he's not doing anything that he's really capable of with other avenues like Ebay or a website.So yesterday we started talking about his business and I decided to come back today with a slu of things he should get familliar with.

I brought the Superior catalogs,couple SMRs,Set registry and PSA literature and proceeded to share with him as much as I could in our time talking about the hobby.He was amazed at certain things when discussing PSA and the benefit of selling PSA/DNA + graded material,Superior's catalogs and a number of other things.I got him interested in the possibility of becoming an authorized dealer because we don't really have any around here and he does have a lot of nice vintage stuff sitting in the back room which I'm going to be checking out in the weeks to come.

Plus when I saw a number of PRO cards in his cases I brought one cracked PRO holder to show him a trimmed card and he went through the roof.I told him about those lower level grading companies and suggested PSA SGC GAI and BGS as the only grading comapnies he should even think of stocking in his store and he agrees after I showed him some #s besides the level of trust those companies provide.Hopefully I'll have a PSA authorized dealer right around the corner from my house from this little PSA pitch I threw at him and he'll use Ebay to his advantage in the future since he is now interested in that after our conversation.

Any benefits thoughts or suggestions that I can forward to this new shop owner from any dealers or anybody out there.

Thanks!

Beachbum · January 21, 2004 9:31AM

Unless he is making you a partner in his business it seems like you did a lot of work as a good samaritan, even if you indirectly benefit from him being PSA authorized; I'm not being venal here, but I wouldn't be doing all this to help, because I doubt he will reward you if you drag him into profits he couldn't or wouldn't have found on his own. If you have already negotiated a deal, great; if not, try not to lead, but have him come back to you.

Expertise , though freely shared here, should not apply in this customer/seller relationship...a friend is one thing, a stranger is another.

P.S. Glad you simplified your sig line...better icon too

KallMaloneSay · January 21, 2004 11:51AM

You can have him give me a call if he has any questions about my experiences in running a shop, Jason

Baseball Card Heaven
4110 S. Maryland Pkwy #33
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 765-5557

pandrews · January 21, 2004 12:09PM

<< You can have him give me a call if he has any questions about my experiences in running a shop, Jason

Baseball Card Heaven
4110 S. Maryland Pkwy #33
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 765-5557 >>

off the subject, but I'm convinced that KALLMALONESAY is actually Jimmy Kimmel.. I know Kimmel is from Vegas, and he's the voice of KALLMALONE on Crank Yankers.. Come clean, Jimmy..

DeutscherGeist · January 21, 2004 12:15PM

Robert,

In all due respect, but how did this guy set up a business without knowing half the stuff you told him? A card shop owner should have known about PRO, PSA, BGS, SMR and understand the advantages of ebay. Where has he been all this time? Did he have so much money that he simply decided to buy a store in your area and just wing the business?

From what you wrote, he sounded too naive to be a real business man. People could have walked in his store and sold him a bunch of Jordan, Gretzky, Johnson, Ripken rookies in PRO holders and made a bundle. Are you sure he was not pulling your leg about not knowing about all this? I am not accusing anyone, but there is a tactic where people play dumb for some hidden agenda.

Anyway, that is just my take on it and my impression.

But the fact that you may be getting a PSA authorized dealer is a good thing if you did not have anyone to submit to otherwise.

The part about being a good samaritan does not bother me. I always believed in treating people better than they expect, especially a stranger where a good first impression sets the tone.

RobE · January 21, 2004 12:43PM

<< Unless he is making you a partner in his business it seems like you did a lot of work as a good samaritan, even if you indirectly benefit from him being PSA authorized; I'm not being venal here, but I wouldn't be doing all this to help, because I doubt he will reward you if you drag him into profits he couldn't or wouldn't have found on his own. If you have already negotiated a deal, great; if not, try not to lead, but have him come back to you.

Expertise , though freely shared here, should not apply in this customer/seller relationship...a friend is one thing, a stranger is another.

P.S. Glad you simplified your sig line...better icon too >>

Well,around here the big reward is having another place to persue the hobby with people who are interested in it as there aren't a whole hell of a lot who actively involve themselves in it around here.If there is something in it for me or not the conversation was good between myself and this guy.Plus I could see myself and him doing a little bit of good work for it for whatever it's worth but I'm not banking all my hope on it.I have my own business to be concerned with anyhow but I'm willing to expand and open doors.

I walk into his shop (for the first time) and he gave me a few cards even though I bought nothing as if to say thanks for coming in and talking with him.Therefore,I came back with a bunch of things to give him to look at and some to keep,we talked a little more as he had questions which I didn't mind answering.

Andre,he has a business partner.Maybe that guy knows more than the one I spoke to.It is kind of funny to speak to a card shop owner who doesn't know what the average dealer does.However,he does go to shows and pertty much keeps to himself.

The used to do a small business at a sports complex with mostly modern stuff.He seems to have a huge personal collection that was mostly obtained from shows and maybe his and his partner's fathers collection.Both theses two guys are voulnteer firemen, a bunch of snow plowing jobs,a card shop and this one fellow seems to be more of the modern type only familliar with the business end of being a lisenced dealer of
modern sports cards.

qualitycards · January 21, 2004 1:25PM

<< Unless he is making you a partner in his business it seems like you did a lot of work as a good samaritan >>

Thats human nature, RobE called me about a year ago ago inquiring to the pro's & con's of opening a store, (I had 1 for 13+ years)
I gave him all the info, good and bad. Others have contacted me about other dealers & purchases they've made...I'm always willing to help out as well, no regrets here...jay

ctsoxfan · January 21, 2004 2:00PM

Rob, where in CT is this new store? I am not too far from you, and would love to check out a new card store for a change. If you would prefer, could you PM me the info? Thanks!

RobE · January 21, 2004 2:30PM

Well,I'm not spamming the new shop in town or in any way associated with him but if you turned on your PM I'd be glad to talk to you.

ctsoxfan · January 21, 2004 2:55PM

Sorry, I didn't realize I had to turn on PM's! But, they are now active...thanks Rob.

KallMaloneSay · January 22, 2004 4:12AM

I'm convinced that KALLMALONESAY is actually Jimmy Kimmel

I wish I had his bank account numbers. Kimmel did go to UNLV, and my shop is a 30 second drive from UNLV. Hmmmm...

NickM · January 22, 2004 5:28AM

beachbum - most dealers will give their best customers or people who have given them help first crack on purchasing deals. This doesn't mean he's giving you a discount, just the first opportunity to buy. If it's something you really want, that itself is very valuable.

Nick

goodriddance189 · January 22, 2004 5:46AM

<< I'm convinced that KALLMALONESAY is actually Jimmy Kimmel

I wish I had his bank account numbers. Kimmel did go to UNLV, and my shop is a 30 second drive from UNLV. Hmmmm... >>

ive met both him and carolla in person. adam carolla is one of the funniest human beings alive

pandrews · January 22, 2004 6:15AM

<< 

<< I'm convinced that KALLMALONESAY is actually Jimmy Kimmel

I wish I had his bank account numbers. Kimmel did go to UNLV, and my shop is a 30 second drive from UNLV. Hmmmm... >>

ive met both him and carolla in person. adam carolla is one of the funniest human beings alive >>

KALLMALONE errrr... Kimmel definitely has the best late night show on television..

TheRoach · January 23, 2004 10:22AM

[Plus when I saw a number of PRO cards in his cases I brought one cracked PRO holder to show him a trimmed card and he went through the roof.I told him about those lower level grading companies and suggested PSA SGC GAI and BGS as the only grading comapnies he should even think of stocking in his store and he agrees after I showed him some #s besides the level of trust those companies provide.Hopefully I'll have a PSA authorized dealer right around the corner from my house from this little PSA pitch I threw at him and he'll use Ebay to his advantage in the future since he is now interested in that after our conversation.

Any benefits thoughts or suggestions that I can forward to this new shop owner from any dealers or anybody out there.

Thanks! >>

I can't believe you fell for this guy's line of BS. I never met the guy, so I can't discredit him too much, but anyone that has PRO graded cards in there case for sale, ABSOLUTELY does know that other grading services exist and are much more reputable than PRO.

Slim to none that this guy never heard of PSA or BGS. He's taking you for a fool. He probably PREFERS PRO because he knows that he can submit his "trimmed" vintage cards without getting caught.

If I owned a store and you walked in force feeding me a bunch of literature like a Jehovah's Witness, I would not have any other choice but to listen. You had the guy cornered with literature concerning a grading company that he does not want anything to do with. He isn't going to run you off and earn the reputation as a bad card store this early into his venture, is he?

The true test is to send someone else in there with a bunch of trimmed, vintage cards and see if the guy will buy them anyway. tell the guy that you do not know anything about vintage cards and you believe that your cards may be trimmed. If he says "that's ok", he's a crook.

Nobody opens a card store without some of the most important knowledge needed to run a business like that. And if he did, you may not want to hang out there anyway. People might just associate you with the dimwit running the store.

Don't be fooled by this guy. I will bet the trailer home and 16 cats that he is playing dumb.

TheRoach

RobE · January 23, 2004 10:53AM

You were there?

I can't believe you fell for this guy's line of BS. I never met the guy, so I can't discredit him too much,

DeutscherGeist · January 23, 2004 11:00AM

The Roach,

I follow your logic and assumption based on what we know from RobE. If you read my post, you would see that I had similar suspicions as you did, but also mentioned that I never met the guy so I am keeping an open mind. There is not enough information to say anything for certain, but you brought up something that everyone should be aware of.

Keep in mind that this guy does have a business partner, so this shop is not a single man operation. I assume the partner might know more and be the brains of the business. Well, if there is a brain to this particular business, that brain should know all about PRO. I can't imagine him not knowing about it. With that assumption, then I must also wonder why in Hades are there even PRO cards in that shop? It raises a lot of suspicion, sure.

I have been seeing something unique and consistent about your posts in general. You always know how to dig up the possible plot, the hidden agenda, the dirt, scam, etc. You know how to dissect something and expose the core of what people should also consider and think about. Your views do a lot of justice to the overall scope of opinions we need shared on this board. It would be very uneducational if we only had one type of view.

Beachbum · January 23, 2004 11:12AM

I've noticed DG that like Roach, your analysis is usually accurate as well.

I was not decrying helping strangers in my first response which became a sort of hijacked theme. The Roach was more specific than I was and my problem was with the basic assumption that this owner was looking for help in the first place and second, my unstated thought that this guy couldn't have fallen off the bumpkin truck....no slight to RobE who acted in good faith and saw only the "good" in this scenario, but call it my NYC cynicism if you will, but no way you just come to have a PRO holder , own a card shop and never heard of Ebay, card sales on Ebay & PSA,SGC,GAI & BGS. No way.

RobE · January 23, 2004 11:20AM

Andre,is on the lines of the type of head to think about this situation and pretty accurate.Thanks for summing things up.

This is not a one man operation.

This is an 8 week old business that was once run like a consession stand at a sports complex a couple days a week for a few hours.No advertising,and they were not planning to take it further.

I'm sorry if I made everyone feel like the guy was born yesterday or to give the impression that he is or just walked into owning a card shop yesterday.It's actually 8 weeks now to be exact.They go to shows maybe once a year and he knows a little about the grading companies but not to the extent of say Jay C/O QC, or the one everybody referrs to as Kimmel.. Or anybody who frequents this board.

TheRoach · January 24, 2004 12:44AM

Thank you DeutscherGeist. I appreciate your opinion of me and my posts. I may not always have the best way of saying what I am actually trying to say, but I do mean well in most of my posts.

I didn't mean to offend RobE at all, but I do want to let him know to keep his eyes open. His last post went into a bit more detail as to how this card shop operates. It seems almost like a traveling religious group that comes to town for a weekend a swindles the folks out of money and then packs up and leaves for the next town.

Even though I don't believe the guy never heard of any other card shop other than PRO, I may give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he may just be the "igor" to the real Dr. Frankenstein behind the store. Maybe the true scammer just works his other job and has his buddy, who may not know too much, sell the cards and field the questions so that he doesn't have to. Almost like the drug smuggler who has all the punks and crackheads sell his stuff for him. Maybe an unfair analogy, but you get the point.

Anyway, I cannot give this credit for claiming that he doesn't know about Ebay. I came downstairs the other day and my dog was on the computer looking for some bulk dog food on Ebay. EVERYBODY at least heard of Ebay you'd think.

RobE - Just keep an eye out and inspect this store's cards before you but them. It may not be the guy behind the counter who is at fault if there is suspect cards, but overall the store seems a bit oo fishy for me.

TheRoach

qualitycards · January 24, 2004 2:30AM

<< but overall the store seems a bit oo fishy for me >>

ROACH - Even if this is the case, then its good that RobE came in to prove that a potential client knows right from wrong (regarding PRO).
Now if the card shop owner does something about the graded card situation in his store then Rob's words of wisdom about the better grading companies was worth him getting involved. But if time passes and theres still an influx of PRO graded cards w/ clearly evident trimmed ones inside the slabs, then Rob'e getting involved was futile. But I applaud Rob's quest to educate the shop owner, as opposed to just shaking his head and walking away...jay

RobE · January 24, 2004 7:25AM

If I owned a store and you walked in force feeding me a bunch of literature like a Jehovah's Witness, I would not have any other choice but to listen. You had the guy cornered with literature concerning a grading company that he does not want anything to do with. He isn't going to run you off and earn the reputation as a bad card store this early into his venture, is he?

didn't mean to offend RobE at all, but I do want to let him know to keep his eyes open. His last post went into a bit more detail as to how this card shop operates. It seems almost like a traveling religious group that comes to town for a weekend a swindles the folks out of money and then packs up and leaves for the next town.

Well,if you as a collector had a new card shop in your area open up, you walk in meet one of the owners what do people talk about.Certainly not their Jesus SP 1/1 cloth card.

I can appreciate an opposition of awareness on the issue and this type of spin with humor.

Thanks for your spin,really.DeutscherGeist too.(who prevented it from spinning out to misundertanding)No ill intent,Roach.It's all good

I never believe anything right off the bat but do give people I run into like this dealer guy a chance before casting judgement.

As for the PRO situation this topic seems to focus in on - I didn't mean for this to come up but when he asked me questions one of the things that came up was the grading thing, it's just second nature for PSA to discussed.The first day I gave him the option to decline to returning with some literature,but he wanted to take a peak at things he's interested in which if someone came into my new store I would mostlikely welcome the offer if it doesn't appear unreasonable.

Back to PRO for a second.The person I spoke to defered to his partner for more grading knowledge.This guy is a sports fan and he strikes me more like that.For the store - Knows how to read the books work the register,players stats,Lebron James,not a Red Sox fan,(which is sort of not a good idea to not carry Boston Red Sox material around here) and he's an avid hockey fan.

Now back to a more holy spin on the matter - I didn't intend to walk into his shop and force PSA down his throat to repent for the Cardinal sin for the Handful of PRO (the great SATAN of the hobby) cards scattered about the display cases.All that took place was a conversation between two people.I'm really sorry about the picture painted of this dealer, looking like an evil doer,or that he just doesn't know what the two dealers we've mentioned do (who always know and do right for the hobby) in this post.

Glad I didn't list his info risking invitation of folks to call and torture him because of this conversation we're all having either.However,thanks for the reminder to keep a heads up in the situation.

habs71 · January 24, 2004 7:47AM

<< But I applaud Rob's quest to educate the shop owner, as opposed to just shaking his head and walking away...jay >>

New Card shop in town who doesn't use Ebay

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