Topps out---Fanatics in

[Mister2Bits]

Assuming things go badly for them in this situation, would Topps be able to release the Archives Auto Series every year? If so, could they still get active players to sign? Retired?

[NYRE2PECT]

Originally Posted by justrun7

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/01/18-b...e-company.html

"Fanatics’ plan for the physical trading card space is to expand it by opening the market to leverage it more via direct-to-consumer offerings, according to people familiar with the matter. For example, should collectors purchase a trading card, they’ll be able to insure the asset, grade, store and even put them on a marketplace to sell or trade — all through Fanatics. The company would likely collect transaction fees, and leagues will also get valued data they crave.

Speculation on Wall Street suggests Fanatics will also attempt to buy one of the trading card companies. Panini is valued at $1.3 billion, according to PitchBook, and there are other firms, Upper Deck and Texas-based Leaf Trading Cards."

About to birth an unholy creation.


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[Archangel1775]

Originally Posted by JRX

Not long before people will question whether some of the cards even exist lol. Demand physical delivery of the cards and see how many messages you get from fanatics pressuring you to keep it safe with them.

Congratulations! You've purchased an autographed card guaranteed to be by the player depicted. The memorabilia on the card is guaranteed to be from a MLB team. If you requested physical possession of this item, you agree that signings can take a time due to unforeseen demand or due to the virus and may not receive the card immediately with no guaranteed delivery date. Rest assured, your card will be authentic*.

*All pictures on site are digital representations only and if vaulted, are guaranteed to be stored there unless you die, then nobody gets anything.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by Archangel1775

Congratulations! You've purchased an autographed card guaranteed to be by the player depicted. The memorabilia on the card is guaranteed to be from a MLB team. If you requested physical possession of this item, you agree that signings can take a time due to unforeseen demand or due to the virus and may not receive the card immediately with no guaranteed delivery date. Rest assured, your card will be authentic*.



*All pictures on site are digital representations only and if vaulted, are guaranteed to be stored there unless you die, then nobody gets anything.

Theyll "make" a card and them you'll see all these high dollar transactions that wont be real and involve people associated with fanatics and theyll use that to pump up other cards. It doesnt matter the company, having all this under one house is ripe for abuse and manipulation.

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[80s Kid]

Originally Posted by justrun7

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/01/18-b...e-company.html

"Fanatics’ plan for the physical trading card space is to expand it by opening the market to leverage it more via direct-to-consumer offerings, according to people familiar with the matter. For example, should collectors purchase a trading card, they’ll be able to insure the asset, grade, store and even put them on a marketplace to sell or trade — all through Fanatics. The company would likely collect transaction fees, and leagues will also get valued data they crave.

Speculation on Wall Street suggests Fanatics will also attempt to buy one of the trading card companies. Panini is valued at $1.3 billion, according to PitchBook, and there are other firms, Upper Deck and Texas-based Leaf Trading Cards."

So a modernized version of eTopps. Or a combination of the on demand stuff Topps already does, marketplace like Comc.com, with storage and a few other upsales.

[Technochocolate]

If you try to do everything, you'll do nothing. On the other hand, if you try and do something, you'll do something.

I hope they have a plan beyond "buy a company in each respective discipline and fold them into our plan".

First things first, they need to make trading cards without the administrative delays and errors we've been seeing from the manufacturers, and make product available to the masses. Then they can worry about grading and breaking and that other stuff.

[Archangel1775]

Originally Posted by 80s Kid

So a modernized version of eTopps. Or a combination of the on demand stuff Topps already does, marketplace like Comc.com, with storage and a few other upsales.

Upper Deck already does most of what they are talking about but the difference is that they don't do the grading thing anymore(they did it in 2000 w/BGS) and COMC stores the cards. The hobby trusts COMC and know that it's a separate company from UD. Sales are done on a separate websites that are owned by UD.

It'll be interesting to see what Fanatics does.

[fulltritty]

Originally Posted by justrun7

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/01/18-b...e-company.html

"Fanatics’ plan for the physical trading card space is to expand it by opening the market to leverage it more via direct-to-consumer offerings, according to people familiar with the matter. For example, should collectors purchase a trading card, they’ll be able to insure the asset, grade, store and even put them on a marketplace to sell or trade — all through Fanatics. The company would likely collect transaction fees, and leagues will also get valued data they crave.

Speculation on Wall Street suggests Fanatics will also attempt to buy one of the trading card companies. Panini is valued at $1.3 billion, according to PitchBook, and there are other firms, Upper Deck and Texas-based Leaf Trading Cards."

So not only are they putting the rest of the card companies out of business, they are trying to end Beckett, PSA, E-bay (sports cards section), COMC, Sportslots, etc.

I'll be waiting to see how any real collector gets product if they go more the direct route when it will probably be sold out instantly to bots and breakers.

[fulltritty]

Originally Posted by JRX

Not long before people will question whether some of the cards even exist lol. Demand physical delivery of the cards and see how many messages you get from fanatics pressuring you to keep it safe with them.

Yes. Could be another eTopps failure.

[mwash1983]

Well If they go the digital route, it tells you all you need to know about the players. They don’t want to sign anything, I know a lot of minor league players now don’t want to sign cards but will sign everything else. I think there will be more resentment towards players.

[rws211]

OK, so say that Fanatics 'wants' to create an everything marketplace that would in theory replace the manufacturers [Topps/Panini], DtC selling [LCS and distributors], graders [BGS/PSA], marketplaces [eBay/COMC], and asset management [PWCC/Goldin]. And from everything I've seen over two weeks, no one on this planet likes Fanatics to begin with.

Good luck.

Just because a company has the balls and the cash to make said things happen, doesn't mean it will if the entire [or significant amount of] its established customer base doesn't want to hear it. People don't have brand loyalty to overpriced foreign made t-shirts and baseball hats. People WILL choke off sales of Fanatics cards if they cut out the LCS, make terrible products and try and tell us how to collect.

Do you also think that Nat Turner is going to just put his hands up and hand over PSA to them? eBay? Come on. Topps was weak to begin with and they'll fold into Fanatics, COMC, well, that wouldn't surprise me either. But there are other big boys still standing that will create legit resistance on our behalf if Fanatics tries for a complete monopoly.

[JRX]

Originally Posted by rws211

OK, so say that Fanatics 'wants' to create an everything marketplace that would in theory replace the manufacturers [Topps/Panini], DtC selling [LCS and distributors], graders [BGS/PSA], marketplaces [eBay/COMC], and asset management [PWCC/Goldin]. And from everything I've seen over two weeks, no one on this planet likes Fanatics to begin with.

Good luck.

Just because a company has the balls and the cash to make said things happen, doesn't mean it will if the entire [or significant amount of] its established customer base doesn't want to hear it. People don't have brand loyalty to overpriced foreign made t-shirts and baseball hats. People WILL choke off sales of Fanatics cards if they cut out the LCS, make terrible products and try and tell us how to collect.

Do you also think that Nat Turner is going to just put his hands up and hand over PSA to them? eBay? Come on. Topps was weak to begin with and they'll fold into Fanatics, COMC, well, that wouldn't surprise me either. But there are other big boys still standing that will create legit resistance on our behalf if Fanatics tries for a complete monopoly.

The problem is you'll have no other place to get cards. There will always be the pre fanatics cards, but over the long term (and some of these deals are 20 years) everything will transition over.

[marterburn]

If we take the CNBC article as gospel of what Fanatics is going to do, and nothing else:

1. Those who don't collect graded cards will be alienated.
2. Those who collect low-end will be alienated.
3. Thsoe who enjoy holding physical cards in their hands will be alienated.

With those three combined, that's 100% of collectors that have been around for more than 5 years. There's going to be a lot of people just completely out (as some of you have indicated), if this is all Fanatics is planning.

But as I've said several times throughout the course of this thread -- Fanatics isn't dumb. They know collectors like having liberty to collect how THEY want. It's why it seems so obvious that they'll acquire/get license to use existing IP, and also create their own brands.

ENTERING the scene with their own marketplace is a great idea, as long as collectors have options.
ENTERING the scene with their own grading service is a great idea, as long as collectors have options.

We're all jumping to conclusions, which we shouldn't. We're real, real early here folks. Wait & see.

[base set]

There is always less “low end” around anything MLB related. There is no “low end” beer in the stadiums. Everything around MLB is low cost manufacturing, high profit stuff. Because it says MLB on it, you must pay MLB. And the players, even if only tangentially. Because their salaries are so high, tickets and beer must be very high too. And probably soon, baseball cards, too. The money has got to come from somewhere for the first Ace to reach $13,000 for each and every pitch he throws, while everyone else involved makes fat profits, too.

[JRX]

From the article, this could end up way more predatory:

Fanatics also wants a presence in the estimated $40 billion U.S. online gambling space through sports betting, sources said.

The company made headlines after plans it wants to enter the New York sports betting market emerged. Fanatics is under the impression it can leverage its 80 million user base tied to its sports merchandising company into a sports betting offering. If it works, then Fanatics will be able to lure sports bettors to its platform and combine offerings from its merchandise catalog as rewards for consumer loyalty.

[rws211]

Originally Posted by JRX

From the article, this could end up way more predatory:

Fanatics also wants a presence in the estimated $40 billion U.S. online gambling space through sports betting, sources said.

The company made headlines after plans it wants to enter the New York sports betting market emerged. Fanatics is under the impression it can leverage its 80 million user base tied to its sports merchandising company into a sports betting offering. If it works, then Fanatics will be able to lure sports bettors to its platform and combine offerings from its merchandise catalog as rewards for consumer loyalty.

‘Turn that profit from your win on the Dodgers moneyline bet last night into credit for group breaks of Fanatics Topps Dynasty 2027! Breaks held by Platinum Breaks by Fanatics, who will ship your cards to HGA by Fanatics, stored by Fanatics then sell it in the COMC by Fanatics marketplace!’


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[oldgoldy97]

Regulation is long overdue in this gamblers landscape.

[anusinha]

Hearing from the inside that Fanatics has a plan in place to buy out UD, official announcement is coming.

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by anusinha

Hearing from the inside that Fanatics has a plan in place to buy out UD, official announcement is coming.

today?

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by anusinha

Hearing from the inside that Fanatics has a plan in place to buy out UD, official announcement is coming.

That would be great news, since UD created many great products over the years.

BTW, does anybody know the parameters of Upper Deck's OPC license?

Because if it extends to OPC's baseball intellectual property, then we could get OPC Heritage (instead of Topps Heritage).

[JRX]

Originally Posted by mfw13

That would be great news, since UD created many great products over the years.

BTW, does anybody know the parameters of Upper Deck's OPC license?

Because if it extends to OPC's baseball intellectual property, then we could get OPC Heritage (instead of Topps Heritage).

Maybe they'll do UD flashbacks and print even more 89 Griffeys

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by JRX

Maybe they'll do UD flashbacks and print even more 89 Griffeys

I'd love to see them doing some retro sets using OPC hockey designs, if the UD license allows that.

[notoriousrmb]

Again, everyone assuming buying out UD means just reprinting all the same UD brands.

I'd think that buying out UD means making all new cards under the Fanatics name using their licensing with the NHL and NHLPA.

What would a landscape look like where every football, basketball, baseball and hockey rookie had the same design?

[JRX]

It also means the death of all topps brands. For everyone buying sapphire or mojo refractors, people may not care as much about them 10 years from now

[JRX]

I guess buying topps wasn't the best move, this was if it gives them all 4 major sports.